2023 is nearly over, but there are still a handful of significant video game releases before the calendar flips to 2024. At the top of that list is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, which looks to build upon the gameplay of the Far Cry franchise but with locations, creatures, and weapons from the Avatar movies. Plus, the popular life sim Disney Dreamlight Valley is finally leaving early access, and to celebrate, the developers are also launching its first expansion.
Best new game releases of December 2023
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince
- Release date: December 1
- Systems: Switch
- Where to buy: Amazon, Nintendo eShop
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a turn-based RPG, but unlike the mainline titles, you play as a monster wrangler in this spinoff series. In addition to fighting monsters, you can also recruit them to your team. Once you have a party full of monsters, you can battle in the arena, combine monsters to create a more powerful teammate, and more.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
- Release date: December 5
- Systems: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac
- Where to buy: Amazon, Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, Steam, Xbox Store
Disney Dreamlight Valley is a mix of a life sim (like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley) and an adventure game. In the valley, Disney and Pixar characters once lived in harmony, but the Forgetting changed that. Now, it’s your job to explore the world, complete quests, and build Dreamlight Valley back up while helping the inhabitants along the way.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
- Release date: December 7
- Systems: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
- Where to buy: Amazon, PlayStation Store, Ubisoft Store, Xbox Store
In Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, you play as a Na’vi who was abducted by humans and trained to fight on their side. But 15 years later, you are free of their grasp, and you’ll use everything they taught you to turn the tide against them in the Western Frontier. Along the way, you’ll upgrade your skills, craft new gear, and find weapons to protect your people.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
- Release date: December 14
- Systems: PS5, PS4, PC
- Where to buy: PlayStation Store, Steam
The sequel to Granblue Fantasy Versus, Rising introduces new mechanics to the popular fighting game, such as Dash Attacks and the Triple Attack. Rising also adds rollback and crossplay to the netcode, and in addition to 25 returning characters, there are also four new characters joining the roster: Anila, Siegfried, Nier, and Grimnir.
House Flipper 2
- Release date: December 14
- Systems: PC
- Where to buy: Steam
The wildly successful home improvement game House Flipper is getting a sequel in December. House Flipper 2 once again tasks you with knocking down walls, wiping windows, and mopping up floors of houses in need of renovation. There’s also a new sandbox mode that allows you to build your own home from scratch with all the game’s tools.
Those are the highlights, but here are some other notable game releases in December:
- Batman: Arkham Trilogy | Switch | December 1
- SteamWorld Build | PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, PC | December 1
- A Highland Song | Switch, PC | December 5
- Born of Bread | Switch, PC | December 5
- Sonic Dream Team | iOS | December 5
- The Anacrusis | Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC | December 5
- The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria | PS5 | December 5
- Lego Bricktales | Quest | December 7
- Outer Wilds | Switch | December 7
- Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance | PC | December 7
- The Day Before | PC | December 7
- Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties: Definitive Edition | PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, PC | December 8
- Bear and Breakfast | PS5, PS4 | December 12
- Hammerwatch II | PS5, Switch | December 12
- SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake | iOS, Android | December 12
- Gnosia | PS5, PS4 | December 14
- Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition | Netflix | December 14
- Pokémon Scarlet And Violet: The Hidden Treasure Of Area Zero – Part 2: The Indigo Disk | Switch | December 14
- Resident Evil 4 | Mac, iOS | December 20
We will be back next month with all of the video game releases for January 2024, including Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
