When Metroid Prime 4: Beyond landed with Retro Studios back in 2019, we’re not sure anybody was truly shocked by this turn of events. Retro is, after all, the original developer of the Prime series, and while many of the veteran team members have since left, the sheer quality of the fourth entry on Switch 2 demonstrates that the studio is still one of the very best in the business.
The folks over at Retro didn’t do it alone, though. As highlighted in the game’s credits sequence, many separate companies lent their talents to the development of Prime 4, including Next Level Games and Virtuos.
Coming to Xbox Game Pass: Mortal Kombat 1, Death Howl, Dome Keeper, Routine, and More
Megan SpurrSenior Community Lead, Xbox Game Pass
Happy December, friends! There have been so many incredible games this year, and to pass the time as you’re waiting to see who makes it to the stage to snag their award, check out our collection of The Game Award nominees! While this is our only “Coming Soon” Wire post for December, we’ll be back at it as usual in the new year with more games. For now, let’s get to what’s Coming Soon (and available today)!
Available Today
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage(Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Embark on a new narrative journey by the creators of Life is Strange. Film your summer of 1995 and create memories of a lifetime with your new friends. 27 years later, confront the dark secrets that made you all promise to never speak again after that fateful summer.
Coming Soon
Monster Train 2(Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – December 3 Now with Game Pass Premium
Powerful beings known as Titans have seized control of Heaven. A makeshift alliance is formed between former angels and demons, who must learn to work together against their common foe. Now, you must command these clans aboard newly forged trains, and embark on your journey through Hell, Heaven, and the Abyss, to defeat the Titans before they destroy this world.
Spray Paint Simulator(Cloud, Console, and PC) – December 3 Now with Game Pass Premium
A relaxing, satisfying game that invites you to build your own painting business from the ground up! Meet with quirky clients in Story Mode and take on each job right from the start. Paint everything: rooms, homes, cars, bridges, even giant robots! Unlock Free Spray mode and play alone or with a friend to make the entire town your canvas!
A co-op action-roguelike for 33 players. Play as a damned soul and rebel against God’s final judgment. Dive straight into epic, 33-player co-op battles with instant “pick-up and raid” matchmaking. Cooperate with your allies to survive against hordes of monsters and massive, challenging bosses. Expand your arsenal and equip powerful new relics to permanently upgrade your soul.
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Last Crusade”. The year is1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones.
Routine(Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – December 4 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one with Xbox Game pass! A first-person sci-fi horror set on an abandoned lunar base designed around an 80s vision of the future. Explore and investigate your surroundings as you survive against unknown threats.
A Game About Digging A Hole(Cloud, Handheld, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – December 9 Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
A minimalist game about digging a hole in the garden of a newly purchased house. Collect resources, sell them, upgrade your equipment, and discover a mysterious secret.
Death Howl (Handheld & PC) – December 9 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one with Game Pass! Journey through the sorrowful spirit world in a soulslike deck builder. Craft cards and claim powerful totems to defeat the woeful spirits lurking in the mystical lands. Unravel the tale of a grieving mother in her desperate attempt to defy death and bring back her son.
Dome Keeper (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – December 9 Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Defend against waves of alien monsters in this unique roguelike action miner. Dig for resources, collect useful gadgets, and upgrade equipment to increase odds of survival – just hurry back before your dome is destroyed!
Mortal Kombat 1(Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – December 10 Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Discover a reborn Mortal Kombat universe created by the Fire God Liu Kang. Mortal Kombat 1 ushers in a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and fatalities!
Bratz: Rhythm & Style(Cloud, Console, and PC) – December 11 Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Rule the runway and take the stage with the Bratz Pack! Customize fierce fashions, groove to songs from the Bratz Universe like ‘So Good’, and jet off to iconic cities. Outshine mean Burdine and the Tweevil Twins in epic fashion battles – solo or with friends.
In Case You Missed It
CloverPit(Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Standard, PC Game Pass
A gripping rogue-lite that traps players in a hell of their own creation. Locked in a rusty cell with a slot machine and an ATM, you must pay off your debt or fall to ruin – literally! Turn the odds with various prizes and charms that trigger big combos. Bend the rules, break the game, and pay off your captor to earn a shot at freedom
Marvel Cosmic Invasion(Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – December 1 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one with Game Pass! A cosmic battle awaits! Choose between 15 Marvel heroes in this frenetic action beat ‘em up to fight against the deadly Annihilation Wave threatening the galaxy. From New York City to the depths of the Negative Zone, the future of the Marvel Universe will be fought for across the stars!
Total Chaos(Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one with Game Pass! Descend into terror with Total Chaos, a brutal survival horror experience from Apogee Entertainment. Accompanied by a terrifying soundtrack featuring new music by Silent Hill’s Akira Yamaoka, this nightmare unfolds in a decaying isle haunted by deranged prisoners, shifting reality, and unspeakable horrors. Fight for your life with whatever you can find… or rip from your enemies.
Young Suns (Game Preview) (Cloud, Console, and PC) Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one with Xbox Game Pass! Nobody fends for themselves in this multiplayer narrative life-sim set around Jupiter. In an optimistic alternate future, fly your ship through the Jovian System and help the friendly citizens rebuild after a revolution. Liberation takes work! Join the developers and their community as the game evolves in Game Preview.
More Games Coming with Game Pass Essential on December 3
Game Pass Essential subscribers can look forward to three more games coming to the library on December 3! Experience a grand inter-galactic strategy in Stellaris, fight against hordes of ravenous zombies in World War Z: Aftermath, and survive the harsh Middle Ages in Medieval Dynasty.
DLC / Game Updates
Sea of Thieves: Season 18 – December 11
Return to The Devil’s Roar in Sea of Thieves: Season 18 to face devious new enemies and plunder their hidden hoards. Then take a well-earned break as the Festival of Giving returns, bringing seasonal streams, Holiday Hauls, the Legends of Giving Community Event and more!
Dead by Daylight: Bone Chill Event – Starting December 9
Dead by Daylight’s Bone Chill Event is back, offering another seasonal dose of ice-cold terror to experience. From December 9th 11 AM to January 6th to 11 AM ET, embrace the ice in your veins and fling those Snowskulls like your life depends on it. For all you know… it does.
Palworld: Home Sweet Home Update – December 17
Palworld’s “Home Sweet Home” update arrives on December 17! Dive into the Ultrakill collab and race through the Palpagos Islands as the blood-fueled V1 and V2! Unleash your inner artist! Recolor your building materials and take base customization to the next level!
In-Game Benefits
PUBG Battlegrounds: Exclusive Survivor Pack (Console) – Available Today Prepare for battle with the PUBG – XBOX Game Pass Exclusive Survivor Pack! Expand your item collection with the Hunter’s Chests, Keys, and Contraband Coupons, provided free for Game Pass Ultimate members.
Delta Force: Craft Your Precision (Xbox Series X|S) – Available Today Perks for the new season now arrives! Define the combat in style and craft the precision with multiple firearm appearances and more!
The Crew Motorfest: Toyota Supra LBWK Edition Pack (Cloud, Console, and PC) – Available Today Master every driving challenge at Motorfest with this pack! Contains the Toyota GR Supra Special Edition, an avatar outfit pack (body and hat) and two customization vanities (underglow and tire).
Leaving Soon
The following games are leaving the Game Pass library in December. Check the dates below and be sure to check them out before they go. As always, you can save up to 20% off your purchase to keep them in your library and keep the fun going!
We hope you have a chill rest of your December. May your batteries be always charged, your sessions always end in GG’s, and you always have the perfect game queued up next. We’ll be back to talk about what’s coming soon in early 2026! Cheers!
Note: Games with a ‘Handheld’ designation represent those that are optimized for handheld play.
Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass December 2025 lineup, which is headlined by NetherRealm’s gory fighting game Mortal Kombat 1.
Also coming to Game Pass in the coming weeks as day one launches are first-person sci-fi horror Routine and soulslike deck builder Death Howl.
Available today, December 2, is Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) across Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass. Tomorrow, December 3, sees Monster Train 2 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) and Spray Paint Simulator (Cloud, Console, and PC) both hit Game Pass Premium.
December 4 is a decent day for Game Pass, with 33 Immortals (Game Preview) (Cloud, Console, and PC) and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) both arrive on Game Pass Premium. The aforementioned Routine (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) launches day one on Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass.
Moving on to December 9, A Game About Digging A Hole (Cloud, Handheld, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) arrives on Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass, as does Dome Keeper (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC). Death Howl (Handheld & PC) is a day one Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass release, also on December 9.
Here’s a big one: Mortal Kombat 1 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) arrives on Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass on December 10. A day later, on December 11, something that couldn’t be more different hits Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass: Bratz: Rhythm & Style (Cloud, Console, and PC).
Routine (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – December 4, Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
A Game About Digging A Hole (Cloud, Handheld, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – December 9, Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Death Howl (Handheld & PC) – December 9, Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Dome Keeper (Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC) – December 9, Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Mortal Kombat 1 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – December 10, Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Bratz: Rhythm & Style (Cloud, Console, and PC) – December 11, Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Microsoft’s post on Xbox Wire suggests this is the entire lineup for December 2025, but it only takes us to December 11. “We hope you have a chill rest of your December,” Microsoft said. “May your batteries be always charged, your sessions always end in GG’s, and you always have the perfect game queued up next. We’ll be back to talk about what’s coming soon in early 2026! Cheers!”
However, this leaves the door open to potential Game Pass shadowdrops, should next week’s The Game Awards have something up its sleeve.
As always a number of games leave Game Pass this month. You can save up to 20% off your purchase to keep them in your library.
Leaving Xbox Game Pass in December 2025:
December 15
Mortal Kombat 11 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Still Wakes the Deep (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Wildfrost (Cloud, Console, and PC)
December 31
Carrion (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Hell Let Loose (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
‘If you want to torture somebody, first show them your tools’ is one of the better horror game design lessons taught by Amnesia: The Dark Descent. I thought of Amnesia’s cistern chapter while playing through a later area in Lunar Software’s excellent first-person spookathon Routine, announced 13 long years ago, though only in active development for around five. The area centres on a curious underground tree, with water dripping from a hydroponic ceiling and sealed doors on all sides. You can imagine Amnesia’s Shadow manifesting here, clogging the roots with acid rot as it homes in on your comically loud footfalls.
In case you missed it, Hitman‘s latest celebrity elusive target mission is all about Eminem. The rapper has Agent 47 take down his blonde alter-ego Slim Shady, it’s all very meta and a tad less appealing to me than the cameos previously made by the likes of Bruce Lee and Mads Mikkelsen as Bond villain Le Chiffre.
That said, a new interview some IO Interactive folks have given to Variety, in which boss Hakan Abrak makes clear there will be a new Hitman coming once the studio have gotten some stuff off their plate, has caught my attention by contrasting Mr Nem with murderbald handler Diana.
GameStop has highlighted its recent payout of more than $30,000 for a rare Pokémon card as evidence that the chain’s trade-in program offers fair value — while simultaneously admitting the card had actually been worth at least $3,000 more.
In its latest publicity stunt aimed at getting gamers’ attention, GameStop issued a typically jocular statement on social media declaring its record $30,494.70 payout for a PSA 10 Holo Gengar was a “historic” moment for the company.
“Any trolls who publicly claim that GameStop trade-in values are bad are hereby factually and demonstrably incorrect,” the chain wrote. “Any prior and ongoing objections to our trade values are now deemed without merit and factually invalid,” it continued, while admitting the card had actually been worth $33,883 — several thousand dollars more.
To be fair to GameStop, the chain does not hide the fact it paid $3,388.30 less than what it describes as the “fair-market valuation” for the card. Indeed, the company simply states it handed over its payout “upon completion of all required inspection, verification, and compliance procedures” — processes, the statement appears to suggest, which come at some cost.
But many responses to GameStop’s social media post have pointed to the chain still having “shorted” the card’s owner, and suggesting the card would have reached a higher value at auction. Others have noted GameStop’s own trade-in FAQ page states that the chain has a $1,500 upper limit for trade-in value, something that suggests this particular sale is something of an anomaly. IGN has contacted GameStop for more.
In its post, GameStop states its payout was executed “in accordance with the established terms and conditions governing the Power Packs Buyback Program,” an offer that some customers have criticized for allowing the retailer to repeatedly make money from the same high-value cards.
An example of this would be a customer buying a $100 Power Pack (a blind box with a rough value of a $100) from GameStop and finding a card that is indeed worth $100 inside. If it’s a card they don’t want, GameStop offers an Instant Buyback offer that’s worth 90% of the card’s value minus an additional 6% commission fee. Here, the card seller gets $84.60 back, while GameStop retains a $100 card, which they can sell again for $100 — and continue to repeat the process.
“They’re not speculating on card value,” one fan wrote in a reddit thread on GameStop’s scheme posted a few months ago. “They control the supply, the pricing tier, and the resale loop. It’s vertical integration disguised as a loot box.
“PowerPacks aren’t just about cards. The real edge is the buyback loop. On average, GameStop pays less than market for returned cards, then sells them again at full price. Every cycle is a profit opportunity. It’s repeatable. Scalable. Efficient. And it doesn’t rely on retail footfall or console cycles. PowerPacks might end up being GameStop’s most profitable product yet.”
Hey, Helldivers 2‘s just gotten a patch with some noteworthy balancing tweaks and fixes ahead of its latest warbond – Python Commandos – dropping. In short, a fair few guns now do more damage, some enemies have been made a tad less potent, and the drawback which usually comes with attachinga magnifying scope to your favourite bug blaster has been scaled back.
Red Dead Redemption has lassoed its way onto Switch 2 today, bringing with it HDR and DLSS support, mouse controls and a smooth 60fps. The big question is, what does all of this look like in practice, and perhaps more importantly, how does it compare to 2023’s Switch port?
Here to answer those very questions is the wonderful Felix Sanchez, who has assembled the above side-by-side comparison video to demonstrate how the fresh Switch 2 version fares against its older hybrid counterpart.
“Right now, we’re still thinking about what to make next,” Okamura said. “Since we created an opportunity (with MGS Delta) for new players to experience the Metal Gear series, I do want to continue with it.”
He continued: “It could be a remake, or we might challenge ourselves by creating a brand new game. The Metal Gear series is part of videogame history, spanning pixel art to cinematic presentation, and so each title requires a different approach to expressing and remaking it.
“We won’t apply the methodology used to make the recent MGS Delta to all other games in the series — rather we intend to find the best approach for each specific game.”
Okamura also touched on the amount of time it took for the team at Konami to be in a position to remake Metal Gear Solid 3. “Most of the original staff members had left and the team had been reorganized, however we gathered people together and finally arrived at the point where we could make MGS Delta. As a team, we are confident that we achieved a level of quality that not only preserves the appeal of the original but also that modern players could enjoy. We are currently working out concrete plans for what we are going to do next.”
However, when asked about the possibility of a Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots remake, Okamura remained cautious, saying: “the hardware back then required very specific designs to get the most out of the 3D technology that was available at the time, so MGS4 ended up with some pretty unique code. It seems like it would be quite a challenge to bring that into the present day.”
At the moment, 2008’s Metal Gear Solid 4, which ties up all the loose ends in Solid Snake’s story, is only playable on PlayStation 3. Based on the original game release order and rumors, a remastered port of MGS4 is expected to be included in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2, however Konami has yet to announce the official line-up for this second anthology of MGS games to be released on current gen platforms.
While Okamoto’s comments address a remake rather than a remaster, his thoughts on MGS4’s unique code may explain why it is taking Konami so long to release Volume 2. Okamura previously said that the team are taking their time on Volume 2 to avoid the performance issues that dogged Volume 1 at launch: “we’re going to do everything we can not to repeat that, but we just have to ask for everyone to give us time.”
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
A Fortnite artist has been forced to defend their work after fans suggested numerous images found within the game’s new season are AI-generated, including a suspicious-looking poster showing a character in a hammock with an odd number of toes.
Last night, freelance artist Sean Dove took to Instagram in response to fan claims that his Studio Ghibli-style depiction of Back to the Future hero Marty McFly was the product of AI generation. Dove, a frequent Fortnite collaborator, showed off his manual process for drawing the image. But while he drew the Ghibli-esque main character himself, Dove admitted he may still have inadvertantly included AI elements in the background.
“I guess someone on reddit thinks this was AI,” Dove wrote. “I think the culprit is a clock in the background. I grabbed some clocks off image search, collaged them, and halftoned them. The numbers are bad, entirely possible I grabbed an AI clock and wasn’t paying attention.”
And while Dove has personally responded, Fortnite developer Epic Games has so far remained silent on the topic, as fans on reddit create numerous threads pointing out other examples of images they think show signs of AI generation. (IGN contacted Epic Games for this story, but did not receive a comment back.)
Most egregious, according to fans, is an in-game poster for a location named Mile High Retreat. The image shows a pair of legs sticking out from a hammock, with five toes visible on one foot and four visible on another.
Amid all the confusion, and lack of clarification from Epic Games itself, what’s clear is that Fortnite fans are keen to push back against the perception of AI art usage within the game. An enormous thread on reddit is tracking every example where players have doubts of images being made by human hands, and searching for more.
“Awful decision,” wrote one player. “I hope it gets amended. As others have said, the art and style of this damn game is one of the main reasons we love it. Generative AI has no place in it.”
“I thought things like Darth Vader were cool, using AI to achieve something that simply wouldn’t be possible without it,” another fan wrote. “But, that was the only case so far that I’ve genuinely found neat. Creating art is something humans, and especially Epic due to their money and resources, are very capable of doing.”
Epic Games is no stranger to AI technology, of course, having previously used generative speech technology to reproduce James Earl Jones’ Darth Vader portrayal. But despite having the rights and approval of Disney, the character’s inclusion proved controversial, especially as players quickly began making Vader say things more aligned with the dark side of the Force.
“It doesn’t matter any more,” he continued. “The AI tag is relevant to art exhibits for authorship disclosure, and to digital content licensing marketplaces where buyers need to understand the rights situation. It makes no sense for game stores, where AI will be involved in nearly all future production.”
Speaking of AI artwork, boot up Fortnite anytime recently and you’ll be greeted by a menu screen with dozens, if not hundreds, of user-made experiences that use AI artwork for their thumbnails, something Epic Games has previously said it is pointless to police, as technology rapidly improves to the point where AI images become almost impossible to distinguish.
Indeed, if nothing else, the whole matter has simply highlighted the increasing difficulty in 2025 of being able to tell what is AI-generated, and what is not.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
