What kind of games are left in store for us during this holiday season? Check out our list of the top 10 new games of December 2022.
It’s already December 2022, the last month of the year, but we still have a last hurrah from our developers and publishers with a nice selection of games to play or to gift to loved ones this Holiday season.
Top 10 New Games of December 2022
10. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution
Release Date: December 1, 2022
Developed by: Skydance Entertainment
Publisher: Skydance Interactive
Platforms: Meta Quest 2, PSVR (2023), PSVR2 (2023)
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2: Retribution is a stand-alone sequel to the first Saints & Sinners game, one of the best VR games in existence today. It’s not just a “good VR game,” it’s a good game, period. Now, fans of the first game who have migrated to the next-generation VR headsets are wondering if the sequel could live up to its name. Well, Meta Quest 2 owners will be able to find out soon, as the PSVR and PSVR2 versions aren’t coming out until 2023. Here’s to hoping that this game can also deliver.
Saints & Sinners 2 allows players to battle zombies and explore the zombie-infested environment to look for supplies, including new weapons like the sawed-off shotgun and the chainsaw.
9. Hello Neighbor 2
Release Date: December 6, 2022
Developed by: Dynamic Pixels
Publisher: tinyBuild
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5
Another sequel in our mix – Hello Neighbor 2 has an easier job on its plate. While there was a lot of interest leading up to the release of the first Hello Neighbor game, it didn’t quite live up to its expectations. Now, Hello Neighbor 2 promises to right the wrongs of the previous game, with better controls and much more clever AI that actually learns from the players’ movements and performance.
8. Dragon Quest Treasures 2
Release Date: December 9, 2022
Developed by: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
It’s not that we’re lacking of any new Dragon Quest games, but there have been more spin-off titles to come out in recent history than mainline titles for the series. But, we’re not really complaining, because Dragon Quest Builders and Dragon Quest Builders 2 were really good, and the offline version of Dragon Quest X was also good, from what I’ve heard and read at least. Now, with this latest release, we’re a bit less enthusiastic and optimistic of Dragon Quest Treasures, mostly because we’ve become wary about the capabilities of the Nintendo Switch in delivering high-quality exclusives in recent times.
Still, Dragon Quest Treasures is one of the top games on our list this month because of the game’s promising premise – you play as a younger version of the siblings Erik and Mia from Dragon Quest XI in their childhood, and you’re transported in a parallel world where treasure and peril awaits.
7. Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth
Release Date: December 22, 2022
Developed by: tri-Ace
Publisher: Square Enix
Platforms: PS4, PS5
For fans who were left hanging or wanting more when Valkyrie Elysium came out earlier this year, or have been left longing for the classic Valkyrie Profile, then Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth’s release this December should provide some comfort. The game will be available for free for those who pre-ordered Elysium, but any fan can also purchase the game separately from the PS Store. However, do take note that this port is based on the smartphone remaster of the game that came out to iOS and Android back in 2018, so keep that in mind before purchasing.
In Valkyrie Profile, players take on the role of the valkyrie Lenneth. In preparation for Ragnarok, the war of the gods, Lenneth journeys Midgard to look for worthy warriors to serve as her Einherjar.
6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Release Date: December 14, 2022
Developed by: CD Projekt Red
Publisher: CD Projekt Red
Platforms: Xbox Series X, PS5
Ever wanted to play The Witcher 3 in native 4K resolution and with the bells and whistles of next-gen games? Well, soon you could, as the next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is coming this month. The good news is, you don’t even have to purchase the game again if you already have it in your library. Instead, the PS5 or the Xbox Series X version will be added to your library automatically without a cost.
In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Geralt of Rivia searches for his foster child, Ciri, as they both get embroiled in a political intrigue that has seen kingdoms fall and more kingdoms to come to fall, as a continental war engulfs the whole world in violence and hardship.
5. High On Life
Release Date: December 13, 2022
Developed by: Squanch Games
Publisher: Squanch Games
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
If you’ve ever wanted an open-world game in the Rick & Morty Universe, then tough luck, such a game does not exist. The closest to that you could get is High On Life, a game developed and produced by Squanch Games, which was founded and managed by Rick & Morty creator Justin Roiland. It’s as if Fallout and Rick & Morty had a lovechild, and that lovechild was sent to space, given a talking gun with the voice of Morty, and sent out on an open-world adventure. If you want something surreal and absurd this holiday season, this is the game to pick up.
4. Marvel Midnight Suns
Release Date: December 2, 2022
Developed by: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2K
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch (TBA), PS4 (TBA), Xbox One (TBA)
MARVEL’s Midnight Suns is another game to come out of the strong cultural zeitgeist brought about by the success of MCU, but even today, these games are a hit or miss. Interestingly, MARVEL’s Midnight Suns is both. The gameplay is fun and engaging, but according to a majority of early reviews, its story is dull, and its in-game social elements with the MARVEL superheroes is a drag. Regardless, superfans of MARVEL and fans who can stomach the lackluster renditions of the MARVEL superheroes would have a decent game out of this.
In MARVEL’s Midnight Suns, players take control of a party of superheroes, including a new customizable character named The Hunter, as they take on the forces of Lilith who has somehow taken over the minds of some of the superheroes. The game takes both turn-based tiled strategy and tactics with mild deck-building mechanics. Think XCOM, Slay the Spire, and MARVEL having a baby.
3. The Callisto Protocol
Release Date: December 2, 2022
Developed by: Striking Distance Studios
Publisher: Krafton
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
Explore Jupiter’s Dead Moon, Callisto, in The Callisto Protocol – the biggest game to come out of Krafton after PUBG: Battlegrounds. Described by many as a spiritual successor to Dead Space as it is directed by Dead Space co-creator Glen Schofield, The Callisto Protocol is a survival horror game set in space.
In the game, players take control of Jacob Lee, an inmate in the Black Iron Prison on Callisto, as he tries to break out from unlawful imprisonment as the jail gets overrun by rabid inmates afflicted with an unknown disease.
2. Need for Speed Unbound
Release Date: December 2, 2022
Developed by: Criterion Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
Need for Speed returns with NFS Unbound. Aesthetically, the game is a fresh take on the Need for Speed franchise, mixing graffiti art, cel-shaded graphics, and realistic visuals into one striking look. Hopefully, the game is also fresh and engaging, with rewarding races and a wide range of customizable options.
NFS Unbound is set in a fictional version of Chicago called Lakeshore City. Players will partake in a lot of street racing, with the “Heat System” from the 2019 title NFS Heat making a return.
1. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion
Release Date: December 13, 2022
Developed by: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is the remake (or, more than just a remake, as Square Enix would like to say0 of the PlayStation Portable only Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. That game was great, so it’s the perfect choice for Square Enix to remake so that more people would get to experience it. However, many fans are also wary because of how Square Enix handled Final Fantasy VII Remake and how it messed up the story people loved and remembered. Regardless of what Square Enix does with the story, though, we’re sure it’s going to be fun to play as Zack Fair once again and go through the ranks of SOLDIER in this supplementary story to Final Fantasy 7.
And that’s our list of new games coming this December 2022. If you’re looking for particular console exclusives that are just about to be released, check out our articles below:
Top 10 upcoming PS5 console exclusive games not coming to the Xbox Series X and Switch
Top 10 upcoming Switch exclusives not coming to PS5 or Xbox Series X
Top 10 upcoming PC exclusive games not coming to consoles
Top 10 upcoming Xbox Series X games not coming to PS5 and Switch
For everything else gaming, check out ClutchPoints Gaming.
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