The Traveler's Pack: free guides
Everything you need, before you set off.
Plain-English guides you can read here, print out, and keep beside the sofa. Free, always.
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Free guide
What to buy, and what it costs
An honest answer to the first question everyone asks. If you read nothing else, read the box below.
6-minute read
Read the guide → Download the PDF (PDF, 362 KB) -
Free guide
Setting up your console
From the box to your first game, one step at a time. Set aside an hour and put the kettle on.
12-minute read
Read the guide → Download the PDF (PDF, 266 KB) -
Free guide
Your controller, button by button
What every part does, how to hold it, and the five buttons you'll use in your first hour.
7-minute read
Read the guide → Download the PDF (PDF, 258 KB)
The traveler's glossary
Gaming words, in plain English
You'll hear these on your first evening. They sound technical, but most are things you already know from everyday life, wearing a new hat.
- Console
- The box that sits by your TV and plays games, much as a DVD player plays films. PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch are all consoles.
- Controller
- What you hold in both hands to play, with buttons and two little sticks. Think of it as the TV remote's more adventurous cousin. Some people call it a gamepad.
- Save
- Like putting a bookmark in a novel. The game remembers where you'd got to, so you can stop for dinner and pick up on the same page.
- Autosave
- The game slipping that bookmark in for you every so often, without being asked. A small spinning symbol in a corner usually means it's doing it, so give it a moment before you switch off.
- Checkpoint
- A marker the game puts down as you go, like a rest stop on a long drive. If things go wrong, you go back to the last one, not all the way to the start.
- Quest
- A job the story asks you to do: find the lost key, visit the village, have a word with the old captain. A to-do list, with dragons.
- Open world
- A game you can wander in any direction, like a country walk with no set path. The story waits for you while you look around.
- NPC
- Short for "non-player character": anyone in the game that the game itself plays, like the shopkeeper or the kindly guide. Think of them as the locals.
- HUD
- Short for "heads-up display": the bits drawn around the edge of the screen, such as a small map, hints and your health. It's the game's dashboard, and you can usually make it bigger or switch it off.
- Difficulty
- How hard the game is, like choosing between the gentle stroll and the steep climb. You can almost always change it in the settings, often whenever you like. Picking the easiest isn't cheating.
- Update (or patch)
- A free fix or improvement the game downloads, like the updates on your phone. Let it finish before you play. The first one on a new console can take a while, so it's a good time for a cup of tea.
- Co-op
- Short for "co-operative": playing on the same side as someone else, like doing a jigsaw together. They can be on the sofa beside you or miles away over the internet.