The holiday season will soon be upon us, and there’s no better time of the year to spend some quality time with your friends, family, and video games! But the season to be jolly is not all about Christmas carols and laughter; there’s more than enough horror for all the fans of the genre to go around! From iconic horror movies to winter-themed scary video games, horror fans will find plenty of ways to satisfy their needs for a good fright.
That’s why we decided to make this list of winter-themed horror video games to spice up your holiday season! After all, there is no better way to spend a cold, snowy Christmas than by getting scared out of your wits, right?
6 Snow-Ridden Horror Video Games to Spook Your This Holiday Season
Here are six winter-themed horror video games you should play (or revisit) this holiday season!
1. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Our first suggestion takes us back to the roots of horror in video gaming — the Silent Hill franchise! This game is the reimagining of the original entry in this iconic franchise. It features some of the old characters, like the protagonist Harry Mason and his daughter Cheryl, while introducing many new faces into the franchise.
The game alternates between two timelines. The first is in the present day, where the player (Harry Mason) talks to a therapist and does various psychological tests and answers different questions about his time in Silent Hill. The second, central part of the game takes Mason back to the snowy town of Silent Hill in search of his daughter, just like in the original game.
However, Mason’s journey is much different this time around, as the scenery and events in town change depending on the answers the players gave the therapist. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is the perfect example of a franchise revisit done right and allows players to relive the horrors and the snowy scenery of the first Silent Hill game, which is likely the title most fans of horror games have fond memories of!
2. Until Dawn
Is there a better time to revisit Supermassive Games’ PS4 horror gem, Until Dawn, than this Christmas? This storytelling horror masterpiece takes a group of teenagers to a remote mountain lodge on a winter getaway a year after two of their friends had gone missing there. Once the crew realizes that the cable car they used to get to the top of the snowy mountain stopped working, the mountain’s hidden terrors start to unravel.
This intense choice-based game is unique because it almost feels as if it provides an interactive movie experience. The quality graphics and characters voiced by real actors offer a level of immersion few other horror games can match. Every choice you make will be irreversible and will have a lasting impact on the ending. And yes, that includes any character deaths! In other words, your choices alone will dictate who (if anyone) will survive the terrors of the mountain.
Until Dawn has it all — state-of-the-art graphics, a compellingly terrifying story, the suspense that comes with players’ having to make seemingly impossible choices, and even seamlessly incorporates the dangers of the natural and the supernatural. If you’ve never played Until Dawn before or haven’t experienced all of its endings, it’s a game you must revisit!
3. Kholat
Kholat is an outstanding horror game based on a true event. The game will have you wander around the snowy landscape of the mountain Kholat Syakhl (Dead Mountain in Mansi), looking for nine Russian hikers who mysteriously went missing in February of 1959.
The player will be exploring the spooky, wintery slopes of the Kholat Syakhl mountain, collecting notes and locating various landmarks. These clues will tell the story of the nine missing hikers and their final moments. What happened to these people is a mystery that will entice players to soldier on through the freezing winter night, despite all the horrors that lurk in the darkness.
Just be careful — you’ll be quick to realize you’re not alone on the mountain!
4. Dead Space 3
If you’re a fan of horror classics, you must be familiar with the Dead Space franchise! Why not revisit the third installment of the game this Christmas and take Isaac Clarke on an expedition across the ice-covered Tau Volantis in a quest to end the Necromorph threat once and for all?
Dead Space 3 is a highly dynamic horror shooter game that preserves all the core gameplay elements of the first two games while improving the overall player experience. The Necromorphs are as deadly and terrifying as ever as Isaac Clarke is intent on putting an end to their reign of terror for good. Oh, and did we mention you can take a friend along on your journey? After all, Christmas is all about sharing joy and adventures. So why not ask a friend to join you for an unforgettable, action-packed horror experience?
5. Kona
Do you like mysteries and puzzles? If so, Kona is the perfect game for you this holiday season! This spooky adventure game will have you take on the role of a private investigator, Carl Faubert, as he finds himself in an abandoned snowed-in town in Northern Quebec. Carl finds the eerie town completely abandoned and proceeds to look for clues to what happened to its inhabitants.
On your lonely journey through the snowy town, you will face the challenging task of surviving the cold and the many dangers that come with it while searching for answers. At the same time, you will have to solve various puzzles to slowly unlock its secrets.
So what happened to the unfortunate residents of this remote ghost town? What dangers lurk in the wilderness of Northern Quebec? Try this game out this Christmas and find out!
6. Krampus Is Home
Is there a better game to end our list on than a Christmas-themed one? Krampus Is Home is a survival horror indie game that focuses on the mythological creature from Central European folklore — Krampus — that punishes naughty kids during the Christmas season.
The player will take on the role of a teenager, Sebastian, who’s home alone, waiting for his parents to return on a cold, snowy evening. Little does Sebastian know that something sinister lurks in the shadows!
This exciting horror game will have players fight for their lives against the Christmas demon’s numerous, unpredictable minions. The player will have to rely on stealth heavily and complicated strategies to survive the night while preserving their cool throughout many jumpscares that lie in wait.
If survival horror is your genre of choice, why not treat yourself to Krampus Is Home this Christmas?
That concludes our list of six winter-themed horror video games you should revisit this holiday season! Did you like our picks? Would you add any other games to the list? Let us know in the comments below!