Developers Outright Games and Casual Brothers have announcedThe Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroes, a new Christmas-themed family-friendly game.The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroesis based on Lumistella Company’s popularThe Elf on the Shelffranchise, and is due out on May 19, 2025 for PS4,PS5, Switch, and Xbox platforms.
It may be summer in many parts of the world at the time of this writing, but the Christmas holidays are coming sooner than one might think. People everywhere will be gearing up to shop for Christmas gifts for their friends and loved ones, or making plans to settle down fora fun Christmas moviewhen the occasion arrives. In the gaming world, games launch Christmas-themed events or release holiday DLC to take advantage of the festive mood and iconic motifs. Occasionally, even fully Christmas-themed game releases are on the table to enjoy.
One such game will beThe Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroes, which was just announced for release this June 20, 2025, on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Based on the well-knownThe Elf on the Shelffranchise,Christmas Heroeswill put players in control of their very own Scout Elf (i.e. the titular shelf-sitting elf), ready to bring Christmas cheer and report back to Santa.
The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroes Announced for July 23, 2025 Release Date
The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroestakes the form of a 3D mascot game in the vein of thebest classic 3D platformers, this time featuring a Scout Elf that players can customize themselves. Scout Elves can take on a variety of appearances and wear different outfits and accessories. They’ll also be able to explore the environment, overcome platforming challenges, collect items, and play various minigames. Some of the minigames Scout Elves can engage in include maze navigation and even a variation on the classic card-based memory challenge.
Christmas Heroesis also being developed by Outright Games, which has a long track-record in family-friendly game development.Outright-developed hits likeBarbie Project FriendshipandSpongebob Squarepants: The Patrick Star Gamehave made impressive headway with younger players on services like Xbox Game Pass, as well as through boxed and digital sales.
The announcement of a Christmas-themed game in July might seem a bit early, butChristmas Heroesacknowledges that fact right in its own announcement trailer, showing one of the titular Scout Elves enjoying a beach holiday as a call to duty comes in. That being said, there’s some virtue to a mid-year announcement. Timed to be available well ahead of the holiday shopping rush,The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroescould be positioned to becomea great family-friendly game to gift for Christmas.
