The winter holidays mean a lot of different things to different people, but no matter how you‘re planning to spend your seasonal break, there’s a Ubisoft game for you. Whether you’re nesting at home or traveling abroad, seeing friends and family or taking some time for yourself, the right game can make your holidays even more enjoyable. Here are eight games we recommend for a variety of holiday situations (some of which are discounted right now, during the Ubisoft Store Winter Sale).
Games with Seasonal Events
Though it’s summertime in post-pandemic Washington, DC, The Division 2 is hosting a seasonal event to bring Agents a dash of holiday spirit on Xbox One, PS4, PC, and through UPLAY+. Log in during Situation: Snowball (which ends January 7), and you’ll get a free in-game Santa hat to spruce up your outfit. To join the snowball-shooting fun, you’ll need to find and take down an elusive Santa hat-wearing Hoarder enemy who spawns in the open world (we found him while visiting the statue of Honest Abe, maybe that will work for you?). This will earn you the Sleigher, a gilded SMG that shoots snowballs and can afflict enemies with the Confuse status effect (I mean, wouldn’t you be?). Have a grand old time painting the town white, and if you want to get serious, start a new run in the no-respawn Hardcore Mode (still in beta).
If there’s one feeling you can count on the holiday season to deliver each and every year, it’s jealousy that you aren’t heli-skiing in Alaska. ‘Tis the season for wishing you were on an epic winter vacation, and that’s where Steep comes in. Already offering a bounty of beautiful mountainsides on which to ski, snowboard, paraglide, and more, Steep is hosting an array of special seasonal events to spice up your virtual adventures on PC, Xbox One, PS4, and through UPLAY+. Have you ever considered that Santa’s legendary feats of gift delivery might actually be getting done by elves with helicopters and wingsuits? Makes you think.
You know those car commercials where someone buys their partner a new car for Christmas and it has a huge red bow on top? Well, this season, why not surprise someone you care about by bringing that car commercial fantasy into the open-world motorsports fantasy of The Crew 2? During the Santa Cruise winter celebration on PS4, Xbox One, and PC (including UPLAY+), try out a new winter event and browse daily promotions for deals on new cars, cosmetics, and more from December 25 to January 1. Then, put your new ride(s) through their paces in the dynamic, vehicle-hopping Live Summit races when The Crew 2 lifts the fame level requirements during the Open Days Summit from January 1-8. Winter may be a time for extra caution on the roads, but in The Crew 2, speed is your secret Santa.
While bounties of baked goods, candy confections, and sugarplums (whatever those are) are likely to appear within arm’s reach much more frequently during the holiday season, there’s one place where candy is playing hard to get. As part of the Trials Rising seasonal event on Switch, PS4, PC, and Xbox One, 10 candy canes have been scattered throughout the games’ high-flying, daredevil-riding tracks. Grab ‘em all and a special reward is yours, one that won’t contribute to tooth decay. You can also check out a new fun bike, coming on December 26, and download a new track pack starting January 2 that takes you to the North Pole in search of new obstacles to overcome and terrain to backflip over.
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Recent Releases and New Updates
Harsh weather conditions have trapped you inside with an increasingly restless crowd of friends, family, and/or party-goers who you only just met, like, two hours ago. People are getting antsy and the vibe is threatening to take a turn. It is time for a hero to rise, and that hero is you, because you have Just Dance 2020. Get their attention with your moves on Blackpink’s “Kill This Love,” win the kids over with “Into the Unknown” from Disney’s Frozen II, and by the time “Old Town Road (Remix)” by Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus comes on, the whole party will be lining up to tap their toes and tip their hats with smiles on their faces. With dozens of tracks (plus hundreds more with Just Dance Unlimited), a new version for the Wii, and the ability to join in with just a smartphone whether you’re playing on Switch, Xbox One, PS4, or Stadia, everyone can get in on the fun, and everyone will remember who made it happen.
Assassin’s Creed: The Rebel Collection
Whether you’re headed to the airport or just your aunt’s place across town, taking a few Assassins (and a Templar) along for the ride will make any trip seem like a grand adventure. Assassin’s Creed: The Rebel Collection brings Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Assassin’s Creed Rogue, and Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry to Switch, letting you take the adventure on the go, or enjoy it in the comfort of your home. Command the nimble Jackdaw and sail the Caribbean Sea as Edward Kenway; scour the North Atlantic and evade assassination attempts as Shay Patrick Cormac; or prowl the city of Port-au-Prince and liberate slaves as Adewale. You can even play a few missions as the swift and deadly New Orleans-born Assassin, Aveline de Grandpré. No matter whose mantle you take up, the transit time will fly by. Now your only problem is putting the game down when you pull up to your destination.
Nothing warms the spirit and passes the time quite like overseeing the founding, development, and expansion of an Industrial-era city. There’s always something to do in Anno 1800 (currently on sale for up to 55% off at the Ubisoft Store on PC, and included in a UPLAY+ subscription), whether it’s discovering and developing a new production chain or mapping out how to expand your city in an efficient and aesthetically pleasing way. The latest DLC for Anno 1800, titled The Passage, gives you a chance to strike out for the Arctic Circle, where you’ll seek out lost adventurers and take on the new challenge of creating an Arctic outpost. With new buildings, resources, and more to discover, The Passage is also a great way to get some cozy winter vibes if your local weather is disappointingly temperate.
The holidays are a great time to connect with friends that you may not get to see very often, or that you see all the time but still want to hang out with because, duh, they are your friends. Team up with up to three other players in Ghost Recon Breakpoint, and the archipelago is your oyster. Play at your own pace and difficulty level, from quick in-and-out Faction missions to support the local rebels to the massive challenge of the Project Titan raid. Pursue Lt. Col. Walker and his high-ranking Wolves in the campaign or set out wandering across the islands to see what secrets you uncover. From the jagged, snow-capped heights of Mount Hodgson to the swanky modern bungalows of Dolphin Bay, there’s a lot to see, and if you’re playing on Stadia, you can take advantage of the new Stream Connect feature (in PvE mode) to see what your teammates are seeing as well, so you don’t miss a tactical opportunity or a beautiful view. Ghost Recon Breakpoint is out now on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia, and is on sale for up to 60% off in Ubisoft Store Winter Sale.
