Even as we approach the final month of the year, the Xbox Game Pass train doesn’t stop as four day one releases are set to drop in December.
The upcoming releases range from first-party to third-party games, with multiplayer experiences like the Halo Infinite multiplayer in its non-beta form and Among Us. Xbox Game Pass subscribers are also getting single-player experiences this December, again, like Halo Infinite, which will have players playing the campaign for the first time, as well as another release like The Gunk. So let’s go through each December Xbox Game Pass release, and maybe it will be on your radar if it isn’t already.
Lawn Mowing Simulator (PC and Console) – December 2nd
Lawn Mowing Simulator is the only game in this list that’s not a day one release as it’s already launched on PC and Xbox Series X|S back in August of this year. The December 2nd drop on the service is a planned one as the same day the game is receiving a new update that adds new string trimmers. Also releasing that day is the new Ancient Britain DLC which adds four brand-new locations—The Royal Stones, Druid Tor, The Ancient Aurochs, and Aurochs Hill.
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector (PC and Console) – December 2nd
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector is making its console debut through Xbox Game Pass day one and is a turn-based strategy game that brings players into the world of Warhammer 40,000 through combat between the Blood Angels and the Tyranids. The fast-paced strategy game, developed by Black Lab Games, was originally released on PC on July 22nd, 2021. The console version has some differences from its PC release as the Xbox version on console as it doesn’t feature an asynchronous multiplayer system but the publisher, Slitherine, believes that the live multiplayer matches in the Xbox version and the inclusion of hot-seat multiplayer, “more than makes up for it.”
Halo Infinite (PC, Console and Cloud) – December 8th
After Halo Infinite gameplay was shown off for the first time at the Xbox Game Showcase back in July 2020, players highlighted some glaring issues of the game, as well as Craig, to Microsoft. This led to the Xbox brand acknowledging the feedback and making the tough decision to delay the Xbox Series X|S launch title out of November and 2020 entirely. It was a question of how long the delay was, which we now know was more than a year.
Recently, players have been playing the multiplayer aspect of the game through technical tests throughout the latter half of the year and a multiplayer beta that was released recently on the 20th anniversary of the original Halo on November 15th, 2021. Now it’s time for the full game which is releasing on December 8th for PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S through Xbox Game Pass day one, the first mainline Halo game to release on the service.
Among Us (Console) – December 14th
Even though Among Us was originally released in 2018 on PC and mobile, during the pandemic the game really blew thanks to streamers and people stuck at home wanting to connect with friends and family. The question of a console release was on interested players’ minds, and they delivered with a Nintendo Switch version back in December of last year. More than a year later, developer, Innersloth, is releasing the highly popular game on PlayStation and Xbox through Xbox Game Pass. Check it out when it releases on December 14th, just you know, don’t be too sus.
The Gunk (PC, Console and Cloud) – December 16th
Last but certainly not least, is the story-driven third-person action-adventure game, The Gunk which has tons of Ratchet & Clank energy. Players will control Rani, a scavenger who isn’t alone as her companion, Beck joins our hero as they journey to and explore an alien planet. Rani will discover various landscapes on the planet like canyons, jungles and caves, but it won’t be easy as the planet has been corrupted by a black slime-like parasite known as The Gunk which is having an impact on the planet’s wildlife and environment.
Rani is equipped to deal with The Gunk as she has a power glove that can suck it up which helps restore the environment to its original state. It’s not going to be a simple clean-up job, as the wildlife has been corrupted and transformed into monsters. After Rani deals with them and sucks up The Gunk, the wildlife transforms back to its normal state. Throughout Rani’s journey, players can scan the environment or find documents to learn more about the planet. The Gunk is being developed by Steamworld developer, Image & Form, and is launching day one on Xbox Game Pass on December 16th.
For Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Games with Gold subscribers, that’s not all the goodies coming in December. Subscribers of either service will be able to redeem four games this month, which include The Escapists 2 (December 1st to 31st), Tropico 5 – Penultimate Edition (December 16th to January 15th), Orcs Must Die! (December 1st to 15th) and Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (December 16th to 31st).
