Summary
Santa Claus may be the face of holiday cheer, but even the nicest guy in the North Pole can have a breaking point. Sometimes, jolly old St. Nick goes rogue — and let’s be real, that’s not exactly great for the Christmas spirit. And when that actually happens, it’s not just a holiday hiccup; it’s a full-blown crisis that demands attention. Even Santa shouldn’t get a free pass for ruining Christmas.
Video games are absolute pros when it comes to throwing convention out the window for aunique and unusual idea. The “Santa gone rogue” trope lets players step into the chaos, putting their own spin on saving (or just surviving) Christmas. Whether these games lean into humor, memes, or even dark irony, they all agree on one thing: not even Kris Kringle is above being stopped when things go too far.
Saints Row IVin itself is not Christmas-related, butit has a special DLCreleased in 2013 fully centered on restoring the holiday spirit. It’s called “How the Saints Save Christmas” and is exactly what it is advertised to be.
The story centers on Playa, the protagonist, who doesn’t believe in Santa Claus but is forced to step in when the holiday icon is impersonated by his evil counterpart, Clawz. To save Christmas, the Saints must defeat Clawz and restore the holiday spirit. It’s everything you’d expect from Saints Row IV — absurd, hilarious, and completely committed to the chaos, with the Saints somehow pulling off a Christmas miracle despite their own doubts about the big man in red.
2020
Platforms
Windows, macOS
Slay Bellsis anindie horror slasher gamereleased in 2020. It looks pretty unassuming at first, but once players have their first encounter with the antagonist — none other than Santa Claus himself — they get their first taste of pure, unbridled horror.
The game gets hearts racing with how quick-paced and dark it is. The player character has to run through a massive but dark city while being on the lookout for a murderous Santa in pursuit. The Santa in question isn’t even a massive brooding individual — he’s just really fast and can catch players by surprise. The axe in his hand and the absolutely terrifying ambiance of the environment do not help with the fear factor, either.
4Terraria
Terminator-Esque Santa With A Lot Of Damage Output
Every gamer up to speed with the industry knowsTerrariais NOT a Christmas game. That doesn’t mean it doesn’tget holiday events like most popular gamesdo during the Christmas season.Terrariahas a hard mode event called Frost Moon based on the holidays (that is, fortunately, present all year round and not only during the season) that features a rather creepy-looking Santa mini-boss called Santa-NK1.
Despite being a mini-boss, Santa NK1 is fairly challenging to get past. He has one of the highest damage outputs in the game with four different unique attacks and a lot of firepower. The Santa also has this creepy feature where when his health goes below 50%, he morphs into this disfigured robotic form, allegedly a reference to theTerminatormovies.
1997
Nintendo 64
ClayFighteris an old fighting game franchise that debuted in 1993. It featuresclaymation-style stop-motion graphicsand doesn’t take itself too seriously. In fact, it acts more like a parody of other high-end and famous fighting games. To do that, it features everything that pokes fun at the genre, from exaggerated monologues to over-the-top action moves and combos.
ClayFighter 63 1/3is the third game in the series and takes place in a snowy, winter wonderland setting. This gives it a holiday feel, with characters that fit the theme in their own odd ways. One such character is Sumo Santa, an unlockable enemy and the evil counterpart to the real Santa. His plan to take over the world might not scream Christmas spirit, but it definitely adds some chaotic fun to the mix.
1992
Arcade
Boogie Wingsis a side-scrolling shooting game released in 1992 based on WWI. This premise might make the game sound more consequential and self-important than it is, but it’s actually a pretty lighthearted, fun game.
While the entire game is based on players trying to battle a group of armed evil scientists, it doeshave a Christmas-themedlevel with the final boss being a Santa. The Santa in question is an absolutely menacing unit. He’s massive, creepy, and occasionally wishes the players Merry Christmas like a normal Santa — which sort of makes his treason all the more evil.
Dead Rising 4brings the holiday horrorwith not just one but two twisted takes on Santa Claus. The first, Sadistic Santa, is a maniacal, axe-wielding zombie running amuck in the Willamette Memorial Megaplex. True to his name, he’s as evil as they come — armed with a droppable Electric Axe and backed by an army of zombified elves wielding toy weapons to do his bidding.
The second is called Santa Claws, and he’s a multiplayer boss found in Episode 1 of the game at Kiichiro Plaza. He wields a candy cane crossbow and occasionally throws explosives at the player character to keep them on their toes. Although these two Santas are most likely not related, they do ensure the holiday season inDead Rising 4is anything but jolly.
