Santa’s Flying Gift Quest

Santa’s Flying Gift Quest is a free 3D Christmas game you play in your browser. You fly Santa’s sleigh, pulled by four reindeer and Rudolph, through fifteen nights over fifteen towns, from Myra, where Saint Nicholas was bishop, to Santa’s workshop at the North Pole, and drop a gift down every chimney that is glowing for one. No download, no sign-up.

How to play

1. Press Fly! The sleigh follows its route over the town by itself; you steer it left, right, up and down.
2. Look for the houses with a golden beam and a gift sign over the chimney. Fifteen houses are waiting each night.
3. Watch the ring on the ground: it shows where a gift dropped right now would land, and the dotted line shows its path. When the ring turns green over a chimney, drop.
4. Collect the floating stars on the way and stay clear of towers, spires, tall trees, paper lanterns and, on the northern nights, drifting snow clouds.

Controls

• Mouse: move the mouse to steer the sleigh, click to drop a gift.
• Keyboard: arrow keys or W, A, S, D to steer, Space to drop a gift, P or Esc to pause, M to mute.
• Phone and tablet: drag anywhere to steer, tap the red button to drop a gift.
• Gamepad: left stick to steer, A to drop.

Scoring and stars

A gift that goes down the chimney is worth 500 points, and every chimney in a row raises the combo up to x5. A gift that lands on the right roof still counts for the house and is worth 200 points. Each star is worth 50 points, and every gift left in the sack at the end of the night adds 100. You start the night with 20 gifts for 15 houses. Bumping into something costs one gift and breaks the combo.

• One star: gifts for 10 houses.
• Two stars: gifts for all 15 houses.
• Three stars: all 15 houses without a single bump.

The 15 nights

Every night is a different town, with its own landmarks, weather and carol. A new night opens when you earn at least one star on the night before, and each one is a little faster and busier than the last.

1. Myra, Turkey: the town of Saint Nicholas, with the harbor lighthouse, his church, the ancient theater and the Lycian rock tombs.
2. Bari, Italy: where Saint Nicholas rests, with the basilica, the castle and the festival light arches of Puglia.
3. Venice, Italy: along the Grand Canal with its gondolas, past St Mark’s bell tower and under the moon over the Rialto.
4. Prague, Czechia: the city of a hundred spires: Charles Bridge between its two towers and the castle on the hill.
5. Salzburg, Austria: where “Silent Night” was first sung, in 1818, under the fortress and the Alps.
6. Strasbourg, France: the capital of Christmas, with its market chalets, timber-framed houses and the cathedral spire.
7. Paris, France: fly right under the Eiffel Tower, past Notre-Dame, the Arc de Triomphe and Sacré-Cœur.
8. Amsterdam, Netherlands: narrow canal houses, houseboats, windmills and the Westertoren.
9. London, England: past Big Ben and the London Eye, then under the high walkways of Tower Bridge.
10. Reykjavik, Iceland: bright roofs, Hallgrímskirkja and the northern lights, with snow clouds drifting across.
11. Quebec City, Canada: the Château Frontenac, the old city wall and ice on the St. Lawrence.
12. New York, USA: between skyscrapers to the tree at Rockefeller Center, with the Statue of Liberty in the harbor.
13. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Christmas in summer, with palm trees, Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer.
14. Rovaniemi, Finland: over the forest and across the Arctic Circle to Santa Claus Village.
15. North Pole: home at last, over candy canes and ice to Santa’s workshop.

The music is played from old public-domain carols: “Jingle Bells”, “Deck the Halls”, “Good King Wenceslas” and, in Salzburg and Reykjavik, “Silent Night”.

Tips

• Drop early. A gift keeps the sleigh’s speed while it falls, so it lands well ahead of the point where you let it go; trust the ring, not the sleigh.
• Fly a little lower before a chimney: the gift falls for a shorter time and the ring moves less.
• The chimneys pull a gift in when it gets close, so a near miss above the chimney often still goes in.
• Keep a few spare gifts: they are worth points at the end and save the night after a bump.

Frequently asked questions

Is Santa’s Flying Gift Quest free?

Yes. It is free to play in your browser on Yes This Game, with nothing to download and no account.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. Drag to steer and tap the red button to drop gifts. On a computer you can use the mouse or the keyboard.

How many nights are there?

Fifteen. You start in Myra and fly on through Europe and the Americas to the North Pole. Each night opens when you earn a star on the one before.

Why does the first night take place in Myra?

Because Myra is where the story of Santa Claus begins. Saint Nicholas, whose legend of secret gift-giving became Santa Claus, was the bishop of Myra in the fourth century.