Are you ready to dive into the final wave of amazing PC game releases for 2021? As the year draws to a close, December traditionally brings a concentrated rush of new titles, with many developers aiming to launch their projects before the holiday season. The video above provides a concise overview of some of the most anticipated new PC games set to debut this month, offering a sneak peek into the diverse experiences awaiting players. This supplementary guide will delve deeper into each of these exciting releases, exploring their unique mechanics, potential appeal, and why they might just be your next favorite gaming obsession this December 2021.
Exciting New PC Games Launching in Early December
The first half of December is particularly dense with new PC game releases, covering a remarkable breadth of genres. From cooperative action to expansive MMORPGs, there’s a title to suit nearly every player’s preference. This period marks a crucial window for developers, as they vie for attention before the year-end festivities truly begin. Consequently, players can expect a flurry of high-quality experiences hitting digital storefronts.
Anvil Vault Breakers: A Sci-Fi Roguelike Adventure
Kicking off the month on December 2nd is Anvil Vault Breakers, a multiplayer co-op top-down sci-fi roguelike action shooter. Players embody “Vault Breakers,” characters with distinct abilities and weapon sets, embarking on missions across procedurally generated worlds. The core gameplay loop involves battling waves of enemies, collecting loot, and acquiring upgrades to enhance your Breaker’s capabilities. Furthermore, the game incorporates long-term progression through offensive, defensive, and strategic skill trees, alongside a unique pet system of “Toy Workers” that provide passive buffs.
While an early build of Anvil Vault Breakers felt somewhat simplified, a full launch typically introduces significant polish and added content. The game supports both single-player and co-op teams, promising flexibility for different player preferences. Its resemblance to a more streamlined Hell divers experience suggests a focus on engaging combat and cooperative strategy, making it an intriguing prospect for fans of the genre. Should its price point prove accessible, it could offer a compelling and fun romp for those seeking a sci-fi challenge.
Century Age of Ashes: Epic Dragon Combat Unleashed
Also arriving on December 2nd, Century Age of Ashes offers a unique free-to-play multiplayer experience centered around aerial dragon combat. This game plunges players into intense online battles, ranging from 3v3 to 6v6, across a variety of maps in fantasy locales. Three distinct classes — the Wind Guard (support), Marauder (hunter), and Phantom (stealth) — provide diverse playstyles, with additional classes planned for future development. Consequently, strategy and teamwork become paramount in securing victory.
Game modes such as Carnage (team deathmatch with power-ups), Gates of Fire (flag capture), and Spoils of War (gold stealing and protection) ensure varied gameplay encounters. Century Age of Ashes distinguishes itself by emphasizing skill and teamwork, promising a fair and equitable competitive environment where in-game purchases are purely cosmetic. This commitment to player-driven victories, combined with its visually impressive performance, makes it a highly anticipated title for those seeking niche aerial combat action.
Solar Ash: A Stylized Platforming Odyssey
From Heart Machine, the acclaimed studio behind Hyper Light Drifter, comes Solar Ash, a stylish 3D platformer launching on December 2nd. This game immerses players in a surreal, vivid open world as a Void Runner on a critical quest to save her home planet. High expectations accompany Solar Ash, largely due to its predecessor’s critical success and its distinctive aesthetic. Moreover, the developers took extra time to polish the experience, hinting at a refined final product.
Movement is central to Solar Ash’s gameplay, featuring constant gliding, jumping, and grapple-hook traversal, ensuring players are always in motion. Combat is designed to be simple, fast, and fluid, seamlessly integrating with the game’s dynamic movement system. Available on PC (as an Epic exclusive) and PlayStation for $39.99, Solar Ash promises an engaging narrative, endearing characters, and massive enemy encounters within its beautiful, highly stylized world.
Chorus: A Narrative-Driven Space Combat Shooter
Releasing on December 3rd, Chorus delivers a single-player space combat shooter with a strong narrative focus. Players take on the role of Nara, a former deadly warrior now a fugitive, seeking to dismantle the dark cult that shaped her. Accompanied by her sentient starfighter, Forsaken, Nara explores sprawling space stations and strange planes of existence, engaging in zero-G dogfights within epic cosmic vistas and tight crystalline corridors. This blend of exploration and fast-paced action forms the core of its appeal.
As the narrative campaign progresses, players unlock new capabilities, mastering ship drifting mechanics and acquiring skills like teleportation and telekinesis to overcome enemy hordes and massive battleships. Priced at $39.99, Chorus is available on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. Its ambition to merge grand-scale space exploration with frenetic combat offers a promising experience for those yearning for a compelling single-player space adventure.
Icarus: A Session-Based PvE Survival Challenge
Icarus, a session-based PvE survival game from Rocket Works (founded by DayZ creator Dean Hall), fully launches on December 4th for $29.99. The premise sees players as space prospectors descending onto a perilous, Earth-like planet to harvest valuable resources within a limited timeframe. The core loop involves dropping from orbit, gathering resources, surviving environmental threats, crafting advanced tech, and returning to orbit before the timer expires. Failure to extract results in permanent character and progress loss, adding a significant layer of tension.
The game features all traditional survival mechanics, from basic resource gathering and crafting to hunting for food and seeking oxygen. The massive, hand-crafted 64 square kilometer map is ripe for exploration, concealing hidden resources and secrets. Furthermore, a voxel-based destruction system allows for dynamic environmental interaction. Supporting solo play or co-op with up to eight players, Icarus offers various mission types lasting from hours to weeks. Its evolution from earlier “janky” footage to a more polished release highlights the benefits of extended development time, offering a robust survival experience.
Final Fantasy 14 Endwalker: A Climactic MMORPG Expansion
The long-awaited fourth expansion for Final Fantasy 14, Endwalker, arrives on December 7th for $39.99. This significant update concludes the narrative arc initiated with A Realm Reborn, promising a climactic resolution to years of storytelling. Beyond the main storyline, Endwalker introduces a wealth of new content, including two new classes: the Sage, an aggressive healer with damage skills and barriers, and the Reaper, a melee DPS focused on combo attacks and a formidable demon form. These additions significantly expand gameplay options for existing players.
Furthermore, all existing classes receive updates with new abilities and rotation changes, alongside a raised level cap. Players can look forward to numerous new zones, dungeons, and trials, enhancing the already vast world of Eorzea. The implementation of the Island Sanctuary system and various quality-of-life changes, including a stat squish, demonstrate a continued commitment to improving player experience. Endwalker is available on PC and PlayStation, standing as a monumental release for one of the most critically acclaimed MMORPGs in recent history.
Heavenly Bodies: A Physics-Based Astronaut Simulator
Heavenly Bodies, an intriguing indie game, launches on December 7th for PC and PlayStation consoles (price estimated between $20-40). This unique title challenges players to control a weightless cosmonaut with independent command over each limb (arms, hands, legs) to complete complex physics-based tasks and puzzles aboard a space station. The game’s scenarios are inspired by real-life feats of space explorers, grounding its whimsical premise in historical context. Consequently, precision and delicate maneuvers are crucial for success.
The game’s stylized 70s visual aesthetic, influenced by archival space photography, further enhances its distinctive appeal. While supporting keyboard and mouse, the movement system is optimized for a dual analog joystick controller, promising a more immersive experience. Heavenly Bodies supports both single-player and local or online co-op, allowing friends to tackle the zero-gravity challenges together. Despite its likely shorter playthrough, its innovative gameplay and unique concept make it a compelling choice for fans of puzzle and simulation games.
Halo Infinite Single-Player Campaign: Master Chief Returns
The highly anticipated Halo Infinite single-player campaign makes its debut on December 8th for PC and Xbox consoles, priced at $59.99. While the multiplayer component has already garnered significant praise for its stellar moment-to-moment action, the campaign promises an expansive open-world Halo experience. Players once again assume the role of Master Chief, confronting his most ruthless foe yet within the vast reaches of Zeta Halo. This marks a significant departure from previous titles, embracing a wide-open, adventure-filled structure.
Early impressions of the campaign have been overwhelmingly positive, suggesting that the open-world design successfully integrates with Halo’s iconic gameplay. For veterans who haven’t experienced a Halo single-player campaign since titles like Halo 3 nearly 15 years ago, this release offers a perfect opportunity to jump back into the iconic sci-fi universe. The core gameplay loop, which has been meticulously refined, ensures that this iteration of Halo stands as a benchmark for first-person shooter action.
Later December & Bonus PC Game Releases
As the month progresses, more exciting titles continue to emerge, proving that December 2021 is a rich period for new PC game releases. These later entries, along with a couple of bonus mentions, round out a diverse gaming landscape.
Breakwaters: A Water-Focused Survival Adventure
Launching on December 9th for PC (no price announced), Breakwaters presents a unique survival game set in a procedurally generated island world. The standout feature is its innovative water mechanics, allowing players to manipulate water itself. Special crystals displace water to reveal new paths and resources, while constructed walls can hold back destructive waves. Players can even redirect water, transforming landscapes and opening up new strategic possibilities. This distinctive element elevates it beyond standard survival fare.
Beyond its water-centric gameplay, Breakwaters adheres to traditional survival elements: gathering resources, building structures, crafting gear, and customizing boats. The ultimate objective is to confront and destroy massive Titans that roam the world, causing mayhem. With over 360 square kilometers of ocean to explore, filled with unique biomes, creatures, and a story to unravel, Breakwaters offers a vast and engaging experience. It supports both single-player and online co-op, catering to diverse player preferences in a truly expansive world.
The Gunk: A Clean-Up Adventure from SteamWorld Creators
From the creators of the beloved SteamWorld series comes The Gunk, a new 3D exploration adventure game arriving on December 16th for PC (Windows Store) and Xbox consoles (no price announced). Players control Ronnie, part of a duo of space haulers who discover an untouched planet teeming with life, but tragically covered in a corrupting “gunk.” Utilizing a trusty power glove, Ronnie embarks on a mission to clean up the corruption, uncover the secrets of an ancient civilization, and heal the ailing planet. This central mechanic drives the narrative and gameplay.
The Gunk draws comparisons to titles like Kena: Bridge of Spirits due to its intimate narrative and exploration focus. The game emphasizes strong radio contact between its two main characters, enriching the storytelling, and boasts a significant focus on music and atmospheric design. This commitment to narrative and environmental storytelling, coupled with its unique premise, positions The Gunk as a captivating adventure for those seeking a fresh exploration experience this December 2021.
Bonus Titles: Wartales and Corpunk Beta
Beyond the main list, two additional titles warrant mention for their potential impact on the new PC games landscape. Wartales, an open-world RPG, entered Steam Early Access on December 1st for $34.99. Players lead a group of mercenaries through a massive medieval universe, exploring, recruiting companions, collecting bounties, and unraveling ancient secrets. This offers a robust tactical experience for fans of historical RPGs.
Furthermore, the beta for Corpunk, a top-down MMO that blends elements of MOBA gameplay, is slated for December. While specific dates remain elusive, its innovative approach to the MMO genre has generated considerable anticipation. The potential for a new competitive online experience makes Corpunk an exciting prospect, although a delay into next year is a possibility if further development is required. These new PC games collectively underline the vibrant and evolving nature of the gaming industry as 2021 concludes.
