The Xbox Game Pass December 2021 games lineup includes Halo Infinite’s campaign, Stardew Valley, Among Us, and more, making it one of the more high-profile months for the subscription services to round out the year. While the flagship Xbox game’s multiplayer is already available for free, Halo Infinite’s campaign on Xbox Game Pass will be the only “free” way to play the premium portion of the title without paying full price.
2021 has seen a wide assortment of games added to Microsoft’s game subscription service, and it’s easily been Xbox Game Pass’s busiest year since its introduction in 2017. Hot on the heels of the Xbox Series X/S launch, this year’s Game Pass additions have included GTA: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition, Outriders, and the near-entirety of the Yakuza series. Perhaps the most notable arrivals to the service came after the finalization of Xbox’s acquisition of Bethesda, which resulted in the availability of a large number of Bethesda games on Xbox Game Pass in the middle of the year.
Early Wednesday, Xbox laid out the full Game Pass December 2021 lineup, which is headlined by first-party exclusive Halo Infinite on December 8. Beloved life sim Stardew Valley also makes its Xbox Game Pass debut on December 2, alongside Final Fantasy XIII-2 (console and PC), Lawn Moving Simulator, Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector, ANVIL (console and PC), Archvale, and Rubber Bandits. Licensed co-op shooter Aliens: Fireteam Elite and hit social deduction indie Among Us (console) both join Xbox Game Pass on December 14, while anime action-adventure arrives earlier in the form of One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 on December 9 and eclectic sci-fi tycoon title Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator on December 7.
Halo Infinite‘s campaign on Xbox Game Pass is the major highlight of the December bunch, but Stardew Valley’s wealth of cozy content and Among Us’s cult status after venting into the mainstream in 2020 means those indie games will also likely see their fair share of downloads during the month. Although it was critically panned at launch, Aliens: Fireteam Elite’s Xbox Game Pass arrival could give the survival shooter new life. Finally, the introduction of Final Fantasy XIII-2 gives the subscription service another game in the popular RPG franchise, and it joins Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster, Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age, and FF13.
What’s been revealed for Xbox Game Pass so far only reaches to December 14, meaning the month’s second half could still hold a few surprises. These could be revealed on Xbox’s usual schedule towards the middle of December, but it’s just as likely some Xbox Game Pass announcements could come slightly earlier during The Game Awards 2021 on December 9.
Sources: Xbox, Xbox Game Pass/Twitter
