What Game Rant Is Playing This Holiday Season
The festive season is upon us, and the year is coming to a close far quicker than we’re ready for. But, with the Game of the Year now crowned, the next day to mark on a gamer’s calendar is the new year, where we look forward to all the big releases coming in 2026.
The team here at Game Rant won’t be taking time away, as we’re committed to keeping you up to date on all the latest from around the industry, but we will put aside some time for our loved ones (which, of course, means our favorite gaming systems). So, we asked the team here at GR what they’ll be playing over the holidays, and the results were expectedly varied.
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Casey Muir-Taylor
Social Media Coordinator
After The Game Awards and the grisly and exciting Divinity trailer, I have been back in the world of Divinity Original Sin 2. While it plays somewhat similar enough to Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s different enough in its combat to stay interesting. I highly recommend playing it if you enjoyed BG3.
On the opposite end of that, I am always playing Overwatch 2 with my friends. I know it gets a lot of hate in a very overpopulated hero shooter landscape, but it does it best, in my opinion. Finally, I am also making my way through The Hundred Line Last Defense Academy. It is a hidden gem from earlier this year that combines so many facets of games I love. If you enjoy Persona, Fire Emblem, Danganronpa, or just JRPGs in general, I think it’s worth a try
Dalton Cooper
Managing Editor
Over the holidays I will be playing The Seance of Blake Manor. I didn’t even know it existed until reviews started coming in, and it suddenly became one of the highest-rated games of 2025. Then, when I found out it was a first-person puzzle game with Return of the Obra Dinn and Blue Prince vibes, I was immediately sold. I have been hooked ever since.
I am still working on my first playthrough, but it’s the kind of game I can see myself going through more than once, so maybe I’ll play through it a couple of times over the holidays. Of course, I’ll also be spending time playing games with family friends, so there will be plenty of Overwatch 2, ARC Raiders, and Battlefield 6 sessions as well.
Greysun Morales
Lead Guides Editor
As dull as the city is, I will probably be spending the holidays continuing the grind on Pokemon Legends Z-A‘s Mega Dimension DLC. I have over 60 hours in the game already, and I’m still only halfway through the new story missions, with a lot of side missions to wrap up.
If I’m really bored, I might try to complete the entire Pokedex, but we’ll have to wait and see. I also plan to spend some quality time with my partner and boot up Mario Kart World, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and perhaps Kirby Air Riders. With the lack of big new December games, there’s not much to sink my teeth into, unfortunately!
Jake Fillery
Evergreen Editor
This holiday season, I’ll be playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. While it’s by no means festive cheer to slaughter some maggot-addicted zombies, it sure is a jolly time for all involved (apart from the zombies themselves). I’ve had a blast in Black Ops 7 for over a month now, and outside of my addictive enjoyment of the Multiplayer, I can’t seem to stop running trains and blasting through high rounds of the Zombies mode.
Ashes of the Damned and Astra Malorum are treats that I didn’t expect for my stocking on Christmas, but they’re more than welcome to stay. I’ve amassed over 100 hours in Black Ops 7 Zombies, and I fear that I can’t stop. Shooting the undead, drinking Perks, and hearing the hilarious lines of Richtofen never get old. The loyal nostalgia I have felt for the series since I opened my first door in Nacht der Untoten from 2008’s Call of Duty: World at War on Christmas Day, remains strong even 17 years later!
Jeff Brooks
Evergreen Editor
This year has been absolutely packed with so many awesome titles that I’ve simply had to leave some unfinished along the way. I typically like to revisit one of these back-burner games at the end of the year (or a few, if I can swing it). The game I want to get back to the most right now is Ghost of Yotei. I loved Ghost of Tsushima back in 2020, but it always had a bit of that ludonarrative dissonance with its main story—the invasion was such a critical priority for Jin, so every stray fox or relaxing dip in a hot spring felt like it stepped on the urgency of that main narrative.
Ghost of Yotei’s assassination list structure really lends itself to wandering off the path and doing anything and everything along the way. Atsu has been simmering for revenge for over a decade, providing plenty of space to take in those smaller moments without them affecting the pace of the overall story. I doubt I’ll actually do everything the game has to offer, but it’s such a fun game to play that I’m just happy to spend more time in the beauty of Ezo. I’m excited to put a nice little bow on the game to close out the year.
Joshua Duckworth
Executive Editor
My “main” game right now is Fallout 76. It’s been several years since I last played it, like before Wastelanders, so I wanted to come back and see the changes. I started a brand-new level 1 character, so it’ll be a while before I reach Burning Springs, but I’m really enjoying this take on Appalachia so far. It’s definitely clicking so much better now than it did when I last played it.
I have a couple of co-op games with my buddies in rotation too. Phasmophobia pretty much never leaves rotation, which is why it’s easily my most played game of the year. The Winter’s Jest update adding three new ghosts is the cherry on top. We go hard on it again. Tanglewood hates to see us coming lol. We’ve also got a late-game save of Satisfactory we’re trying to beat, but I assume that’ll be done before the new year. Oh, and my wife and I have a save of Baldur’s Gate 3 going, just need time to play it!
Finally, I have a Dragon Age: Veilguard character I started for DA Day. I’ve been playing her slowly (she’s a dwarven rogue), and she’s romancing Davrin. But I’ll probably wrap her up by the end of the year too. Depending on the time, especially since 2026 doesn’t really have anything for me until February, I can kind of feel a Dragon Age marathon coming sooner rather than later.
Mark Sammut
Lead Editor
While the exact game isn’t set in stone at the moment, I’ll be playing either It Takes Two or Marvel Cosmic Invasion during the holidays. I visit my family each Christmas, and recently, I’ve started a tradition with my younger brother where we play through one co-op game. As there is a pretty big age gap between us, we didn’t have much opportunity to game together before now, so it has been fun.
Paul Woodward
Interactive Map Editor
Over the holidays, I am planning to play The Witcher 3. I put it down a few years ago and never beat it, but now I am going to take the time to finally beat this fantastic game. I also have the DLC, so I am looking forward to checking that out for the first time.
Tim Lord
I’m not sure just how much gaming I’ll have time for over the holiday season, between work commitments and parenting, but when I do, I’ll be on the couch playing Palia with my wife. We love playing cozy games together, and the genre is perfect for winding down after a busy day.
The game’s recent update has really gotten me into the festive season, so I’m keen to look into the new content when I have the time. And, of course, contribute to the enormous community snowman!
Tom Bowen
Lead Evergreen Editor
As I tend to do most years, I’ll be replaying the first Shenmue game over the Christmas break. It made a huge impression on me when I first played it back in December of 2000, and so I’ve associated it with Christmas ever since. Over the years, returning to the streets of Yokosuka has started to feel a bit like going home, so revisiting Shenmue is also a great way to deal with the homesickness that sometimes creeps in over the festive period.
Wishing you a happy holidays from everyone here at Game Rant!
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