New Year’s Eve in Video Games

New Year’s Eve celebrations do not have to be limited to champagne and confetti in the real world. Video games offer their own ways to celebrate, from dazzling fireworks and high-speed races to creative parties with friends. Sometimes, gathering virtually is the only way everyone can celebrate together.

In Animal Crossing, you can welcome the new year beneath a sky filled with fireworks over your island. Fortnite Creative lets you host custom parties with friends, complete with music, games, and chaos. Mario Kart brings the celebration to the racetrack, where fireworks illuminate the sky as you race across Rainbow Road while the clock counts down to the new year.

Whatever your preferred style, these games transform the countdown into an interactive and memorable experience for friends and families who cannot celebrate together in person.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

• Platform: Nintendo Switch
• Release Date: March 20, 2020
• Player Count: Up to eight players online
• Cross-Platform: No

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of the few games that fully embraces New Year’s Eve as an in-game event. On December 31, the plaza is transformed with decorations, party favors, sparklers, and a real-time countdown synchronized with the player’s system clock. Isabelle and the villagers gather in the square, the music intensifies as midnight approaches, and fireworks conclude the celebration.

Because islands are persistent social spaces, players can invite friends to experience the countdown together. Everyone can dress for the occasion, use emotes, exchange gifts, and explore the island after midnight. The experience feels less like a minigame and more like a shared holiday ritual, making it the gold standard for virtual New Year’s parties.

Mario Kart World

• Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
• Release Date: June 5, 2025
• Player Count: Up to 24 players online
• Cross-Platform: No

Although Mario Kart World is featured here, nearly any Mario Kart game can work. The series is known for beautiful tracks and striking visual effects, including fireworks that would fit naturally into any New Year’s Eve parade or celebration.

Gather online, choose a few tracks, and consider arranging a race on a fireworks-filled course as the countdown begins. Options include Crown City and several versions of Rainbow Road, among others.

Mario Kart World offers custom lobbies that make connecting with friends easy, but it can also be an excellent addition to an in-person New Year’s Eve party.

Fortnite

• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile
• Release Date: July 25, 2017
• Player Count: Up to four players per squad, with larger lobbies in Fortnite Creative
• Cross-Platform: Yes

Although Epic Games has featured fireworks in live battle royale lobbies near the end of the year, the main celebration takes place in Fortnite Creative. There, players can discover community-made modes that support many styles of play, including custom trivia nights, Prop Hunt, and Party Royale-style experiences.

There is also nothing wrong with jumping from the Battle Bus together as the final hours of the year pass. Winterfest takes place around the end of December each year, giving the island a snowy backdrop as players fight for survival.

Call of Duty: Warzone

• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
• Release Date: March 10, 2020
• Player Count: Up to four players per squad
• Cross-Platform: Yes

Warzone does not offer the flexibility of Fortnite Creative, but its high-octane action can produce scenes reminiscent of a New Year’s Eve fireworks display. Destroying helicopters in midair or launching trucks with explosives can become memorable milestones on the path to a battle royale victory.

Warzone has become more popular than traditional Call of Duty, and for good reason. Its battle royale format introduces a survival element unlike anything previously offered by the series. Experiencing that action with friends at the end of the year can be a blast.

Final Fantasy XIV

• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
• Release Date: August 27, 2013
• Cross-Platform: Yes

Final Fantasy XIV excels at player-driven celebrations. Housing districts, Free Company estates, and public hubs frequently host community-organized New Year’s countdowns. Players dress for the occasion, launch fireworks, and gather around stages while DJs stream music externally.

The game’s strength lies in how social it feels, even without official events. Emotes, glamour, and roleplay-friendly systems allow players to transform the evening into a genuine virtual party. The result feels communal, intentional, and uniquely festive.

GTA Online

• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC
• Release Date: October 1, 2013
• Player Count: Up to 32 players per session
• Cross-Platform: No

GTA Online offers countless locations for hosting a New Year’s party, from penthouses and yachts to nightclubs and rooftops. Firework launchers, champagne animations, and curated music help create a celebratory atmosphere with minimal effort.

Private sessions make it easy to turn the game’s usual chaos into a controlled party environment. Friends can dress up, capture screenshots, and explore Los Santos together at midnight, blending sandbox freedom with a festive atmosphere.

Minecraft

• Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile
• Release Date: May 17, 2009
• Player Count: Depends on the server or Realm
• Cross-Platform: Yes

Minecraft provides a blank canvas for New Year’s parties. Players can build stages, countdown clocks, and massive firework systems before inviting friends to explore and celebrate together. Redstone can support surprisingly elaborate countdown mechanisms.

Because the experience is player-driven, every party can feel personal. Whether it takes place in a cozy survival world or as a spectacle on a creative server, Minecraft allows each group to define what celebration means to them.

Roblox

• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile
• Release Date: September 1, 2006
• Cross-Platform: Yes

Roblox thrives on social experiences, many of which are designed specifically for events. Player-creators and professionals regularly build countdown rooms, concert spaces, and dance clubs that are well suited to New Year’s Eve gatherings.

Its accessibility makes inviting large groups easy, even when some participants are casual players. Moving between games keeps the party active, while social hubs provide a shared place to gather at midnight.

Fall Guys

• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile
• Release Date: August 4, 2020
• Player Count: Up to four players per squad
• Cross-Platform: Yes

Fall Guys is designed like a party game, with colorful characters and short, energetic rounds. Friends can queue together and enjoy the playful chaos while chatting through the countdown. Its limited downtime makes it particularly suitable for New Year’s Eve, maintaining the energy without demanding constant concentration.

Some minigames provide an ideal backdrop for a New Year’s Eve gathering, including Short Circuit and Hex-A-Terrestrial, which feature night skies and bright lights that complement the festive mood.

No Man’s Sky

• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
• Release Date: August 12, 2016
• Player Count: Four players per party
• Cross-Platform: Yes

No Man’s Sky offers a surprisingly calm party atmosphere. The Nexus serves as a shared social hub, while player-built bases can become private celebration spaces complete with fireworks and emotes.

The game is well suited to relaxed New Year’s gatherings. Players can explore, take group photos, and welcome the new year beneath alien skies.

Sea of Thieves

• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S and PC
• Release Date: March 20, 2018
• Player Count: Up to four players per crew
• Cross-Platform: Yes

Sea of Thieves transforms New Year’s Eve into a pirate celebration. Crews can sail together, play shanties, drink grog, and fire cannons into the sky at midnight. Players have also performed remarkable trick shots by launching themselves from cannons, soaring across the sea, and landing on other ships—often amid drunken chaos.

Sea of Thieves adventures are less about competition or loot than the memorable moments players create together. Even simply sailing beneath the stars can provide a wonderful way to welcome the new year.

Deep Rock Galactic

• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
• Release Date: May 13, 2020
• Player Count: Up to four players
• Cross-Platform: Partial

Deep Rock Galactic embraces rowdy celebrations through its Space Rig hub. Players can dance, visit the bar, and activate music before or after missions, making it a natural gathering place. The Overwatch-like mining adventure is entertaining, but players do not always need to enter the action to have a good time.

A New Year’s party in Deep Rock Galactic feels communal and delightfully silly. It is an ideal option for smaller groups seeking a social experience without abandoning cooperative gameplay.

Related Games and Platforms

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Call of Duty: Warzone
• Deep Rock Galactic
• Fall Guys
• Fortnite
• Grand Theft Auto Online
• Mario Kart World
• Minecraft
• No Man’s Sky
• Roblox
• Sea of Thieves
• Nintendo Switch 2
• PC
• PlayStation 5
• Xbox Series X

About the Author

Aron Garst

Aron is a longtime writer and producer in the games industry. He covered Animal Crossing weddings during the pandemic for The Washington Post, international esports events for ESPN, and futuristic metaverse developments for The Verge. He has also helped produce coverage of major esports events, including the Olympic Esports Series and the Esports World Cup. Above all, he is a devoted fan of Fortnite and Super Smash Bros.

X: @GarstProduction