Best Games for Holiday 2022

Christmas is a time of rest. In addition to spending time with your loved ones, many of you will probably find a moment to spend with good games, especially if you don't have much free time daily. With this in mind, we have created the following list. You will find games of various types, also suitable for very short sessions that you can squeeze in-between other activities. Above all, however, we've chosen games that are pleasant and not too long.

Kingdom Hearts 3

Kingdom Hearts is largely Disney, and this alone clearly shows that it's a series that offers a lot of warmth and positive emotions. It also has a lot of Christmas themes (Kingdom Hearts 2 excels in this regard), so it fits perfectly into the holiday atmosphere. It's the same with the latest installment, Kingdom Hearts 3, whose action takes place, among others, in in a land known from Frozen. It's not set during Christmas, but there's snow!

It doesn't matter if you know the series. Kingdom Hearts 3 is also designed for players who have never played these games before. Many issues are recalled and thoroughly explained during the story, and there is also a recap of all the previous ones – the games, in turn, can be easily tried, because they are available on the same platforms as part three. It's worth getting to know them, because they're beautiful stories of friendship and overcoming difficulties. At the same time, these games are also very enjoyable in terms of gameplay (especially the latest installment), and even the oldest parts still hold up well today.

Super Mario Odyssey

What does Mario have to do with Christmas? Everything and nothing. These games are perfect for any time of the year. There's always a good time to play the iconic plumber once again and try to save Princess Peach. In Super Mario Odyssey, she is threatened by a forced marriage with the evil Bowser – the main opponent of the mustachioed Italian. In order to stop the wedding, we visit not only the magical land known from the predecessors, but also a world that pretends to be the real one. Mario is literally taken out to a different fairy tale!

Unlike many prequels, the locations in this installment are much larger and more open. This grants us a lot of freedom during exploration. The gameplay, however, is similar – we still jump on platforms, eliminate opponents by jumping on their heads and collect items. An interesting novelty is the functionality of the protagonist's hat, which now plays a significant role – it becomes, after all the years, a full-fledged character. It provides access to special skills and improves exploration. Like many games produced by Nintendo, this one is also characterized by a fairly low level of difficulty and a spleasant atmosphere.

Gears 5

Gears of War 4 already went in a slightly different direction than its predecessors. The main characters changed, and the story took a more intimate turn, focusing on the relationships and personal dilemmas of the characters. By the way, the opponents have also changed, because instead of disgusting creatures from the underground, we face very resilient robots – although this also changes later in the story. Gear 5 more often sticks to its roots in this regard but changes the structure of the gameplay a bit by partially opening the world, which the audience really liked.

Part five also improves many important elements present in the series. The shooting model has been given a facelift, making it better than ever. Combat gained a lot from the improved intelligence of not only opponents, but also AI-controlled companions – so playing solo is now more enjoyable. And if you have someone to play with, this short and enjoyable story campaign will be even better – there's an option to complete it in co-op. However, if you prefer online games, there are also plenty of them. The Gears series is largely about the co-op.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a standalone add-on that places us on the island of Manhattan known from Marvel's Spider-Man, but this time covered with snow, which will be perfect for holidays! We also play the role of a different hero. Instead of Peter Parker, we become the title Miles, an equally well-written character. His task is to take over as the defender of New York. Unfortunately for him, a war breaks out between technologically advanced criminals and an energy corp.

This standalone expansion plays largely the same as the base game. One of the biggest attractions of both productions is extremely fun exploration. Using the cobweb and wall-running skills, our heroes can cover several hundred meters in a matter of seconds. This is useful not only in following the objectives of subsequent quests, but also when catching villains. During the fight with them, we have at our disposal a variation of the combat system known from the Arkham series.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Still remember LittleBigPlanet? This is where the eponymous Sackboy comes from (that's the bee above). Like the installments in the original series, this game also offers a co-op mode for up to four people. Unlike those, however, here, there's not as much emphasis on creation. Here we are dealing with a simple, linear and enjoyable platform game. The aim of the game is to traverse levels, avoid obstacles and collect items.

Sumo Digital's production is also very accessible and suitable to every age group. So you can play it with your children or younger siblings. You may also like the artistic setting, which brings to mind puppet and paper mache animations. There's no shortage of winter levels and holiday themes in all of this.

Tetris Effect: Connected

Tetris is a timeless classic, and Tetris Effect: Connected is hands-down its best variation, still very faithful to the original. Everyone should find something for themselves in it. Starting with the music and ending with beautiful levels. Combined with the phenomenal, classic rules, a coherent whole is created and it never gets boring. That's because there are a lot of different modes here, even more so in the extended Connected edition.

The primary way to play Tetris Effect: Connected is the Journey mode. As in Rez or Child of Eden (previous games by the same developer - Tetsuya Mizuguchi), here, it's also the equivalent of a story mode, but the story is outlined less clearly. Still, there's a lot going on in addition to arranging the blocks in the background, and each next level is a fresh boost for the senses. If that's not enough, you can test yourself in the marathons, modes with special difficulty modifiers, or in multiplayer – either cooperating or competing with other players.

Catherine: Full Body

Catherine first appeared in 2011 on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. The creators of Shin Megami Tensei and Persona have delivered a masterpiece that breaks all boundaries. This unusual creation offers a love story, the course of which is decided by the player's decisions. There are many choices here that shape the course of the story and its ending. It's about Vincent, who's a little afraid of commitment. We'll decide if he can handle it.

The originality of this game is manifested in a unique combination. The unusual storyline is combined with even weirder gameplay. It's divided into two segments. The first one involves hanging out at a bar and talking to Vincent's friends. The second is climbing to the top of the tower in the protagonist's nightmares. In order to be successful, we must perform well in a puzzle game that has us arranging blocks under time pressure. Catherine: Full Body, on the other hand, is an extended version that offers us a new character with new plots and endings, among others.

Night in the Woods

Night in the Woods is a unique narrative game about reestablishing old bonds. We play the role of the rebellious cat Mae, who returns to her hometown after many years. To her surprise, almost nothing is as she remembers it. To make matters worse, one of her colleagues is missing, and something disturbing lurks in the nearby forest. However, this doesn't change the heroine's priorities – spending time with her friends will still be an important part of the day.

The gameplay in Night in the Woods combines the features of adventure games and, to a lesser extent, platformers. For most of the time, we hold existentialist conversations with the characters we meet. There are also various mini-games during which Mae indulges in her favorite activities – such as playing the bass guitar. All this may sound inconspicuous, but it's a great production with a nostalgic character.

Life is Strange: True Colors

The trailers may not reflect that, but Life is Strange: True Colors is the warmest and least dramatic tale in the series. This is the story of Alex, who has to try to come to terms with a big loss and find value in herself. A large part in all this is also played by people around her, with whom we spend a lot of time while learning the story. They are all convincingly written, and they have to deal with their own problems, which we will sometimes be able to help them with.

When it comes to gameplay, we're dealing with a typical representative of cinematic adventure games. There are many conversations to be held with the characters you meet, choices to make, and plenty of exploration. In keeping with the nature of the series, there's no shortage of unique powers that the main character is endowed with. This allows you to feel the emotions of others. A curse and a blessing at once, but we'll leave it to you to see how she uses it.

Overwatch 2

It used to be Overwatch, now it's Overwatch 2. Blizzard developers took the unusual way, making the second part of the game absorb the first one. And by the way, it became free to play! Not everyone likes it, but it must be emphasized that there's no other game like it. The creators still have a lot to improve and expand the content a bit, but this is the case with online games – they only die of lack of interest. And Overwatch 2 doesn't seem in danger for now.

There are a lot of colorful characters, memorable maps and a handful of different modes. In such a time as the holidays, there are always some special events. Until now, you could have snowball fights, and this mode will most likely return. But perhaps the creators will prepare something new as well. So, it's worth trying, especially if you have a steady team to play with. This game gets elevated to a new level once you figure out a good band of friends.