The Biggest Game Releases of December 2025: Marvel, Metroid, Elden Ring & More

December 2025 isn't just a quiet wind-down to the year. It's a genuinely busy month for new games, expansions and long-awaited ports, covering everything from Marvel brawlers and Nintendo epics to heavyweight RPG DLC and VR stealth. Whether you are planning your holiday backlog or deciding what's worth buying day one, this rundown keeps things simple: what’s out, where you can play it, and what kind of experience you’re actually getting.

Below, you’ll find every major December release listed by date, with platforms and a straight-talking overview of what each game brings to the table.

Marvel’s Cosmic Invasion

Release Date: December 1, 2025
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox, PC

Marvel’s Cosmic Invasion is a side-scrolling beat-’em-up from Tribute Games and Dotemu, the team behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. It leans hard into ’90s arcade energy: short, focused stages, tight combat, and a roster of around 15 Marvel heroes including heavy-hitters like Captain America, Wolverine, Spider-Man and more niche cosmic picks.

The structure is pretty straightforward: punch through a campaign that hops between familiar Marvel locations, experiment with character pairings in co-op, and chase higher difficulties or reruns with different teams. Early reviews praise how good it feels to play but point out that progression is light and some characters are clearly stronger than others. That’s worth knowing going in; if you’re fine with a slightly old-school, skill-first brawler, this looks like a solid way to kick off the month.

Destiny 2: Renegades (Expansion)

Release Date: December 2, 2025
Platforms: PS5, Xbox, PC

Renegades is the latest major expansion for Destiny 2, shifting the focus to the “Lawless Frontier” – an uncharted space ruled by syndicates, shifting alliances and a lot of grey morality. Bungie has been clear that this isn’t meant to feel like a side-quest bolt-on; structurally, it aims to be another big chapter in the ongoing saga, with a new destination, activities and story beats to match.

The core hook here is choice and influence. You’re not just shooting your way through a linear campaign – you’re navigating factions, making decisions that shape who backs you and who wants you gone. If you’ve drifted off Destiny for a while, Renegades is positioned as one of those “re-entry points” where you can jump in, pick up a new seasonal loop (Season: Lawless), and see whether Bungie’s latest reset lands for you.

Elden Ring Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows (DLC)

Release Date: December 4, 2025
Platforms: PS5, Xbox, PC

The Forsaken Hollows is premium DLC for Elden Ring Nightreign, adding a new region, two additional Nightfarers (playstyles), new bosses and a fresh Shifting Earth to explore. It slots into Nightreign rather than the base Elden Ring, so this is very much an expansion on top of an expansion.

FromSoft isn’t reinventing anything here – this is more late-game content aimed at players already comfortable with Nightreign’s systems and difficulty. Expect dense new areas, lore tucked away behind optional encounters and a couple of bosses that will probably dominate social feeds for a week. If you’re still deep into this universe, Forsaken Hollows looks like a natural continuation rather than a radical departure.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Release Date: December 4, 2025
Platforms: Switch, Switch 2

After years of waiting, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond finally lands on both Switch systems. It’s a classic Metroid Prime setup: Samus is stranded on a new planet, Viewros, unraveling an alien civilization’s fate while dealing with her long-time rival Sylux. The structure sticks to what the series does best – non-linear exploration, scanning, and ability-gated progression – with new psychic powers and a bike (the Vi-O-La) to help traverse larger spaces.

Early impressions and reviews are positive on the core loop: tight dungeon-like areas, strong atmosphere, and carefully layered upgrades. The main criticisms are aimed at some modern additions – chatty supporting characters and a more open hub area that can feel a bit dry – plus a lack of fast travel that can make backtracking feel dated. Overall, though, if you want “Metroid Prime but modernized”, that’s roughly what you’re getting.

Octopath Traveler 0

Release Date: December 4, 2025
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox, PC

Octopath Traveler 0 is a prequel that reworks the mobile game Champions of the Continent into a full HD-2D console RPG, with more emphasis on building your own protagonist and home base. You create your main character, customize their look and skills, and then recruit a large supporting cast – over 30 potential companions – while rebuilding a town that was destroyed in a fire.

Combat keeps the familiar Break/Boost system but expands into eight-character battles with front and back rows, leaning into party composition and synergy more than past entries. If the original Octopath games appealed but you wanted more mechanical depth and a stronger central hook, 0 looks like the series doubling down on that audience rather than chasing something entirely new.

Routine

Release Date: December 4, 2025
Platforms: Xbox, PC

Routine is a first-person sci-fi horror game set on a derelict lunar base, designed around an ’80s vision of the future – chunky CRT monitors, brutalist architecture and analog tech everywhere. After a long, troubled development, the final game is intentionally short and focused: you explore the base, try to piece together what went wrong, and avoid machines that treat you as the intruder.

There’s a bit of stealth, light puzzle-solving and a heavy emphasis on tension rather than constant jump scares. Reviews highlight the atmosphere and visual design as the standout elements, with some criticism around pacing and certain puzzles. If you like compact horror experiences that lean into dread over spectacle, Routine is worth keeping an eye on.

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadows

Release Date: December 4, 2025
Platforms: PSVR 2, Quest 2/3, Steam VR

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadows brings the stealth series into VR, putting you directly into the role of a master thief prowling the rooftops and alleys of The City. You’re picking pockets, scaling walls, dousing torches and slipping through guarded mansions, all with motion-controlled interactions and full-room sneaking.

Hands-on previews suggest it sticks closely to the core pillars of the franchise: staying in the shadows, using sound carefully, and planning your route rather than improvising loud firefights. Comfort options and movement design will be important here, as always with VR stealth, but for long-time Thief fans this looks like a genuine attempt to translate the series’ slower, more methodical style into a headset rather than turning it into an action shooter.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (PS5)

Release Date: December 8, 2025
Platforms: PS5

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 finally lands on PlayStation 5, bringing the full global sim – thousands of airports, detailed aircraft and live weather – to Sony’s console for the first time. This isn’t a stripped-down port; the PS5 version leans on DualSense features like adaptive triggers, gyro aiming, lightbar cues and controller speaker chatter for air traffic control.

If you’ve watched the PC and Xbox versions evolve from afar, this is that experience arriving relatively mature, with years of updates baked in. It’s still a sim first and foremost, so expect a learning curve and plenty of menus, but if you’re willing to put in the time, this is the kind of game that can quietly occupy you for months rather than weeks.

Terminator 2D: No Fate

Release Date: December 12, 2025
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch, PC

Terminator 2D: No Fate is a 2D action game based on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, built with chunky pixel art and a deliberate arcade feel. Developed by Bitmap Bureau (best known for their retro-style action games), it mixes side-scrolling shooting, brawling, vehicle chases and stealth across scenes that re-create and expand on the film’s story.

The campaign lets you play as Sarah Connor, John Connor and the T-800 across multiple timelines, with a focus on tight, stage-based gameplay over sprawling open worlds. It’s very much aimed at people who still enjoy arcade-style structure: short levels, score chasing and pattern-driven boss fights, rather than live-service progression or endless checklists.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes (DLC)

Release Date: December 19, 2025
Platforms: PS5, Xbox, PC

From the Ashes is a major story expansion for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, arriving alongside a big update that finally added a third-person mode and New Game+ to the base game. This DLC shifts focus to a new playable character, So’lek, a Na’vi warrior whose home, the Kinglor Forest, has been devastated by the RDA and a ruthless Ash clan of Na’vi collaborators.

The expansion introduces a new region, new enemies and boss encounters built around fighting Na’vi who understand your strengths, not just human troops and machines. Structurally, you’re looking at a self-contained story arc with fresh traversal and combat scenarios rather than a small side mission. If you bounced off the original campaign but liked the setting and movement, the combination of From the Ashes plus the broader update might be a better time to revisit Pandora.

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