Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete

Animal Crossing fans may have to wait until the Nintendo Switch’s successor for a sequel, but Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete may fill the gap. Based on the defunct free-to-play title launched in 2017, this is a version of the game without the microtransactions and playable offline. It launches on December 3rd for iOS and Android, retailing for $9.99 until January 31st, 2025, and providing a whopping 10,000+ items to unlock, numerous events, and different animals to interact with while building your ideal camp.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (PS5)

After a troubled launch on PC and some redemption on Xbox Series X/S, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is finally making its way to PS5. Launching on December 3rd, it includes all the improvements and revamps, from the new Talent Trees for each class to Mastery, the Party Finder, and the brand new Havoc system, which adds challenging assignments post-Trust Level 30. If a compelling four-player co-op shooter based on Warhammer 40K sounds like your thing, Darktide may fill that void.

Infinity Nikki

One of my most anticipated games of 2024, Papergames’ Infinity Nikki is a free-to-play open-world title with gacha elements. However, it’s also a dress-up adventure title, where organic exploration and a relaxed atmosphere take precedence over min-maxing characters and still not beating Memory of Chaos 12. As Nikki and Momo arrive in Miraland, there are bosses to tackle, Curio Domains to conquer, and outfits granting different abilities. It’s oddly endearing, and launches on December 5th for PC, PS5, and mobile.

Marvel Rivals

What happens when two Doctor Dooms wreak havoc with time and space, causing heroes from across realities to partake in interdimensional conflicts? You get NetEase’s Marvel Rivals, a free-to-play hero shooter that makes you feel like you’re Spider-Man. Or Venom, Iron Man, Captain America, and Jeff the Shark. With 6v6 battles, Team-Up Attacks that promote synergies between related characters, and a stylish presentation, Marvel Rivals offers its own take on the genre’s objective-based competitive play. It’s out on December 6th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, with 33 heroes, eight maps, and even more content to come post-launch.

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun – Aiko’s Choice (PS5, Xbox Series X | S)

Mimimi Games is sadly no more, but Shadow Tactics lives on. Xbox Series X/S and PS5 players will finally get their hands on Aiko’s Choice, a standalone expansion focusing on the titular Kunoichi. There are three new main and interlude missions alongside brand new environments, as Aiko must confront her past and defeat her old sensei. If you enjoyed the base game and synergizing your party’s abilities to clear missions, lethally or otherwise, then Aiko’s Choice is a must-play. It goes live on December 6th for consoles.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

MachineGames’ newest full-fledged title is upon us, and it’s decidedly not a shooter-focused affair. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is based on the acclaimed movie series (we don’t know about the latest films), taking place between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade as Indy scours the globe to investigate the Great Circle. Don’t let the first-person, sometimes third-person perspective fool you – this is more of an action-adventure title with platforming and puzzle-solving. You can rely on stealth to knock out enemies or engage in melee combat. With MachineGames touting this as their longest game, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle could be a great way to end the year when it launches on December 9th for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remastered

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen anything from the franchise, and while not a new game, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remastered is still a dream come true. Out on December 12th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC, it remasters both Soul Reaver titles (if the name didn’t give it away) with improved visuals and even a new map and compass for exploration. Long-time fan or not, both titles are action-adventure classics that must be experienced.

Delta Force

Over 15 years since NovaLogic’s Delta Force: Xtreme 2, the series is making a comeback. Developed by TiMi Studio Group, Delta Force will be available in open beta form on PC starting December 5th. The free-to-play title features single-player and co-op, but multiplayer is the real appeal alongside an extraction shooter mode, Hazard Operations, and massive battles with vehicles and dozens of players available. Could it finally restore some luster to the Delta Force? We’ll find out next week.

Path of Exile 2 (Early Access)

Between all the delays since it was first announced, Grinding Gear Games’ long-awaited Path of Exile 2 is finally out on December 6th, albeit in early access, for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. Don’t take this to mean it’s lacking content. There will be three campaign Acts, six classes (each with two Ascendancies), hundreds of passives, tons of Skill Gems, and much more to play around with. It should take a newcomer about 25 hours to finish the story content, but then you get to the endgame. The Atlas of Worlds has changed and taken some points out of Last Epoch’s Monoliths of Fate.

With Waystones equipped, you travel to nearby map nodes, clearing out enemies and bosses to clear corruption. Accessing Towers will unlock more of the map, which means more corruption and challenges. You’ll encounter revamped league mechanics like Breach, Delirium, Ritual, and Expedition, each with different rewards, bosses, and pursuits. The amount of content doubling during early access is mind-boggling, and we can’t wait to dive in.

Alien: Rogue Incursion

Alien: Isolation 2 is official at long last, but it will take a while to arrive. In the meantime, Alien: Rogue Incursion could serve as a decent substitute, at least for those with PlayStation VR2, Meta Quest 3, and SteamVR headsets. It launches on December 19th and focuses on Zula Hendricks, a former Colonial Marine who ventures to the planet, Purdan, to investigate an SOS. As you might guess, it’s Xenomorphs, and while iconic tools like the Motion Tracker, Pulse Rifle and Shotgun are available to fight them off, caution and careful movement are also important for survival.

Overthrown (Early Access)

With so many noteworthy survival crafting titles this year, it seems right to end with another, specifically Brimstone Games’ Overthrown. The premise is as you’d expect, with resource-gathering, farming, construction, and more, as you throw objects at them to expand. However, there’s a fair bit of combat as you fight off bandits and other threats. As one of the more popular titles during the last Steam Next Fest, Overthrown has generated some hype. Here’s hoping it delivers even more when it arrives in early access on December 5th for PC and Xbox Series X/S.

The Spirit of the Samurai

One of the more intriguing side-scrolling action games we’ve seen over the years, The Spirit of the Samurai focuses on three characters: the samurai Takeshi, the spirit Kodama, and Chisai, a cat. Between exploration and fighting off Tengu and Jorogumo, the real hook is the stop-motion animation, resulting in an unorthodox yet hypnotizing aesthetic. The Spirit of the Samurai launches on December 12th for PC, and if you’re looking for an unconventional Metroid-style experience, this could be worth checking out.

UFL

Aside from EA Sports FC, there isn’t much by way of other football titles to really embrace. UFL could change that, offering a free-to-play experience developed on Unreal Engine 5 with over 4500 real-life players, club management, a Premier Division, and much more to dive into. Given how other free-to-play titles like eFootball ended up, we’re a little skeptical, but UFL is still worth watching out for when it launches on December 5th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Skydance’s Behemoth

If you’re looking for a different kind of VR experience, something with more visceral melee combat, there’s Skydance’s Behemoth. Set in the Forsaken Lands, players control Wren the Hunter and embark on a quest to take down the Behemoths to end a terrible curse. Developed by the team behind The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners, it’s out on December 5th for PlayStation VR2 and Meta Quest and has offered some pretty satisfying combat thus far.

My First Gran Turismo

Less of a full game and more of a free trial version of Gran Turismo 7, My First Gran Turismo is meant to get newcomers into the franchise with specific tracks, cars, and events. It’s out this Holiday season for PS4 and PS5, potentially launching on December 3rd (the same day as PlayStation’s 30th anniversary). Though the content remains unknown, if you’ve ever been unsure about Gran Turismo 7, My First GT could be the perfect test.

Standalone expansion Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun – Aiko’s Choice released for PC back in December 2021, introducing a new set of missions, environments, and more, and soon, it will also be making its console debut. Publisher Daedalic Entertainment has announced that Aiko’s Choice is releasing for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on December 6, exactly three years on from its PC release. Pre-orders are open now. Check out the announcement trailer below.

In our review of the standalone expansion upon its original release, we awarded it a score of 8/10, saying, “Aiko’s Choice is utterly unconcerned with critics of the base game, and instead focuses entirely on giving fans a more intense version of its concepts.” Read the full review through here.

Unlike the Shadow Tactics base game, Aiko’s Choice is not available on PS4 and Xbox One, though it remains to be seen whether that’s something that publisher Daedalic Entertainment will address at some point in the future. 

You’ll need an Epic Games account to claim both titles and the Epic Games Launcher to download and play them. Kerbal Space Program is Squad’s acclaimed simulation title where players control an alien race known as Kerbals. Their goal is to build a rocket and successfully launch it into space, taking realistic physics and aerodynamics into account. Kerbal Space Program 2 launches on February 24th for PC via Steam Early Access.

Aiko’s Choice is a standalone expansion for Mimimi Games’ Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Starring Aiko, the kunoichi, who must deal with enemies from her past, it features the return of the base game’s cast in three new main missions. There are also three difficulty levels and three “interlude” missions to complete. Check out our review here for more details.

Bathhouse – Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

Of the many places that Sam Fisher has infiltrated, you wouldn’t think a bathhouse in Tokyo would provide many challenges. Nevertheless, Chaos Theory’s Bathhouse mission, which involves gaining entry into the location and discovering Douglas Shetland’s contact, is surprisingly tense. After Fisher eavesdrops on the conversation, he’ll then need to survive a battle between the I-SDF and mercenaries before subsequently neutralizing Shetland’s bombs. On the plus side, at least the player can decide to stab or throw Shetland off the roof instead of shooting him since Sam finds it more courteous (we think).

Along with the five characters from the base game making a return, players can choose three new main missions set in new environments. There are also three “interlude” missions to complete and three difficulty levels to exercise one’s skills. Once again, whether the player decides to go the non-lethal route, slaughter all foes or a mix between the two styles is completely up to them.

For more details on Aiko’s Choice, check out our review here. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is currently available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC but the expansion doesn’t currently have a release date on consoles. Stay tuned for more details on the same in the coming months.

Century: Age of Ashes

After being delayed to get out of the way of Battlefield 2042 (which is hilarious in retrospect), Playwing’s Century: Age of Ashes is slated to release on December 2^nd for PC. This free to play competitive multiplayer arena title is pretty unique in that players ride dragons and battle in high-speed aerial bouts. Along with three classes to choose from, each with their own unique abilities, there are three modes – 6v6 Carnage, the CTF-style Gates of Fire, and Spoils of War which involves slaying foes and stealing their gold. It may seem fairly straightforward but given its looks and concept, Century: Age of Ashes could end up being a dark horse…er, dragon in the multiplayer department.

Solar Ash

Heart Machine’s Solar Ash is its first major release since the spectacular Hyper Light Drifter in 2016. It’s a 3D action adventure platformer, focusing on Rei as she ventures into the Ultravoid to save her planet. Along with encountering various entities, players must traverse the surreal environments of the black hole, grappling between obstacles and dealing with gravity shifts. Eventually, they’ll combat the massive Sentinels and destroy their weak points while hanging on for dear life (not unlike Shadow of the Colossus). Solar Ash is out on December 2^nd for PS4, PS5 and PC via the Epic Games Store.

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun – Aiko’s Choice

As a new expansion to Mimimi Games’ acclaimed stealth title, Aiko’s Choice sees the titular kunoichi going up against her former master, Lady Chiyo. Thankfully, she won’t be going it alone as the gang reunites for three new main missions and three interlude missions in new levels. Much of the gameplay remains the same though – you can either infiltrate locations quietly and dispatch opponents in non-lethal fashion or massacre everyone, synchronizing your squad’s abilities for deadly assassinations. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun – Aiko’s Choice is out on December 6^th for PC and doesn’t require owning the base game.

Halo Infinite

The wait has been long but Halo Infinite is nearly here. Though the multiplayer is already available – and under fire for numerous reasons – the campaign launches on December 8^th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. As Master Chief ventures to Zeta Halo, what happened to Cortana after the events of Halo 5: Guardians and how does The Weapon fit in? What are the goals of The Banished? It’s up to the Chief to find out, exploring a semi-open world with various side missions and points of interest, unlocking new equipment like the Grappleshot, and battling new foes like the Skimmers. If nothing else, it should offer the same tight gun play that fans love.

Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach

While previous titles were known more for their jump-scares, Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach leans more into first person exploration and survival horror. Trapped in Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex, protagonist Gregory must survive against various deadly animatronics until the morning. In an interesting twist, Glamrock Freddy is a friendly animatronic whose suit can be hidden inside of when required. Enemies can also be stunned using the new Faz-Cam and Fazblaster, and along with minigames, there are also boss battles to overcome. Releasing on December 16^th, Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach is coming to PS4, PS5 and PC.

The Gunk

The SteamWorld series is beloved for its quirky style and solid gameplay but with The Gunk, Image and Form is offering a completely different, fully 3D adventure. As Rani, players venture to a planet corrupted by a slimy parasite called Gunk. Armed with a power glove that can suck up the Gunk, one battles monsters, utilizes the environment, and scavenges resources while learning more about the planet’s past, before deciding whether to save or exploit it. The Gunk is out on December 16^th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

White Shadows

Following The Great War, civilization as we know it has evolved into half-human, half-animal beings that reside in The White City. As Ravengirl, players must venture to Tin Town in search of freedom, navigating the city’s monochromatic terrors to escape. Touting itself as a “modern fable,” White Shadows features an interesting aesthetic with puzzle solving and platforming challenges. It’s out on December 7^th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

After the Fall

While Arizona Sunshine leaned into zombie-slaying, Vertigo Games’ After the Fall leans into a different kind of post-apocalyptic VR (read: one with lots of snow). Taking place in snowy Los Angeles during the 1980s, players must survive and craft weapons while also wielding powers to survive against the undead hordes in an evolving world. Along with standard zombies, there are Special Zombies and bosses to battle with four player co-op and 4v4 competitive modes. After the Fall releases on December 9^th for PlayStation VR, Oculus, Steam VR and Vive.

Syberia: The World Before

Microids’ Syberia series is an underrated classic for adventure game fans (except for the terrible third game which was released in 2017). Syberia: The World Before is a brand new story with Kate Walker, taking place across multiple continents and time periods. Along with playing as Kate in 2004, players will also venture back in time to 1937 as pianist Dana Roze with World War 2 looming over Europe. Syberia: The World Before arrives on December 10^th for PC so here’s hoping it signals a return to the series’ compelling roots and gameplay.

Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo

Developed by Pendulo Studios, who also made Blacksad: Under the Skin, Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo is another 3D adventure title with plenty of mystery. It’s not a direct adaptation of the film, instead focusing on Ed Miller who suffers from vertigo after a car accident. With his wife and daughter missing, Ed undergoes therapy to learn the truth via flashbacks. Vertigo could be an intriguing mystery but that all depends on its storyline – hopefully, the Alfred Hitchcock name will be more than just an attempt at brand recognition. It’s out on December 16^th for Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

Chorus

Chorus is a brand new space combat title from Fishlabs, best known for its Galaxy on Fire series. It offers a distinctively stronger narrative focus with Nara, former right hand of the Circle, abandoning the cult and rising against them with the help of Forsaken, a sentient ship. Throughout their journey, the duo will gather allies, undertake various missions – from eliminating Circle targets to taking back space stations – and navigating Ruins of the Faceless to ultimately bring down the cult. Chorus is out on December 3^rd for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Google Stadia.

Standalone expansion Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun – Aiko’s Choice was announced earlier this year, and not long afterward, it was announced that it would launch some time in December. Now, a specific release date for it has been confirmed- the expansion is out on December 6. It will bring several new main missions, side missions, environments, and playable characters.

Set in Edo-period Japan like the base game, Aiko’s Choice will see the titular protagonist will join forces with deadly allies and go up against her former sensei, the cunning spymaster Lady Chiyo. Publisher Deadalic Entertainment has also released a trailer that summarizes the story of the base game and sets up the upcoming expansion. Check it out below.

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun – Aiko’s Choice will launch on December 6 for PC. The base game is also available on PS4 and Xbox One, though there’s no word on when (or if) the expansion will launch for the consoles.