3. Disney Dreamlight Valley – December 5
I hadn’t heard of Disney Dreamlight Valley before writing this article, but it’s got the massive Disney machine behind it. Gameplay looks to be an Animal Crossing-inspired life sim, but featuring Disney and Pixar characters. That sounds like a formula for massive success, and easily earns it a spot on the Top 5 Video Games Arriving in December 2023. It’s been in early access for a while, but the full version will be available for all consoles and PC in December. Isn’t it nice that all the games have been available for everything so far? I love the idea that Christmas inspires sharing.
2. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince – December 1
Dragon Quest Monsters is a spin-off of the main Dragon Quest games, that’s essentially a monster collecting Pokemon clone. But they’re excellent games, and we haven’t had one released in North America since 2010. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince looks like a major evolution for the series, because it appears to be much more story-driven. It’s also the first time the series has been on a console, having been relegated to the handheld market until now. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a Switch exclusive, sadly breaking our Christmas console sharing trend.
1. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – December 7
It was a toss-up for the top spot on the Top 5 Video Games Arriving in December 2023, but we decided to give it to Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Even though it’s a new game franchise, the Avatar movie franchise is technically the biggest ever. And even though, historically, games based on film franchises are pretty poor, the latest console generation has kind of bucked that trend (although not completely). Most importantly, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora looks awesome. It’s a first-person open world adventure game, where the player creates their own Na’vi. There’s obviously a lot of budget behind Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and hopefully a lot of care. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will be available for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Do you agree with our choices? Which game from December 2023 are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments.