As the holiday week draws to an end, some of us on the east coast of the United States are eagerly anticipating a few inches of snow (and hopefully no rain). I’m likely not the only one excited for a peaceful weekend where I can manage to find an hour or two of enjoyable game time before the year-end celebrations and the rush back to the grindstone in 2026. If you’re seeking suggestions on what to play, here’s what we at *Kotaku* are planning to enjoy this weekend.
## *Cast n Chill*
**Play it on:** PC, Switch (also available on Switch 2 edition)
**Goal:** Capture the mythical King Salmon of Safety Cove
It’s that peculiar, transitional week between Christmas and New Year’s, a period when many of us, myself included, have a strong inclination to do as little as possible. And as if designed specifically for this occasion, *Cast n Chill* has recently come to Switch and Switch 2, allowing me to engage in something when I feel like playing while also *not* playing at all when I genuinely wish to do nothing. You see, *Cast n Chill* is a fishing game featuring an idle mode; if you’re not in the mood to actively play, you can let your little pixel-art fisherman handle the rod and reel independently, catching fish and selling them for cash, enabling you to return to the game with some extra money to spend on new fishing rods, boats, licenses, and the like.
However, what truly makes *Cast n Chill* so enjoyable is, well, how *chill* it feels, regardless of whether you’re actively playing. The landscapes around its various fishing locations are incredibly picturesque and richly detailed, and the natural sounds that accompany your time on these serene lakes and rivers are so calming that hearing them in the background while I sit here at my desk makes me feel as though a small part of me is out there on the water as well. Naturally, time spent with *Cast n Chill* counts as screen time, but it also serves as a genuine reminder that there’s an entire world of beautiful forests, crystal-clear lakes, and vast starry skies to appreciate, and that sometimes simply soaking in that beauty is a more worthwhile use of our time than anything that might appear on a productivity spreadsheet. – Carolyn Petit
## *Unbeatable*
**Play it on:** PC, PS5, Xbox
**Goal:** Give it another opportunity
As the end-of-year season concludes, I’m reflecting on a game I played and quickly became disillusioned with: *Unbeatable*. The opening hours of this anime-inspired rhythm game seemed badly tutorialized and its music failed to captivate me, but now that I have some free time, I feel that if any game I tried this year warranted a kind second chance, it would be this one. I have a passion for rhythm games, committing crimes, and *Unbeatable*’s punk vibe. Even if its narrative doesn’t ultimately engage me, there’s likely much enjoyment to be had in its arcade mode if I can discover songs that connect with me. What else am I going to do this holiday weekend? – Kenneth Shepard
## *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered*
**Play it on:** Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC
**Goal:** Relish some nostalgic RPG vibes
*The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion,* Bethesda’s expansive open-world RPG from the Xbox 360 generation, will always be a Christmas game for me. I have vivid recollections of playing it on my Xbox 360 next to a crackling fireplace after tearing open my presents from Santa. So, I felt compelled on Christmas Eve to download this year’s remastered version of *Oblivion* and dive back in. I doubt I’ll complete this playthrough—I rarely finish Bethesda RPGs despite going back to them repeatedly—but it was delightful to spend a few hours back in Cyrodil during the holidays. – Zack Zwiezen
## *Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2*
**Play it on:** PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
**Current Goal:** Escape the Trosky zone
I purchased *Kingdom Come 2* for PS5 during Black Friday when it was half price, driven by a nagging suspicion that it might secretly be the best game of 2025, or at least among the top five. I didn’t engage much with the first game due to boredom and bugs and never revisited it. However, several Very Smart People™ in my life persuaded me that the sequel fulfills the promise of the original and could be the best first-person immersive sim RPG available. So far, I have no reason to doubt them, but I’m still in the early stages. I’m currently preparing for the
