Skip to main content

Celebrate the holidays like a true gamer with these 6 yule log videos

Sometimes you just want to create a cute holiday vibe in your home, letting you curl up next to a roaring fire. That mission can be tough if you don’t have a fireplace, though. That’s where yule log videos come in. You can head over to YouTube and load up any number of cozy yule log videos simulating that experience.

There are plenty of traditional yule log options for you to choose from, but what if you’re a gamer? Perhaps you won’t settle for anything less than a neat gaming-themed fire that will make your younger cousins think you’re very cool and have the rest of your family concerned about your life choices. If that applies to you, here are six great gaming yule logs you can fire up this holiday weekend.

Minecraft Holiday Yule Log

Minecraft Holiday Yule Log (Official)

Let’s start with an old standby. If you want a good-natured, uncomplicated gaming fire, look to the blocky world of Minecraft. Released in 2016, this two-hour YouTube video lets you watch a fire burn in a holiday-decorated Minecraft cabin. While it lacks the realistic graphics of The Last of Us Part II and it plays the same fire sound effect every couple of seconds, this will do if you’re looking for a gaming-themed yule log that almost anyone can recognize. It’s official, too — it says so in the title. 

Happy Holidays featuring Charlie the Yule Dog | Marvel's Midnight Suns

Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Marvel, but it’s this neat comic book universe that has spawned some movies and video games. The latest Marvel game, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, even got a Yule Log of its own almost an entire year before it was released. The official video is titled Charlie the Yule Dog, so I don’t really think I have to put in that much comedic effort here after that pun. I just want to highlight that it’s nice for a game to give such a fledgling universe of characters some time in the spotlight.

AVGN’s Yule Log of Video Games

AVGN's Yule Log of Video Games

Are you celebrating Christmas with people who really don’t like video games? Then you can try to convince them that you, a gamer, are actually on their side with this yule log from the Angry Video Game Nerd. This timeless classic is over an hour long and shows video games burning over chiptune music. Warm your family’s weary bones by the flames of Bonk’s Adventure and Beavis and Butthead’s Sega Genesis game.

Little Inferno: Ho Ho Holiday

Little Inferno Ho Ho Holiday Expansion - Official Trailer

“Wait, that’s a trailer, not a yule log video you madman!” is what you’re probably thinking. Well, I’m just trying to keep you on your toes. We have gamified everything from language learning to literal geese, so of course, we’ve found a way to gamify yule logs. If your least favorite part of these videos is the fact that you can’t interact with them, then Little Inferno’s Ho Ho Holiday expansion is for you. Little Inferno is a funny, satirical indie game that’s all about burning things, and this expansion that just released in November adds over 20 new toys for you to burn. I think this technically counts as a yule log, because it makes you feel like one. 

House of Hades Yule Log

House of Hades Yule Log [4k]

This isn’t a comedic yule log entry. I’m just here to tell you that Hades is a good game and has a great yule log video. Put on this calming 12-hour yule log and just play Hades. Watch the Hades II trailer while you’re at it, and then play Hades again. Why are you still here? You should be playing Hades — it’s one of the best games of all time.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Yule Log

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) - "Yule Log" - Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures released a Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Yule Log ahead of the film’s release earlier this year, and it’s actually a pretty great one. I’m extending this one to Sonic fans as a holiday olive branch after my very critical review of Sonic Frontiers earlier this year. I hope this gift brings you peace this holiday season. Regardless, this is actually a nice yule log, especially if the people around you know who Sonic is. Roast some chili dogs over an open flame while you watch this one.

Hopefully, one of these very niche yule logs can fill your weekend with some gaming cheer. Happy holidays from the Digital Trends gaming team!

Tomas Franzese
Gaming Staff Writer
Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
How to get to Monkey Island in Sea of Thieves
An election poster for guybrush in Sea of Thieves.

Over the course of its many years of updates and expansions, Sea of Thieves has had a few notable crossovers with other pirate franchises. The Pirates of the Caribbean crossover let you team up with the legendary Jack Sparrow, but the Monkey Island content felt like it came out of nowhere. For those unaware, Monkey Island is a series of pirate point-and-click games that were as funny as the puzzles were obscure. Thankfully, you don't have to intuit that you need to combine a cat whisker with a mason jar to bypass a skeleton guard to get to this new content, but it is more challenging than you might think.

Read more
3 Xbox Game Pass games you need to play this weekend (May 3-5)
Senua in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice.

Another weekend is upon us, and you're probably looking for some games to kill time with over the course of it. We're in a bit of a lull right now ahead of a flurry of releases starting next week, so it's a great time to dip back into the Xbox Game Pass catalog and check out some games that you may have missed. There are three games in particular that I think you should check out this weekend if you're looking for something to play.

One is an unsettling adventure that's getting an Xbox-exclusive sequel later this month. The next is a finely animated roguelike indie that recently made its way to Microsoft's gaming subscription service. Finally, there's a relaxing adventure that gives players a lot of freedom, yet is short enough to beat in a weekend. If you're having trouble deciding what to play this weekend, give one of these games a shot.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Read more
3 underrated PS Plus games you should play this weekend (May 3-5)
The main character of Tales of Kenzera: Zau stands with two elemental items.

PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra have been around for almost two years, and during that time the subscription service has established itself as an ample competitor to Xbox Game Pass. That means there is a wealth of great games for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners to check out if they're looking for something to play this weekend. I think PS Plus subscribers should be looking toward some of the more underrated games in the subscription service this weekend too.

I have three particular picks in mind. The first is an enjoyable Metroidvania that came to PS Plus' game catalog when it launched just a couple of weeks ago and deserves a lot more attention than it's getting. After that, there's an action-platformer that pays homage to series like Ninja Gaiden that you should check out before it leaves the catalog. Finally, there's a PS2-era Star Wars game that fills the niche a recently canceled game would have.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau

Read more