The List of December 2025’s Must-Play Christmas Video Games
Deck the halls and your backlog—December 2025’s best Christmas video games span cozy indies, party-starting couch co-op, and fresh festive updates to keep you playing through the holidays.
Unwrapping a new console on Christmas morning and sprinting to hook it up is a core memory for a lot of us. One of mine was popping in a fresh copy of James Bond 007: Nightfire and calling a ceasefire with my siblings for exactly one evening. Anyway, holiday gaming still hits different. Some games are full-on Christmas, some just take place in December, and some are simply perfect to play during the break. The magic is when all three overlap.
- Batman: Arkham Origins
Gotham in this prequel is all snowdrifts, twinkle lights, and late-night menace, and the mood does most of the work. The story isn’t about Christmas, but the holiday setting feels intentional right down to a Joker motif that sneaks in notes of "Carol of the Bells." Winter is a great time for criminals to get bold, which gives Batman a busy Christmas Eve.
Available on: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC - Dead Rising 4
Capcom’s festive zombie buffet tosses you into a Colorado town right after the holidays, where carols blare over loudspeakers, decorations are still up, and the weapons are gloriously ridiculous. The plot? Not as strong as the earlier entries, but that’s not really why you’re here. It’s creative, it’s chaotic, and it’s great for blowing off steam after the longest family dinner of the year.
Available on: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 4 - The Grinch: Christmas Adventures
Not in a carnage mood (or have younger gamers around)? This 2023 release plays like a breezy holiday obstacle course. You’re the Grinch, with the world’s best Max trotting alongside, sneaking through the beats of Dr. Seuss’s story while a narrator reads the book as you play. Simple mechanics, cheerful vibe, and low-stress platforming that still scratches the itch of playing the villain. Skews younger, but it’s crowd-pleasing for the whole family.
Available on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC - Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Few things feel more seasonal than New York City in December, and this game locks into that: snow-dusted rooftops, glowing storefronts, and an actual holiday backdrop for a warm, community-driven story. It’s slick, fast, and heartfelt. It’s also shorter than a full sequel, which makes it a perfect long-weekend playthrough.
Available on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC - Roki
If you want quiet and cozy, this Scandinavian folklore-inspired puzzle-adventure is a wintery storybook come to life. You play a young girl on a quest to rescue her brother from some heavy-duty fairytale beasts. It’s not explicitly a Christmas game, but the Nordic chill and a slightly melancholic tone feel seasonally right. The puzzles are satisfying, but the art and family-first story are what linger.
Available on: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Honorable mentions if you need more: Cthulhu Saves Christmas and The Division.
How I picked: There aren’t many true Christmas video games, so I looked for titles that either center on the holiday in theme or story, or ones set during the season that use it thoughtfully enough that you can feel it. When a game nails the vibe, the setting, and the actual fun of playing it over the holidays, it makes the cut.