Top 5 Best Christmas Themed Games For The Holidays

Last post of the year fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

I admit ending the year on a list is a little lame, but like I said in my last review I didn’t know what I was gonna do to end 2023 on, but I knew it was going to be seasonable! However, with Duke Caribbean having been recently reviewed, a spark was lit in my head. We’ve got holiday movies, tv specials, and music, but the world of video games has always been a hit or miss in that department. Sure, there has been a few that genuinely have the Christmas Spirit, but far more were simply shoved out the door to be cheap cash grabs, and obviously aren’t all that great.

However, I wanted to show off the titles that I think are the best Christmas games out there. Sure, a couple have some faults to them, and they’re all PC releases, but they all represent this time of year rather well in my opinion. So, get yourself a cozy blanket, a big cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows, and enjoy my list of the top 5 best Christmas themed games for the holidays. Let’s begin!

5) Prezzie Hunt (Video)

And here is the only game on this list I haven’t played, and in fact I’ve only known about it for just over 9 years, though weirdly enough I’ve known about the graphics engine that powers it for far longer. I had to include Prezzie Hunt on this list due to the incredibly heartwarming story behind it, and it will melt even the most steely hearted among you. In 2005, a gentleman by the name of Robert Hindle created this game for his two young kids to play around Christmastime. Originally just one level, Robert would actually go on to keep making maps for the game, until 2012 when it would be finally completed. To further add to the wholesomeness of the story, in 2007 a publisher has actually contacted Rob with an offer to “Market” the game properly, but Rob would turn them down to keep the game free, and continue to make levels for those that wanted it. If that doesn’t represent the Christmas Spirit, then I don’t know what does!

4) Jazz Jackrabbit: Holiday Hare 1994 (Video)

Nearly 30 years later, the game about a green rabbit with a blaster wandering the galaxy in an effort to save his girlfriend from an egomaniacal turtle wanting to take over his home planet still has plenty of fans. It wouldn’t be until 2009 when I would finally get to play the full game, as I only had access to the 1st episode (Shareware) when I was younger. Another episode I did have access to when I was little was Holiday Hare 1994. A special Christmas themed episode of Jazz Jackrabbit, it sees the titular Jazz roam the planet of Holidaius in the morning, afternoon, and night. Why? There really isn’t a reason! It’s just a fun green bunny whooping all kinds of ass in a genuinely cute holiday environment. From the visuals, to the music, this bite-sized piece of wholesomeness very clearly had a lot of love put into it. It doesn’t take much time to complete, but the warm & fuzzy feelings it makes lasts for much longer.

(Btw, there is also Holiday Hare 1995. If I do a 2nd list, I’ll put it on that.)

3) Quake: Twisted Xmas (Video)

Had to have a little bit of blood & gore on this list!

I’ve got another bloody Christmas game a little further down the list, but I had to talk about this fan-made Quake level from 1998 first. Created by Twisted Matrix, we see Quake Guy up in the North Pole at Santa’s Factory, but all is not as it seems. The snowmen seem angry, the elves seem bloodthirsty, and the Reindeer are packing heat! Not only that, but the factory seems to be a bit worse for wear, and in many places feels like it’s been abandoned for quite some time. That’s a testament to how well Twisted Xmas was designed: from the models, to how the level was made, and the implementation of seasonal imagery, Twisted Matrix did a really good job with creating this level. Even the brief tribute to Quake 2 was a wonderfully nice touch, and felt like a passing-of-the-torch moment as the gaming landscape shifted by the end of the 90s. It’s still got fans over 25 years later, and even after just a minute or so of gameplay, it’s not hard to see why.

2) Jack In The Dark (Video) ***

An incredibly short experience, this spinoff/preview of Alone In The Dark 2 does not take that long to play. About 5 minutes long (Maybe an extra minute or two if you find the lone readable book), this game doesn’t have that much in terms of brain-testing puzzles (AITD2 didn’t have much either), but if I’m being honest it doesn’t need to! We see Grace Sanders, one of the main characters of Alone In The Dark 2, enter a seemingly empty toy store on what appears to be Halloween night, but upon entering is trapped! Not only that, but many of the toys come to life, and little Grace must escape! It’s a really sweet game, and you wander the toy store, and solve the mystery of why some of the trinkets are causing such a ruckus! Not only that, but there’s a familiar man in red you gotta bust out of toy jail, and when you do.....it’s Christmas!

Now, I was going to put Jack In The Dark at my no. 1 spot. I felt that it had the right vibe & energy that showed that Christmas & Video Games can mix together really well. However, there was one game I felt that should take the crown.....and none of you should be surprised by what it is.

1) Duke: Nuclear Winter (Playlist)

None of you should be surprised by this one.

If you recall my review from back in 2021 (Read here), you may remember I gave what was in the minds of many the worst of the Duke Nukem expansions a fair bit of criticism, and I still stand by all of them. That being said.....I just love this release! Yes, it’s got a lot of dents in it’s armor, but it’s obvious that Simply Silly Software knew how to make a game, or at least work with an existing title. The standard Duke formula wasn’t changed for the post part, but the Christmas coat of paint that covered practically the whole package (Save for one level) makes the experience ridiculous. However, every Christmas Eve for just about 15 years at this point I load it up, play through the whole thing, and then go up to bed to sleep. Yes, Nuclear Winter isn’t one of the best. Yes, it could have had more effort put into it. That said, it could have been so much worse, and it is a bit of a guilty pleasure in my opinion. If you want the living embodiment of turn-your-brain-off Christmas entertainment, complete with warts & all, then Duke: Nuclear Winter is for you!

So those were the top 5 best Christmas themed games for the holidays. Again, it’s a little silly to end my posts this year on a list, but it was within the season, and it was easy to make. If any of these caught your interest in any way, please check these out! And with that, I close the chapter known as 2023 here on the Heavy Metal Otaku blog. This was a rough year in a lot of places, but we all managed to survive until the end. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas (Or Chanukah, Kwanzaa, or Robotica), and I’ll see you in 2024!



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If you want to get your hands on this, buy either Alone In The Dark 1 or the Alone in the Dark Anthology. It is included within the 1st game at the startup.