Top 5 Retro Games for Winter Nostalgia
There’s just something about winter that changes the way we game. For a lot of us it’s the best season to get some good gaming time in. The days get shorter, it gets colder, and you just want the comfort of something familiar. When you're looking to scratch that nostalgic itch, certain games just feel right. Especially when the temperature drops and the snow starts to pile up outside, some very specific games come to mind. These aren’t necessarily “winter-themed” games but they’re the ones tied to memories of snow days, late nights, and staying warm indoors while the world outside slowed to a crawl.
These are our top five games for winter nostalgia. The titles we always think about when the temperature drops, it gets dark way too early and we’ve got a little extra reason to stay inside and warm in front of the TV. Winter is coming and some of the best games to play your way through the cold season are right here.
5. Resident Evil 2 (PlayStation)
When it comes to winter gaming, Resident Evil 2 will forever be linked to snowstorms and late nights for me. Back in the day, my friends and I had a tradition: if a big storm was coming, we’d all play through RE2 the night before. We convinced ourselves that finishing the game somehow increased our chances of a snow day… or at least guaranteed we’d be too tired to go to school the next morning.
To this day, if snow is in the forecast or flakes are falling outside, I get an immediate urge to boot up Resident Evil 2 on PSX and see if I can complete it before I fall asleep. It’s one of those games that, after you beat it a couple of times, the puzzles, paths and surprises become ingrained in your head and you can really get through it at a good pace. The familiar eerie halls of the Raccoon City Police Department, the moody soundtrack, and that slow, deliberate pacing feel perfect when the world outside is quiet and frozen.
Horror games and movies are great anytime of year but there’s just something about the long dark nights, the bitter cold and isolation that comes with the winter season that fits so well with the genre. It might be old but Resident Evil 2 has the vibe that compliments the season and it's filled with nostalgia for those that played it growing up. The tank controls the series is known for, keep the pacing slow and tense and the scarce items and ammunition force you to ration and think ahead. It takes some getting used to but it still holds up. The campiness and mechanics that built the franchise are all here in classic lo-fi glory. A very solid winter playthrough if you get the chance.
4. Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)
Super Mario 64 is pure winter comfort food for your brain. Growing up, when the snow came down, the fireplace was burning and the house smelled like woodsmoke, this was the game we gathered around the TV to play as kids. There’s something incredibly cozy about its bright colors, familiar music, and open-ended gameplay.
We would swap controllers back and forth for hours trying to unlock all of the 120 stars. Countless hours were spent running around that castle, searching for every painting to jump into and exploring all the levels. It’s a blast performing wild feats to complete star missions and butt stomping (ground pound officially) every Goomba and Koopa Troopa you can to get those sweet gold coins so you can stay alive. Nailing the classic triple jump still gets me with that… “Wahoo!” that let’s you know you nailed it… so good.
Maybe it was the comfort of familiarity during cold days, or maybe it was how easy it was to jump in and play while wrapped up in blankets in front of the TV, but Mario 64 became a winter staple without us ever realizing it. Even now, the smell of a fire instantly brings Peach’s Castle to mind. I find that I come back to it at least once every year, even if it’s just to jump through a handful of levels. The tight controls and platforming are just as good as I remember and the soundtrack that was burned into our brains just brings it all together. Classic.
3. Phantasy Star Online (Dreamcast)
Winter in our teenage years meant Christmas, snowstorms, and long snow days and to us at the time that meant booting up the Dreamcast, firing up the dial-up modem and logging on to Phantasy Star Online. PSO felt magical during the winter months, especially when the game’s holiday themes kicked in. Logging in and seeing seasonal decorations and hearing holiday music in the lobby back then felt special in a way that’s hard to replicate today.
Snow days meant extra hours of squadding up to run dungeons, fighting Dark Falz, and laughing in chat with friends using the Dreamcast keyboard. It was cold outside, but Ragol felt alive, social, and endlessly inviting when the snow hit the ground.
Even now, the offline and solo gameplay loop of Phantasy Star Online is perfect for days when you are just looking to get comfortable and relax. The levels and combat are great once you get the rhythm of things down and the loot, level progression and MAG leveling/feeding system keeps you engaged for the long haul. The colors and atmosphere of the levels pair perfectly with the soundtrack, really gluing the whole experience together for an unforgettable adventure. The only thing it’s missing is a snow level.
2. Final Fantasy (VII) (PlayStation)
When it comes to long cold winter nights, nothing beats a good Final Fantasy game. There isn’t just one that I return to but I tend to stick to the original PSX releases. The familiar rotation of Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX are the most frequent companions I revisit during the colder months, but Final Fantasy VII gets the most replays.
Getting lost in the massive world, unforgettable music, and emotional story is perfect for when you’re piling on blankets. With that classic turn based combat, the game moves at a pace that feels right when winter slows everything else down. You can get cozy and play till you nod off, nap for a bit, then resume whatever battle you were in the middle of or continue trekking across the map. Playing through any Final Fantasy, or a few, is a great choice for a comfort game to help get you through the winter months but for me FF7 really hits the spot.
Maybe it’s the cold industrial feel of the game world, the classic epic score by Nobuo Uematsu or because it was the top holiday title of 1997 but there is just something about this one in particular that makes me want to pick up and play it when it starts to get cold out. The story is a classic hero’s journey tale with a splash of amnesia, and just like a great book, it is oh so good to curl up and enjoy time and time again.
1. Metal Gear Solid (PlayStation)
Some games just belong to winter, and Metal Gear Solid is the ultimate example. Playing a game set in a frozen Alaskan environment while snow piles up outside hits on another level.
When the temperature is freezing or there are several inches of snow on the ground and nowhere to go, there’s nothing better than grabbing a drink, pulling on a blanket, and booting up the first Metal Gear Solid on PSX. The game is cinematic, tense, atmospheric, and oddly comforting. It’s 10 hours of pure nostalgic therapy and David Hayter rizzing his way through CODEC conversations with Mei Ling while fighting for his life and American freedom in the freezing Alaskan winter.
MGS provides that familiar story, action and voice actors we all know and love. Like John Carpenter’s The Thing, it just feels best enjoying it during winter. The setting, the blue tone to the game’s color palette and little details, like the falling snow, frozen doors, puffs of breath and shivering grumpy guards, do a great job of letting you know it’s cold. The game is filled with epic moments and memorable battles with the likes of Revolver Ocelot, Pyscho Mantis, Gray Fox, Sniper Wolf, Vulkan Raven and Liquid Snake. Much like rewatching a classic film, replaying Metal Gear Solid is just a great time and pairs so well with cold weather and snow.
Winter, Wrapped in Nostalgia
Winter nostalgia isn’t just about the season, it’s about the memories tied to being indoors, staying warm, and losing yourself in games that feel like home. These five titles may not all be about snow, but they’re inseparable from it in my mind.
Maybe it’s the slower pace of the gameplay, maybe it’s the great stories or maybe it’s just the memories from youth but when the weather turns cold and the world outside goes quiet, these are the games we return to again and again. Even with so many games out there to choose from, personally, these ones stay in rotation every winter.
