If you want the best and most versatile gaming platform around, then your best bet is probably to buy a PC, unless you’re particularly wedded to physical releases.
While it may not be quite as convenient as other platforms – and you might miss out on certain exclusives – you’re still able to play the vast majority of games being released at the moment, and you can customise their parameters to suit your machine as well.
Whether you’ve just got yourself a new PC or you’re looking to shore up your library for an old faithful ‘puter, you’ll find plenty of games to check out on PC in December 2023.
Without further ado, here are the best PC games landing on Steam and other digital distribution platforms in December.
SteamWorld Build (December 1st)
The PC is the perfect environment for city-builders, so while The Station says it’s built SteamWorld Build (no pun intended) for both keyboard-and-mouse and controller setups, our money’s on the PC version as the superior way to play.
If you’re a city-builder fan, you’ll know the drill; you construct a city, expand it by adding buildings and gathering resources, and try to keep the gribblies beneath the city from attacking you.
Well, that last part might not be familiar if you’re a Cities: Skylines fan, but if you know SteamWorld, you’ll know it’s all about delving into the unknown beneath the ground, and that’s certainly still the case with Build.
Disney Dreamlight Valley (December 5th)
At time of writing, Disney Dreamlight Valley is still in Early Access, but that certainly won’t be the case by December 5th, when it’ll be released in full.
The game has proven immensely popular since its initial release last year, largely owing to its massive cast of lovable Disney characters and its beautifully-realised setting.
The full release will hopefully continue this run of form, and it’ll also bring with it the chance to pick up the game’s first ever paid expansion, A Rift In Time, which will add even more content to enjoy.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (December 7th)
Ubisoft brings its signature open-world style to bear on the universe created by filmmaker James Cameron in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, due on December 7th.
If you’re a fan of the Ubisoft open-world style, then you’ll likely consider the marriage between that gameplay loop and the lush, vibrant visuals of Cameron’s movies to be a match made in heaven.
Naturally, if you’re not an Avatar fan or you don’t like Ubisoft games, this one probably won’t convert you, but for everyone else, this is likely to be yet another excellent adventure in which to get lost.
The Day Before (December 7th)
Fntastic’s upcoming open-world post-apocalyptic survival adventure has been a long time coming, and it’s been a rather controversial prospect too, but it’s finally on the way.
Despite being Fntastic’s first shot at the genre, The Day Before is a hugely ambitious project, promising players the chance to explore the post-apocalyptic United States after a pandemic has ravaged the country.
You’ll scavenge for supplies, explore the ruins of the USA, and figure out how to deal with other survivors as and when you encounter them.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (December 7th)
Are you all RPG’d out after the absolute behemoth that was Baldur’s Gate 3? Owlcat Studios certainly hopes you aren’t, because then you’ll have no room for Rogue Trader.
The Warhammer 40k universe can sometimes be a touch restrictive, which is why it makes perfect sense to cast you as a rogue trader in this game; you can pretty much go anywhere and do anything, within reason.
The perilous Koronus Expanse is the backdrop for your adventure, and while you’re there, you’ll make deals, meet party members, engage in turn-based combat, and work out whether you want to uphold the Emperor’s rule or subvert it.
Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance (December 7th)
Another promising-looking game heading your way on December 7th, Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance is an RTS set in the titular sci-fi universe.
Terminator games usually take the form of shooters or action-oriented experiences, so it’s nice to see developer Slitherine trying something new in this world.
In the campaign, you’ll attempt to foil the synthetic machine network of Legion, while in multiplayer, you can take on opponents as one of three factions: Founders, Legion, or Resistance.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising (December 14th)
Here’s another game that turned more than a few heads thanks to a somewhat controversial announcement, in this case the addition of simple inputs to level the playing field between newer players and pros.
If you ask us, that decision makes a lot of sense; fighting games can be massively off-putting to newcomers, and combos that don’t require a degree to understand are a logical way to address that problem.
In any case, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising looks to be an excellent sequel to the original, packing in new fighters, new mechanics, and even a whole honest-to-goodness new minigame to enjoy.
House Flipper 2 (December 14th)
House Flipper 2 could well be one of those sequels that works so well that it supplants the original entirely. It’s promising to revamp old mechanics as well as introducing new ones, so this might be the work sim to end all work sims.
Just as in the first House Flipper, you must transform run-down properties into beautiful homes that people would actually want to live in, then sell those homes to those very people for a profit.
Tasks include painting, cleaning, and decorating, and if you’re feeling particularly destructive, don’t worry; the hammer is back, and you can still smash in walls to your heart’s content.
