The holiday season is well and truly upon us, and gamers of all kinds are sure to be wondering what games they are going to take on during the festive period.
If you are looking to play something that is going to get you geared up for Christmas, then keep reading, as we are going to be looking at 10 games that are sure to put you in a festive mood. These games vary in genre and style, but they all feature the holiday season in one way or another, so let’s check them out.
1) Spider-Man: Miles Morales
While Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the most recent installment in the Insomniac Spider-Man games, the Miles Morales spin-off game is what you will want to play if you want to get that Christmas feeling.
The entire game is set during the Christmas period, so New York will be decorated accordingly as you swing through the snowy streets. You’ll also have the chance to celebrate with Miles’s friends and family, though, unfortunately, you won’t get much time off from your superhero duties.
The backdrop of Christmas is wonderfully atmospheric as you play through Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but make sure that it doesn’t distract you too much from saving the world.
2) Animal Crossing: New Horizons—Toy Day
Toy Day is the Animal Crossing: New Horizons version of Christmas, and it makes for a cozy and comforting take on the holiday that is sure to get you in the spirit.
The Toy Day event doesn’t actually occur on Christmas Day. Instead, it comes around on Christmas Eve—Dec. 24—via a winter update every year. The event starts on Christmas Eve and finishes the next day. This is the same for islands in both the Southern and the Northern Hemisphere, but you will only be able to access the entire event when Isabelle has upgraded the Resident Services on your island.
The event features several Christmas-related activities, such as crafting festive wrapping paper and exchanging Christmas gifts with the villagers. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a hugely popular cozy simulation game as it is, and the Toy Day event only adds to its coziness with this calming Christmas event.
3) Bully—Chapter 3
Next up is the iconic title from Rockstar Games: Bully (or Canis Canem Edit, depending on where you are from). You will need to play through two chapters of the game to get to the Christmas section, but if you are a fan of the game, or willing to give it a try if you are new to it, then it won’t be too hard for you to get started with it and make it to chapter three.
Each chapter of the game is set in a different season, with the third one focusing on winter. Once you have played through a few missions during the third chapter, you will wake up on Christmas morning and hear an announcement over the intercom telling you to go to the office. When you get there, you’ll find a Christmas gift from your mother: an ugly Christmas sweater.
The sweater will attract some attention from your fellow students, but not the positive kind. They’ll laugh at your expense if you choose to walk around in the sweater, but have no fear, as you can make them pay by throwing some snowballs in their faces or stuffing them into a locker.
The school will be decorated for the holiday season, and there will be plenty of snow that you can use for those aforementioned snowballs. The town of Bullworth will be decorated for Christmas too, and in the Scholarship edition of the game, you even get some new, Christmas-themed missions. If you feel like causing some trouble whilst getting into the Christmas spirit, Bully is the game to go for.
4) Dead Rising 4
Despite Dead Rising 4 not quite being the sequel to the iconic 2006 Dead Rising game that we wanted, there is no denying that it is a fun zombie hack and slasher. Not only that, but it also takes place during the holiday season.
You return to the Willamette Mall as photographer Frank West in Dead Rising 4, but this time around, you get to slaughter zombies while enjoying the winter snow and bright Christmas lights. The game goes all in with the Christmas theme, offering various Christmas set pieces, outfits for Frank, and weapons that let you kill the undead with festivity.
Some particularly cool examples of Christmas weapons include the Candy Cane Crossbow, which fires sharpened candy canes, but was only available as a pre-order item, the Ornament Gun, which fires various Christmas ornaments, and the Magic Wand, which transforms zombies into Christmas items such as reindeer and gingerbread people.
If you are a fan of a good old zombie slasher, then Dead Rising 4 is the game to play this Christmas to get you in that festive mood.
5) Disney Dreamlight Valley—Frosted Heights and Holiday Events
Disney Dreamlight Valley had a Christmas event last year that included new activities and festive-themed prizes, and there have been hints that there will be more festivities to be had this year.
The game recently received a new expansion—A Rift in Time— that included a brand new Star Path with some Christmas-themed items. The Star Path is a bit like a battle pass, where players can earn certain items when they complete various objectives in the game. The Star Path is a great way to bring some Christmas cheer to the valley, though last year there were also general festive duties that could be completed to receive some seasonal goodies.
There is a range of seasonal stuff included in Disney Dreamlight Valley that is sure to get you in the Christmas spirit. You can also just head over to the Frosted Heights and bask in the biome’s snowy glory for an extra bit of that Christmas feeling.
6) Batman: Arkham Origins
Batman: Arkham Origins is another game that is set against the backdrop of the holiday season, but much like with Miles Morales, you won’t be given any time off to enjoy Christmas. I don’t think Batman is a particularly festive guy, though, so his schedule wouldn’t be changing much anyway.
The game occurs on Christmas Eve, so you will see various Christmas decorations up around Gotham. The city is also covered in snow, emphasizing that wintry vibe. As with Spider-Man: Miles Morales, this is a great game to tackle this Christmas if you are into superhero games or action/adventure titles.
A nice little touch to Origins is that when the clock strikes midnight in the game, Alfred will give you a call to wish you a Merry Christmas. We love you, Alfred. Don’t ever change.
7) Hitman—Holiday Hoarders
The Hitman game series isn’t one that you would first think of when it comes to a game with Christmas themes, but the Holiday Hoarders bonus episodes—available in Hitman 2 and Hitman 3—allow Agent 47 to enjoy the festive season in a murderous fashion.
The location that you are in for this bonus episode is in full festive swing, with decorations, Christmas presents, and snowy weather. You can use these environmental elements to your advantage too, much like in the series as a whole, making for some brutally festive Christmas kills.
Once you have completed the Secret Santa challenge in the Holiday Hoarders episode, you will also unlock a Santa Claus outfit for Agent 47 as well. I would avoid asking him for presents, though. You never know what kind of weapon he’s got hiding under that beard.
8) Saints Row 4—How the Saints Saved Christmas DLC
For a bit of wackiness in your gaming session this Christmas, consider the How the Saints Saved Christmas story DLC for Saints Row 4. There are two festive activities and three new story missions in this DLC, all of which are themed around the holiday season. There are also some themed collectibles that you can grab too: the snowman vignettes and letters to Santa.
As well as the missions and activities being Christmas related, the rewards that you get from them are also holiday-themed, such as the Xmas Sweater that you get from completing the Miracle on 3rd Street mission or the Christmastime skin for the Dubstep Gun that is unlocked after finishing the The Fight Before Christmas mission.
Saints Row 4 is a highly chaotic game in general, so if you are up for some chaos this Christmastime, then this is the choice for you.
9) Minecraft—Christmas Worlds and Builds
If you want to create your own winter wonderland while gaming this Christmas, then Minecraft is sure to get you in the festive mood.
There are all sorts of Christmas-themed texture packs and maps that you can download to create your own Christmas world, but you can also get creative with your own builds if you are a fan of making your themed worlds.
Although there isn’t a particular Christmas setting, activity or theme to be had in Minecraft, seeing as the game is all about building and creating on your own or with friends, there are so many possibilities when it comes to exploring a fan made Christmas world or creating your own.
10) The Home Alone games
Last but not least is a series of games that aren’t exactly what you would call the cream of the crop in terms of quality, but they are sure to get you feeling that Christmas vibe.
Home Alone is arguably one of the most iconic Christmas movies of all time, so of course it spawned a series of video game titles based on the property. There have been three games released related to the Home Alone series. The first was the 1991 Home Alone game on the NES, Super NES, and Game Boy. The next was based on the second film and had the same name—Home Alone 2: Lost in New York—and came out in 1993 for the same platforms as well as the Sega Genesis. The final Home Alone game is a bizarre PlayStation 2 game from 2006 that was only released in Europe and was based on the first game.
None of these games were classics or particularly well-received, with the best-performing game being the 1991 game, which got average reviews. You can’t deny the Christmas themes to be found in a game based on one of the biggest Christmas movies ever, though, so if you are a fan of Home Alone and want to get retro with your gaming this festive season, I’d suggest trying the first or maybe the second game. Avoid the weird PS2 game, though. It’s an anomaly, and not a very good or entertaining one at that. Just ask Santa for some coal in your stocking this year instead, it would be more enjoyable.
