Top 26 Winter Video Games

Whether it’s snowing outside your window right now or baking hot and sunny, sometimes you’re just in the mood from some wintery ambience in a game. Winter might be cold and harsh, but it can also be breathtakingly beautiful and awe inspiring.

We’ve compiled a list of the 26 best winter video games out there right now. These games are mostly winter-themed video games, not just games with a wintery level here or there. There are single-player, multiplayer, and kid-friendly games, so there’s something for everyone.

So with no further ado, zip up your jacket and grab a thermos because winter video games mode is on!

Don’t feel like reading the whole list? Just click on the title that interests you to jump right down to it.

26 winter-themed video games

The Long Dark

Winter nights are long and, well, dark. Explore a frozen, post-apocalyptic wilderness in The Long Dark, an open-world survival game with crafting and permadeath. Freezing temperatures, snowstorms, and fragile ice are just a few of the things waiting to send you to an early grave before you get the chance to rub two sticks together and try to dethaw. Those Northern Lights though…

Frostpunk

Fulfill your dream of becoming the ruler of a city, even if it’s the last city on Earth. The terrible cold and ice, as well as your choices can have major consequences in a world where you are simply trying to survive. Okay, so maybe it’s not exactly a dream job after all. 

Gather resources to power generators and other machines and decide carefully what kind of edicts will govern the people you’re trying to keep from freezing to death. Remember to button up before your wintery steampunk workday starts!

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition

Take an alien planet and give it an ice age and you have the backdrop of Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. Enjoy the frigid scenery as you go out into raging snowstorms to complete missions. Make sure to always keep an eye out for containers that you need to keep your thermal suit from turning into a popsicle. 

As a winter video game centered around surviving in inhospitable surroundings, this is a good game for anyone who’s a glutton for punishment.

SSX

Take to the slopes in ways that would make your mother faint on the spot. SSX is a series of skiing/snowboarding games that let you race down huge, powdery slopes with tons of peaks and drops in different modes (race, trick, and survive). The snowy world you’ll be pulling tricks over is topographically accurate, so it’ll save you a lot on plane tickets and lodging to see it in real life. Looking at the massive mountains available, your family will appreciate that this is just a winter video game and not the real thing for more reasons than one.

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Skyrim doesn’t really need an introduction. Its dazzling open world gives you a wintery-fantasy-medieval-Scandinavian kind of vibe and crunching through the snow or looking at snow-capped peaks is a great reward while completing difficult missions. Good choice if the winter calls out to your inner fantasy Nordic viking.

Until Dawn

If winter-themed video games somehow seem like the perfect stage for horror to you, Until Dawn is probably a game you should give a try. Designed to be played multiple times in order to be able to experience all the options and arcs the game has to offer, Until Dawn also stands apart from other horrors with a consequence mechanic tied to player decisions. Explore, find clues, and make decisions in a remote mountain retreat that will be sending shivers down your spine for more than one reason.

Shiver

This indie horror adventure game will make you do exactly what the title says and not just because of the sinister secrets you’ll encounter while exploring. Point-and-click your way through winter-clad Windy Oaks National Park in order to find help so you can continue on your way to see your father. Anything that can go wrong in this abandoned winter wonderland probably will.

Icewind Dale

Just the title of this game makes you want to blow into your cold hands. An untamed and totally frozen land waits for you in this isometric RPG, Dungeons & Dragons winter video game. Explore the frigid map, defeat monsters and beasts, and destroy an ancient evil. Beware though, with a name like Icewind Dale, don’t expect a warm welcome.

Metro Exodus

Winter returns to Russia in Metro Exodus. If you find snowy post-apocalyptic cities appealing, this is the game to try. The atmospheric Russian wilderness is a great background for a shooter and survival horror, but nothing can beat the sound of snow crunching under your shoes in a city filled with mutants. All you can do is bundle up and try your best to survive.

I am Setsuna

I am Setsuna is a turn-based JRPG set in a snowy land. You play as Setsuna who is sent to make the ultimate sacrifice to save her people from a nasty fiend. Traverse this winter wonderland and immerse yourself in a powerfully nostalgic experience set to a beautiful soundtrack. It is simply a winter video game worth experiencing.

Project Winter

Project Winter is all about your favorite winter pastime—stabbing your friends in the back with an icicle. This 8-person-multiplayer has you working together to gather resources to survive your frigid surroundings, but not everyone in the group wants to play nice. A perfect winter video game that will probably get emotions red hot.

Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid takes you on an adventure to Alaska where it’s obviously super warm and tropical. Though a lot of the game takes place inside the Shadow Moses compound, there are still plenty of opportunities to crunch through the snow and feel an icy wind on your face while moving between buildings. The game is the first in the franchise, so a little dated, but if you don’t mind pixels and block faces, then give it a try.

Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)

This atmospheric indie puzzle platformer transports you to a world inspired by myths and stories of Alaska natives, the Iñupiat. Take control of Nuna and her fox as you brave the icy Arctic, threatened by an eternal blizzard that endangers their very existence. Play in single player or local co-op mode if playing by yourself is too chilly of an idea. This winter-themed video game is a definite must have for anyone interested in the Alaskan native people and the Iñupiaq language (which is spoken in the game!)

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Better break out the thick fur coat and boots, because things are about to get really frigid. Lara travels into the chilling wilds of Siberia to freeze her archeologist off while trying to uncover the mysteries of a relic that is said to grant immortality. Fight enemies, solve puzzles, and take in the beautifully rendered winter Syberian environment. 

Steep

Enter the skiing paradises better known as the Alps and Alaska and get ready for some killer runs. Skiing, snowboarding, wingsuit flying, and paragliding—why choose one when you can do everything! You can also enjoy a powdery online multiplayer for up to 4 players. And in case anyone claims “pics or didn’t happen”, you can capture your stunts and share them on social media. If you love skiing or snowboarding, but can’t enjoy the fresh powder this year, this winter video game will definitely take the edge off.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

Winter is no time to rest for monster hunters! This massive expansion of Monster Hunter World takes you into a freezing new reality with new quests, weapons, armor, and, what is most important for any hunter—monsters. The very region name of Hoarfrost Reach should make you almost immediately regret your wintery adventure decisions.

Paradise Lost

If winter makes you feel like sitting at home and contemplating life, Paradise Lost is the game for you. Play as 12-year-old Szymon who discovers a frozen, abandoned bunker in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Descend into it to reveal a retro-futuristic city with elements of Slavic pagan imagery as you calmly explore on foot. The frigid emptiness will make you reflect most on the frozen hearts and coldness of humanity.

SnowRunner

If you don’t feel like running all over the place and freezing your toes off, how about hopping into an off-road vehicle and showing winter that difficult road conditions are your middle name? Drive through snow, mud, and over ice in 40 different, powerful vehicles in this advanced terrain driving simulator. Take on even more challenging contracts by adding upgrades to your tough, winter ride. This winter video game will definitely have you looking at winter frollicking from a whole new perspective.

The Wild Eight

Just in case you needed more winter survival games, here’s another one. A mysterious plane crash leaves you stranded You probably haven’t heard of this winter survival game, and that’s a shame. A plane crash leaves you stranded in the icy wilds of Alaska and all you want to do is get back home. This indie RPG has all the classic survival elements of exploring and upgrading survivalist skills in order to not drop dead or become something’s dinner. And then there are all the mysterious, abandoned houses and mutated wolves you keep coming across because surviving in extreme winter conditions just isn’t hard enough.

Röki

Put on your scarf and mittens as you explore the world of Scandinavian folklore to help Tove save her family. Röki mixes together elements of solving puzzles, a contemporary fairy tale, and quaint visual style. The perfect winter video game to play with a cup of hot cocoa when it’s freezing outside.

Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds

If a region is only accessible via a mountain pass to the north, you know it’s going to be as beautiful as it is unforgiving. This expansion of Horizon Zero Dawn sends you to just such a frigid place to learn more about strange tales of daemonic machines attacking the local tribe and a mountain expelling smoke. With many hours of winter adventure and story, it’s a must-have for Horizon Zero Dawn fans.

Alto’s Adventure

If snowboarding with a twist sounds like something for you, try Alto’s Adventure. Traverse through a diverse landscape of forests and villages while having cute adventures and overcoming obstacles during your alpine journey. Weather effects will stand in your way and attributes and abilities will help you become an even better snowboarder and reach your goals. So where’s the twist? There are llamas. Enough said.

Uncharted 2

What better season to visit high altitude places than winter! Explore, solve puzzles, and fight your way through a snowy Nepal in search of a legendary item connected with Marco Polo. This beautiful, mountainous region has everything a winter video game adventure needs—snowy peaks, icy caverns, and a frosty entrance into a fabled city. So strap on your snowshoes and start charting!

Year Walk

If you’re more into winter video games with a hint of the supernatural, you can give Year Walk a try. This puzzle adventure game is set in 19th century Sweden and follows the main character as he tries to see into the future through an ancient tradition. Traverse through a snowy forest while solving puzzles and interacting with mythical Swedish monsters that will remind you why trying to look into the future is never a good idea.

A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build

The title of this game probably doesn’t come as a surprise to die-hard winter fans. The idea of A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build is straightforward—you’re a monster and you build snowmen. Roll snowballs around in the snow to change their size, and then stack them in the correct order to make a, well, good snowman. This cute puzzle winter-themed video game is a nice choice for sokoban fans or players who love video games with snow.

Deluxe Ski Jump 4

What’s better than watching ski jumping on TV? Ski jumping yourself! So suit up and jump right into Ski Jump Deluxe 4, a physics-based ski jumping game. Catapult yourself off 24 different winter hills or take part in competitions, all available both online and offline. Perfect for sports enthusiasts or players who feel like flying instead of trudging through the snow.

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So what’s your favorite winter video game to play when it’s cold and snowy outside? Is there a winter-themed video game that isn’t on the list and you think should be added? Let us know on our Discord!

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