It’s that time of year for many of us, the season of indulgence, where we find ourselves eating things we don’t even necessarily like, treated as a kind of aperitif to the things we actually do like, surrounded by questionable decorations and listening to family members squabble. Sometimes all you really want is to retreat into something simpler, flashing lights, festive vibes, and a bit of escapism.
If you’re into gaming, few things beat the satisfaction of slapping a single game into a physical console, eating far too much to justify getting up, and letting it do the heavy lifting. It’s a small but welcome antidote to fractured attention, helped in no small part by the fact that you’re already too full and too comfortable to bother changing the disc.
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It’s actually quite remarkable how few truly great Christmas games exist, especially when you consider how dominant seasonal media has been across film, television, and music. It does make a certain amount of sense when you factor in long development cycles and the narrow seasonal release window. When pitched against other big-hitter titles competing for the same slot, Christmas-themed games often struggle to justify their existence. Still, it feels a little strange that there are so few fully fledged festive releases out there.
One rule for this article was to focus on true Christmas and winter-themed experiences. Simply having snow doesn’t get you on Santa’s good list. Apologies, then, to all the fantastic snowboarding titles we’ve left out in the cold.
Still, we’ve done our best to compile a list of genuine Christmas games that are well worth revisiting. Sure, there’s no shortage of DLC, seasonal events, and temporary holiday updates, but this list focuses on titles that go all in on the Christmas vibe, games built around the season itself, rather than sticking some reindeer antlers and tinsel into a level and calling it a day.
The Grinch (Sony PlayStation, 2000)
For many, The Grinch is a Christmas movie staple, Jim Carrey at full throttle in a film that’s arguably not objectively good, but undeniably wacky, high-energy, and entertaining. Much of the same can be said for its surprisingly solid movie tie-in on the original PlayStation. Hot take, is this one of those rare cases where a movie tie-in is actually better than the film it’s based on? Possibly.
Beneath the festive presentation sits a platformer that can be unexpectedly tough, leaning into the awkward jumps and trial-and-error design that defined many late-era PS1 games. It’s frustrating at times, but still enjoyable if you know what you’re getting into.
Image Source: Wikipedia
It’s also worth remembering that The Grinch released in 2000, with the PlayStation 2 already on store shelves. When viewed alongside early-generation PS2 titles like Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (which released barely a year after this game), it understandably struggles to hold up, but for the sake of a few Christmas laughs a quarter of a century later, and in the spirit of this list, we’ll certainly let that slide.
A varied mix of platforming, light puzzles, stealth elements, and sections involving Max the dog help keep things fresh, and if you’re even vaguely fond of PS1 aesthetics, jank and all, it’s a game that’s genuinely hard to hate
The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge (Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, 2004)
Okay, we may be stretching things slightly with this entry, and admittedly it’s far more Halloween than it is Christmas (check out our last halloween article here if you generally just long for this time of year instead).
That said, there’s an unlockable Santa Jack outfit, and as the game moves into its later stages there’s simply more actual Christmas-themed goodness on show.
Image Source: Wikipedia
This competent PlayStation 2 and original Xbox brawler is a fun little romp through Tim Burton’s stop-motion universe. Developed by TOSE under Capcom’s production oversight, it somewhat surprisingly plays very much like a God of War-lite experience, with combat, traversal, and even camera angles that are strangely reminiscent of our muscular, beefcake murder merchant’s adventures. You do realise fairly quickly, however, that the game lacks the depth in combat that God of War so effortlessly flexes.
With all things considered, the game looks good, and the atmosphere and presentation do a solid job of bringing out the themes of the beloved movie and Jack Skellington’s universe.
There’s a high level of production quality on show here, and it’s honestly a pretty decent game to crack on with over the festive period if you’re after something at least slightly Christmassy. It’s an easy, charming play on the PlayStation 2 or Xbox over the season.
Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams (SEGA Saturn, 1996)
Although technically a promotional disc, or enhanced demo, for NiGHTS into Dreams, Christmas NiGHTS is far more than your average throwaway sampler. It’s packed with charming little extras and seasonal flourishes that make it feel like a genuine Christmas release rather than a bit of marketing fluff.
One of the neat tricks here is the real-time clock system, which changes elements of the game depending on the date and time you play. Boot it up on Christmas Day and you’ll see festive decorations, snowfall, and subtle audio changes, a surprisingly clever idea for the mid-90s, and one that still feels novel today.
Image Source:Wikipedia
It’s also worth mentioning that this disc features Sonic the Hedgehog’s first truly 3D appearance, which is a fun bit of Sega trivia and an easy way to make collectors perk up. It’s brief, but historically interesting all the same.
NiGHTS into Dreams is one of those mid-90s titles that’s absolutely drenched in the vibe of its era, and Christmas NiGHTS is simply that same dreamlike experience with festive bells and whistles layered on top. It’s relaxed, slightly odd, and very pleasant to dip into, especially during the holiday season.
If you’re feeling fancy, this is also a good excuse to track down some classic Sega Saturn accessories from Japan, like the 3D Control Pad designed with NiGHTS in mind. ZenMarket can help with that, and you can also check out our article on unusual Japanese import controllers.
Also Read: Retro and Modern Gaming Consoles that Support Japanese Gaming Controllers
Bravo Music: Christmas Edition (Sony PlayStation 2, 2004)
The author of this article is 100 percent guilty of banging on about Bravo Music before, and that’s precisely because it is good. We’ve already gone into more depth on the original game, known as Mad Maestro in the West, in our roundup of PS1 and PS2 rhythm games, but this festive edition is still well worth a mention.
The gameplay here is fundamentally the same as the original Bravo Music, with its rhythm-based conducting, exaggerated gestures, and the need for more precision than the presentation initially lets on. What changes is the framing, Christmas-themed scenarios, festive visuals, and a holiday-leaning track selection that gives the whole thing a seasonal twist.
Image Source: Wikipedia
This is a shorter title, but it’s packed with festive fun and still offers a decent level of challenge, especially if you’re aiming for higher scores rather than simply muddling through.
The track selection mixes Christmas standards with classical favourites, including Joy to the World (Lowell Mason), Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (J. Fred Coots), We Wish You a Merry Christmas (English traditional song), Silent Night (Franz Gruber), and Jingle Bells (James Lord Pierpont).
Alongside classical pieces such as The Skaters’ Waltz (Émile Waldteufel), Polovtsian Dances (Alexander Borodin, Prince Igor), Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, 4th Movement, Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV. 550, 1st Movement, Voices of Spring (Johann Strauss II), and Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (J. S. Bach).
It’s a smaller, more focused release than the main game, but it’s still a lot of fun, especially if you already have a soft spot for Bravo Music and want something a bit festive.
Snowman (Sony PlayStation, Japan Exclusive, 1996)
A very different kind of Christmas title to the previous entries on this list, Snowman is less about tinsel and Christmas lights and more about a particular winter mood. It leans into a wistfully sweet, quietly fantastical sense of adventure rooted in cosiness, solitude, and the bleak charm of winter, evoking something closer to rural England in the darker months, where warmth and melancholy tend to sit side by side.
The game is based on The Snowman, the illustrated children’s book by Raymond Briggs, first published in the late 1970s and later adapted into the iconic animated television film in 1982. This Japan-exclusive PlayStation release takes that material and presents it as an interactive children’s experience rather than a traditional game in the usual sense.
Image Source: Rakuten
That said, there’s a fair bit more here than you might expect for a mid-90s licensed title of this type. The game features a range of simple mini-games and interactive modes, all themed around the world of The Snowman. None of it is complex, but there’s a gentle variety to what’s on offer, and it’s not hard to imagine this being remembered fondly by Japanese players who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s.
Most notably, the entire original animated film is included on the disc. The video is understandably compressed due to PlayStation CD limitations, but the audio fares much better, making effective use of the console’s sound capabilities, an important detail given how central music is to The Snowman’s emotional pull.
It’s fair to say this isn’t the most practical way to experience The Snowman today, but it remains a very festive piece of media, and a gentle time capsule to the kind of cosy, comfortable Christmases many of us remember from decades past.
Looking for more on PS1 Japanese exclusives? Check out our article here.
Also Read: PS1 Games Stuck in Japan
Looking to get hold of some PS1 region exclusives in the flesh? ZenMarket can help.
The Polar Express (Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, 2004)
The Polar Express game was released to coincide with the film’s Christmas 2004 launch. It’s a fairly run-of-the-mill movie tie-in, but certainly not the worst of its era. You progress along the titular train, completing a mix of basic platforming, light puzzles, and simple action scenarios as you move from carriage to carriage.
While it obviously exists to capitalise on the winter gravy train, it does at least commit fully to being a Christmas game. Snowy environments, festive set dressing, and the constant sense of forward motion along the train give it a clear seasonal identity, something a lot of licensed titles of the time didn’t even bother attempting.
There’s also more effort put into the presentation than you might expect. Voice work is handled by Jim Hanks, brother of Tom Hanks, who reprises several roles from the film, including the Hobo, Santa Claus, the Conductor, and the Ebenezer Scrooge puppet. If that voice sounds familiar, it should, Jim Hanks has long been the go-to video game Woody, providing the character’s voice in many Toy Story games and even reprising the role in Kingdom Hearts III.
The game itself spans six fairly uninspired levels, though the PlayStation 2 version did at least include EyeToy support as a quirky novelty feature. There was also a separate version released on the Game Boy Advance, which some consider the slightly stronger outing overall.
Movie tie-in titles of this genre were notoriously hit-or-miss, and The Polar Express sits firmly in the middle of the level of quality consumers had come to expect at the time. It’s not a forgotten classic, but if you flat-out insist on playing a Christmas-themed 3D console game from the early-to-mid 2000s, this is one of them.
And a Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year from Zenmarket!
So that’s a handful of stocking fillers, jingle bell ticklers and general nuggets of festive gaming joy to check out and bring at least a little light-hearted fun to the dark months of winter.
If you're in need of a single gift, a few, or an entire sackful straight from the shores of Japan for you, or every single person you've known, loved or ever met, use Zenmarkets services to make your next international order a piece of cake.