Sorted by Christmas is a casual indie game set in a first-person perspective inside Santa's workshop on PC. Players take on the role of a gonk tasked with sorting a massive pile of presents into the correct sacks, blending relaxed organizing mechanics with light co-operative chaos.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on moving through workshop spaces to match colored wrapping paper with corresponding sacks while handling a growing mountain of individual presents. Players carry armfuls of gifts, toss them across rooms, or drag heavy sacks into position to keep the sorting meter filling steadily. Progress unlocks golden keys that open padlocks for helpful tools such as additional vacuums, drone roosts, and floor-sweeping robots. These aids speed up collection without replacing the hands-on sorting of each present.
Customization options let players dress their gonk in various knitted hats, tops, glasses, and beards. Emotes add personality during sessions, and voice chat transmits across the shared space so teammates can coordinate or simply chat while working. The absence of any timer encourages players to return across multiple evenings, as the mountain remains ready for further progress at any time.
Game Modes
Solo play focuses entirely on personal sorting efficiency and tool management in the main hall. Co-operative sessions support up to eight players through Steam invites or join codes, where friends can assist or inadvertently interfere by knocking over carried items or competing for the same vacuum pickups. The workshop also contains several distinct mini-games that reward useful toys upon completion. These include reading the nice list at the pulpit to wrap boxes for good children, scanning brown parcels with an X-ray machine to identify toys inside, piloting a practice sleigh around the dome to drop presents down chimneys while a teammate winds the key, and bouncing across a trampoline court to knock down presents suspended on balloons. Each activity grants items such as black holes, dynamite, or rideable rockets that aid in clearing the central mountain.
Progression and Tools
Every sorted present contributes to a central meter. Filling the meter drops a golden key that players can use on any padlock to expand their toolkit. Early rooms introduce basic matching of red, green, and blue paper before opening into the full hall containing one hundred thousand individual presents. Tools earned from mini-games or keys allow creative approaches, such as vacuuming distant items, deploying drones, or using explosives and rockets to reach hard-to-access presents. The system rewards experimentation while keeping the focus on methodical sorting rather than speed or competition.
Is It Worth Playing?
Sorted by Christmas suits players who enjoy casual organizing tasks combined with optional multiplayer interaction in a festive setting. The no-pressure design and persistent mountain make it accessible for short or extended sessions, whether alone or with a group of friends. Co-op introduces light physical comedy through accidental collisions and shared tool use, while solo runs emphasize steady personal improvement with unlockable aids. Because the game remains unreleased with no reviews available, interested players should monitor its launch on December 1, 2026, to see how the full experience lands with the community. Those drawn to relaxed first-person sorting with co-op elements and Santa-themed mini-games will likely find the core loop satisfying once it arrives.