The festive season is here once again. It’s on our TVs with plenty of Christmas movies to stream, filling our high streets with decorations, and playing on every radio station. But what about our favourite pastime—gaming?
Gaming and Christmas have a long history together across multiple genres over the decades of this wonderful medium. So why don’t we look at some of the best Christmas-themed video games and holiday-inspired levels that can really get you into the festive spirit?
8) Spider-Man Miles Morales
2018’s Spider-Man game from Insomniac was widely praised for its brilliant depiction of New York City, giving you the powers of the wall-crawler to fully explore its open-world setting. So when they returned just 2 years later with a Miles Morales-focused game still set within a similar-sized map, players were not expecting anything new.
What we got, though, was almost a whole new reskin of the city for the holiday season. Winter had truly set in—streets and buildings covered with a fresh coating of snow, parked cars blanketed in ice, citizens making snow angels in the parks, and skating on the frozen lakes. Even the new Spider-Man himself can unlock the Winter Suit complete with a woolly hat, earmuffs, a long scarf, and cosy socks. It truly delivers those festive gaming vibes. If only we could stop off somewhere for Miles to grab a nice cup of hot chocolate!
7) Hitman: The World of Assassination
Santa and Agent 47 have more in common than you’d think. They’re both great at sneaking into buildings, both have a list of people to ‘visit’, and both leave presents behind—though Santa’s aren’t usually as explosive as 47’s.
The most recent trilogy of Hitman games started in 2016 with the excellently titled Hitman, and its first main level is a lavish mansion in Paris with large rooms, marble staircases, and fireplaces—perfect for a free seasonal update by IO Interactive called Holiday Hoarders.
Agent 47 must eliminate two robbers called Harry ‘Smokey’ Bagnato & Marv ‘Slick’ Gonif, a playful reference to a classic Christmas movie, and must do so before they steal all of the Christmas presents and escape the level.
Listen closely while making your way around the mansion and you’ll hear jingling bells and some jolly “Ho Ho Ho’s” ringing through the hallways. If you wait in the right place, you might catch Santa in the act and have the chance to knock him out for his outfit—a festive twist for a notorious assassin. This level returned briefly in Hitman 2 and became a permanent level in Hitman 3, making it easier to unlock the Santa suit. For those looking for holiday-themed video games with a mischievous twist, Hitman is a perfect fit.
6) Daze Before Christmas
Time for a trip into retro Christmas gaming history—Santa Claus is coming to town.
Daze Before Christmas was released way back in 1994 on the Mega Drive exclusively in Australia before later being ported to the SNES in both North America and Europe. This 2D platformer sees Santa attempting to save Christmas after all the presents are stolen by an evil mouse (presumably because The Grinch licensing was too costly!).
Santa must platform through levels collecting presents and defeating enemies with his Christmas magic. He has limited health, but there’s a twist: Santa can turn himself into his evil persona, Anti-Claus, who is invincible but cannot collect any presents while in this form. After each level is completed, Santa flies his sleigh and drops presents down chimneys—just another night’s work for jolly ol’ Saint Nick in this classic Christmas video game.
5) The Grinch
“You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.”
You may be surprised to learn that we not only had a Grinch video game released around the time of the Jim Carrey-starring movie but that it was also pretty decent—perhaps because it was developed by Artificial Mind & Movement, the team who went on to make the massively popular Dead by Daylight.
The Grinch sees you playing as the titular character (and occasionally his dog, Max), platforming around Whoville in search of missing Blueprints for your dastardly gadgets. The Grinch can ground pound and use his smelly green breath to scare off adversaries in his search. In later levels, additional gadgets become available, shaking up the gameplay a little.
Although the game has little direct connection to the movie—no Jim Carrey or Anthony Hopkins reprising their roles—and it received mixed reviews, it still provides some PS1 Christmas nostalgia and might be worth a revisit for those looking to relive a unique holiday gaming experience.
Check out more movie-inspired games here.
4) James Pond 2: Robocod
James Pond returns following the success of Underwater Agent in defeating Dr. Maybe. This time, trouble is brewing at Santa’s workshop, and there’s only one fish for the job. James Pond comes equipped in his new Robocod outfit, which allows him to stretch his body to an indefinite length so he can reach ceilings and surprise his enemies.
Robocod sees James jumping through levels and driving different vehicles to defeat the baddies that have taken over and captured the penguins (or elves, depending on which version you play). In some versions of the game, the penguins resemble those from McVitie’s Penguin chocolate biscuit bars, as there was a deal to feature their branding—reportedly boosting sales above rival Kit-Kat.
Originally released on the Amiga, Atari ST, and Sega Mega Drive, it was later ported to everything from the Game Gear to the PlayStation platforms and even the Nintendo Switch. James Pond may not be the first name that comes to mind for classic platformers, but Robocod truly delivers festive holiday gaming vibes in spades.
3) Bully/Canis Canem Edit
It’s the most wonderful time of the year at the most wonderful school: Bullworth Academy. Bully, originally known as Canis Canem Edit in the UK, was a controversial release by Rockstar for the PlayStation 2, sparking news stories about glorifying bullying. But did you know there’s also a full chapter set at Christmas?
“Christmas Is Here” is a mission that activates after Jimmy goes to sleep for the first time in Chapter 3. He wakes to an announcement that a Christmas present from his mother is waiting at the office. Once he steps outside, the map is covered in snow and the halls of Bullworth are lined with festive decorations.
This holiday-themed level change is only temporary unless you choose not to collect the present. If you ignore it, you’re free to explore the snowy map and complete some objectives, though you can’t attend class or complete missions while enjoying the festive season.
Bully is a classic any time of year, but the Christmas and Halloween events bring such seasonal level nostalgia that it’s worth replaying just for those.
2) Batman: Arkham Origins
Much like the beloved movie Batman Returns, Arkham Origins is a Christmas Eve-set story that blankets Gotham City in snow and Christmas decorations.
Set 8 years before Arkham Asylum, the game features a more inexperienced Batman, operating as a mysterious vigilante while the GCPD debate if he’s man or myth. Usually, Bats only tackles petty thugs, but tonight he faces 8 professional assassins all vying for the bounty on his head, placed by Black Mask.
Arkham Origins was considered the black sheep of the Arkham series due to not being developed by Rocksteady and for not featuring Kevin Conroy or Mark Hamill as Batman or Joker, instead casting Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker. Despite that, the game’s Christmas Eve setting and snowy Gotham have earned it a cult following in recent years. Many fans still hope for a current-gen remaster or port, especially since the other Arkham titles have already received such treatment.
1) Astro Bot
The recently crowned Game of the Year 2024 has had highs after highs. First, it delivered tight platforming in its main game, then it released 5 speedrun levels to test even the most patient players. Just when you thought Team Asobi was done, they dropped one more level—one that cements Astro Bot’s place on our festive list.
Winter Wonder is a Christmas-themed level that’s a little more chill than previous extra levels. Astro travels to a snowy world filled with festive decorations, little robots in Santa hats, and a handful of easy-to-defeat enemies. One of the best parts of this level is letting you play with multiple power-ups from the main game, swapping between them to find the 7 new special character bots and plenty of other presents to collect.
This free update is pure holiday gaming fun, focusing on the festivities and those sweet gameplay mechanics.
Whether you’re swinging through snowy New York as Spider-Man, sneaking around as Santa in Hitman, or tackling Christmas Eve in Gotham City, there’s no shortage of festive spirit in these titles. This selection of Christmas video games and holiday-themed levels is just the tip of the iceberg, so sound off in the comments below about your own favourites from gaming history!