The festive season doesn’t have to be all about the feel-good movie marathons, with Home Alone and The Holiday thrown in there, or the Mariah Carey riffs.Horrorbuffs lean towards darker film binges, including Silent Night and Krampus, and eerie playthroughs of terrifying indie games, which are also thrilling activities to indulge in over the holidays.
From walking simulators to VR and classic RPGs, the horror genre in video games is in abundance and packed with moreChristmas-inspired experiences than you may realize.
Christmas Massacre
Pagan Peak VR
Alone In The Dark 2
Cthulhu Saves Christmas
Until Dawn
Parasite Eve
Christmas Nightmare
Krampus is Home
Dead Rising 4
Tattletail
Level Up Your Christmas With 10 Holiday Themed Video Games
verify to take some well-earned downtime this Christmas. Here are the best video games to play during the holiday season.
10 of the best Christmas-themed horror games
A festive manhunt
In Puppet Combo’s 2021 slasher, a talking Christmas tree convinces Larry to go on an NPC killing spree dressed as Santa, and his rampage bags a nod to one ofthe goriest gamesin the subgenre.The 80s retro vibe is enhanced with low-poly, PS1-style graphics as you use arcade-style stealth to stalk and slay victims and Steam currently has a 35% off deal on the Torture Star Bundle that includes nine games and 15% off the Puppet Combo Bundle should you want to try other games from the devs.
Christmas Massacre is a blood-soaked title to play if you’re a fan of B-movie-styled slashers like Black Christmas that takes place on Christmas Eve, and it sees the return of the protagonist from Puppet Combo’s previous game, Blood Maniac. Reminiscent of Rockstar North’s 2003 stealth game Manhunt, this gore-fest is over-the-top in the most satisfying way and be sure to check out the developer’s other Christmas title, Planet of Bloodthirsty Santa, if you enjoyed the mayhem in this massacre.
A snowy setting puts you in the thick of it
This chilling VR escape room thriller by Another World drops you into the role of a criminal profiler tasked with investigating the psyche of the Krampus Killer. Isolated in a mysterious alpine cabin, Pagan Peak asks you to gather puzzle pieces whilst keeping your eye out for the nearby killer and the game uses photogrammetry to project realistic graphics.Steam is offering a 50% discount on this VR adventure that will test your intuition this season.
Inspired by the Austrian-German Sky Original series of the same name, nothing screams a creepy Christmas more than a frightening killer on the loose in a snowy setting. The horned, Krampus entity, said to be the antithesis of Santa Claus, is a terrifying image for aserial killer, and since Pagan Peak is VR only, the intensity will be dialed up to 10 while you attempt to crack the mind of a madman.
A festive continuation of a classic
WHERE TO PLAY
Infogrames and THQ Nordic released this sequel to the critically acclaimed Alone in the Dark in 1994, and the premise revolves around a new hero, Edward Carnby, who must battle evil in the Derceto hell house to investigate the kidnapping of Grace Saunders.This successor covers a lighter plot to the previous game but offers plenty of festive props and outfits, and if you’re a fan of the whole Alone in the Dark series, Steam has an anthology package collecting all three games and the 2008 entry.
Ported in Europe asAlone in the Dark: Jack Is Back and Alone in the Dark: One-Eyed Jack’s Revenge in North America, this sequel is the first of two Lovecraftian games on this list and takes place on Christmas in 1924. To strengthen the Christmas spirit, players can dress the protagonist in a Santa costume to hide from zombies and this follow-up title also puts combat above the first game’s exploration focus, should you prefer more action-packed gameplay.
Create a cute but eldritch Christmas
Zeboyd Digital Entertainment has unleashed the great beast from the sea in this JRPG comedy which serves as a prequel to Cthulhu Saves the World! Tag along with Cthulhu, the Snow Maiden, Baba Yaga-chan, and more to regain the master of insanity’s powers by rescuing Santa Claus from the League of Christmas Evil and you’re able to also save 14% on the Cthulhu Saves Christmas Game and Soundtrack Bundle when you order on Steam.
If you fancy something different from the doom and gloom of bloodshed and pagan killers, Cthulhu Saves Christmas proves there’s something for every gamer in the Christmas horror corner, including JRPG fans. Created by H.P. Lovecraft, Cthulhu is a popular character in his own right, and this game not only captures the festive spirit in Christmas Town and its snowy setting, but it also harnesses a comedic tone if you’re looking for a horror game that’s a bit more light-hearted.
A potential party game
From Supermassive Games comes this 2015 interactive horror that puts the player in control of eight youngsters who must survive the harrowing events that threaten their lives on Blackwood Mountain.Multiple choices will propel the story forward while also influencing the narrative and the cast list is stacked with actors of note, including Rami Malek, Hayden Panettiere, and Peter Stormare.
Even thoughUntil Dawnisn’t set around Christmas, nor does it have anyone dressing up as Santa, it is based in the snowy setting of Blackwood Mountain, so now is as good a time as any to start your playthrough. If you’re a fan of Supermassive Games’ other entries, likeThe Dark Pictures AnthologyorThe Quarry, this title is a must-play to experience the developer’s big hit, and it’s also fun to play with friends and family thanks to the game’s butterfly effect system.
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An unlikely Christmas contender
The 1998 RPG by Square acts as a sequel to the novel of the same name by Hideaki Sena and was also noted for being SquareSoft’s first M-rated game.Revolving around New York City police officer Aya Brea’s six-day hunt for a woman who wants to destroy the human race through human combustion, Parasite Eve boasts unique combat mechanics from the dev’s “experimental period” with cinematic visuals.
What makesParasite Evea Christmas horror is the fact that it’s set on Christmas Eve in the Big Apple and gamers who are a fan ofFinal Fantasy 7andResident Evilwill love this title that’s been described as a hybrid of both. The timeline of the game starts on Christmas Eve and continues up until December 29 in 1997, and this background setting provides the exact festive ambiance we’re looking for in these games.
Stroll through a nightmarish neighborhood
Just Tomcuk has released a brand-new adventure walking simulator in the run-up to Christmas that promises to deliver a legitimate nightmare for you and protagonist Connor.With only 60 minutes of gameplay on offer, Christmas Nightmare comes from the imagination behind Silent Nights and Abandoned Souls to bring a terrifying display of shadows and snowy, isolated locations to explore, and Steam is currently offering a 29% off deal on a Just Tomcuk bundle.
Several of your surrounding neighbors will likely be decorated with the same aesthetic as Christmas Nightmare’s setting, which is why this game is a refreshing, albeit sinister, alternative to the holly jolly suburban setting. Blending horror with Christmastime also confirms that you may turn anything on its head to present a whole new perspective, but maybe don’t play this one right before going to bed on Christmas Eve.
Face your fears in first person gameplay
Regl Studios is inviting you to get up close and personal with Krampus in this indie horror that follows teenager Sebastian and the troubling events he encounters while waiting for his parents to come home at Christmas.This is a multiplayer game so that your friends can suffer alongside you and Steam has a 70% discount on the game right now, so there’s no excuse not to try the survival horror and its advanced AI.
Instead of leaving out milk and cookies for Santa, you can escape Krampus and his minions, which include a vigilant reindeer and a psychotic elf. With co-op of up to seven players on offer, escaping Krampus and his pawns may be less traumatizing and more enjoyable with friends, but the art style still keeps the nightmare scape alive and kicking. Survival is key in Krampus Is Home and the game promises to deliver several jumpscares to make your holiday season exhilarating.
Defend the streets with some Christmas cheer
Released in 2016 by Capcom Vancouver and Microsoft Studios, this action-adventure title pits Frank West against hordes of the undead within this direct sequel to Dead Rising 3 and exploration is key within the returning open-world setting that provides endless zombie carnage alongside a photojournalism side hustle.Amazon and Walmart both have PS4 and Xbox One copies in stock, with the latter flaunting a 24% discount on Frank’s Big Package. Best Buy also has digital downloads in stock including the Season Pass.
When we think of Santa Claus, bow-wrapped presents, and a Christmas dinner spread, battling the undead doesn’t immediately spring to mind for most, butDead Rising 4is a game-changer. Set within a rebuilt Willamette, Colorado, the game takes place during the holiday season, similar to The Division, the city was abandoned after the outbreak, leaving all the Christmas decorations intact. Prepare to slay elf-themed zombies and tear up the streets on your reindeer bike within the Stocking Stuffer DLC.
Furby turned to the dark side
If you’ve ever been triggered by the old 90s shows, like Teletubbies or Barney the Dinosaur, then Waygetter Electronics’ survival horror Tattletail may be about to deliver a dose of emotional damage.During Christmas 1998, you play the owner of the annoying titular toy that threatens to get you in trouble and set the manic Mama Tattletail on you, and if you purchase the title on Steam, you’ll get the new DLC included.
Riffing off the paranoia we got from watching Gremlins, Tattletail taps into that irrational fear of toys coming to life to start an uprising, but this furry toy has other things in mind. With tasks like feeding and brushing Tattletail to keep him happy and keeping your noise level to an absolute minimum, this stealth game will have you tiptoeing around your abode for the rest of the night, and it’s a great gift for someone who’s still riding the Tamagotchi phase.
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