Christmas is coming! I think this is my favorite time of the year (pun intended!), and I thought to myself, “how can I share Christmas to gamers in a way that they will enjoy?”. One of the staples for this time, especially here in the USA, is Christmas music. Can you imagine December without it? It’s playing in every coffee house, store, restaurant, and office, mine included. Are there video game themed Christmas tunes though? It took some searching, but there are several scattered throughout different generations of gaming, as well as remix albums and renditions.
Below are our favorite holiday themed video game music for your enjoyment. Let us know in the comments which you enjoyed, and of course, which we missed! I’m sure there are more out there. Oh, and bonus points for any Christmas themed games, like Christmas NIGHTS Into Dreams or others.
Scarlet Moon Christmas – Various Artists
Scarlet Moon Records follows up their Scarlet Moon Christmas EP with a hefty portion of holiday tunes from your favorite game music composers. Look forward to arrangements of both holiday standards and videogame classics from Final Fantasy, Pokemon, Chrono Trigger, Myst, Yoshi’s Island, and Mario Kart 64 featuring the talents of:
I’m a sucker for remixes, and this series of Christmas themed ones are my favorite. I don’t know of a series of other compilations like the ones from the Scarlet Moon albums that have been released. So far, there are six albums, including the latest one released this year. They include a lot of RPG mixes, and they do a fantastic job of putting the original track of the game with a Christmas tune. Some songs I don’t like since they can be a little outside of my taste, but they have something for everyone. Find them on any streaming platform!
Jingle Bells – Vince DiCola
Christmas Garden (from “Yoshi’s Island”) Mustin
Peaceful Christmas (from “Chrono Trigger”) Dale North
Some Small Hope (Cherubic Hymn by A. Kastorsky) Osamu Kubota
Angels We Have Heard on High Hiroki Kikuta
Christmas Comes to Myst (from “Myst”) Robyn Miller
Rainbow Road (from “Mario Kart 64”) Justin Lassen
Melodies of Life (from “Final Fantasy IX”) Nauts
Aspertia Town – Winter (from “Pokémon Black & White 2”) Materia
Spotify Link / Youtube / Bandcamp
Snowtopia – The Game Brass
The Game Brass proudly presents “Snowtopia”, a tribute to our favorite ice, snow, winter, and holiday-themed video game worlds. It’s a journey through the various landscapes of the winter season, from frigid tundras to beautiful, snowcapped valleys, featuring music from Banjo-Kazooie, EarthBound, Undertale, Final Fantasy, NiGHTS, Persona, Super Mario 64, Kingdom Hearts, Mario Kart, World of Warcraft, and Mega Man, filled with the magic and wonder of the holiday season.
Arranged by Thomas Kresge
Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify and more
Distributed by the Materia Collective
There are so many instruments you can use, which is why I enjoy music from The Game Brass. They stick to what they are good at, so you would have to like brass instruments to enjoy it. I prefer softer sounding tunes, but they do a fantastic job in playing some of my favorite tracks.
Freezeezy Peak (from “Banjo-Kazooie”)
Theme of Winters (from “EarthBound”)
Snowdin Town (from “Undertale”)
Buried in Snow (from “Final Fantasy VII”)
Christmas in Nightopia (from “Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams”)
SNOWFLAKES (from “Persona 4 Golden”)
Cool, Cool Mountain (from “Super Mario 64”)
Christmas Town (from “KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.5 Remix”)
Winter Veil (from “World of Warcraft”)
Frappe Snowland (from “Mario Kart 64”)
Ice Man (from “Mega Man”)
A Merry Hyrule Christmas – Eric Buchholz
Right before I was going to schedule this post, a new Christmas album was released! The video game remix community is huge, if you weren’t aware. You can spend a very long time just finding albums on Spotify and other platforms from every genre of music. For fans of Legend of Zelda, you will definitely love this one. The artists did a fantastic job of mixing LoZ themes with Christmas-y sounds. The only complaint I have is that I wish there were more tracks!
It may seem like a surprising combination at first glance, but arranger Eric Buchholz (of Hero of Time) noticed that the melodic hooks and harmonic progressions of Zelda songs are reminiscent of classic holiday tunes — and he set out to connect the two. The resulting album crosses between genres, from lighthearted tunes to more solemn carols. It’s Zelda music with a Christmas twist, and Christmas music with a Zelda twist. And it’s perfect to share during the holidays, whether the people you love play video games or not.
David Russell, Eric Buchholz – Kakariko Village 03:37
Wayne Strange – O Sacred Light 03:50
Eric Buchholz, Kyle Martin, Wayne Strange – Clock Town Sleigh Ride 02:55
Kyle Martin – Silent Knight 03:07
Wayne Strange – Carol of the Goddess 03:58
Dragon Roost Hymn 02:51
Wayne Strange – Din Rest Ye Merry Deku Scrubs 03:21
Kyle Martin, Wayne Strange – The Twelve Days of Christmas 08:12
Crusader Kings 2 – Songs of Yultide
Some video games take Christmas music and add their own twist to it in addition to simply fitting the theme of the season. When I first heard this song while playing Crusader Kings 2, I assumed I was listening to the original carols everyone knows and loves. That is…until I listened closer to the lyrics. I couldn’t stop laughing when I realized what was actually being sung; it actually fit quite well within the scope of the game. Have a listen to this take of these classic Christmas carols, courtesy of Paradox Development Studio.
If that gave you a chuckle, you should know that you can receive these songs through a free DLC offered on Steam, with lyrics included on its purchase page. You can also find the same DLC offered on its sister game Europa Universalis IV, also for free. Let’s hope that more games include more gems like this in the future!
Animal Crossing – Christmas Eve (Toy Day) created by Hyuga
As the seasons pass in the various Animal Crossing games, the music can also change based on what the weather or holiday happens to be. I enjoy how the songs are all so different yet you know they all come from an Animal Crossing game. Instead of Christmas, Animal Crossing observes Toy Day on Christmas Eve, where Jingle the Reindeer will engage in an activity with the player (depending on the game) and grant gifts to the player and other villagers. Christmas feels like a magical and special time for so many, and that’s why I enjoy this fan-made version by Hyuga so much. It really brings out the child-like joy that I feel when this season grows closer and closer. I hope it will for you as well!
Is this the best Christmas song in Banjo-Kazooie? No. This is, however, the most refreshing wintry song! You muscle your way through the perilous Click Clock Wood THREE TIMES (Spring, Summer, and Fall respectively) before you get a chance to hear this song. It is very open, blustery, and sparse for a majority of the track, reminding you of the barren nature of not only winter, but of Tick Tock Clock specifically. The entire stage changes, and you can feel the chill nip at your bear nose. As more instruments are introduced, you remember that winter isn’t all cold and lonely, but there are friends with you, there is a charm that is always present on just the other side of the cold. Warm fires, good friends, and snowmen hurling snowballs your way, maniacally laughing. Wa-hay!
You know that feeling of joy you get when you bowl a strike out in the middle of the tundra by pushing a snow boulder towards beams in the distance? If you don’t and you want to, either go snowling or listen to the snowling music here (55:43 minutes in) and picture it in your wintry mind’s eye. Ah yes, gently pushing a snowy mass much larger than yourself down a rolling bumpy hill, only to have it collide with 10 pin like totems… Nothing like it! The music is so upbeat and cheerful (and short lived), that strike, spare, or unfair split, you’ll still enjoy your time out in the snowy, blowy, snowling alley. Bundle up everyone, it’s time to go snowling! Link approves! Hiya!