This month’s release schedule is packed with returns to classic genres, from side-scrolling brawlers and 90s-style shooters to story-driven RPGs and atmospheric horror. Long-running franchises are picking up new chapters, cult favorites are getting second lives, and even licensed games are leaning into retro flair rather than chasing live-service trends. Here’s a look at the key releases rounding off the year.
Marvel’s new game takes a retro spin, with "Cosmic Invasion" returning to the pixel art beat ’em up format. Across 15 playable characters, including Spider-Man, Wolverine and Captain America, you will fight to save the universe.
"Marvel Cosmic Invasion" launches on Dec. 1 for PC, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Rockstar’s open-world Western returns, putting players back in the boots of former outlaw John Marston as he rides across a fading frontier to hunt down members of his old gang and win back his family’s freedom.
"Red Dead Redemption" launches on Dec. 2 and will be available on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, iOS, Android and through Netflix Games.
"Renegades" is "Destiny 2’s" significant December expansion, sending Guardians into the Lawless Frontier to work under the Drifter and carve out a reputation in the game’s criminal underworld. Inspired in part by Star Wars’ “scoundrel fantasy” but still firmly rooted in Destiny’s lore, it adds a new campaign, a fresh destination, underworld-style activities and new toys like the Praxic Sword and “Renegade” abilities built around flashy close-quarters combat.
"Destiny 2: Renegades" launches on Dec. 2 as an expansion for "Destiny 2" on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
"Sleep Awake" is a first-person psychedelic horror game set in the last known City on Earth, where people are vanishing in their sleep due to a phenomenon known as "The Hush." You play Katja, forced into disturbing experiments to stay awake as reality fractures around you, blending stealth, chase sequences and full-motion video with dreamlike imagery from director Cory Davis ("Spec Ops: The Line") and musician Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails), under the Blumhouse Games label.
"Sleep Awake" launches on Dec. 2 for PC (Steam), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
The cult ’90s horror shooter "Blood" is back in definitive form with "Blood: Refreshed Supply," a full remaster that finally brings Caleb’s ultraviolent crusade against the cult of Tchernobog to consoles. Fast-paced gunplay, labyrinthine levels packed with secrets and a mix of pitch-black humor and gothic imagery give this rerelease a very different flavor from most modern shooters.
"Blood: Refreshed Supply" launches on Dec. 4 for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
"Routine" is a first-person sci-fi horror adventure set on an abandoned lunar base built around a chunky 1980s vision of the future. What begins as a cautious investigation quickly turns into a struggle to survive as you explore malls, corridors and maintenance wings in near-total silence, relying on your Cosmonaut Assistance Tool to interact with systems, manage light and power, and briefly disable the hostile machines hunting you through the station.
"Routine" launches on Dec. 4 for PC (Windows), Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Samus Aran returns in "Metroid Prime 4: Beyond," a new first-person adventure set on the jungle planet Viewros. Players explore interconnected zones, scan ancient relics and combine classic Metroid Prime exploration with new psychic abilities that can manipulate mechanisms and shots, while a motorcycle-like vehicle, the Vi-0-La, adds a fresh way to traverse hostile terrain.
"Metroid Prime 4: Beyond" launches on Dec. 4 for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
"Octopath Traveler 0" is a prequel in Square Enix’s HD-2D RPG series, returning to Orsterra with a new story about restoring a devastated hometown. Battles now support eight-character formations with front and back rows, while players create their own protagonist and gradually rebuild their town, layering town-building and party management on top of the familiar Break and Boost turn-based combat.
"Octopath Traveler 0" launches on Dec. 4 for PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
"Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow" brings the classic stealth series into full virtual reality, putting players directly behind the mask of a master thief sneaking through a new district of the City. Built for VR from the ground up, it emphasizes physical stealth: leaning into cover, peeking around corners and using motion-controlled tools like lockpicks, rope arrows, and flash bombs while reading light and sound to avoid patrols.
"Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow" launches on Dec. 4 for PlayStation VR2, Meta Quest headsets and PC VR via SteamVR.
"Terminator 2D: No Fate" turns James Cameron’s classic film into a side-scrolling arcade throwback, mixing run-and-gun shootouts, melee brawls, vehicle chases and stages set across both 1990s Los Angeles and the war-torn future. Multiple playable characters, including Sarah, John Connor, and the T-800, let players revisit iconic scenes while exploring new scenarios and alternate outcomes.
"Terminator 2D: No Fate" launches on Dec. 12 for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
"From the Ashes" is a major story expansion for "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora," shifting the focus to So’lek, a Na’vi warrior who wakes to find the Kinglor Forest burned and his Sarentu family scattered after an assault by the RDA and the ruthless Ash clan. Set in a devastated new area of the Western Frontier, the DLC adds a scorched, open region to explore, new missions and boss encounters, and fresh traversal and combat options, alongside a long-requested third-person mode.
"Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes" launches on Dec. 19 as downloadable content on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC.
