Video games to tackle this winter, including Marvel Cosmic Invasion and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
A new entry for the Metroid Prime series makes it out of development hell, plus sequel that brings back the chaotic comedic timing of ‘High on Life’
Winter marks the end of one video game season and the beginning of the next, with 2025 transitioning to 2026 over the next month. Just in time for either holiday gift purchases or a way to kick off your gameplay wish list for the new year, here is a list of highly anticipated video games coming out this winter.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion
Marvel Cosmic Invasion is poised to be the “best traditional beat ’em up of the year,” said Game Rant. Developer Tribute Games “achieved near perfection with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge,” and the upcoming release “looks set to build beautifully on that foundation.” The brand is drawing from Marvel’s trove of iconic heroes and villains, with Wolverine, Venom, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, She-Hulk and more as playable characters. (out now for Xbox Series X, PS5, Steam, Nintendo Switch 2)
She’s Leaving
A first-person survival-horror game “with a twist,” as you will get to play “both the hunter and the hunted,” said Game Spot. Embodying forensic analyst Charles Dolan, you will explore the dimly lit halls of spooky House Haywood on your quest to solve the mystery of missing people. She’s Leaving is a “compact but engaging” horror game that “blends forensic investigation with tense, stalker-driven survival gameplay,” said Impulse Gamer.
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The “atmosphere, smart pacing and surprisingly polished design” make the experience stand out. For its “low price and strong debut showing from a tiny team, it is an “easy recommendation for horror fans looking for a short, satisfying scare.” (out now for Xbox Series X, PS5, Steam)
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
December 2025’s biggest game and “by quite a margin,” said Game Spot. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has walked a “long and winding road to completion,” a journey that included a change in developer and “a reinvention.”
The game is finally out of development hell, ready to meet to the standard set by the original trilogy, which “hold up as three of the greatest first-person Metroidvanias of all time.” Legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran’s latest adventure should be her “biggest, both in terms of size and ambition.” (out now for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2)
Code Violet
Another interesting mashup, Code Violet is a third-person shooter and horror hybrid that features dinosaurs. The game is a PS5-exclusive set in the future, where humanity has mastered time travel. Players take on the role of Violet Sinclair, a girl abducted from the past who must unravel the mysteries of the Aion Bioengineering Complex while avoiding, hiding from or fighting the prehistoric creatures overrunning it.
TeamKill Media has worked closely with Sony over the years, and all its games have been console exclusives. Code Violet should be the developers’ “biggest game yet,” and it will “hopefully also be the best,” said Game Spot. (Jan. 10 preorder for PS5)
High on Life 2
Squanch Games, the development studio founded by the controversial “Rick and Morty” creator Justin Roiland, returns with High on Life 2, the highly anticipated sequel to its sci-fi-based comedic adventure game. The game’s predecessor was a “rare example of a genuinely funny game,” and it “happened to be an excellent first-person shooter to boot,” said IGN. The talking alien guns are back, as well as a host of other chaotic weapons and truly hilarious dialogue. (Feb. 13 preorder for Xbox Series X, PS5, Steam)
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