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Some go to Christmas fayres. Some can’t wait to open their advent calendars every day. Some slide around a skating rink.
At Zatu, we like to jump into virtual worlds to see what our favourite video games have in store for us.
It’s the season of giving, and these video games love to grant our wishes in December. Whether it’s with enchanting snowy locations, seasonal events, jolly quests, or festive giveaways, there’ll be something for you under the tree this Christmas.
Want to know how to get into the merry mood this season? Grab a mulled wine, snuggle up next to your Christmas tree, and play these festive events while you can.
Grand Theft Auto V – Lauren Skinner
What could be better than stealing military choppers, provoking the cops, and ignoring Lester around Los Santos?
Doing it all with a magical blanket of snow, of course!
If you turn on Grand Theft Auto V close to Christmas, you’ll be treated to a festive surprise. Snow covers the entirety of Los Santos, complete with ice fog and snowfall to give a lovely cosy backdrop to your crimes against innocent bystanders. Logging into GTA V and having a giddy time with your friends skidding around the frozen roads is one of my favourite Christmas traditions.
And who doesn’t want to avoid spending time with family by dancing the night away at a seedy nightclub? Visit any throughout the event and you’ll see Christmas decorations dotted around, as well as in the Diamond Casino and your owned apartments and penthouses.
These shimmering trimmings will give you that spike of dopamine you need to gather up your strength to go on some merry adventures—as it’s not just aesthetic changes you can feast on this season. Jobs are updated, gathering collectibles such as snowmen give Festive Surprise outfit prizes and items, and several races and time trials are added with various win conditions. Giveaways and bonuses also include money, discounts, extra EXP, and a variety of cars and weapons.
One of the best bits about being in Los Santos in the holidays is the Beast vs Slasher adversary mode. Beasts are given superhuman abilities, such as wild speed, super health, temporary invisibility, and crazy jump skills. They must evade Slashers, who can be of the Assault, Demolition, or Heavy class, and dash through 15 checkpoints scattered around the area.
All-in-all, GTA V’s Festive Surprise event is fun and rewarding, and gives both new and long-time players reasons to come back and get invested once again in the mania of Los Santos. The game’s ability to keep things interesting like this after being around for over 10 years is testament to why it’s still one of the most popular online multiplayers around—and will tide fans over until 2025.
Stardew Valley – Jay Davies
When the subject of Festive Features in video games first came up, I thought it’d be easy to pick out some classic examples to talk about… but I soon realised I could only come up with 3.
The first that sprung to mind was the Die Hard trilogy on PlayStation 1, but given the debate that rages on each year as to whether Die Hard is even a Christmas film, I thought better of it.
The second was The Simpsons: Tapped Out. Hearing the Christmas music when I loaded it up and visiting my friends’ versions of Springfield and leaving them all presents gave me VERY fond memories of playing around Christmas. However, as a mobile game I haven’t logged into since before Covid, I didn’t feel qualified to talk about it anymore.
Which left me with Stardew Valley, a cosy, relaxing farm and town sim. The player must make their way through the seasons with complete freedom on what they focus on. Plant crops, rear animals, fish, mine for minerals, make friends with the townsfolk… or none of the above, it’s all up to personal preference.
Each season brings with it a change to Pelican Town; the music, the villagers’ patterns and dialogue, and the events that are thrown.
Winter is, much like in real life, my personal favourite. Everything looks so beautiful and crisp, covered in a layer of snow. Animals stay snug and warm inside their barns, your farmyard dog can most often be found curled up in front of the roaring fire, and best of all there are no crops to tend to as nothing can grow during the winter season.
This means socialising is the order of the day, and winter allows players to spend more time with their fellow man, gathering and giving gifts, without the day-to-day farming responsibilities they have to deal with the rest of the year.
There are also three ‘events’ during the winter period, and again they are my favourite of the bunch.
The Festival of Ice kicks things off on the 8th, featuring ice sculptures, snowmen and an ice-fishing contest that rewards prizes or pays a handsome 2000g to the winner.
From the 15th to the 17th, the night market appears at the harbour. A stunning array of brightly coloured ships offer to sell their exotic wares, and players can watch the mermaid show or take a fishing trip in a submarine, which offers the chance to catch some rare morsels.
Finally, on the 25th, there’s the Feast of the Winter Star, a festival that takes over the centre of Pelican Town and culminates with a Secret Santa style gift-giving where you can receive some very useful items.
Winter in Stardew Valley is a beautiful, relaxed affair and it always gets me in the mood to celebrate Christmas, even if it’s the middle of Summer when it rolls around in-game.
Dead By Daylight – Sophie Jones
Dead by Daylight has been one of my favourite online games since it came out. I’m not a huge horror fan, but there is something about the chase, hiding and just being a toxic survivor which I really enjoy.
You may think it’s odd to see a horror game in an article about Christmas, but Dead by Daylight knows how to celebrate the festive season. Each year they run an event in December which offers new outfits, fun gear, and amendments to the maps. Last year, players were able to jump into snowmen and walk around in them. It was a lot of fun and extremely silly.
This year, they are running the Bone Chill Event from 14th December to 4th January. The Mount Ormond map has received a festive makeover, which will be reminiscent of happier times. Even the Entity has to enjoy Christmas, right? The super cute snowmen from last year will be replaced with grotesque monstrosities. These snowmen will still offer shelter, but some may harm you. So be careful which ones you approach.
The holiday event also includes Snowskulls. Yes, you heard that correctly. We aren’t going to be having fun-loving snowball fights in this game. But players can collect Snowskulls during the match, which Killers and Survivors alike can throw around the map. They won’t cause any damage or impede movement, but it will be satisfying to watch them land.
What I love about Dead by Daylight’s Christmas event is how many rewards are up for grabs. From 1st December, players can login each day and earn themselves up to a total of 1 million blood points and 3000 iridescent shards! Just like an advent calendar, you will also get a free in game reward each day leading up to Christmas.
If you are a Dead by Daylight fan, the Christmas event is a must. It is the best time to play with freebies, fun and festivity! So, visit the Entity this December and join me in the fog.
Overwatch 2 – Lauren Skinner
“Don’t you just love surprises?”
“Snowball fight! Yay!”
Ever since the first game, Overwatch has embraced the holiday spirit with a sparkling array of festive treats. The Winter Wonderland festival is an Overwatch staple, where players can jump into maps that have had glittering wintery makeovers, from snow drifts covering familiar roads and buildings to wreaths, lights and baubles strewn over railings, buildings, and even the payload. Particularly stunning maps include Black Forest, which has been covered in a cosy blanket of fallen snow, and Kings Row, which has wreaths, lights, and Christmas trees abound.
The winter season is ice-wielding Mei’s time to shine. Last year, Blizzard updated their limited-time snowball fight game mode. In Mei’s Snowball Offensive, her Endothermic Blaster is modified to fire a single, super-powered snowball, which takes down any enemy in one hit. Once her weapon is empty, you need to search for the nearest snow pile to reload, which can be costly if your opponent takes this chance to hit you first. Mei’s Ultimate turns her blaster into an automatic snowball launcher, so make sure to hide before you get frostbite!
Yeti Hunt is also a snow-tastic game mode, where five Mei players are pitted against one Yeti player with Winston’s beastly abilities. Yetis must survive long enough to eliminate all the Meis before they take them down.
Top tip: if you’re a Mei, teamwork makes the dream work, as the Yeti has a hugely boosted health pool to make it a truly chilling opponent.
And of course, what would Overwatch be without jolly, icy, and colourful skins? Maybe your character will be turned into an Ice King or Queen, with icicles hanging off their weapon. Perhaps Cassidy or Sigma will be turned into a festive favourite, like the Zenyatta Nutcracker or the Junkrat Krampus seen in years gone by. Or maybe a cosy jumper or Santa cloak will be up for grabs. Whatever the dress, you can be sure they’ll be accompanied by a seasonal voice line and spray, proving that even the moodiest main can get into the Christmas spirit.
The game modes are engaging, the skins are creative and joyful, and the aesthetic changes that transport you to various seasonal locations around the world never fail to put me in the festive mood.
Hitman – Jacob Rear
Nothing says a Christmas level like a trip to a grand mansion in Paris to… assassinate a pair of thieves?
Not an especially wholesome concept I’ll admit, but bear with me! The Paris level of Hitman gets an interesting twist in the Holiday Hoarders mission. It fully decorates the map with festive lights, Christmas trees, and even lootable presents complete with Christmas themed items and weapons for Agent 47 to make use of (someone clearly knows what he likes!). Your targets have also changed to a pair of thieves who are based off the ones from Home Alone. They are both sneaking around the map trying to pinch all the presents. They even use some techniques you can use yourself, like distracting guards with coins to get through guarded areas.
My favourite part of this festive level though is that you can find Santa teleporting throughout the map and disguise yourself as him. As you are playing the level, you can hear a distant ‘ho ho ho’ as he teleports across the map between cosy Christmas tree areas. If you time it right, you can spot him leaving presents. Now, I have to admit, knocking him out to ‘borrow’ his outfit doesn’t feel especially festive, but the fact it lets you run about as Santa definitely makes up for it. Clearly, Agent 47 also really enjoys the costume as he will even have a little sinister ‘ho ho ho’ to himself after you take down one of the targets!
This level was added to the first Hitman in the World of Assassination series back in 2016 as a time-limited special mission that came back in the follow up games as a permanent option to play. I’m not sure it’s one that would be played outside of the festive period, but it’s a Christmas level that I enjoy as it is a fun twist on the game’s iconic opening level.
Marvel Snap – Dan Hilton
Marvel Snap is an addictive game. It has a unique progression system that puts you in control of your own card collection. If you haven’t played it before then to give you an overview: it is a game where you have to control 2 of 3 locations by having the most amount of power in a given location. You do this by playing cards into the locations that all have different synergies with each other, much like the board game Smash Up. Vision can move every turn, Kraven gets a boost when a card moves into his area, Doctor Strange moves your highest-powered cards to him, etc. The more you play a card, the more ‘boosters’ you earn for that card. You then spend these boosters to upgrade the card – giving it a 3D effect, shining borders, and more. When you upgrade a card, it increases your collection level, which in turn rewards you with new cards to play with. This is what makes it so devilishly addictive.
One of the things that fuels the addictive nature of Marvel Snap is the constant introduction of card variants. These function exactly the same as the base version of said card but feature new artwork. And, of course, that inevitably leads to holiday specific variants for people to get their hands on. And right now is the biggest season of all: Night of the Radishes Christmas!
During this Christmas season there are a variety of wintery variants to add to your collection. Last year there was only 1 winter card released – that of Sunspot enjoying a dip in a hot spring. This year there are 12 cards available. From Patriot sledding on his shield and Sentry wearing a Christmas hat making a gingerbread house to Devil Dinosaur in wintery gear ice skating with Moon Girl. And my favourite of them all (because I am a Grinch) is the artwork of Korg dressed as Santa, delivering chunks of coal. This is not just comical but ties into his card mechanics. When he is played, he throws a rock into your opponent’s deck to clog it up. He will now be chucking a chunk of coal instead. Simple little things like this make me smile.
It is the small moments that make Christmas special. And I think the inclusion of comical little things like this in a popular game just helps it to not only stay relevant, but also delivers a little bit of festive cheer to you!
Phasmophobia – Lauren Skinner
You thought that spooky games only bump up the screams at Halloween? Think again—even ghost hunters love getting into the Christmas spirit…with some spirits.
Logging into the Phasmophobia lobby in any holiday season is always a joy. In December, this means coloured fairy lights, bells, holly, stockings, presents, and, of course, a decorated Christmas tree. It’s fairly subtle but really puts you into the festive mood and gears you up for what’s to come.
On the contract board, you’ll also see that, in specific game modes, there are little Christmas tree stickers on certain maps. To complete the Christmas event, you’ll have to go to each of these locations and find 6 cookies. These are usually quite well hidden, so keep your eyes peeled! Thankfully, the digital boards in your van will keep track of how many you find.
Top tip: light up the map and figure out which ghost is haunting it first. Then you won’t waste all your sanity trying to find the cookies and fail to complete the contract—and you’ll be ready for the next seasonal step.
Once you have all 6, put them on the holiday plate located next to your computer in the van. Take that plate and put it near the ghost. You’ll then get a fright: the ghost will eat the cookies, and your vision will darken. Watch out, hunt time!
It’ll start snowing, and the ghost will now appear for the remainder of the contract with Christmas clothing.
You’d think that this would make a frightening game like Phasmophobia less scary, but seeing horrifying ghosts in a Santa hat doesn’t make up for the additional spooks that come about trying to find cookies while watching your back.
If you’re looking for the ultimate non-cosy festive event, this is it!
Wrap Up
And there you have it! Will you indulge in some jolly holiday quests and grab some seasonal skins and cosmetics? Or will you settle down with a hot chocolate by the light of your Christmas tree and give yourself a good old fright this festive season?
Whatever your preference, we Zatu video gamers wish you all a very Merry Christmas!