December 2021 presented a formidable challenge for PC gamers: a deluge of highly anticipated titles launching within a tight timeframe, often overlapping with the holiday rush. Navigating this dense release schedule, identifying truly compelling experiences, and understanding their unique mechanics can prove daunting. This comprehensive guide, complementing the video above, delves into the standout new PC games of December 2021, offering expanded insights into their gameplay, strategic depth, and potential impact on the gaming landscape.
We systematically examine each title, providing the technical depth and strategic analysis that discerning PC players require. From co-operative roguelikes to expansive MMOs and innovative survival experiences, this month’s lineup covers a vast spectrum of genres. Prepare to discover detailed breakdowns, potential gameplay implications, and crucial information to inform your next gaming investment as we explore the best PC game releases from this packed month.
Anvil: Vault Breakers – A Sci-Fi Roguelike Experience
Kicking off the December 2021 PC games lineup was Anvil: Vault Breakers, a multiplayer co-op top-down sci-fi roguelike action shooter. This title immediately captures attention with its complex descriptor, hinting at a multifaceted gameplay experience. Players assume the role of Vault Breakers, characters navigating procedurally generated worlds in pursuit of valuable loot.
The core loop involves selecting a Breaker, essentially a class equipped with unique weapons and four distinct abilities. Subsequently, players choose from various starting locations to initiate a run. Maps dynamically assemble from pre-designed environmental pieces, creating fresh challenges in each playthrough. Combat against waves of enemies, resource acquisition, and strategic upgrades to Breaker abilities form the bedrock of progression. Imagine a scenario where your chosen Breaker’s unique abilities perfectly synergize with a rare weapon drop, allowing you to dominate a multi-phased boss fight with unprecedented efficiency. This emergent gameplay lies at the heart of the roguelike appeal.
Beyond immediate combat, the game integrates long-term progression through offensive, defensive, and strategic skill trees, offering bonuses such as increased damage, enhanced health, or reduced cooldowns. A pet system featuring “Toy Workers” provides passive buffs, further diversifying character builds. Seasonal progression, with its associated currencies and customizations, offers ongoing engagement. While playable solo, the co-op aspect with teams adds a significant layer of strategic coordination, reminiscent of titles like Helldivers but with a distinct sci-fi roguelike flair. Launched into Steam Early Access on December 2nd, Anvil: Vault Breakers aims to evolve with player feedback, seeking to expand beyond its initial bare-bones impression.
Century: Age of Ashes – Free-to-Play Dragon Combat
Another prominent addition to the list of December 2021 PC games was Century: Age of Ashes, a free-to-play multiplayer dragon battle game that entered the arena on December 2nd. This title plunges players into intense online skirmishes, ranging from 3v3 to 6v6 aerial combat. The game’s fast-paced gameplay and diverse modes are its primary draw, appealing to those who appreciate skill-based arena combat.
Three distinct game modes offer varied strategic objectives: “Carnage,” a 6v6 team deathmatch featuring arena-altering power-ups like the potent Drake Piercer; “Gates of Fire,” where teams vie to capture and pilot a flag through specific arena gates for points; and “Spoils of War,” a strategic mode demanding gold theft from creatures and rival teams while defending one’s own nest amidst dynamic events. These modes unfold across a variety of maps, each situated in richly detailed fantasy locales. Furthermore, Century: Age of Ashes employs a class system comprising three unique archetypes: the Windguard, a support-oriented class adept at shielding allies and disorienting foes; the Marauder, a formidable hunter specializing in tracking and destroying enemies; and the Phantom, a stealth-focused class leveraging surprise attacks and traps. The development roadmap promises additional classes, ensuring ongoing strategic evolution.
A crucial aspect of Century: Age of Ashes, as a free-to-play title, is its commitment to a fair and equitable experience. Developers explicitly state that in-game purchases are purely cosmetic, ensuring that battles are won through skill and teamwork, not monetary advantage. Experience gained through play unlocks various skins for dragons and riders, providing customization without compromising competitive integrity. While multiplayer aerial combat occupies a niche genre, the visual fidelity and promises of balanced gameplay position Century: Age of Ashes as a potentially compelling entry into the free-to-play market, making it an essential check for fans of unique online experiences among the new PC games this month.
Chorus – A Single-Player Space Combat Odyssey
Among the single-player narrative experiences in December 2021 PC games, Chorus carved its niche as a single-player space combat shooter with a profound narrative focus, launching on December 3rd. Players embody Nara, a former elite warrior turned fugitive, embarking on a quest to dismantle the very cult that shaped her. Her journey is intrinsically linked with Forsaken, her sentient starfighter, forming a dynamic duo against cosmic threats.
The game invites exploration across epic environments, from sprawling space stations to otherworldly planes of existence. Combat manifests as intense zero-G dogfights, transitioning seamlessly from vast cosmic vistas to claustrophobic crystalline corridors. Chorus endeavors to synthesize grand-scale space exploration with frenetic, fast-paced action. As the narrative campaign unfolds, players unlock new capabilities for their starfighter, necessitating mastery of advanced mechanics such as ship drifting, teleportation, and telekinesis. These skills become indispensable for overcoming hordes of enemy fighters and dismantling colossal battleships. Consider the strategic depth afforded by teleporting behind a capital ship’s vulnerable points, delivering precision strikes before warping to safety. Such maneuvers elevate combat beyond mere target acquisition, demanding spatial awareness and tactical prowess.
Priced at $39.99, Chorus presents an intriguing proposition for enthusiasts of single-player space combat games. Its blend of rich storytelling, unique protagonist abilities, and dynamic combat environments positions it as a significant entry in its genre, offering a depth often unseen in similar titles. The narrative promises a personal journey intertwined with cosmic conflict, providing a compelling reason for players to dive into this detailed universe.
Icarus – Session-Based PvE Survival on an Alien World
Icarus arrived on December 4th, offering a unique take on the survival genre within the December 2021 PC games slate. This session-based PvE survival game transports players to a distant, yet Earth-like, planet teeming with danger. The premise casts players as space prospectors, tasked with harvesting valuable exotic resources from a hostile environment within strict time limits. Unlike persistent open-world survival games, Icarus structures its experience around distinct sessions, each with a clear objective and a looming deadline.
The core gameplay loop involves deploying from orbit, scrambling to gather resources, and struggling to survive against the planet’s myriad threats. Before the designated timer expires, players must return to their dropship, utilizing collected resources to craft advanced technology at a home base. Subsequently, a new session commences, perpetuating the cycle of orbital deployment, resource acquisition, survival, and extraction. This creates an addictive rhythm of risk and reward. The planet’s challenges include a toxic atmosphere, aggressive wildlife, and devastating storms, all demanding shelter and constant attention to oxygen and food supplies. The game’s expansive, handcrafted map, spanning over 64 square kilometers, encourages extensive exploration, hiding numerous secrets and resource caches. The inclusion of a voxel-based destruction system ensures that every element of the environment is harvestable, adding a layer of tactical resource management.
A critical mechanic is the permadeath system: failure to reach the dropship before time expires results in the permanent loss of the character and all progress, intensifying the stakes of each session. Sessions vary in length, from hours to days or even weeks, catering to different player commitments. Playable solo or in co-op with up to eight players, Icarus prioritizes PvE encounters, emphasizing collaboration over competitive conflict. Developed by RocketWerkz, founded by DayZ creator Dean Hall, Icarus, priced at $29.99, marks a full launch rather than an early access release, reflecting significant polish since its initial, somewhat “janky” early impressions. This focus on refined gameplay and a unique session structure makes it a standout among survival games released this month.
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker – An Epic MMORPG Conclusion
For fans of massive multiplayer online role-playing games, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker represented a monumental event among the December 2021 PC games, arriving on December 7th. This fourth expansion for Final Fantasy XIV not only continues the game’s lauded main storyline but also culminates the sprawling narrative arc initiated with A Realm Reborn. The sheer scope of Endwalker‘s content rollout is impressive, signifying a pivotal moment for the critically acclaimed MMORPG.
At the forefront of new content are two distinct classes: the Sage and the Reaper. The Sage functions as an aggressive healer, balancing potent damage skills with robust barriers to protect allies, fundamentally altering healer meta. Conversely, the Reaper is a melee DPS class specializing in intricate combo attacks and a formidable demon form, offering a new dimension to offensive strategies. Beyond these additions, all existing classes receive comprehensive updates, introducing new abilities and refining rotation mechanics, ensuring a fresh experience for veteran players. The level cap also sees an expected raise, providing new progression goals. Furthermore, players gain access to numerous new zones, dungeons, and trials, expanding the game’s already vast world. The “Island Sanctuary” system introduces new forms of casual gameplay, while quality-of-life changes, including a crucial “stat squish,” streamline the overall experience for new and returning players alike.
Endwalker, available for $39.99, is more than just an expansion; it’s a narrative conclusion years in the making, lauded for its storytelling and commitment to its player base. The sheer volume of content and the narrative weight of concluding such a long-running story arc highlight the development team’s ambition and dedication. For MMORPG enthusiasts, engaging with Endwalker represents a significant time commitment, but one that promises a deeply rewarding narrative and gameplay experience, reinforcing Final Fantasy XIV‘s position as a titan in the genre.
Heavenly Bodies – A Physics-Based Astronaut Simulator
Heavenly Bodies offered a distinct and intriguing experience within the indie segment of December 2021 PC games, launching on December 7th. This unique physics-based puzzle simulator places players in the role of a cosmonaut with independent control over their arms, hands, and legs in a zero-gravity environment. The core challenge lies in performing delicate, complex tasks and solving puzzles aboard a space station, demanding precise control and spatial awareness.
The game’s premise involves bringing Earth’s proudest feat of engineering into operation through a series of scenarios inspired by actual historical space exploration and research. Imagine trying to precisely dock a multi-ton module with only independent arm control, where every subtle twitch of your joystick or mouse translates into a critical shift in momentum. This level of granular control creates a uniquely challenging, often humorous, experience. The ability to control every limb of the weightless cosmonaut necessitates a different approach to movement and interaction than traditional gaming. While primarily a single-player experience, Heavenly Bodies supports local and online co-op, allowing friends to tackle the intricate challenges together, potentially amplifying the chaotic fun. The game’s stylized 70s visual aesthetic, influenced by archival space photography and technical illustration, imbues it with a distinct retro-futuristic charm. Optimized for dual analog joystick controllers, though supporting keyboard and mouse, the game’s design explicitly favors the nuanced input of a controller for the intended immersive experience. While likely a shorter, one-time playthrough, Heavenly Bodies presents a truly novel gameplay concept that promises a memorable and engaging puzzle-solving adventure.
Halo Infinite Campaign – An Open-World Master Chief Epic
December 8th marked the highly anticipated arrival of the Halo Infinite single-player campaign, a monumental addition to the lineup of December 2021 PC games. Following the successful, albeit debated, launch of its multiplayer component, the campaign invited players to step back into the iconic boots of Master Chief for his most ruthless challenge yet. This iteration fundamentally redefines the traditional Halo experience by embracing an open-world structure, allowing players to explore the vast reaches of Zeta Halo with unprecedented freedom.
The transition to an open-world format for a franchise renowned for its linear, cinematic campaigns represents a significant paradigm shift. This design choice fosters a deeper sense of exploration and emergent gameplay, moving beyond confined corridors into expansive combat arenas. Early impressions of the campaign have been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the success of this new direction. The moment-to-moment gameplay, characterized by stellar gunplay and fluid movement mechanics, remains a cornerstone of the Halo experience, solidifying its position as best-in-class FPS action. While the ongoing discussion surrounding the multiplayer’s season pass progression structure remains, it is crucial to recognize that the core gameplay loop and the campaign’s narrative promise have resonated deeply with players. The ability to tackle objectives in a non-linear fashion, utilizing Master Chief’s expanded toolkit and the open environment, offers a fresh perspective on combating the Covenant’s successor. Priced at $59.99, the Halo Infinite campaign delivers an epic adventure that combines franchise hallmarks with ambitious new design elements, making it a must-play for any FPS enthusiast.
Breakwaters – A Survival Game Redefining Water Dynamics
Breakwaters, an indie survival title, joined the December 2021 PC games roster on December 9th, distinguishing itself with innovative mechanics centered around water interaction. This game sets players on a journey through a procedurally generated island world, where scavenging for resources and confronting massive Titans forms the core gameplay loop. However, its most compelling feature lies in its sophisticated water physics and player interaction systems.
The game introduces unique crystals capable of displacing water, dynamically altering the environment by opening new paths and revealing previously inaccessible resources. Players can construct robust walls to hold back torrents or even redirect entire bodies of water, transforming valleys into lakes and fundamentally reshaping the landscape. Imagine strategically redirecting a massive wave to funnel hostile creatures into a defensive trap, or draining an ocean cove to uncover ancient ruins. This level of environmental manipulation elevates Breakwaters beyond typical survival game tropes. Beyond these water mechanics, the game retains familiar survival elements: resource gathering, crafting structures and items, and creating gear tailored to various playstyles—be it farmer, explorer, or adventurer. Building and customizing boats becomes essential for navigating the game’s rough seas, engaging local enemies, and confronting the colossal Titans that roam the world, causing widespread destruction. With over 360 square kilometers of ocean to explore, filled with unique islands, biomes, creatures, and a developing storyline, Breakwaters offers a vast and dynamic world. Playable in single-player or online co-op, the game’s focus on innovative environmental interaction positions it as a refreshingly unique entry in the survival genre, promising a wealth of strategic possibilities.
The Gunk – A Purity-Focused Exploration Adventure
Closing out the primary list of December 2021 PC games on December 16th was The Gunk, a 3D exploration adventure from the acclaimed creators of the SteamWorld series. In this narrative-driven experience, players assume the role of Rani, one half of a space hauling duo who stumble upon a pristine planet inexplicably choked by a mysterious, corrupted “gunk.” Armed with her versatile Power Glove, Rani embarks on a mission to purify the planet, uncover the secrets of an ancient civilization, and ultimately heal the ailing world.
The game draws comparisons to titles like Kena: Bridge of Spirits due to its intimate narrative woven intrinsically with exploration. The constant radio contact between Rani and her partner emphasizes character development and plot progression, deepening player immersion. A significant emphasis on music and atmosphere further enhances the emotional resonance of the narrative, creating a truly sensory experience. The core mechanic of using the Power Glove to vacuum up corruption is both visually satisfying and narratively significant, as cleaning the environment directly contributes to the planet’s restoration and the unlocking of new areas and lore. This positive feedback loop of exploration and purification provides a compelling motivation for players to delve deeper into the planet’s mysteries. Notably, The Gunk launched on the Windows Store rather than Steam, a distinction PC players should be aware of. This strategic platform choice highlights specific audience targeting or distribution agreements. With its compelling narrative, unique purification mechanic, and strong atmospheric design, The Gunk offers a fresh take on the exploration adventure genre, delivering both challenge and profound satisfaction.
Bonus December PC Game Releases and Anticipations
Beyond the primary list, December 2021 also brought forth several noteworthy bonus titles for PC gamers. Wartales, an open-world RPG, entered Steam Early Access on December 1st for $34.99. This title immerses players in a massive medieval universe, leading a band of mercenaries in pursuit of wealth and unraveling the secrets of ancient tombs. The game emphasizes exploration, companion recruitment, and bounty hunting, promising a rich, emergent narrative typical of open-world RPGs. The early access phase suggests an ongoing development process, inviting players to shape its evolution.
Furthermore, anticipation built for the beta release of Corepunk, a top-down MMO that blends traditional MMORPG elements with MOBA-like combat. Despite initial announcements of a December beta, concrete details remained elusive, raising concerns about potential delays. The concept of an MMO with MOBA-style mechanics is exceptionally intriguing, appealing to players seeking a fresh take on the genre. The balance between strategic combat and persistent world progression presents a significant design challenge and opportunity. While the development team’s commitment to quality over arbitrary deadlines is understandable, the lack of communication regarding specific beta dates can be frustrating for eager players. The evolving landscape of new PC games in December 2021, with its mix of fully launched titles, early access entries, and beta anticipations, truly encapsulated the dynamic nature of the PC gaming ecosystem.
Leveling Up Your Knowledge: New PC Game Q&A
What is this article about?
This article is a guide to the best new PC games released in December 2021, covering various genres like roguelikes, MMORPGs, and survival games.
Are there any free PC games mentioned?
Yes, ‘Century: Age of Ashes’ is a free-to-play multiplayer dragon battle game that launched in December 2021, focusing on aerial combat.
What kind of game is ‘Halo Infinite Campaign’?
‘Halo Infinite Campaign’ is the single-player story mode where you play as Master Chief in an open-world setting, offering freedom to explore Zeta Halo.
What is a ‘roguelike’ game, like ‘Anvil: Vault Breakers’?
A roguelike game, such as ‘Anvil: Vault Breakers,’ typically involves players navigating procedurally generated levels, collecting loot, and making strategic upgrades with high replayability.
What is ‘Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker’?
‘Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker’ is a major expansion for the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, concluding a long storyline and adding new classes and content.
