Even if you live in a country without a snowy winter season, the month of December is always associated with cold weather and falling snowflakes. There’s nothing quite like looking at a bank of white crisp snow and ice to signal that winter is here.
Whether you want to savagely destroy your way through an icy wonderland or calmly walk through the snow, we’ve got a list of snowy games for you to get your cool on. So bundle up and check out this frosty list!
Horizon Zero Dawn – The Frozen Wilds by Guerrilla Games
If you want an escape into the wind biting tundra play Horizon Zero Dawn’s DLC The Frozen Wilds. In fact, if you want to play any open-world game, play Horizon Zero Dawn. This gorgeous game that’s chock full of deep details, lore and fluid gameplay is also rife with some of the best graphics in any game. In The Frozen Wilds, we venture into an unexplored area called ‘The Cut’ in the Great White North. Filled with crisp snowy tundra ice forests and plenty of snow-capped mountains you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better wild snowy landscape. And as you crunch through thick snowdrifts you’ll be meeting the environment mechanical beasts and of course solving the mysteries of the North.
Check out our ‘What to Expect From HZD: Frozen Wilds DLC’ here. Available on the PlayStation 5|4, PC – Steam.
Rise Of The Tomb Raider by Crystal Dynamics
An oldie but a goodie. Rise of the Tomb Raider is the icey continuation of Lara Crofts journey through snowy Siberia. Uncover an ancient mystery that places you in the cross-hairs of a ruthless organization known as Trinity. Race to the Lost City of Kitezh and discover its hidden secrets before Trinity. In this adventure you’ll not only have to battle your known enemies but mother nature herself. Use the Earth to your advantage and craft resources to get you through this beautiful yet hostile environment.
Available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC – Steam.
Röki by Polygon Treehouse
One of my favourite games last year, Röki is a point and click adventure game set in a Scandinavian folk tale. Explore the stark, sometimes dark winter forest and turn up the volume for a true snowy atmospheric adventure. You’ll be playing as Tove as she journeys on a magical journey to save her family in this deep and hidden world. The world of Röki is vast and full of secret depths. Ice floors with cracks that show hidden rooms, staircases that fold down into the soil. It’s a fascinating magical place where not is all as it appears. So take your time as you explore this snow-capped wonderland.
Check out our full review of Röki and its story-rich winter wonderland here. Available on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC – Steam and Mac.
The Long Dark by Hinterland Studio
Continuing on our dark winter journey The Long Dark is a thoughtful, exploration-survival experience that challenges you to survive in an expansive frozen wilderness in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster. Reminding you that even though snow is beautiful, it is deadly. You’ll need to balance your resources, monitor your hunger, thirst, fatigue and cold, one wrong misstep could be your death. In this episodic journey, your only goal is to survive.
Welcome to the quiet apocalypse. Available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC – Steam, Mac
Frostpunk by 11 Bit Studios
One of our ‘Top 10 Wasteland Games To End the World In’, Frostpunk puts you in the nitty gritty of post-apocalyptic winter worlds. Much like the previous game The Long Dark it’s a survival game. But instead of just looking after only yourself you’ll need to look after a town with hundreds of lives depending on you. In this never ending winter hard choices need to be made. Do you focus on keeping your people happy at the expense of collecting resources? Do you take a hardline on rule breaking? There’s no real winning here but there definitely is ice and snow.
Available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC – Steam, Mac, iOS, Android.
