Well, here we are again. Like clockwork, every month we see another Hidden Cats or spin-off release onto consoles and we’re back to give you our thoughts on the latest. December’s Hidden Cats in Istanbul was one of the better recent Hidden Cats, however last month’s Cats Among Us: Giant Cat was possibly the worst in the genre.
This is the second Christmas themed Cats game, following Hidden Cats in Santa’s Realm which we enjoyed when it arrived for the festive period in 2024. Oddly, this one has arrived on consoles after the festive period. But, as the January blues subside, has this brought some belated holiday cheer? Our review.
Gameplay – Yule Love It
After reviewing more than my share of Hidden Cats and sub-franchise games, it’s a struggle to find more words to describe them. These are hand crafted hidden object games, which have the feel of a Where’s Wally / Where’s Waldo-type book, as well as the art style to match.
Each 10 – 15-minute stage has around 100 kitties and a handful of other objects to move around the screen to find. There are eight locations to explore and find all the delightful cats and other festive themed characters. As you work your way through, more of the level will fill with delightful festive colours.
There’s some quality of improvements here that long-time fans of the genre will appreciate. In previous titles, the background colour would only begin to fill on the main city (or similar) stages. Now, this applies on all stages making finding your remaining cats much easier. Also, the final Christmas Market stage only has a small number of people to find. I have previously complained about having to find ~100 people alongside >100 cats in the finale stages as it became a grind. These minor changes streamline the experience and reduce the eye strain.
Audio and Visuals – Stollen My Heart
Hidden Cats have always excelled at wonderful art, and in Christmas is among the series best. The game’s main level is full of global and cultural festive references including a beach – a popular place for Aussies to spend their Xmas day, a Grinch cat and German Christmas market.
There are also smaller stages that are truly delightful including one that looks like the McCallister’s abode from Home Alone, as well as what I believe is the series first vertical level, a huge Christmas tree. Combined with a cheery festive soundtrack full of jingles, I was humbled with some winter warmth throughout my 90-minutes with Nukearts Studios’ latest.
In Summary – Good Tidings Were Had
With some welcome quality of life improvements and some of the best designed levels from Hidden Cats, this is one of the best in the series. I do wonder when the bubble will burst on this genre, but if Nukearts can continue to create charming levels then me and the Cats community will keep coming back for a monthly fix.
I can comfortably recommend Hidden Cats in Christmas – I just wonder why they waited until February to release it.
Hidden Cats in Christmas releases on Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One on February 4 2026. The game launches also on PlayStation 4 & 5 and Nintendo Switch (including Switch 2 via backwards compatibility) on February 5 2026. The game is also already available via Steam.
GSC would like to thank publisher Silesia Games for a code provided for review. The review was played on Xbox Series X.
