Xbox, PlayStation and PC subscriptions offer a bunch of free games in December

Happy December! While we sit around wondering where the rest of the year went, here are some new sets of free monthly games to keep us busy, provided we’re subscribed to PlayStation Plus, Xbox Gold, Twitch Prime or Humble Monthly.

PS Plus Free Games (all available from December 4 to January 1):

• PS4:
  • Soma
    A sci-fi survival horror title developed by Fictional Games, perhaps best known for Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
  • Onrush
    A shiny and colourful vehicular combat game by legendary British developer Codemasters.
• PS Vita:
  • Iconoclasts (also available on PS4 via Cross Buy)
    A side-scrolling platformer heavily influenced by classic Metroidvania titles.
  • Papers, Please
    Play as an immigration official in a fictional European nation in the grips of political tension. If it sounds like a thrilling piece of social commentary, it is! If it sounds like a tedious paperwork simulator, it is!

• PS3:
  • Steredenn
    A bullet hell rogue-like featuring lots of weapons, boss battles, and difficulty. Great if you’re a fan of all three.
  • Steins;Gate
    A visual novel about teenage scientists who travel through time. It looks like the spelling of the title isn’t the only complicated thing about this game.

Xbox Games For Gold

• Xbox One:
  • Q.U.B.E. 2 (available December 1 – 31)
    A first-person puzzle game. Kind of like Portal, but with loads of cubes.
  • Never Alone (available December 16 – January 15)
    A side-scrolling puzzler starring a little girl and her fox friend. This game was inspired by a traditional story of the indigenous Iñupiat people of Alaska.

• Xbox One & Xbox 360:
  • Dragon Age II (available December 1 – 15)
    Easily the highest-profile game on offer in December, this isn’t the most popular entry in the Dragon Age series, but it does feature sassy elf Fenris, which I personally think makes up for any gameplay shortcomings.
  • Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (available December 16 – 31)
    The Xbox One Enhanced port of a game first released on the original Xbox in 2005. You get to play a mercenary, and presumably have fun while destroying things. Unless the title is a metaphor?

Twitch Prime

• SNK Bundle
  A collection of 90s arcade throwbacks, including Metal Slug 2 and Fatal Fury Special. If you were born after the 90s, ask a parent or guardian what an arcade is.
• Hacknet: Complete Edition
  All the simulated hacking of the original Hacknet along with its Labyrinths expansion.
• Poi
  A family-friendly 3D platformer in the veins of classic games like Super Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie.
• Smoke & Sacrifice
  An action-RPG with a gloomy atmosphere and huge monsters to fight.

Humble Monthly

• Metal Gear Solid V: The Definite Experience
  The game so good they made it twice, this collection includes both Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain.
• Cities Skylines + Cities Skylines: After Dark
  Includes the original city building game as well as its After Dark expansion, which surprisingly includes zero werewolves.

• A bunch of other games to be revealed December 7

Which of these games takes your fancy? Is Dragon Age II secretly your favourite? Let us know!