A clear pre-Christmas week on Steam is coming up: The MMO shooter Pioner, which is particularly exciting, will be exciting Wishlisted by over 500,000 Steam users stands. But fans of roguelites, action RPGs and even badminton will also get their money’s worth in the next few days.
Like every Monday, we provide you with a compact overview of the most important new PC releases of the week.
Highlight of the week: Pioner
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This open-world shooter packs a punch – Pioner (Preview)
Anyone who has always wanted to experience Stalker with friends or wondered what Escape from Tarkov would feel like with its story and open world now has an answer: Pioner will start early access on Steam on December 16, 2025.
The MMO shooter from Russian developer GFA Games puts you in an alternative, Soviet post-apocalypse scenario in which you fight for survival in a first-person perspective – against mutated creatures, rival players and the pitfalls of a dynamic island world. The game world is an isolated archipelago called Tartarus, full of dilapidated military facilities, bunker-like laboratories and inexplicable phenomena.
Visually and atmospherically, it’s very reminiscent of the Zone from Stalker: Prefabricated buildings are crumbling everywhere, rusty radar stations rise into an ominous sky, and anomalies or aggressive mutants can appear at every corner.
But this open world isn’t just about roaming – Pioner offers a wealth of tasks and activities. The main story sends you on the trail of a mysterious catastrophe that has struck the island.
You also join different factions and complete missions for them to earn reputation and rewards. The islanders are divided into rival groups – from military guards to bandits and dark cultists.
Moral decisions in quests are even said to have an influence on the outcome: In total, the developers promise over 50 hand-crafted story missions plus hundreds of smaller orders and events. All PvE content can be tackled either solo or cooperatively in a team. So if you prefer to compete alone against AI bandits, mutated animals and monsters, you can do so – but with a few comrades, the dangerous exploration tour is of course even more fun.
More exciting Steam releases of the week
Monday, December 15, 2025
- Raiders of Blackveil (Early Access): In this roguelite RPG you go into battle with up to three colleagues against the sinister Blackveil corporation. Your mission: Infiltrate the company’s gigantic factory, eliminate waves of enemies and smuggle out as much loot as possible. You choose your character from MOBA-like heroes with different abilities and with each successful escape you can further increase their powers.
- A Game About Feeding A Black Hole: A black hole is always hungry – and you are responsible for feeding it! In this unusual idle clicker, your own black hole continues to grow as you devour everything in space: from small asteroids to planets to entire stars.
- Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon – Sanctuary of Sarras (DLC): The big expansion for the dark fantasy role-playing game sends you into a deep sea world where there are over 20 new dungeons and over 100 new items for you to discover. You can read whether the trip is worth it in our test:
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
- Utawarerumono: ZAN: The action-packed offshoot of the Utawarerumono saga lets you immerse yourself in a fantasy world with the sword. You control a group of four heroes that you can switch between at any time – and you can even explore the battlefields together with up to three other players in online co-op.
- Pure Badminton: Attention sports fans – with Pure Badminton a real badminton simulation appears on the PC. Timing and tactics count here: Beat your way to the top of the world in quick matches with realistic ball physics and different hitting techniques. Whether in local multiplayer mode (including split screen) or against AI opponents, the game aims to portray the intense competition of this sport as authentically as possible.
- Varthos – Heir to the Throne (Early Access): Death is just the beginning! This intense rogue-lite action RPG sends you into battle as a chosen warrior against monsters and the undead – and every defeat lets you come back stronger. You explore procedurally generated dungeons, loot weapons and artifacts and level your heroes according to your play style without any class restrictions. If your hero dies, the next fighter is immediately awakened by Demon Lord Varthos and takes on the experience and skills of his predecessor. Solo or in four-player co-op, you face the hordes until one of you finally conquers the throne of the world.
- Out of Time: The name says it all – here you are literally fighting against time. Out of Time is a fast-paced co-op roguelite shooter in which your team of four shoots through a collapsing world of past, present and future. In each mercilessly short round you have to kill swarms of corrupted enemies and nasty bosses before the countdown runs out.
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New games in December – video preview for PC and consoles
As is often the case, things will be a little quieter on Steam shortly before Christmas. Many studios have already placed their big releases in the past few weeks – most recently, the focus was on other highlights with the Game Awards. This time the offer is even more manageable. Was there still something for you? Then please let us know in the comments!
