TOP 10 CHRISTMAS-THEMED VIDEO GAMES OF 2023

We have handpicked the best games that capture the magic of Christmas. These games are sure to bring joy and excitement to your holiday season. If you love video games and the festive season, this list is perfect for you!

SantaCraft

 

• Developer/Publisher: Milkbag Games
• Released: December 15, 2020
• Genre: Crafting, Sandbox, Open World

About the game

SantaCraft is a delightful Christmas-themed video game that immerses players in a festive and whimsical world. Here, players embark on a magical adventure at the North Pole. The game’s storyline involves a massive blizzard that devastated Santa’s Village. 

You are tasked with rescuing Santa’s missing reindeer, rebuilding the village, and saving Christmas. The gameplay includes unique elements such as digging through snow, cutting down gingerbread trees, and mining candy canes.

Key features

• Mining and Crafting: Players gather resources like chocolate rocks and saltwater taffy using tools like a gingerbread axe and a candy cane hammer. These are used to craft items and buildings for Santa’s Village​​.
• Building Santa’s Village: The game allows you to rebuild the village with gingerbread houses, toy stores, Christmas trees, and more, creating a vibrant and festive environment​​.
• Completing Quests: Players engage in various quests to rescue Santa’s reindeer from unique characters like the Abominable, Abdominal, and Adorable Snowmen. The quests include activities like singing puffins, baking cookies, and more​​.
• Trains: You can build train stations and tracks to connect different island parts, adding a fun and interactive element to the game​​.
• Humor: The game is infused with puns and lighthearted humor, aligning with the joy and silliness of Christmas stories​​.

 

Everybody Wham Wham

 

• Developer/Publisher: Bonte Avond
• Released: January 29, 2021
• Genre: Indie, Adventure, Casual

About the game

Everybody Wham Wham is a charming Christmas-themed video game that offers a unique winter adventure. Developed and published by Bonte Avond, it was released on January 29, 2021. The game falls under the genres of Adventure, Casual, and Indie.

In this game, players engage in a 10-day snowman-building competition, where the goal is to create the best snowman.

Key features

• Snowman-Building Competition: Compete against others, rolling snowballs and decorating your snowman within a set time limit to impress the jury​​.
• Character Interaction: The game features a variety of quirky characters like Koenraad, the ice cream cone, and Bentworth, the wooden snowman. Players can participate in activities like karaoke nights and campfire songs with these characters​​.
• Mystery Element: Unravel the hidden truth behind the festival and the mysterious Wham Wham the Snowman-man​​.
• Wham Wham Radio Station: Players can tune into over 30 minutes of unique radio content, adding a fun audio element to the game​​.
• Decoration Variety: The game offers over 60 different decorations for the snowmen, with different themes each day, such as fantasy, pirate, futuristic, or spooky​​.

 

Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star

 

• Developer/Publisher: Epic Games
• Released: December 6, 2015
• Genre: Indie, Adventure

About the game

Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star is an adventure indie game, a holiday-themed sequel to the popular “Hatoful Boyfriend.” Developed by Mediatonic and published by Epic Games, it was released on December 5, 2015.

This Christmas-themed video game takes players on a whimsical journey with loveable birds from the original game, plus new characters. Set in beautifully styled winter wonderlands, players encounter various adventures and romantic storylines.

Key features

• Fantastically Styled Worlds: Players travel through elegantly designed winter landscapes, enjoying high-definition hand-drawn scenery and a unique watercolor world​​.
• New and Familiar Characters: The game features old favorites and new bird characters, each with their own stories and adventures​​.
• Unique Gameplay Elements: Expect bizarre and humorous scenarios, such as anime-inspired transformations and a mystery involving the King of the Holiday Star​​.
• Engaging Side Stories: The game includes episodic side stories, offering fun distractions and deepening the game’s rich narrative​​.

 

Mission in Snowdriftland

 

• Developer/Publisher: tons of bits
• Released: December 1, 2021
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Casual, Indie

About the game

Mission in Snowdriftland is a Christmas-themed video game that blends action, adventure, casual, and indie genres into a unique gaming experience. Developed and published by tons of bits, this game was released on December 1, 2021.

The game’s storyline revolves around the chaos at UPIXO headquarters, where the villain El Pix has stolen valuable artifacts from video game history. Players help Chubby, a brave little snowman, to retrieve these artifacts from the icy realm of Snowdriftland​​.

Key features

• Advent Calendar Concept: Players can enjoy the game like a traditional Advent calendar, choosing a level to play each day or playing it as a classic platformer at any time​​.
• Suitable for All Ages: The game offers a suitable experience for both younger, less experienced gamers and core gamers, with challenges like collecting snowflakes at each level​​.
• Diverse Worlds and Challenges: Players face unique enemies in different worlds, with 24 levels, mini-boss battles, and an end boss battle​​.

 

Santa Claus in Trouble

 

• Developer/Publisher: Joymania Development
• Released: December 20, 2020
• Genre: Action, Casual

About the game

Santa Claus in Trouble (HD) is an action-packed, casual Christmas-themed video game developed and published by Joymania Development. Released on December 20, 2020, this 3D Jump’n’Run game revolves around a crucial mission for Santa Claus.

The game’s storyline features Santa Claus, who lost all the presents just before Christmas Eve. Players help Santa collect these colorful packages in an engaging adventure. The game’s unique Christmas elements are evident in its festive environment and holiday-themed challenges.

Key features

• Varied Levels: The game offers 20 beautiful levels, divided into 5 episodes, each presenting unique challenges and environments​​.
• Enhanced Graphics and Mechanics: It boasts reworked textures, character models, and a modern graphic render engine for improved visual quality. The game mechanics include seesaws, slides, elevators, trampolines, hammers, and other thrilling physical elements​​.
• Opponents and Soundtracks: Players encounter 6 different opponents and can enjoy over 10 amazing Christmas soundtracks, enhancing the festive feel​​.
• User Interface and Control: The game features a new User Interface with proper font scaling for high resolutions and full controller support​​.

 

Tattletail

 

• Developer/Publisher: Little Flag Software, LLC
• Released: December 29, 2016
• Genre: Action, Indie

About the game

Tattletail is a unique Christmas-themed video game combining action and indie genres with a horror twist. Developed by Waygetter Electronics and published by Little Flag Software, LLC, the game was released on December 28, 2016.

Set in Christmas 1998, Tattletail revolves around a popular virtual pet toy that causes trouble and fear. The player’s task is to manage the mischievous demands of their Tattletail toy while avoiding the wrath of the bloodthirsty Mama Tattletail. The game is story-driven and played from a first-person perspective, adding to the intensity and immersive experience.

Key features

• Management of Tattletail: Players must feed, brush, and recharge Tattletail, as neglecting its needs leads to incessant noise that can attract danger​​.
• Stealth and Caution: The game requires players to be stealthy and cautious, especially around Mama Tattletail. Loud noises or waking Mama Tattletail can have dire consequences​​.
• Unique Horror Elements: Set in a nostalgic 90s setting, the game blends a virtual pet’s charm with the horror storyline’s suspense and thrill​​.

 

Ho-Ho-Home Invasion

 

• Developer/Publisher: Whitepot Studios
• Released: December 15, 2020
• Genre: Action, Indie, Free to Play

About the game

Ho-Ho-Home Invasion is a Christmas-themed video game that combines action and indie genres with unique stealth gameplay. Developed and published by Whitepot Studios, it was released on December 15, 2020, and is available as a free-to-play title.

Set in 2020, amidst social distancing requirements, the game revolves around Santa Claus undergoing stealth training in a warehouse converted by his elves. This training involves sneaking through fake houses, avoiding robot detection, and delivering presents without being caught.

Key features

• Stealth-Based Gameplay: Players help Santa quietly enter houses, deliver presents, and escape without alerting automated robots​​.
• Varied Challenges: The game offers various house layouts that Santa must navigate, each presenting unique obstacles and requirements for stealth and strategy​​.

 

Delicious – Emily’s Christmas Carol

 

• Developer/Publisher: GameHouse
• Released: November 4, 2016
• Genre: Adventure, Casual, Indie

About the game

Delicious – Emily’s Christmas Carol is an adventure, casual, and indie Christmas-themed video game developed by Blue Giraffe and GameHouse and published by GameHouse. Released on November 4, 2016, it’s part of the award-winning Delicious cooking story game series.

Set in a festive Christmas environment, the game’s storyline follows Emily as she plans a family trip to a cottage for the holidays. However, the trip turns unexpectedly when they find someone else in their cottage. The game features cooking and time management elements, making it a delightful player experience.

Key features

• Variety of Gameplay: Players run diners and serve food across 61 story levels and 31 extra challenge levels.
• Christmas Locations: The game includes 6 Christmas-themed locations, adding to the holiday spirit.
• Collectibles and Challenges: Players can collect diamonds to unlock special events and enjoy hidden object elements within the game​​.

 

Cave Story’s Secret Santa

 

• Developer/Publisher: Nicalis, Inc.
• Released: December 10, 2021
• Genre: Adventure, Puzzle, Stealth, Casual

About the game

Cave Story’s Secret Santa is a Christmas-themed video game developed and published by Nicalis, Inc. Released on December 9, 2021, it offers a unique blend of stealth and puzzle-solving gameplay.

The game’s premise involves a character named Santa from the Cave Story universe. After Balrog recovers the Christmas presents from the thief Chaba, Santa must sneak into homes to return the stolen gifts. Players must tiptoe past sleeping residents, avoid being detected by patrolling Gaudi, and cleverly navigate through each house.

Key features

• Stealth and Puzzle Gameplay: The player must navigate through 20 unique homes across three zones, using stealth to avoid detection while solving puzzles to progress​​.
• Interactive Environments: Santa can interact with the environment by pushing or pulling obstacles, turning lights on or off, and opening ventilator shafts to find hidden passageways and secrets​​.
• Achievements and Rewards: Players can find and consume cookies for health, and there are 10 different achievements to earn throughout the game​​.

 

Santa Rockstar

• Developer/Publisher: Volens Nolens Games
• Released: December 14, 2016
• Genre: Casual, Indie, Music, Rhythm

About the game

Santa Rockstar is a unique Christmas-themed video game that blends the spirit of the holiday season with the excitement of a rock and roll music game. Developed by Bekho Team and published by Volens Nolens Games, it was released on December 13, 2016.

This guitar rhythm game features a heavy metal version of Santa Claus, who travels the world playing rock and metal renditions of classic Christmas carols. Players get to perform guitar solos as a tattooed, rock-loving Santa, accompanied by a band of leather-wearing reindeer, all while delivering gifts on a sleigh.

Key features

• Music Tracks: The game boasts a custom-made soundtrack by Peruvian guitarist Charlie Parra, featuring 15 music tracks of popular Christmas carols in rock and metal versions​​.
• Guitar Controller Compatibility: It supports guitar controllers, enhancing the immersive and interactive experience of the game​​.
• Diverse Gameplay Worlds: Players can rock through 5 different worlds, each offering unique challenges and environments​​.
• Campaign and Quickplay Modes: These modes provide varied gameplay experiences, catering to different preferences and playstyles​​.

 

Conclusion

That wraps up our list of the Top 10 Christmas-Themed Video Games of 2023! Whether you’re into thrilling adventures, cozy stories, or festive challenges, there’s a game here for everyone. These games offer a great way to dive into the holiday spirit. Remember, gaming is a global joy. Interestingly, game publishing in Southeast Asia is growing rapidly. This region is bringing unique games to the world. So, while you enjoy these holiday games, watch for new Southeast Asian titles, too. Happy gaming, and merry Christmas!