December 2025: Best Games Releasing This Month

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Ignacio Weil

Gaming - December 1st 2025, 08:30 GMT+1

MARVEL Cosmic Invasion — Marvel Cosmic Invasion (PC, XSX, PS5, PS4, NS, NS2) – December 1

Picture yourself battling cosmic creatures across New York, the Negative Zone, and beyond – this game channels retro arcade energy with big Marvel punches. Pixel-art heroes like Spider-Man, Storm, Wolverine, Phoenix and Iron Man bring a colorful, chaotic rush that makes every level feel like a Saturday-morning cartoon gone wild. Whether you team up with friends or go solo, the combat promises satisfying combos and non-stop action. The simple, punchy controls pair with over-the-top superpowers to deliver a nostalgic thrill that doesn’t take itself too seriously. If you’ve ever wanted to smash through hordes of bad guys with a glowing hammer or web-slinging fists, this release might scratch that itch. | © Dotemu

SLEEP AWAKE — Sleep Awake (PC, XSX, PS5) – December 2

Imagine a city where sleeping becomes taboo and the nightmares you try to escape start chasing you in daylight. That’s the unnerving premise behind this horror title, where every shadow, every creak and flicker could be the last thing you hear. The game fills its world with dread, using lighting, audio, and isolation to build tension while you try to piece together why people vanish. There are no comforting save points here: every choice matters, every turn feels dangerous. It’s the kind of horror that lingers on your skin, wrapping you in paranoia until you question whether it’s just a game or something darker. | © Blumhouse Games

LET IT DIE INFERNO — Let It Die: Inferno (PC, PS5) – December 3

Descending into Hell Gate isn’t a decision, it’s a dare you accept when nothing else feels worth the light. This rogue-lite marries brutal combat with unpredictable loot drops and a ruthless difficulty curve that laughs in the face of comfort. Every run demands you fight not just monsters, but the very odds stacked against you – and sometimes your own impatience. The risk-versus-reward loop is savage but tempting: each descent could yield glory, or just another broken body. If tension, danger and a no-mercy mode are your kind of thrill, this game offers a raw, uncompromising dive into chaos you won’t forget. | © GungHo Online Entertainment

ROUTINE — Routine (PC, XBO, XSX) – December 4

Boarding an abandoned lunar outpost should come with warnings – silence, isolation, and the constant sense of being watched. This horror-sci-fi title traps you in empty hallways and cold metal corridors, forcing you to confront what’s real and what’s a hallucination. The slow burn of tension builds as you explore, unravel mysteries, and evade threats you can barely see coming. Sparse supplies, creeping dread, and the unsettling question of who (or what) is still alive turn exploration into survival. It’s a descent into solitude, stress, and existential fear; not for the faint of heart, but a potent treat for horror fans who like their nightmares with a dose of realism. | © Raw Fury

Cloudheim (PC) – December 4

Life on a floating world carried by a giant turtle sounds peaceful until you realize the islands are packed with corruption that refuses to stay politely in the shadows. This game blends physics-heavy combat, crafting, and co-op exploration, letting you topple structures, launch monsters into storms, and build up your sky shop between expeditions. Its mix of dungeon crawling and town-building gives every session a satisfying loop, whether you’re smashing through enemies or upgrading your gear. Early access means the world will grow over time, but even at launch there’s plenty to tinker with across its scattered islands. If you enjoy chaotic action stitched together with a surprisingly cozy hub, this one might fit right into your December lineup. | © Noodle Cat Games

ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN The Forsaken Hollows — Elden Ring Nightreign DLC: The Great Hollow (PS5, PS4, XSX, PC) – December 4

Nightfall brings new nightmares in this expansion, where Limveld’s horrors deepen and the stakes rise dramatically. Expect two fresh playable Nightfarers, extra bosses, and a twisted new area called The Great Hollow – all designed to test both skill and nerve. The updated map itself becomes part of the danger, with shifting terrain and cursed crystals that sap life from careless wanderers. For groups of up to three, cooperation becomes survival; for solo players, every shadow might hide ruin. It doesn’t pull punches – if anything, it leans harder into the bleak, punishing fantasy that defines its base game. For fans who thrive on challenge and atmospheric menace, this DLC feels like the perfect midnight drop. | © FromSoftware

Cropped Metroid Prime 4 Beyond — Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (NS, NS2) – December 4

There’s something quietly thrilling about returning to a galaxy far away, especially when you’re strapping in as Samus, stepping into alien corridors, and hunting secrets that feel weighty and real. Metroid Prime 4 promises the exploration and atmosphere fans know best, but with updated controls and modern graphics that honor the original vibe while pushing it forward. It’s the kind of adventure that doesn’t rely on flashy action alone; instead, it builds suspense bit by bit, room by room, scan by scan. If you’ve ever felt the quiet dread creep in after an airlock opens, this new chapter could deliver that same immersive, heart-pounding sci-fi exploration. | © Nintendo

OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 — Octopath Traveler 0 (PC, XSX, PS5, PS4, NS, NS2) – December 4

Pixel art, musical score, and turn-based battles all work together to build a world that feels like it’s stitched from nostalgia but with enough polish to stand out on its own. This prequel captures the spirit of old-school JRPGs: eight travellers, intertwining stories, moral dilemmas, and choices that echo. What makes it especially compelling is its willingness to let your characters’ backgrounds shape the narrative, lending weight to decisions that in lesser games would be throwaway. Exploring its towns, dungeons and stories becomes a kind of meditative escapade: not always fast, but richly atmospheric. If you enjoy slow-burning stories, world-building, and the charm of classic RPG design, this one might be the highlight of December’s releases. | © Square Enix

Skate Story (PC, NS2, PS5) – December 8

Grimy streets, ambient beats, and the wind rushing against your skateboard – this game doesn’t just imitate skate culture, it invites you to live inside it. You ride, you fall, you pop ollies, you grind rails – sometimes you land, sometimes you crash, but every moment feels alive. The freedom isn’t just a feature; it’s the core. There’s no neon-lit urgency or frantic enemy bursts here, just rhythm, flow, and the open road (or sidewalk). For once the holiday game drop isn’t about bombs or bloodshed, but balance, finesse, and the quiet rush of wheels on pavement. If December finds you needing a break from chaos and a dose of calm, this feels like the perfect antidote. | © Sam Eng

UNBEATABLE — Unbeatable (PC, PS5, Xbox Series) – December 9

A world where music is outlawed sounds like the perfect setting for a heist-musical, and this game leans into that weird, irresistible idea with grin-and-punch energy. You play Beat, lead a band on the run, pull off concerts that double as chaos, and occasionally punch cops because reasons – the rhythm mechanics are delightfully simple but brutally exacting. Story mode promises emotional moments and character beats, while arcade mode offers repeatable, score-chasing mayhem for those who love a challenge. The aesthetic is anime-juiced and loud in the best way; every setpiece tries to outdo the last. If you like your action scored and your gameplay perfectly on beat, this one’s built to be addictive. | © Playstack

Death Howl (PC) – December 9

Grief becomes a battlefield in this souls-like deckbuilder where you play a mother struggling to pull her child back from the spirit world and the tone never shies from sorrow. Combat combines tactical grid fights with card crafting, forcing you to weigh each move like a prayer or a promise. The environments are bleak and mournful, but the systems encourage creative builds: totems, combos, and carefully curated decks can turn despair into power. It’s not casual comfort; it’s a somber, thoughtful challenge that wears its heart on its sleeve and expects you to keep up. For players who want tactics wrapped in a story about loss, this one digs deep. | © The Outer Zone

Ashes of Creation (PC) – December 11

This one doesn’t sneak up on you. It wants to be enormous, and it wears that ambition on every system: player-driven cities, siege warfare, and political friction that can topple empires. Playing feels like stepping into a living world where your choices can shape a town’s fate or spark a war; the sandbox elements are as much the point as the combat. It’s early access, which means rough edges and room to grow, but the promise is clear: a reactive MMO where civilization breathes and adapts to player action. If you enjoy large-scale systems and the slow burn of emergent stories, this could be the kind of persistent world that rewards long investment. | © Intrepid Studios, Inc

Cropped Code Violet — Code Violet (PS5) – December 12

This one serves high-octane teen drama with an undercurrent of mystery, putting you in the shoes of Violet Sinclair as she navigates secrets, conspiracies, and intense setpieces that feel part thriller, part character study. The presentation leans cinematic, with accessibility features and tuned controls that make the experience approachable but the story carries the weight. Between tense encounters and quieter investigative beats, the game aims to keep you hooked on revelations and the emotional fallout that follows. It’s glossy, stylish, and built around narrative momentum; if you like story games that push a pulse fast enough to make you click “next,” *Code Violet* fits that bill. | © TeamKill Media LLC

Terminator 2 D NO FATE — Terminator 2D: No Fate (PC, PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series, Xbox One) – December 12

This pixelated reimagining serves nostalgia straight up: arcade action, multiple endings, and a love letter to the T2 movie beats – only here you’re sliding through pixel corridors while steel and bullets sing. Combat and platforming channels classic arcade pacing, with tight controls that reward precision and punish hesitation. The game moves briskly, recreating iconic moments while adding new scenarios that let players test different outcomes against Skynet’s plans. It’s the kind of retro-styled adrenaline hit that’ll appeal to fans of old-school run-and-gun action and anyone who secretly misses the era of quarter-eating arcade cabinets. | © Bitmap Bureau

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December likes to pretend it’s a quiet month, but the release calendar clearly didn’t get the memo. Instead of winding down, it delivers a grab bag of new games that range from ambitious finales to quirky surprises that appear out of nowhere and demand immediate attention. It’s the kind of lineup that makes you realize your holiday break might end up being anything but restful.

What makes this month especially fun is how wildly varied the big releases are. One minute you’re diving into a brooding RPG, and the next you’re laughing your way through something proudly unhinged. December doesn’t bother with subtlety – it just stacks the schedule with as much personality as possible and hopes you’ll figure out where to squeeze it all in.