The biggest games releasing in December 2025

December was once an incredibly dead month for games: a chance to catch up, as all the big games of the year were already over.

Well, that’s no longer the case. There are some great games coming out in December.

December gives us strong options across a range of genres, from psychological and survival horror to side-scrolling beat-’em-ups, a classic RPG, a long-awaited sequel to a legendary franchise, and even an abstract art game about skateboarding.

Most of these games are indie affairs, with only one game from a major publisher, so we expect most of these to be quite affordable too – a nice bonus when the holidays hit your wallet. You can afford yourself a little treat, or let all your friends play terrifying horror games without spending a lot of money.

Note: All games below are traditional or “Web2” video games. None have crypto or blockchain elements, as far as we know, but you might enjoy them anyway.

Marvel at the cosmic invasion

Release date: December 1, 2025
Platforms: PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch + Switch 2, PS4/PS5, Xbox One + Series X/S

Kids from the ’80s and ’90s might remember seeing all those great arcade beat-’em-up games hanging in arcades, bowling alleys, and the like: X-Men, The Punisher, Captain America and the Avengers, and so on.

The look of Marvel Cosmic Invasion takes you back to that time as you choose from 15 characters to fight the deadly Annihilation Wave that threatens the galaxy. You choose two characters for each level and switch between them, each with unique skills and special attacks. You can also team up for online and local co-op with up to four players.

Horses

Release date: December 2, 2025
Platforms: Epic Games Store, GOG, itch.io, Humble Store

Horses is a short, intense horror game that lasts about 4 hours. You play as a student who goes to work on a farm for a fortnight, and things quickly get weird. This game contains violent and grotesque images, so check it out before diving in. Valve refused to host this game due to some of the content, causing a huge controversy in the process, but you can find it on several other platforms like GOG, Epic Games Store, and more.

Sleep awake

Release date: December 2, 2025
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Sleep Awake comes from the game publishing arm of horror giant Blumhouse. The title is directed by Cory Davis of Spec Ops: The Line, and former Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck. You live in the last city on earth, where people try to stay awake – because those who fall asleep are taken by the Hush. Finck led the sound design for this game, and the visuals blend with psychedelic imagery and live-action scenes to create a unique horror experience.

Metroid Prime 4: Onward

Release date: December 4, 2025
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2

Nintendo’s Metroid Prime series has been dormant for almost two decades and is back. This entry takes intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran to the planet Viewros, and there are a lot of new things to enjoy.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond offers a more open world map, large enough that Samus has her own sci-fi motorcycle to get around on. This entry also offers more modernized controls, and you can even use the Switch 2 Joy-Con mouse function if you want, although it remains to be seen how that works practically.

This is also apparently a fresh start for the series’ story, meaning you don’t have to go back and play a 2007 Wii game to understand the story. The Switch 2 is starting to build a library of great games, and we expect it to join the ranks of the best titles on the platform, although there’s also a version for the original Switch.

Octopath traveler 0

Release date: December 4, 2025
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC (Steam)

Octopath Traveler 0 is all about starting from scratch. Instead of choosing from a selection of existing heroes, you create your hero from scratch. Your city is destroyed early in the game and you and your allies will have to rebuild it from the ground up. In terms of story, this role-playing game tells the story of the mobile game Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent, but with more depth, including fleshed out characters, voice acting and a reworked plot.

Routine

Release date: December 4, 2025
Platforms: PC (Steam), Xbox Series X/S

More than a decade in the making, Routine is a first-person sci-fi horror title set on an abandoned moon base. Like Alien Isolation, it leans into the science fiction aesthetic of the eighties. This game avoids waypoint markers, leaving it up to you to figure out where to go and why as you explore and hide to survive.

Skate story

Release date: December 8, 2025
Platforms: PC (Steam, GOG), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2

Of course you can skate just for fun. But what if you could skate with it? goal? In Skate Story you play as a demon skater in the underworld, tasked by the devil to skate to the moon and swallow it. While games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Skate let you live out the fantasy of being an expert skater (each in their own way), Skate Story is an abstract experience with dazzling wireframes and polygonal visuals.