Holiday and Winter Events in Gaming 2024
Eager to enjoy the seasonal spirit? These games with holiday events will deliver festive fun to your favorite digital worlds this winter.
Posted 2 days ago
Snow might not be falling outside for you, but our favorite video game realms are already dusted with white thanks to a flurry of holiday and winter events for 2024. We’ve bravely ventured into the digital cold to collect as many holiday events in gaming as we could find. Consider them our gift to you.
So if you’re looking to engage in a bit of Christmas spirit or just want to deck friends with digital snowballs, you’re in the right place. The major holiday and winter events in gaming 2024 are listed alphabetically below.
Astro Bot - Winter Wonder
©Team Asobi
The adorable adventures of Astro Bot are being expanded with a new suite of winter-themed levels for players to complete. The free update on December 12 will add an entire new level called Winter Wonder. To access the new level, you'll need to have completed the main game first. It promises a family-friendly level of challenge, with secret presents and surprises galore.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone - Ran-Snack, Jingle Hells, and more
©Activision
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone are adding a spritz of Christmas cheer via the mid-season update, titled Season 1 Reloaded. Returning from Black Ops Cold War, the limited-time mode Jingle Hells has been added to Zombies. It decks out Liberty Falls in festive and frosty attire. Some rounds will be extra icey, forcing you to hide inside to stay warm. Keep an eye out for snowmen which might hide zombies or loot, and be sure to spot when zombies drop special present boxes.
In Multiplayer, Nuketown has been given all the Christmas trimmings, and a new Ran-Snack limited-time mode tasks teams with gathering up and depositing cookies. The Infectious Holiday mode will also arrive later, which dons zombies and fallen Operators in seasonal clothing.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Release Date: October 25, 2024
In Warzone, two new limited-time modes have been added. Holiday Rush in Area 99 features snowball coolers and festive decorations in a smaller, faster game mode. Slay Ride Resurgence will be added later, and it features a train taken over by Undead Santa. Capture trees, take down reindeer, and command the Slay Ride via judicious use of snowballs.
Read the full Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 holiday event details and more via the official blog.
Destiny 2 - The Dawning 2024
©Bungie
The spirit of giving, and more importantly baking tasty goods, returns to Destiny 2 through The Dawning 2024. Snow has arrived in several locations. Gather it up into snowballs which can slow, freeze, and shatter enemies. Head to Eva Levante on the tower to get a seasonal mission that will set you on the path to baking cookies by the dozen.
Complete Eva’s event card to earn weapons and emblems, and try to secure the three new emblems inside A Gift in Return packages. This year, baking cookies contributes toward a community goal that will reward a drop-rate increase for all three emblems. Further details on the event and rewards can be found on the Bungie website.
The First Descendant - Winter Festival
©Nexon
The First Descendant players can enjoy four in-game events as well as two web events as part of the game’s Winter Festival in 2024. Just logging in is enough to earn the first Festival Light title reward, but further events running throughout the season include challenges and repeat login rewards. Exchange tokens at Anais’ shop to buy Descendants, skins, Kuiper Shards, and more. Learn more and take part in the web event via the Nexon website.
Grounded - Festive items
©Obsidian Entertainment
Grounded players will be able to snag a small selection of festive items from the Science Shop during December. Pick them up and you’ll have access to them throughout the rest of the year as well. Items include the Holiday Tree, Holiday Wreath, and Holiday Sign.
Halo Infinite - Operation: Snowbound
©343 Industries
Spartans aren't escaping the Christmas spirit either. Halo Infinite's Operation: Snowbound runs through January 7 and introduces the old-school Snowbound map, as well as Snow Ground (a variant of High Ground) and Snow Fire (a variant of Live Fire) remade in Forge mode. Snowball Fight mode will be on the way later in the operation, playable on all the maps listed above. Earn points while playing to exchange for Holiday-themed items in the store. Learn the full details on the Halo Waypoint website.
Overwatch 2 - Winter Wonderland 2024
©Blizzard
The Overwatch 2 Winter Wonderland 2024 event runs from December 10 through January 6. It brings modes including Mei’s Snowball Offensive and Freezethaw Elimination. Complete festive challenges during the event to unlock rewards including the Winter Casual Hanzo skin.
Overwatch 2
Release Date: August 10, 2023
Digital Only
Phasmophobia - Winter’s Jest
©Kinetic Games
Kicking off on December 12, Winter’s Jest is a Christmas-themed community event that challenges players to collectively hunt through four of the most popular maps. Each will be coated in fresh snow and sporting holiday decorations. The goal? Discover the nasty spirits hiding behind the friendly decorations. In addition to the main hunt, players can complete extra objectives to unlock jack-in-the-box items that contribute to the community goal. Everyone has until December 31 to collectively achieve the goals and unlock unique rewards.
Pikmin Bloom - Ornament Event
©Niantic
For the chillier month of the year, Pikmin Bloom is introducing Ball Ornament Decor Pikmin, as well as inviting Mitten and Winter Sticker Decor Pikmin back for further festivities. Running until December 31, Pikmin Bloom players can complete special Event Challenges to obtain random rewards. Collect a Pine Cone and it will grow into one of seven types of Ball Ornament Decor Pikmin. Further details, including the event premium pass rewards and Mii costumes can be found on the Pikmin Bloom website.
Pokemon Go - December Events
©Niantic
Pokemon Go has a bumper crop of events and updates to enjoy throughout December, including Research Days, Battle Days, Raid Days, and much more. Our breakdown of the Holiday Part 1 Event is here, and you can check out our full rundown of December Events here so you don't miss out.
RuneScape - Christmas Village
©Jagex
RuneScape’s winter event for 2024 sees the return of Christmas Village, a themed hub area featuring new content. The goal this year is to help Diango set up his new workshop before spreading the spirit of the season to all the lands’ inhabitants. Alongside that mission are festive activities, weekly buffs, and the chance to earn a Black Partyhat from Santa. Full details can be found on the official website.
Warframe - Tennobaum 2024
©Digital Extremes
Warframe’s Tennobaum 2024 celebrations will be hosted in support of the charity Toys for Tots Canada. Players can take part by giving gifts to other Tenno in-game, unlocking Tennobaum rewards for the entire community as various milestones are met, with a deadline of January 3, 2025. Rewards include skins, glyphs, and more.
In addition, Snowball Showdown brings PvP action of an icier kind, though far more likely to warm your heart. There are also limited-time Alerts available in three-day periods that reward festive items. Learn the full Warframe Tennobaum 2024 details on the official website.
World of Tanks - Holiday Ops 2025
The PC version of World of Tanks has a holiday event with a star-studded introduction. Detailed by actor Jason Statham, the Holiday Ops 2025 event is filled with gifts to receive and assignments to take on. Head to the Holiday Village to receive a T3E2 Medium Tank with a fully trained crew and a garage slot. Statham will be stationed in the Headquarters where he can deliver assignments and battle missions. He’s also available to recruit as a tank commander.
The biggest draw of the holiday event is Winter Raid, a new mode that plays out in a paper wonderland. Directing papercraft tanks, three teams must compete to secure gifts, earn Gift Coins, and unlock special rewards. Find the full Holiday Ops 2025 details on the official website.
World of Tanks Modern Armor - Winter Fest
©Wargaming West
World of Tanks’ console version is hosting winter events from December 10 until January 6. The in-game hub has been redecorated, new winter content such as themed commanders can be acquired with Snowball currency, and the Happy Holidays Mode returns with an advent-style calendar. The biggest draw is the new PvE mode in which players face off against the Ice Queen, teaming up with Santa to save the holidays. Learn more on the official website.
The Sims 4 - Cozy Celebrations Event
The Sims 4 Cozy Celebrations Event will run for three weeks, and it encourages players to help Jasmine Holiday learn more about festivities in the world of the Sims. Complete the task to earn holiday rewards including ugly sweaters, wreaths, and festive frames. You can even turn your Sims into holiday haters by giving them the Grouch trait. They’ll then be encouraged to spread rumors and sabotage food, spoiling the spirit for all. Meanies!
Those are all of the gaming holiday and winter events for 2024 that we've seen announced so far, but we'll do our best to update this article with more as they're revealed. If the events have motivated you to get into the spirit of giving, then take a look at our 2024 holiday gift guides! Or, if you're looking for even more festive video game fun, check out our list of five of the best Christmas games on Roblox!