Heather Wald
I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at 12DOVE. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.
Latest articles by Heather Wald

The 20 best RTS games to play right now
By Malindy Hetfeld last updated
Best list From Frostpunk 2 to Age of Empires, here are the best RTS games of all time

Best open world games to play right now and completely forget real life exists
By Sam Loveridge last updated
Feature Get lost in the best open world games to play now, from Cyberpunk 2077 to Red Dead Redemption

Split Fiction is now my most anticipated game of 2025 and proves Hazelight continues to be the most inventive studio out there when it comes to co-op adventures
By Heather Wald published
Opinion Opinion | Split Fiction promises to be a "f**king ride", and I'm more than ready to strap in

The best Xbox One games of all time to play now
By Sam Loveridge last updated
Best List From Cuphead to Halo, the best Xbox One games will keep you glued to your seat for hours on end

Best PS4 exclusives that you need to play
By Sam Loveridge last updated
Best Download and play the 20 best PS4 exclusives now, from God of War to The Last of Us Remastered

The 10 best dating sims to play right now
By Marloes Valentina Stella last updated
Best List From pigeons to anime outings, here are the best dating sims to get your heart racing

The 15 best free Xbox One games you can download and play right now
By Sam Loveridge last updated
Best There's plenty of free Xbox One games to download and play right now, from Sims 4 to Fortnite

The best Switch indie games you should play right now
By Alysia Judge last updated
Feature The best Switch indie games are a bewitching bundle of monsters and magic

Through the Fallout TV Show, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and Life is Strange Double Exposure, 2024 is the new 2015
By Heather Wald published
Year in Review Year in Review | Who would have thought 2024 would keep taking me back to 2015?

25 Best sci-fi games to travel into the future with
By Malindy Hetfeld last updated
Best From aliens to time travel, the best sci-fi games will have you experiencing whole new worlds from the comfort of home

The 10 best PSVR games to get lost in
By Connor Sheridan last updated
Best List The best PSVR games for your Sony headset, from Beat Saber to Superhot

Stardew Valley 1.6 has brought a sense of excitement and discovery back to Pelican Town, and I'm losing myself to it all over again
By Heather Wald published
Now Playing Now Playing | From big turtles to green rain, the Stardew Valley 1.6 update is full of surprises

30 Best PS4 games to play right now
By Sam Loveridge last updated
Best List The best PS4 games you can play right now, from God of War to Spider-Man and everything in between

25 Best Xbox 360 games of all time
By David Meikleham last updated
Best List How many of the best Xbox 360 games have you played?

Free PS4 games – the best games to save you money right now
By Alex Avard last updated
Best From Warzone to Destiny 2, these free PS4 games can still be yours as we head into 2025

The 25 best Metroidvania games you can explore today
By Austin Wood, Malindy Hetfeld last updated
Best List Jump, slash, and shoot through the best Metroidvanias to play right now

The 10 Best Forza games you can play right now, from Horizon to Motorsport
By Justin Towell last updated
Best List Engine-revving mayhem is king in the best Forza games

Dragon Age: The Veilguard has one very meaningful feature that I can't stop thinking about: "Looking in this mirror lets you see who you truly are"
By Heather Wald published
Interview Interview | "Varric wants people to see the best version of themselves", says creative director, John Epler

The 25 best party games to play right now
By Heather Wald last updated
Best List From Overcooked 2 to Mario Party, here are the best party games of all time.

The 25 best PS Vita games of all time
By Darran Jones last updated
Best List From Mortal Kombat to Hotline Miami, these are the best PS Vita games that helped transform Sony's powerhouse of a portable console

Marvel Rivals: Everything we know so far
By Will Sawyer last updated
Feature Here's everything you need to know about the Marvel Rivals platforms, gameplay, and more

The best Uncharted games, ranked worst to best
By Jordan Oloman last updated
Best List We rank the best Uncharted games, from the core four to a Nate-less spin-off

The 10 best Spider-Man games of all time
By Josh West last updated
Best List Here's our ranking of the best Spider-Man games, including Marvel's Spider-Man 2 from Insomniac

Dragon Age: The Veilguard creative director on Mass Effect 2 comparisons and how the RPG draws from BioWare's past successes: "don't reinvent the wheel if you don't have to"
By Heather Wald published
Interview Interview | Exploring Dragon Age: The Veilguard's inspirations with creative director, John Epler
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