Control, Gang Beasts, Monster Sanctuary, and more join Xbox Game Pass in December

Xbox Game Pass December 2020
Xbox Game Pass December 2020 (Image credit: Xbox)

What you need to know

  • Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's innovative game subscription service, which gives subscribers access to hundreds of games.
  • Games come and go from Xbox Game Pass every single month, but the service as a whole continues to grow.
  • December looks to be another big month for Xbox Game Pass, with tons of games joining the service.
  • This includes big titles like Control, Rage 2, DOOM Eternal, Gang Beasts, Call of the Sea, and much more.

Following a successful November and the launch of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass is rolling right into the end of the year with a ton of new games coming to the service. There's a lot to look forward to here, whether you're playing through Xbox Cloud Gaming (Project xCloud), Xbox consoles, or PC, like Remedy Entertainment's Control, or DOOM Eternal.

Several games are being added to the list of games that support touch controls through Xbox Cloud Gaming, making them viable for our list of Best Xbox Game Pass Games for Android. There are also a handful of games leaving the service, so be sure to check those out to ensure you don't miss anything you want to play.

If you want to be confident that you'll always have the space to play anything you want through Xbox Game Pass, even on next-gen consoles, check out our picks for Best External SSD's for Xbox Series X|S, for an extra boost in fast external storage.

Coming soon

You can check out all the titles coming soon to Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Cloud gaming below:

Control (Cloud & Xbox) - December 3

After a secretive agency in New York is invaded by an otherworldly threat, you become the Director struggling to regain control. This third-person action adventure game will challenge you to master a combination of supernatural abilities that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

DOOM Eternal (PC) - December 3

Now coming to Xbox Game Pass for PC! Hell's armies have invaded Earth and now you must become the Slayer in an epic single-player campaign to conquer demons across dimensions and stop the final destruction of humanity. Experience the ultimate combination of speed and power in Doom Eternal – the next leap in push-forward, first-person combat.

Haven (Xbox & PC) - December 3

Does love really conquer all? Play as two lovers who gave up everything and escaped to a lost planet to be together. Glide through a mysterious landscape, explore a fragmented world and fight against what's trying to tear them apart in this RPG adventure about love, rebellion, and freedom.

Rage 2 (Cloud) - December 3

Dive headfirst into a dystopian world devoid of society, law, and order. Rage 2 brings together two studio powerhouses – Avalanche Studios, masters of open world insanity, and id Software, creators of the first-person shooter – to deliver a carnival of carnage where you can go anywhere, shoot anything, and explode everything.

Slime Rancher (Cloud & Xbox) - December 3

Slime Rancher is the tale of Beatrix LeBeau, a plucky, young rancher who sets out for a life a thousand light years away from Earth on the "Far, Far Range" where she tries her hand at making a living wrangling slimes. Attempt to stake a claim, amass a fortune, and avoid the continual peril that looms from the rolling, jiggling avalanche of slimes around every corner.

Va-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action (PC) - December 3

Welcome to Va-11 Hall-A, the original cyberpunk bartending simulator! Take on the role of Jill Stingray, bartender at the downtown watering hole of Va-11 Hall-A (affectionately nicknamed "Valhalla"). In this story-driven game you'll influence a myriad of decisions through the drinks you prepare, so listen carefully to your clients and mix the drink that will change their lives.

Yes, Your Grace (Cloud, Xbox & PC) - December 3

In this kingdom management RPG, petitioners will arrive in the throne room each turn to ask for your advice and assistance. Decide whether to help them with their problems, or to conserve resources for more important matters. Remember: supplies are limited, and not everyone has the kingdom's best interests at heart…

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition (Xbox & PC) - December 4

Follow the perilous journey of The Luminary who must uncover the mystery of his fate with the aid of a charismatic cast of supporting characters. This Definitive Edition includes all the content from the acclaimed Dragon Quest XI, and adds extra scenarios, a grand orchestral version of the music, the ability to switch between 2D and 3D graphic modes, a Japanese audio option, and much more!

Call of the Sea (Cloud, Xbox & PC) - December 8

Dive into an otherworldly tale of mystery and love set in the 1930s, South Pacific. Play as Norah, an enigmatic woman on the trail of her missing husband's expedition. The search takes place on a strange but beautiful island in the South Pacific, filled with secrets waiting to be unearthed. Call of the Sea is a story-led game with puzzles, where every clue leads you deeper and leaves you questioning everything.

Monster Sanctuary (Cloud & Xbox) - December 8

On your quest to become the ultimate Monster Keeper, you'll unravel the cause of a mystery that threatens the peace between humans and monsters. With over 100 monsters to encounter and dangerous lands ahead, you'll need to build a powerful team if you want to save the Monster Sanctuary.

Starbound (PC) - December 8

In Starbound, you can create your own story! In this space-sandbox adventure you may choose to save the universe from the forces that destroyed your home, uncovering greater galactic mysteries in the process, or you may wish to forego a heroic journey entirely in favor of colonizing uncharted planets. Farm, collect, craft and build – the possibilities are limitless.

Unto the End (Xbox & PC) - December 9

Unto The End is a challenging combat adventure game in the style of a cinematic platformer. The story is simple: get home to your family. Master read-react combat in intense sword fights. Spot opportunities to trade and use items. An adventure told through your actions; how will you make it home?

Assetto Corsa (Cloud & Xbox) - December 10

Assetto Corsa is the ultimate racing simulator. Featuring legendary circuits such as Monza, Silverstone and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, each track has been reproduced using Laser scan technology, offering racers the most realistic experience possible out on track. Assetto Corsa features advanced aerodynamic simulation, with each car developed using knowledge gained through collaboration with manufacturers.

Gang Beasts (Cloud & Xbox) - December 10

Gang Beasts is a silly multiplayer party game with surly gelatinous characters, brutal slapstick fight sequences, and absurd hazardous environments, set in the mean streets of Beef City. Customize your character and fight enemies in the melee game mode or fight with friends against the gangs of Beef City in the gang game mode.

Greedfall (Cloud, Xbox & PC) - December 10

Engage in a core roleplaying experience with GreedFall, and forge the destiny of a new world seeping with magic, and filled with riches, lost secrets, and fantastic creatures. With diplomacy, deception, and force, become part of a living, evolving world. Influence its course and shape your story.

Superhot: Mind Control Delete (Cloud & Xbox) - December 10

Time moves only when you move. The long-awaited third game in the groundbreaking Superhot franchise, Mind Control Delete gives you more insight into the signature power fantasy world of Superhot with more story, more signature gameplay, more action, more guns. Keep dancing the slow-motion ballet of destruction for so much longer than ever before.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (Cloud, Xbox & PC) - December 10

Get the Royal Beettalion ready to take down Capital B and his Impossible Lair! Join Yooka and Laylee in an all-new 2.5D adventure! Run, jump, and roll your way through a series of challenging 2D levels and explore a puzzling 3D Overworld packed with secrets and collectibles.

Adding touch controls

You can check out all the titles adding touch controls to Xbox Cloud Gaming below:

December 3

  • Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
  • Golf With Your Friends
  • Hyperdot
  • Ikenfell
  • Indivisible
  • ScourgeBringer
  • The Touryst
  • Vambrace Cold Soul

Leaving soon

You can check out all the titles leaving soon from Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming below:

December 11

  • eFootball PES 2020 (Xbox)

December 15

  • Age of Wonders: Planetfall (Xbox & PC)
  • Infinifactory (PC)
  • Metro: Last Light Redux (PC)
  • MudRunner (Xbox & PC)
  • Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker (Xbox)
  • Pathologic 2 (Xbox & PC)
  • The Turing Test (Xbox & PC)
  • Ticket to Ride (Xbox & PC)
  • Untitled Goose Game (Xbox)

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Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.