Christmas is approaching, so it’s time to get into the holiday spirit. Everyone has their own version of what this looks like, and for many gamers, this involves keeping the spooky season rolling after Halloween.
There’s an interesting niche of Christmas horror games on Steam, giving players the best of both worlds. Here are 10 I reckon you should give a try this holiday season. Note that these aren’t just games set on Christmas. Instead, the holiday is the central theme in these games, just likeDie Hardbeing set at Christmas doesn’t make it a “Christmas movie” (sorry).
Tattletail
The year is 1998, and you just got a Tattletail (which, for legal reasons, isnota Furby) for Christmas. It won’t shut up, and you must keep it happy by feeding it, grooming it, and letting it charge. If you don’t, it’ll make more noise, attracting the attention of the deadly Mama Tattletail.
Tattletail‘send goal is to collect various gift eggs throughout the game without being killed in the dark by Mama Tattletail. It’s a simple concept but one that provides some suitably festive scares.
Christmas Massacre
Puppet Combo’sChristmas Massacreis a stylish stealth slasher game where you play as Larry, an individual who dresses up as Santa Claus and is told to kill indiscriminately by his Christmas Tree.
Gruesome, gory murder is the only name of the game here, underlined by some cool PlayStation 1-style graphics. If you’re after a mindless Christmas horror game this year, thenChristmas Massacreshould be exactly what you want.
September 7th
Ignore the name –September 7this a game about Christmas. When you receive a Christmas Elf as a holiday gift, strange occurrences begin in your home.
This game falls into the walking simulator genre and is extremely short. But what it misses in length, it more than makes up for in its incredibly eerie atmosphere. Perfect for a short burst of holiday frights.
Crimson Snow
Crimson Snowis another Christmas walking simulator, this time focused on surviving a single night alongside your girlfriend. A terrifying intruder has interrupted the festivities, and your actions will determine whether you both will make it through.
Crimson Snowhas some striking visuals and makes great use of tension. It never really lets up in this regard and even has multiple endings for a solid amount of replayability.
Irony Of Nightmare
If an intense atmosphere is what you’re looking for,Irony of Nightmareis perfect. It’s just you, an uninvited guest, and a fight for survival.
What setsIrony of Nightmareapart is its focus on puzzles, of which there are plenty to solve here if you’re going to make it out alive.
Christmas Nightmare
Christmas Nightmareis jump-scare central. And to be fair, it’s pretty effective at this throughout its approximate 1-hour playtime, even if it might get old for some.
Here, you play as Connor, who just wants to relax over the holidays after a hard day at work. As usual, all is not as it seems, as the festive period turns into a fight for survival.
Krampus Kills
I’d recommendKrampus Killsjust on the strength of the appearance of the titular antagonist. DangerousBob Studio did a fantastic job in making Krampus a menacing foe to meet in a dark festive home.
This game is a change of pace from the others on this list in that it’s a high-octane shooter instead of a walking simulator. You’ll fight evil elves, snowmen, and of course, Krampus himself. The shooting is a little janky, but it’s part of the charm!
Christmas Night
Christmas Nightis a collectathon and tense walking simulator about getting onto Santa’s nice list. His naughty list is a little more deadly than usual, so it’s something you want to avoid.
There are some cool visuals and tense set pieces here. Pick it up for cheap for one of the best Christmas horror games on Steam.
Evil Holiday
Suspenseful but with a bit of Christmas corniness,Evil Holidayis an interesting festive title. It does a good job timing its jumpscares and has a solid atmosphere to boot.
If you find it’s not for you, it doesn’t waste your time, as it’s quite a short experience.
For Goodness Sake
The text-heavyFor Goodness Sakeis a 20-minute horror experience that is free to play. Complete chores around the house while avoiding being taken by Krampus, like those before you.
Several endings mean you can get a few playthroughs out ofFor Goodness Sake, making up for its short runtime.
