Josh Broadwell-Contributor

Josh Broadwell

Contributor Since August, 2022
Qualifications MA in communications (journalism concentration)
Expertise
Overwatch (Formerly Overwatch 2), Subnautica 2, Overwatch
  • 522
    articles
  • 65
    News
  • 168
    Features
  • 8
    Lists
  • 261
    Guides
  • 16
    Reviews
  • 3
    Deals
  • 1
    Other
Polygon.com logo Profile

About Josh Broadwell

Josh is a critic, reporter, and guide writer who covers a broad range of topics, though he specializes in narrative-driven games. He's written for some of the biggest brands in publishing, including Rolling Stone, RogerEbert.com, NPR, and Wired, and he also freelances as a video game consultant.

What's a recent obsession?

I've fallen very deep down the rabbit hole of city builders and strategy games recently, and after spending hundreds of hours in the likes of Cities: Skylines and Anno: 1800, there's no sign I'll hit the bottom anytime soon

What's your origin story?

I stumbled into games journalism almost by accident in 2017, looking for ways to break into non-academic writing at the end of a history graduate program. My main job was still in teaching, though, where I tutored social studies and writing. Four years later, I started freelancing full-time.

Two book covers created for TR-49 in the style of Penguin Classics
Feature

Fake news and podcast drama inspired one of 2026's first great games

Tabitha smiling her worst smile in Scarlet Hollow
Scarlet Hollow

The future of RPGs lies in an unlikely place

Kliff looking sinister in Crimson Desert
Crimson Desert

13 accidental atrocities Crimson Desert's controls made me commit

Latest

An Opel Manta at a seaweed farm in Forza Horizon 6
How to perform an Under the Sea skill in Forza Horizon 6
Forza Horizon 6

It's part of your world, not really under the sea

Skia, Lacrimosa, and Fadia in Neverness to Everness
All active Neverness to Everness codes list
Neverness to Everness

Free Annulith, progression materials, and more

1
Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader's key art
2023's most overlooked RPG is better than ever on Switch 2
What to Play

And its expansions are free now, too

1
Shion and Mizuki in Overwatch
Overwatch's revamped story just went somewhere it’s never gone before
Opinion

I bet Mizuki reads 'I'm Glad My Mom Died'

A growing city in Combolands
Cities: Skylines meets Balatro in a frighteningly good new Steam roguelike
FYI

Combolands: Roguelike Citybuilder has one heck of a foundation

3
A player character in their garden in Moonlight Peaks
Stardew Valley's influence on cozy games is finally coming to an end
Opinion

Who wants some intergenerational trauma with their farm-sim? Me!

3
A Fields of Mistria character stands on a beach
Stardew Valley's biggest competition officially returns in 2 weeks
FYI

Crammed with a host of new features and improvements

Cloud in front of the Shinra building with Sephiroth in the background in the key art for FFXIV Evercold's FF7 raid
FFXIV and FF7 collide at last in Evercold's first 8-player raid, Beyond the Lifestream
News

Just in time for FF7 Revelation

A nameless new character in the Berlin Fan Fest FFIV Evercold trailer
FFXIV Evercold will finally modernize some of the MMO's most outdated features

Chocobo in the dungeon

4
A Bastion making a salute in Final Fantasy XIV Evercold
FFXIV Evercold's new tank class Bastion is a big first for Final Fantasy
News

Forget Gunbreakers. We've got Gunshields now

2
An Alpha Romero in front of a barn in Forza Horizon 6
How to gift drop in Forza Horizon 6
Forza Horizon 6

Brighten someone's day with a shiny new car

Shiver, Frye, and Big Man in Splatoon Raiders
Splatoon Raiders is a solid first step into the inky shooter games
Opinion

Tired of getting splatted in Splatoon? Maybe give Raiders a try

1
The Hokubu Circuit Time Attack challenge start point in Forza Horizon 6
Hokubu Time Attack Circuit location in Forza Horizon 6
Forza Horizon 6

Where to find Hokubu's seasonal series challenge

A Palworld hero stands in front of a base location in Palworld.
The best base locations in Palworld
Palworld guides

Place a base for farming resources

Frye, Shiver, and Big Man with their faces plastered to the windows of a helicopter
How to play with friends in Splatoon Raiders
Splatoon Raiders

A bit of multiplayer in your single-player game

A Splatoon Raiders player covering the field with ink using gadgets and weapons
Which gadget tank should you pick in Splatoon Raiders?
Splatoon Raiders

All three have their uses, but only one is consistently helpful

A Splatoon Raiders character running down an ink-soaked beach
10 Splatoon Raiders beginner tips to help you beat back the hordes in style
Splatoon Raiders

A helping hand in the Salmonid smackdown

A volcano erupting near a colosseum in Anno 117
Don't believe the haters about 2025's most divisive strategy game
Opinion

Everything's on fire, but in a good way

4
Jason Duval in GTA 6 with a short, styled haircut and a black jacket with a white and black collar
GTA 6's immaculate fashion finally lets a man drag himself out of the gutter
Opinion

A whole new you, unfettered by class and background

2
Shiver, Big Man, and Frye in Splatoon Raiders
What time does Splatoon Raiders release in your time zone?
Splatoon Raiders

Get ready to embark on a new kind of Splatoon adventure

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