It’s that time of year again where the airwaves of certain radio stations are clogged with the same songs from the 1950s, television broadcasts are filled with specials about the nature of giving, and dozens of people exclaim that Die Hard is a holiday film due to its timeframe. Yes, it’s the holiday season, and whatever you celebrate, you cannot retreat into your favorite MMO without seeing plenty of red suits, white trim, and all sorts of associated antics.
So, where will you hang your gaming hat this year? Probably in much the same place as usual, but if you’re curious about which games are running which events, we have you covered with our roundup just below.
Aion: Solorius Festival
The Solorius Festival is here, and it brings with it… uh… loaded dice. That’s probably not what you normally associate with the holiday unless you live in the right part of Nevada, but the decorations are right, at least.
ArcheAge: Holiday-themed items
Look, ArcheAge just released a big update. Do you really want to take time off of dealing with that to do stuff with a holiday theme? You do? Well, you’re still going to have to make do with what you got. Sorry.
Atlas Reactor: Sales and doubled XP
Sometimes the best gift is one you give yourself. Or one you are given yourself, in a roundabout way. We suppose you could gift someone items that are on sale, but eh, why not treat yourself?
Black Desert: Drop! Drop! Drop!
Once per year, Santa Claus looks for all the good children in the world, and he makes enemies drop more stuff when they die. Drop item packs! Drop memory shards! Drop golden items! Drop the bass! We’re not sure about the last one.
Blade and Soul: Holiday Treasure Trove
So every day, you can open a chest filled with different holiday items. And then you can… purchase one? With gold? We’re not quite sure that’s how this holiday is supposed to work. But, you know, it’s a little confused, but it has the spirit.
Champions Online: Toy attack
Lisa: You’re just going to break into everybody’s house and steal their favorite toy.
Bart: Thus saving Christmas.
Homer: Now, let’s see… this’ll make three Christmases I saved, versus eight I ruined… two were kind of a draw…
The Simpsons, “Grift of the Magi”
Citadel: Forged with Fire: Holiday loot items
As long as you’re minding your own business (read: stalking stuff to kill it) you can potentially grab a couple of holiday-themed items from chests in the world. A Santa hat and some milk and cookies. Festive!
Crossout: Snowstorm
The fact that we’ve never gotten George Miller to make the Mad Max Holiday Special is really a sign that we have culturally failed as a species. But at least this lets you work out some of your wishes by giving your rusted chariots of death-delivering iron a seasonal coat of paint. And if you want to shout that you’re on a slay-ride, who’s going to stop you?
Dark Age of Camelot: Midwinter Festival
Depending on the sort of person you are, you will either be excited about the chance to gather battleground presents or a bit confused by the nomenclature when December is the start of winter, not the middle. Or maybe both.
Dark and Light: Winter
Seriously, that’s what happened. The world in the game suddenly got all snowy, there’s a Krampus world boss (remember when the Krampus was quaint and obscure instead of every game’s go-to beating target?), and there are reindeer running around. The arrival of winter is kind of by definition a winter event, huh?
Dauntless: Frostfall
So what if the game is still in early access? It’s the holiday season. You get some festive gear on and then you go slaughter giant monsters. This is the way the world works, people.
Defiance: Login bonuses
Imagine the game like a Secret Santa. You log in, and you might get something really neat without expecting it! Or you might get nothing, which is still technically better than the office Secret Santa who gets you a gift card to Wendy’s.
Destiny 2: The Dawning
We promise you that this is just an event you can take part in for fun, not a piece of DLC that will lock you out of things you already do.
Dragon Nest: Christmas event
Yes, it’s just called the Christmas event. You can get a mount that specifically does not move and just sits there, because it is a mailbox. This all seems a bit… perfunctory.
The Elder Scrolls Online: New Life Festival
Holiday time! Time to hop from party to party, taking part in all sorts of local customs, like a kid with lots of extended family and divorced parents. Source: Personal experience.
EVE Online: Yoiul Festival
In space, no one can hear you jingle all the way. Or even part of the way. Jingling is not audible.
Final Fantasy XIV: Starlight Festival
What better way to celebrate the season than by the traditional festive bear flinging presents at you while roaring? It’s just how the holiday goes. Ah, those quaint local traditions. (The bear is also a mount and can fly, because at that point why wouldn’t it be able to.)
Fortnite: Festive attire
Yes, if you’re enjoying the game’s Battle Royale, you can know battle it out (royally) in the stereotypical ugly holiday sweater. Everyone needs a hobby.
Guild Wars 2: Wintersday
Who likes jumping puzzles?! Just say you do, they won’t let you in to smash toys and enjoy snowball fights otherwise. And there is a jumping puzzle, but who knows, you might even enjoy it. Wintersday has also begun in classic Guild Wars!
Grand Theft Auto Online
“The Festive Surprise 2017 Event has hit Los Santos and Blaine County.”
Heroes of the Storm: Winter Veil
As long as this game imports everything else, it only makes sense to import this for an in-game event. We don’t think that any players on the opposing team will want what Junkrat considers “presents,” but let’s be honest, it’s better to give than receive.
Just Survive: Holiday zombies
As you crouch in your bunker, you may hear festive rattling outside. Is it a jolly old elf? No, it’s a festive zombie you can blow up to get festive apparel and camo for your weaponry. Ho ho ho?
LawBreakers: Sleigh the Holidays
Well, this one is a bit of a surprise. Without heaping too much on the game’s ailing population, let’s just leave it at the fact that there’s a sale running and doubled experience, and note that the name of the event has exactly the same sort of demeanor you would expect from the game.
League of Legends: Snowdown
What’s the best way to celebrate the holidays in League of Legends? By fighting people, obviously. That’s what you do all the time. But you now can do so with new holiday skins. Ho ho ho, etc.
Life is Feudal
The MMO version of this sandbox is talking up its “festive feudal fetes.”
Lineage 2: Revolution
The mobile MMO launches two events beginning today: the Treasure Box event (you’ll be hunting three types of treasure boxes for loot) and the New Year Letter Collection event (that’s letters of the alphabet, not actual postal missives, and you’re collecting them to spell festive words).
Lord of the Rings Online
The Yule Festival is live once again.
MechWarrior Online: Holiday events
Just because you’re stomping about in a mobile tank bristling with weapons doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the season! It does mean that most of your presents tend to be missile-themed, but… well, you know.
Neverwinter: The Winter Festival of Simril
Look, it is clearly winter there sometimes. See? This proves it! But, hey, holiday event, you can’t be too annoyed.
Overwatch: Yeti Hunt brawl
Technically, Overwatch also has new holiday skins, but those aren’t really an event, they’re just new shinies to chase.
Paragon: Winterfest
It’s kind of hard to really sell a holiday event in a MOBA, huh? After all, you kind of have to spend just as much time fighting as before. But you get some new holiday skins for your trouble and more loot than usual. That’s enough, right? It should be.
Paragon Chat: Holiday Hullabaloo
Just because it’s only a chat program based off of City of Heroes and not a full-on MMO doesn’t mean that it’s not going to do its best to get former players into the chat program and having fun for the holiday. Which is pretty awesome.
Project Gorgon: Christmas/New Year’s event
This one doesn’t seem to have a distinct name, but because this is Project Gorgon, it’s got a distinct everything else. It’s meant to be funny, distinct, and unique all the way through. Given the game’s history, we have little doubt of it.
RIFT: Fae Yule event
This hasn’t been the Year of RIFT has it? But you can still enjoy the joy of a holiday event, even if you might be a little worried about what might be in the cash shop to go along with it. ‘Tis the season of giving, and “forgiveness” is still a thing you can give, right? Or maybe not.
RuneScape: Santa is missing!
Long story short, Santa Claus is missing, and thus players must find him, figure out what happened, and then raid all of his stuff for loot. It’s a Christmas task list! Hooray!
Secret World Legends: Krampusnacht!
No, there’s no Santa in this universe. There’s just a Krampus, and as is tradition, you will want to take part in daily struggles against him for seasonal rewards. So you’ll be wading in ankle-deep blood, but in a festive hat.
Skyforge: Winter events aplenty
It’s just nice to take some time off of saving the planet from invasions and focus on saving the winter holidays, you know?
Spiral Knights: Winterfest
Winterfest is here, and it’s under siege! Isn’t that convenient? You have weapons to fight people and there are people to fight with weapons that want to impose upon the holiday. It’s remarkably coincidental.
Star Trek Online: Q’s Winter Wonderland
Eh, forget boldly going to places other people might not have visited. It’s time to go to the familiar stomping grounds of Q’s winter event and pick up some Nerf guns. Set phasers to mildly distract and/or office prank.
Tree of Life: Winter Festival
Just because it’s a newer title doesn’t mean Tree of Life doesn’t get to enjoy the season. And, you know, decorating the eponymous tree seems like a natural next step.
Villagers & Heroes: Ginchta’s Lair
Snow is falling and a lair is open for players to take on, and mobile players have a working auction house. That last one isn’t really holiday-related, but they’re all tied to one another, so fair is fair.
WildStar: Winterfest
Enjoy Winterfest with Papa Phineas starting on December 18th! It looks like it’s going to be similar to familiar celebrations, but also mildly creepy and unsettling. Which is exactly what you’d expect when Protostar is involved, and quite possibly not different from usual family celebrations.
Worlds Adrift: Reindeer Hat
You got us, this isn’t an event. It’s just a festive thing you’ll get for playing the game. Good enough, right? Right. A nice free present is definitely all right.
World of Warcraft: Winter Veil
Last but not least in this particular case, it’s the venerable and familiar Winter Veil celebration. And that also means we’re getting presents under the tree on the day of Christmas, as we have in the game for the past… how many years now? Heck, I remember when it was a super-big deal, because I have played the game for far too long and I am old. Ollllld.
And to all a good night, and so forth.
