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Mariah Carey is already defrosting, marking the start of the most wonderful time of the year: Christmas season. While there are a fair share of party-poopers that seem to believe we’re committing a divine sin for being excited so early, that hasn’t stopped me from already getting my Christmas lights out.
With that in mind, I wanted to play a Christmasy horror game during November to get myself in the mood, while also saying goodbye to my favourite season of autumn. While we all know I’m just going to play Silent Hill f again, I noticed something else: there is a surprising lack of Christmas-themed games, much less Christmas horror games.
It’s genuinely surprising to me how so little content exists for Christmas — if there’s a Christmas game, it’s typically a traditional, jolly Christmas experience (such as The Grinch Christmas Adventures). There are also many other games players dive into to get into the holiday spirit (Skyrim is a particularly wonderful example, with a rich world that brings warmth despite the harsh winter), but they aren’t typically taking place in or around Christmas, for the most part.
Things like this make me wonder: where are the Christmas games? Where are the Christmas ужас games? And with that in mind, how terrifying would a Christmas horror game even be?
Have Yourself A Scary Little Christmas
A Ground Ripe With Horror Ideas
Now, I’ll be clear on something: there are still games that take place during Christmastime (or even Christmas Day), such as Batman: Arkham Origins, The Division, Dead Rising 4, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales. But there really aren’t many more, leaving players scrambling to fill in the gaps during the months of November and December.
In the horror sphere, Still Wakes the Deep and Parasite Eve take place on/around the holidays, but even then, there are still a significant number of horror fans who have heard of neither. One’s an indie gem and the other is a cult classic, so they’ve already slipped under the radar for many players who tend to only notice what’s more mainstream. You’d be surprised by just how many people ask me what I’m talking about when I bring either title up.
Christmas and darkness have always gone hand-in-hand, prominently with ghost stories like the ones we see in A Christmas Carol, but it seems that there are no Christmas horror games that even touch on these spirits, much less utilise them for terror. Seriously, imagine if we had a horror game with scary ghost stories and tales of the glorious Christmases long, long ago — I had to, sorry.
Even some traditional Christmas music can give up a creepy, uneasy vibe — гимн колоколов и О святая ночь are beautiful songs that tug at your heartstrings, and it also happens to work as the soundtrack for holiday horror. There are several different methods and ways to approach Christmas stories for horror games, and it’s even easier to create something with such a strong foundation.
«But it’s preying on nostalgia,» I already hear you cry. «And Christmas is too wholesome and beautiful.»
And that just tells me your horror scope is sadly, depressingly small. These are non-issues, especially since we’ve seen horror games absolutely nail this tone and concept over and over again.
Nostalgic Fear Isn’t New
Beauty In Terror Is More Than Possible; It’s Phenomenal
Video games have been banking on your nostalgia for the past decade and will continue to do so long as they continue to sell. Horror in particular has frequently used the concept of nostalgia as a backbone for the genre, with many of the remake/remasters nailing the atmosphere. Absolutely terrible (but still fitting) examples tend to be in the realm of mascot horror, such as Poppy Playtime. Mascot horror has been consistently nothing but blatant cash grabs, fully preying on your nostalgia, but that hasn’t stopped them from taking the horror world by storm.
We long for nostalgia; it’s why we as humans have a tendency to live in our own memories. And honestly, there isn’t a time that’s more nostalgic than Christmas for so many of us. We all have a Christmas memory that we continue to cherish. For me (and likely many others), it’s actually playing Mario with my siblings. We crave our own treasured memories, and that’s the exact kind of stomping ground that horror games would thrive on.
As far as beauty in terror, it’s been done before, and it’s been done masterfully — especially with 2025’s horror masterpiece, Silent Hill f. Seriously, I’ve played so many horror games, but none are as stunningly beautiful as Silent Hill’s newest entry. By using blooming flowers, blood-red vines, and moody lighting, even the most grotesque scenes become works of art. So, if we were to take this similar concept but with a Christmas backdrop, this could easily be recreated with snow and twinkling lights instead.
Let’s not forget, Christmas is a religious holiday for many, and horror games have no shortage of casual blasphemy. Religious fears/trauma have been a staple since ancient folklore, as religious consequences are often the greatest fears of the most spiritual and superstitious individuals. Christmas, with pagan and Christian origins, is a blank canvas for these kinds of terrors, and the perfect haunting ground for players.
Christmastime fills us with warmth and comfort to distract us from the horrors of winter, but what if a time that’s supposed to bring us ease actually works with all the terror that winter provides?
Christmas Is Distinct From Winter Horror
Ослепленный светом
I should also mention that I’m asking for Christmas-specific horror games, as we have our fair share of winter-themed or winter-setting horror games. It just so happens that these wintry entries don’t have an ounce of Christmas in them, and it gives off the same feeling as the slow, cold suffocation of January. There are plenty of games where winter is the real enemy, but there’s no warmth or comfort among the snow and ice. It’s just endless white.
If I wanted a heartless snow with more Scrooge than holiday cheer, I’d just step outside.
You genuinely feel the difference. Think about how the world feels around Christmastime, especially during childhood, and compare that to the dead winter right after the holidays are over and everyone has taken all the decorations down. There’s plenty of horror with that distinct lack of warmth — what I’m looking for is a horror game that warmth.
A horror game set during Christmas would add a unique, distinct atmosphere, combining both twinkling magic and core-rattling hauntings. Багровый снег, for example, tackled this concept — but once again, it’s an indie game. You are bound to find the most creative ideas in the indie sphere, with many AAA titles avoiding the holidays like the plague. As much as I love indie games, I would like to play something that would last longer than a couple of hours.
Now, does there have to be a surplus of these holiday horrors? No, it’s not Halloween after all, but I’m just genuinely surprised that this is an avenue that hasn’t really been explored in the horror sphere. Especially since horror as a genre is home to so many unique ideas and creative approaches, it feels almost mythical that there are only a handful in the Christmas department.
Then again, who knows? Maybe Santa has a secret copyright that developers would rather not deal with. Maybe there wasn’t enough interest in the playerbase. Maybe it’s just too challenging to adapt. Or maybe, it’s simply something developers haven’t given a lot of thought — and if that’s the case, I hope that changes quickly.
Either way, I’ll stay on the hunt for ghost stories in Christmastime, an endeavor that will either lead to the coolest gift, or be the gaming equivalent of a bag of coal. I’m confident in the former.
