Now that the holiday season is here, Sony and Microsoft should offer fans a few worthwhile gifts through their respective PS Plus and Games With Gold services next month. Zombie-slaying adventures, tactical shooters, and “cute-as-heck” platformers all have the potential to bring families closer together either physically or through a reliable internet connection. The following titles on our list of December 2019 PS Plus and Games With Gold predictions may even help ease the pain that comes with holiday shopping and potentially condescending family members.
December 2019 PS Plus and Xbox Games With Gold predictions | The big ones
Dead Rising 4 is poised to appear on either PS Plus or Games With Gold next month, as the game is set in a Christmas-themed version of Willamette, Colorado and allows fans to dress returning protagonist Frank West in an Santa suit and ride around on a reindeer motorcycle. December 2019 also marks the game’s third anniversary on Xbox One and second anniversary on PlayStation 4, as it launched for the former system on December 6, 2016 and released for the latter system one year later on December 5, 2017. Capcom could close out its stellar year with a bang by offering the title on either service next month, reminding fans that it has plans to uphold its streak of quality releases well into 2020, even if Dead Rising 4 wasn’t as critically acclaimed as its forebearers.
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Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege would also be a great choice for PS Plus or Games With Gold next month, as it came out for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on December 1, 2015. The tactical online shooter’s presence on either service wouldn’t be shocking, as Ubisoft has offered PlayStation and Xbox users many weekends and entire weeks to try out the title for free. Allowing Siege to appear on Sony or Microsoft’s platform this December could help the company maintain the title’s high player numbers and give it a jolt before new competitors in the games as a service space crop up next year. There’s also tons of money to be made via season passes, skins, and digital currency.
Speaking of online shooter phenomena, there’s a chance that PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds could be featured on Sony or Microsoft’s service next month too. Given how the title officially launched for PC on December 20, 2017 and on PlayStation 4 on December 7, 2018, PUBG Corporation may be willing to offer the game as part of its anniversary celebration. Similarly to Siege, this could help reinvigorate the title as it enters another year on the market and the battle royale genre’s popularity wanes further.
Seeing as how The Last Guardian released for PlayStation 4 on December 6, 2016, it’s possible that the title could be featured in PS Plus next month. The Fumito Ueda-directed game remains one of PlayStation 4’s most interesting exclusives, as it tasks players with building a relationship between a young boy and a winged, cat-like creature called Trico. It’s an emotional experience until the very end and reminds us to cherish everyone in our lives — even those individuals who make the holidays a living hell.
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is another novel title that Sony or Microsoft could feature as part of PS Plus or Games With Gold. The isometric, turn-based, tactical RPG, which launched for each system on December 4, 2018, has players control three humanoid mutants as they attempt to locate an individual capable of saving mankind from extinction. Though Mutant Year Zero is admittedly a niche title, decimating enemies as a trigger-happy hog or sniping them from afar as a duck are two things that everyone needs to try out for themselves.
Of course, PlayStation 4 exclusives like Killzone: Shadow Fall, Gravity Rush Remastered, Gravity Rush 2, and Knack 2 could finally show up on PS Plus this December. Xbox One exclusives like ReCore, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, or Gears of War 4 could appear on Games With Gold, too.
December 2019 PS Plus and Xbox Games With Gold predictions | The indies
December 2019 seems like a great time for A Hat in Time to appear on PS Plus or Games With Gold, as the indie released for PlayStation 4 on December 5, 2017 and debuted on Xbox One two days later on December 7, 2017. It’s a title that anyone can pick up and play, as it tasks fans with mastering platforming segments, solving puzzles, and finding trinkets as a little girl named Hat Kid. People who have fond memories playing Super Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie may discover that A Hat in Time is right up their alley.
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom would be another great choice for PS or Games With Gold next month, as it released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on December 4, 2018. A sequel to Sega’s Wonder Boy series, the title has players alternate between five different animal forms, including a pig, snake, frog, lion, and dragon, in order to topple foes and solve puzzles. This side-scroller may not appeal to many adults, but it’s a worthwhile title for kids to play while their parents are busy roasting the holiday ham — or their in-laws.
Video games have an extraordinary ability to bring people together no matter their age, sex, ethnicity, or orientation. While it may be tempting to argue with family members this holiday season, a better alternative is to kick everyone’s ass in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds or Rainbow Six: Siege. Whacking relatives in the head with a frying pan may even help alleviate childhood trauma. Just don’t try that out in real life.
