We're finally here. After multiple delays, false starts, and climbing expectations, Cyberpunk 2077 is set to launch on Dec. 10. And it seems like this time, the date is going to stick. Featuring Keanu Reeves in a main role as Johnny Silverhand, the game transports you to Night City, a dystopian corporate wasteland in Northern California. The hype is through the roof; we'll see, very soon, whether it can live up to it.
Aside from that, there are a few smaller, story-based games and a couple of massive updates for established titles. Here is your video game news roundup for December 2020.
XBox Live Gold Free Games
Xbox One
The Raven Remastered (Dec. 1-Dec. 31)
Solve the mystery of a missing Egyptian jewel in this classically styled point-and-click adventure.
Bleed 2 (Dec. 16-Jan. 15)
This is a throwback arcade shooter (think a high-tech Sunset Riders) starring Wryn, a badass heroine who wants to be a legend.
Xbox 360 (backwards compatible)
Saints Row: Gat Out Of Hell (Dec. 1-Dec. 15)
A satire that's high on its own ridiculousness, this coda to Saints Row 4 stars Johnny Gat and Kinzie Kensington, who descend to hell on a quest to rescue The Boss.
Stacking (Dec. 16-Dec. 31)
An enticing cross between action/adventure and problem-solving, this title uses Russian nesting dolls as its core puzzle mechanic.
Playstation Plus Free Games
Worms Rumble (Dec. 1)
Available in both PS4 and PS5 editions (with crossplay!), Worms Rumble is intense chaos—a colorful 32-player shooter that takes place on multileveled stages.
Just Cause 4 (Dec. 1)
The fourth game in the Just Cause series takes Rico Rodriguez to the fictional nation of Solis, where our wingsuited-wearing, grapple hook-wielding hero squares off against the militant Black Hand.
Rocket Arena (Dec. 1)
This is a 3v3 multiplayer shooter with cartoon graphics, likeable characters, and a futuristic theme. Blast your opponents and blast off with jetpacks and hoverboards.
Google Stadia Free Games
Into the Breach (Dec. 1)
This is a turn-based strategy game where you fight an evil army of monsters with a team of massive, weaponized mechs.
Monster Jam Steel Titans (Dec. 1)
It's a monster truck rally in video game form. Play as all your favorite monster trucks from the Monster Jam tour, from Zombie to Megalodon to the infamous Gravedigger.
Everspace (Dec. 1)
This is a 3D space shooter that strengthens your character every time you die. A sequel, Everspace 2, is due out in 2021.
Secret Neighbor (Dec. 1)
A multiplayer horror game set in the Hello Neighbor universe, you play as one of six kids who is breaking into a creepy neighbor's house. The catch? One of you is the neighbor in disguise.
Hitman 2 (Dec. 1)
The second part of the World of Assassination trilogy takes Agent 47 to far-flung locations across the globe, from a racing track in Miami to the slums of Mumbai. The final entry in the series, Hitman III, is scheduled for release in January 2021.
Kine (Dec. 1)
This is a puzzle game with an endearing narrative, about three robot musicians who want to start a band. Like all good puzzle games, it has a simple premise on its face: Roll a cube through a maze. But, of course, it gets much more complicated than that.
Twin Mirror (Dec. 1)
From the same folks who brought you Life is Strange, Twin Mirror is a cinematic, story-driven game where you make pivotal choices that directly affect the game's events. You play as Sam, who returns to his West Virginian hometown after his friend Nick is killed in a car crash under suspicious circumstances. Sam is a journalist and amateur investigator, so he starts asking questions and snooping around, even as he is personally unraveling at the seams.
Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 5 (Dec. 2)
Chapter 2 Season 4 of Fortnite concluded with a bang as Thor, Iron Man, and millions of players defeated Galactus but destroyed the center of the map in the process. Now, Agent Jones is bringing in hired guns from multiple realities to defend the Zero Point. Among them is the Mandalorian, along with Grogu, aka Baby Yoda. Who knows what reality will merge with Fortnite next?
Immortals Fenyx Rising (Dec. 3)
Narrated by Titan Prometheus and Thunder God Zeus, this game places you in the middle of ancient Greek mythology. You take on the powers of the Gods and meet up with Aphrodite, Hermes, and more. It's all building to an epic confrontation against Typhon, a massive, monstrous Titan and Gaia's son. This is her revenge against Olympus.
Haven (Dec. 3)
This stylized game has gotten a ton of hype since last year. In Haven, you play as Yu and Kay, two lovers who end up living together on an uninhabited planet. You play both characters, who are very unlike each other, at the same time. You forage together, cook together, eat together, and fight together, creating an intimate bond over the course of hours.
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light (Dec. 4)
Back in 1990, Nintendo released this game on the NES/Famicom in Japan. It was the first game in the Fire Emblem franchise, and it established several precedents: the character Marth, who still enjoys massive popularity from the Super Smash Bros. franchise; the use of turn-based combat; a massive roster of characters and classes; and the infamous perma-death that forces players to sit up and be ever so careful. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the franchise, Nintendo localized the game for English-speaking audiences. Experience it for the first time in all its 8-bit glory.
Call of the Sea - (Dec. 8)
In this first-person puzzle game set on a mysterious island in the South Pacific, you play as Nora, a loving wife who's investigating her husband's missing expedition group. It goes heavy on the H.P. Lovecraft imagery, though indie development studio Out of the Blue insists it's not a horror game.
Cyberpunk 2077 (Dec. 10)
It won't be long now. From the same folks who brought you The Witcher III, Cyberpunk 2077 casts the player as V, a mercenary who outfits himself with cybernetic implants to survive the hostile underbelly of Night City. The preview footage shows a game that's as dedicated to world-building and immersion as the main storyline. Both a thrilling first-person shooter and a savage indictment of our late-capitalist culture, Cyberpunk 2077 will be amazing if it lives up to even half of its hype.
GTA Online Update (Dec. 15)
Consider for a moment that GTA V and its multiplayer component, GTA Online, have now outlived an entire generation of consoles; it launched all the way back in 2013, when the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U were still on shelves. The newest update will feature a brand-new heist on the tropical island of Cayo Perico, along with new cars, new weapons, new dance clubs, and over 100 new songs.
Override 2: Super Mech League (Dec. 22)
Brawl with massive mechas the size of skyscrapers—what is there not to love? Override 2 features 20 different mechs fighting across eight dynamic, different arenas, which are laden with traps and environmental hazards. And like all great fighting games, there's something for the button mashers who just want to swing and cause damage and something for the gamers who want to perform long combos.
