Christmas Nightmare

About Christmas Nightmare

Christmas Nightmare is a short horror game by the solo developer JustTomcuk, released on Steam in December 2023. You play Connor, an ordinary man who wants nothing more after a hard day at work than his favourite sports show and a bottle of beer. But it is the evening before New Year, and this one is going to be different.

The game is played in first person and leans on atmosphere more than action. Its screenshots show a snowbound suburban street strung with coloured lights, light-up Santas and snowmen, a lit shop in the falling snow, an empty park and a dark garage with a Christmas tree. The store promises that the mood of celebration will be replaced by real horror, with traces in the snow and fireworks over the night.

It is a game of about sixty minutes, built to be played in one sitting on a winter evening. It suits players who like short, atmospheric walking-style horror with a seasonal setting, in the spirit of Christmas-set games such as Crimson Snow.

How to play Christmas Nightmare

1. Buy and install the game from Steam (Windows).
2. Start a new game and take control of Connor at home on New Year's Eve.
3. Move and look around in first person, and interact with objects and doors as the evening goes on.
4. Follow the events outside into the snowy street and keep going until the story ends, about an hour later.

Tips

• Play it in one sitting with the lights off: it is short and built on mood.
• Look at what has changed in the snow and the street as you go, since the store points to traces in the snow.
• Use headphones to catch sounds outside the house.

Questions