I normally do these lists on the first of the month. But since I’m taking a few days off and I’ll be away from November 30 until December 5, I’m going to do the "new video games you can play this month" list early.

That being said, here are the 21 new video games that are scheduled to be released in December 2016.

1. Maize

• Game type – first-person adventure game.
• Release date – December 1 for Windows on Steam.
• Story – two scientists misinterpret a memo from the U.S. Government and create sentient corn. Explore an abandoned farm and a not-so-abandoned underground research facility as you uncover the mysteries around Maize.

Learn more about Maize.


2. Rad Rodgers: World One

• Game type – action platformer video game.
• Release date – currently in Early Access; will fully release on December 1 for PC.
• Price – $11.99 on Steam and GOG.
• Story – Rad is a rambunctious but spirited young boy who maybe plays too many video games. After dozing off at the tail end of a long night of gaming, Rad awakens to find his dusty old console has turned itself back on. Suddenly a vortex emerges and he's sucked into his TV, where he finds himself the star in his very own video game adventure.

Learn more about Rad Rodgers: World One.


3. The Dwarves

• Game type – fantasy RPG video game with physics-based and tactical crowd-combat.
• Release date – December 1 for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Mac & Linux.
• Price – $39.99 for the PC Digital Edition on the King Art Online Store. Pre-order for other platforms from THQ Nordic.
• Story – fight hundreds of foes with just a handfull of heroes.

Learn more about The Dwarves.


4. Furi

• Game type – action shoot 'em up video game.
• Release date – December 2 for Xbox One; available for PC and Xbox One since July 2016.
• Price – $19.99 on the Microsoft Store.
• Story – you were captured and look what they’ve done to you. Fight your way to freedom in this ultra-responsive, fast-paced sword fighting and dual-stick shooting game.

Learn more about Furi.


5. Little Briar Rose

• Game type – stained glass-styled adventure video game inspired by Sleeping Beauty.
• Release date – December 2 for PC on Steam; already available for mobile on Apple’s App Store, Google Play, and Amazon.
• Story – help a whole dynasty of princes complete their quest. Be careful though, many will try, but only one shall prevail!

Learn more about Little Briar Rose.


6. Steep

• Game type – open world extreme sports video game.
• Release date – December 2 for PC, Xbox One and PS4.
• Price – starting at $59.99 for the Standard Edition.
• Story – ride a massive open world of the Alps and Alaska, where the powder is always fresh and the run never ends. Defy and master the world’s most epic mountains on skis, wingsuit, snowboard, and in paraglide.

Learn more about Steep.


7. Arizona Sunshine

• Game type – zombie survival first-person shooter video game for VR.
• Release date – December 6 for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
• Price – $39.99 on Steam and the Humble Store.
• Story – step into the midst of a zombie apocalypse as if you were really there, and shoot, snipe and blast your way through hordes of undead close enough to touch. Arizona Sunshine has you battle for survival across a blistering hot, post-apocalyptic Arizona.

Learn more about Arizona Sunshine.


8. Dead Rising 4

• Game type – open world survival horror beat 'em up video game.
• Release date – December 6 for Windows 10 and Xbox One.
• Price – starting at $59.99 for the Standard Edition.
• Story – 16 years after the events of Dead Rising, retired photojournalist Frank West returns to Willamette, Colorado to investigate a mysterious new outbreak that has overrun the newly built mall and surrounding town with dangerous and deadly predators during the holiday season.

Learn more about Dead Rising 4.


9. I Expect You To Die

• Game type – virtual reality escape-the-room puzzle game.
• Release date – December 6 for Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR.
• Story – you are a world class spy and you must attempt to survive deadly situations in immersive, dangerous locales.

Learn more about I Expect You To Die.


10. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

• Game type – hardcore tactical stealth game set in Japan around the Edo period.
• Release date – December 6 for PC on Steam and GOG; coming to Xbox One and PS4 in 2017.
• Story – a new Shogun seizes power over Japan and enforces nationwide peace. In his battle against conspiracy and rebellion, he recruits five specialists with extraordinary skills for assassination, sabotage and espionage.

Learn more about Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun.


11. The Last Guardian

• Game type – third-person action-adventure video game with puzzle elements.
• Release date – December 6 for PlayStation 4.
• Price – $59.99 on the PlayStation Store.
• Story – facing unknown dangers in a strange and mystical land, an ordinary young boy and his gigantic feathered friend must rely on each other to survive in this harrowing story of friendship and trust.

Learn more about The Last Guardian.


12. The Unspoken

• Game type – virtual reality fantasy multiplayer video game.
• Release date – December 6 for Oculus Rift.
• Story – magic is real. Its practitioners lurk in backrooms across the city. Duels play out in concealed urban areas, each with different destructible features and spell‐enabling properties: it’s the physical action of a fighting game married to the dynamic battlefield of an arena shooter.

Learn more about The Unspoken.


13. Werewolves Within

• Game type – fast-paced game of hidden roles and social deduction for 5 to 8 players.
• Release date – December 6 for Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR and HTC Vive.
• Price –$29.99 on the Ubisoft Store.
• Story – after several attacks on townsfolk, the medieval village of Gallowston has had enough! With a special guidebook in hand, players congregate to vote and eliminate any and all possible werewolves hiding disguised in the village.

Learn more about Werewolves Within.


14. Space Overlords

• Game type – third person multiplayer planetary destruction and domination game.
• Release date – December 6 for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita; available for PC on Steam since March.
• Story – compete for total planetary domination, choose a race, create planets using the ingame planet creator, challenge other players and become the ultimate overlord!

Learn more about Space Overlords.


15. Bethesda Pinball

• Game type – pinball game.
• Release date – December 6 on Steam, PSN, Mac and Windows 10; December 8 for mobile.
• Story – Bethesda Pinball presents three exciting pinball tables based on Bethesda’s epic gaming universes: Fallout, DOOM, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Stay alive in the stunning yet hostile environments of three fantastic pinball tables inspired by the most iconic Bethesda franchises.

Learn more about Bethesda Pinball.


16. Space Hulk: Deathwing

• Game type – tactical first-person shooter video game.
• Release date – December 9 for PC; early 2017 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
• Price – $39.99 on Steam.
• Story – experience a desperate battle against Genestealers in the claustrophobic tunnels of a Space Hulk. Space Hulks drift along the currents of the Warp, the immaterial dimension of Chaos. Made up of gigantic, mangled asteroids, ship wrecks, and other stellar debris, they can grow to the size of a moon, and often contain treasured and ancient lost technologies.

Learn more about Space Hulk: Deathwing.


17. Drive!Drive!Drive!

• Game type – driving game about racing multiple tracks at the same time.
• Release date – December 13 for PS4 and Steam.
• Story – you must race & manage multiple tracks at the same time. You are able to switch between the different tracks of a race any time you like. When you switch away from a track, a computer racer takes over driving on that track for you. Unfortunately, the computer racers aren't what you’d call competent.

Learn more about Drive!Drive!Drive!


18. The Little Acre

• Game type – point-and-click adventure game.
• Release date – December 13 for PC on Steam (initially scheduled to be released on November 22).
• Price – $12.99.
• Story – The Little Acre follows the story of Aidan and his daughter, Lily, set in 1950’s Ireland. While searching for his father, Aidan travels to a strange new world. Lily sets off after him, encountering her own perils along the way.

Learn more about The Little Acre.


19. Super Mario Run

• Game type – side-scrolling, auto-runner platformer video game.
• Release date – December 15 for iOS.
• Price – $9.99 to get full, unlimited access to the three game modes.

Learn more about Super Mario Run.


20. Eagle Flight

• Game type – virtual reality simulation video game.
• Release date – December 20 for HTC Vive; already available for PlayStation VR since November and Oculus Rift since October.
• Price – $39.99 on the Ubisoft Store.
• Story – 50 years after humans vanished from the face of the Earth, nature reclaimed the city of Paris, leaving a breathtaking playground. As an eagle, you soar past iconic landmarks, dive through narrow streets, and engage in heart-pounding aerial dog fights to protect your territory from opponents.

Learn more about Eagle Flight.


21. Astroneer

• Game type – a game of aerospace industry and interplanetary exploration.
• Release date – December 2016 on Xbox One and Windows 10 Game Preview, Steam Early Access.
• Story – Astroneer is set during a 25th century gold rush where players must explore the frontiers of outer space, risking their lives and resources in harsh environments for the chance of striking it rich.

 

Learn more about Astroneer.


Honorable mention

The Blizzard Mountain Expansion for Forza Horizon 3 that will be released on December 13 features 8 new vehicles and a Forza first – snow, ice, extreme elevations and blizzards.

The Blizzard Mountain Expansion for Forza Horizon 3 is available separately or as part of the Forza Horizon 3 Expansion Pass, which gives players discounted access to two expansions for $34.99. Ultimate Edition owners receive a $10 discount on the Forza Horizon 3 Expansion Pass if purchased before the end of 2016.



Learn more about Forza Horizon 3.