Rebound from your holiday gaming binge with these essential expansions.
Fall brought its usual bounty of blockbuster games that you simply had to play right now. But those big titles that were so hot straight through the holidays are now beaten and boring, gathering dust behind the couch. Never fear, though, you can still cure that holiday-gaming hangover.
— South Park: The Fractured But Whole Season Pass — Ubisoft
(Xbox One, PS4, PC)
The funniest South Park roleplaying game since, well, the last South Park roleplaying game, The Fractured But Whole packs an absurd amount of fart jokes and social commentary into its tidy 16-hour playtime, but Cartman and company’s wisecracks don’t stop when the end credits roll. Players who sign up for the $20 season pass gain access to two new story episodes — including a battle against a demonic presence in a Mexican restaurant — along with a host of exclusive costumes and ability-enhancing artifacts.
— Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus Season Pass — Bethesda Softworks
(Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC)
Set in an alternate history in which the Germans won World War II, Wolfenstein 2 takes the surreally controversial stance that Nazis are anything but “very fine people.” In these three bonus chapters, series hero William “B.J.” Blazkowicz takes a backseat to new heroes — including a black former pro quarterback and a female ex-OSS agent — of the anti-Nazi resistance. Missions have you infiltrating the Third Reich’s bunkers in California, sabotaging a Nazi operation in Alaska, and dismantling the Führer’s Final Solution using satisfying tactics ripped right from Inglourious Basterds.
— Destiny 2: Expansion 1: Curse of Osiris — Activision
(Xbox One, PS4, PC)
Even if you didn’t know diddly about this futuristic first-person-shooter franchise, Destiny 2 probably had you at Halo. Developed by Bungie, the studio that masterminded Master Chief and the mega-selling Halo series for Microsoft’s machines, the series elevated multiplayer firefights into an art form. This first of many proposed add-ons delivers all-new story missions on the planet Mercury, where you’ll help alter the timeline to avert a dystopian future and uncover the mysteries of the legendary Warlock. Or you can ignore all the story crap and just blast your buddies in cool new environments that would have done the Master Chief proud.
— Assassin’s Creed Origins Season Pass — Ubisoft
(Xbox One, PS4, PC)
In ancient Egypt, there was a deity for every danger, dilemma, and daily chore — more than 2,000 gods and goddesses. In this expansion for the action-RPG origin story of the Assassin’s Creed series, you get to fight more than a few of them while exploring a realm much more mystical than the more historically accurate main game. Bone up on your Egyptology to end a curse bringing pharaoh mummies back to life, then clash with an occupying Roman force in a new region offered by the second of two downloadable add-ons. If you missed this must-play adventure during the holidays, you can buy the entire Gold Edition package for $30.
— Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds — Sony Interactive
(Sony, PS4)
One of the holiday season’s greatest games wasn’t a sequel or a licensed title or even a gritty military shooter (despite its gung ho name). Horizon Zero Dawn is a vividly imaginative action-adventure set in a hauntingly lush post-apocalyptic world crawling with mysterious robotic creatures. Play the original if you haven’t, then grab this downloadable chapter to continue the adventures of ginger hunter Aloy. Travel beyond the previously off-limits northern mountains to explore an Arctic wilderness filled with new animals and a mysterious tribe that doesn’t take kindly to trespassers.
