For those who love Christmas, this is the most wonderful time time of the year. If you want to be all in on Christmas and bring some jolly experiences to your Switch gaming too, we've got the games for you. Get a full on Christmas experience with some Christmas time titles or see how developers bring a jingle bell touch to an evergreen game. Here are our favorites.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, villagers get to enjoy the change of the seasons in real world time. In addition to the snow beginning to fall on the island, fans can look forward to the famed Toy Day that happens on December 24. Music, presents, ugly sweaters, snow, and a special Toy Day event with Jingle the reindeer really immerse you into the Christmas spirit in paradise.
(opens in new tab)Stardew Valley
While this game doesn't work in real time like Animal Crossing, from within the game during the winter season on the 25th day there is an event called Feast of the Winterstar. Players are given a villager at random to buy a gift for and the whole village does a gift exchange. There is snow and a beautiful Christmas tree in the center of Pelican Town giving all the vibes of the season.
(opens in new tab)Cozy Grove
This adorable indie title may be about camping in haunted territory, but that doesn't mean you can't catch any winter feelings from it! It runs based on real time so there are seasonal things available based on the time of year. The game just released in March of 2021 so we will be seeing their version of the winter season for the first time. While we aren't sure exactly what to expect yet, the Cozy Grove Twitter page indicated that the winter update will drop on the 20th of December.
(opens in new tab)Super Mario Maker 2
Part of the joy of Super Mario Maker 2 is the ability to create your own levels. This means you can get really creative with your designs and play on colors and items to create a winter wonderland of your own! Bring together objects in a new way to make your own Christmas in-game.
(opens in new tab)Fortnite
What can make you feel more jolly than taking it to the battlefield with your buddies? This free-to-play battle royale offers players new skins, new challenges, and more. These are all offered with a winter theme and are given as part of a free update.
(opens in new tab)Overwatch 2
Another shooter game offering a winter event is Overwatch 2 with the 2022 Winter Wonderland event. Even though this is the first holiday season with the new game, the events that we're used to from Overwatch have carried over so far and are expected to continue. Special Christmas skins for characters as well as winter-themed objectives will appear for players during the event. Players will also enjoy some new decorations around the maps for an extra touch of winter.
(opens in new tab)Cthulhu Saves Christmas
Bringing back the old 8-bit style games and mixing horror and Christmas is Cthulhu Saves Christmas. If we can depend on a flying reindeer with an inexplicably glowing nose, why not count on an Eldritch Terror who has to save Santa to regain his powers? This is a short and funny adventure that has you fighting the evils of Christmas and laughing all the way.
(opens in new tab)Santa's Xmas Adventure
Sometimes there's nothing that hits as good as a satisfying puzzle game. With Santa's Xmas Adventure, players work to slide pieces around to help Santa collect gifts before making it to the finish line. The more gifts he picks up before crossing the checkered line, the more you score.
There are 720 levels to play through with varying degrees of difficulty available. Get lost in these simple mechanics and see why it's such a great choice for celebrating the holidays.
(opens in new tab)Advent Calendar
Just like a physical advent calendar that gives out candy, socks, or some other little gift each day, Advent Calendar for Switch gives players access to a new game every day for 25 days, leading to a total of 25 Christmas-themed minigames. Once every game has been unlocked, you can access them all year whenever you want. There are jigsaw puzzles, tile puzzle games, number puzzles, and even multiplayer.
(opens in new tab)Have yourself a merry gaming Christmas
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There are plenty of games to enjoy on your Switch with a Christmas flare. If you'd like to customize some things and add your own set of decorations, build your own island and deck the halls to your desire in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. But if you'd rather have a jolly good time taking down other teams with just a dash of Christmas spirit try the winter events in Overwatch or Fortnite. For a quick adventure with a lot of laughs, dive into Cthulhu Saves Christmas and enjoy the classic 8-bit style while you take down Krampus and other Christmas evils. No matter what you do, have yourself a Merry Little Christmas with your Switch in hand.
