How to play Sunburnt Santa
Sunburnt Santa is an advent calendar of 24 Aussie Christmas mini-games. Each one takes about a minute.
Doors open one a day
- Day 1 opens the first day you play, Day 2 the next day, and so on (Sydney time).
- Play a door to open the next one. You can replay any open door as often as you like.
- Catch up in December: from 1 December, every door up to that date is open, so late starters can catch up.
- After Christmas Eve all 24 doors stay open.
Stars
Each level has three stars for hitting its target scores. Stars show how you're going; they don't lock anything. Each door you've earned at least one star on counts towards opening the bonus games.
Christmas points
Sign in to earn Christmas points. Your best round on each level is scored against that level's par, so every level is worth about the same and only your best counts. Beat your best to earn more. Your total puts you on the Top Santas board. The one-player bonus games count the same way: your best round on each adds Christmas points against its par, and each has its own board too.
Guests can play everything; scores stay on the phone and don't rank.
Today's Door
The big door at the top of the calendar is today's game. The Today's Door board on the Top 100 tab ranks everyone's scores on that level today only, so there's a fresh race every day.
Bonus games
Extra games open as you collect stars on more doors: Santa Smash, Chimney Drop, Present Spin and Santa Pinball for one player, and Christmas Light Smash and Snap! for two players sharing one phone. Tap a locked one to see how many more doors you need.
Elf codes
Every signed-in player gets an elf code on the Me tab. Friends who start with your code or your share link count towards the Elf Recruiters board once they've signed in and played a few games on different days.
Your @handle
Your @handle is how you appear on the leaderboards. Pick it when you sign in; you can change it on the Me tab once every 30 days.
Sharing
After a round, tap Share to send your score card to friends or post it. The card carries your elf code so friends can challenge your score. Sharing is optional and never adds points.
Fair play
Every score is checked by replaying your round on our server, so modified apps and bots don't count. Full details in the Competition Rules.
The 24 doors
Day 1: Ute Run
- Tap to jump. Hold for a bigger jump. Tap again in the air to double jump.
- Dodge roos, wombats and emus for as long as you can.
- Grab presents in a row for a multiplier. Gold ones are worth more.
Day 2: Bin Chicken Blitz
- Drag back anywhere, aim, then let go. Puddings never run out.
- Birds keep landing for 60 seconds. Skittish ones flap, then bolt. Fly-pasts never land but are worth the most.
- Hit in a row for a combo. Hit two at once, or one in mid-air, for a bonus.
Day 3: Mango Madness
- Slide your finger to move the crate.
- Catch the ripe mangoes. Green ones cost a life, and so does letting a ripe one drop.
- Catches in a row build a multiplier. Gold mangoes are worth 5x.
- Blue mangoes are rare. Catch one for an extra life.
Day 4: Blowie Swat
- Tap a fly to swat it. 60 seconds.
- Flies that land on the pav for too long spoil it and cost you points.
- Swats in a row build a combo. Mozzies and golden flies are worth more.
- Don't swat the bees!
Day 5: Stack the Pav
- A meringue layer swings across. Tap to drop it on the stack.
- Whatever hangs over the edge gets sliced off, so the pav gets narrower with every sloppy drop.
- Line it up exactly for a PERFECT: extra points, a streak multiplier, and the layer grows back.
Day 6: Light Show
- Watch the house lights flash, then tap them back in the same order.
- Each round is a brand new pattern, one light longer than the last. One wrong tap and the show is over.
- Answer quickly for a speed bonus.
Day 7: Hot Sand Sprint
- Tap to jump. Hold for a bigger jump. Tap again in the air to double jump. Santa is barefoot, so jump the hot sand.
- Jump the mud crabs, sandcastles and hot sand. Seagulls fly at head height: stay low and they miss you.
- Grab coins, ice creams and cakes in a row for a multiplier. Thongs forgive your next hot-sand patch.
Day 8: Seagull Showdown
- Drag back anywhere, aim, then let go. Water bombs never run out.
- Gulls, terns, pelicans and the chip thief land on the jetty for 60 seconds. Skittish ones flap a warning, then fly off. Fly-pasts never land but are worth the most.
- Soak them in a row for a combo. Two with one bomb, or one in mid-air, for a bonus.
Day 9: Backyard Cricket
- Slide your finger to move Santa's hands.
- Catch the tennis balls coming off the roof; a ball that bounces twice costs a life. Bindis fall straight down and sting: the red ring on the lawn shows where each one lands.
- One hand, one bounce: a ball caught after one bounce is worth half. Catches in a row build a multiplier. The signed ball is worth 5x.
Day 10: Bon Bon Snap
- A bar sweeps under the bon bon. Tap when it is in the green for a big pull; yellow is a small one, red lets them pull back.
- Nan, Uncle Bazza, Cousin Kylie and Digger the dog take turns, each with their own rhythm, and the bar gets quicker every bon bon.
- Snap it on your side for 300 plus a speed bonus. Wins in a row multiply your score; lose one and the streak resets.
Day 11: Present Tower
- A wrapped present swings across. Tap to drop it on the tower.
- Overhang gets sliced off and a sloppy drop knocks the bow off. Line it up for a PERFECT and a streak multiplier.
- Every 5th present is a surprise worth double.
Day 12: Secret Santa Shuffle
- The hats lift to show what sits under each one: a koala, a roo, a pav... Remember where.
- The hats drop and shuffle, then you get asked for one. Tap the hat hiding it. More hats and faster every round.
- Tap within 1.5 seconds for a speed bonus. A wrong hat is a strike; three strikes and the round is over.
Day 13: Cassowary Crossing
- Swipe left or right to change lanes, or tap the left or right side of the screen.
- Cassowaries wait on the roadside, then walk across. See which way one is heading and get into the lane it has just left. Every one that crosses safely is +150. Hit one and it costs 2 hearts.
- Dodge potholes, cane toads, wallabies, the slow tractor and the cow on the cattle grid. You have 3 hearts.
- Grab presents and coins in a row for a multiplier. A fuel can gives a few seconds of shield.
Day 14: Cocky Chaos
- Drag back, aim, let go. Gum nuts never run out.
- Cockies land on the roof for 60 seconds. One that sits for 6 seconds pulls a bulb off the lights: 75 points each.
- Hit in a row for a combo. Galahs and the rare black cockatoo are worth more. Skittish cockies bolt fast; fly-pasts never land but are worth the most.
Day 15: Prawn Rain
- Slide your finger to move the esky.
- Catch the prawns. Thongs dropping off the clothesline cost a life, and so does a prawn hitting the sand. Feathers do nothing.
- Catches in a row build a multiplier. The king prawn is worth 5x.
Day 16: Mozzie Mayhem
- Mozzies fly in and land on the carollers. Tap to swat them. 60 seconds.
- Mid-air swats are worth more; fat full ones most. Sandflies come in swarms.
- Don't tap the candles! A blown-out candle costs 200 and darkens the rug for 5 seconds.
- Leave the fireflies alone: shooing one costs 200.
Day 17: Sandy Claus
- Tap to drop sand blocks and build Sandy Claus before the tide comes in.
- You have 45 seconds; the water creeps up the beach. A PERFECT drop adds 2 s.
- Overhang gets sliced off. When the wave hits, the round ends and your score stands.
Day 18: Thong Pairs
- Tap two cards to flip them. Match the thongs and they stay up.
- Matches in a row build a combo: 100, 200, 300... A miss flips them back and resets it.
- Clear the board for a 500 bonus plus 10 per second left, then a bigger board. 75 seconds.
Day 19: Snag Toss
- Drag back, aim, let go: fling a snag from the esky onto the hotplate.
- Centre ring 300, middle 150, edge 50. On the grass scores 0 and the kelpie eats it.
- Dad keeps wheeling the barbie and rolls it in at different heights, from the grass to the top of the scaffold, so lead your throw. Bullseyes in a row build a combo; double points in the last 10 seconds.
Day 20: Present Drop
- Slide your finger to move the sack.
- Presents tumble out of the ute as it drives past. Cane toads hop off the road: bag one and it costs a life, and so does a dropped present.
- Catches in a row build a multiplier. The giant present is worth 5x.
Day 21: Unwrap Rush
- Presents pile up under the tree. Tap one 2 or 3 times to rip it open.
- Toy 100, book 150, bike 300, gold ticket 500. Opens in a row build a combo.
- Leave the boxy ones wrapped in sock paper: that's Aunty's socks, -150. The dog takes anything you ignore.
Day 22: Christmas Lunch Stack
- Lunch swings across in order: turkey, ham, prawns, potato, pudding, pav, cherry, mango cheek.
- Tap to drop it on the plate. Overhang gets sliced off; a clean miss and the plate gives way.
- PERFECT drops build a streak multiplier. Nan has opinions.
Day 23: True Blue Quiz
- Ten questions about Christmas in Australia and around the world. Tap one of four answers.
- 500 for a correct answer plus 50 for every second left on the 10-second bar.
- Three in a row doubles the next question. Wrong or too slow scores nothing.
Day 24: Christmas Eve Run
- Tap to jump. Hold for a bigger jump. Tap again in the air to double jump. It is faster than Day 1, so look sharp.
- Roos, wombats, emus, standing cassowaries, and later a low-flying ibis you must NOT jump into.
- Every 300 m you deliver a capital city. Presents are worth double.
Bonus games, game by game
Santa Smash (1 player, opens after 4 doors)
- Heads pop out of the burrows. Tap them with the squeaky hammer. 60 seconds.
- Elves 100, the cheeky possum 150 (let it get away and it nicks a present), the golden reindeer 500.
- Don't boop Nan! It costs 300 and your combo.
- Boops in a row build a multiplier; a miss, or a head that gets away, breaks it.
Christmas Light Smash (2 players, opens after 8 doors)
- Two players, one phone: sit opposite each other with the phone flat between you. Each of you gets a half.
- Smash the Christmas lights as they come on: 1 point each. 45 seconds.
- Gold bulb: first one there takes a point off the other player. Blue dud: you freeze for a second.
Chimney Drop (1 player, opens after 12 doors)
- The roos pull the sleigh over the rooftops. Tap to drop a present: it keeps the sleigh's speed, so let go before the chimney.
- Straight down the chimney: 100 points, and perfects in a row build a multiplier up to x5. Clip the rim: 50.
- Every house with a clean chimney needs a present. Let one go by, or miss the house altogether, and that's a strike. 3 strikes and it's over.
- Smoking chimney? The fire's lit: don't drop there. A possum on the roof swats anything coming down its side of the chimney: drop on the far side. Watch the windsock for wind.
- 10 perfects in a row win a strike back.
Snap! (2 players, opens after 16 doors)
- Two players, one phone: sit opposite each other with the phone flat between you. Red has the bottom half, Green the top.
- Take turns: tap your half to flip your top card onto the middle pile.
- When the top two cards match, hit your SNAP button first to win the whole pile. A wrong snap gives the other player one of your cards.
- Win every card, or hold the most after 3 minutes.
Present Spin (1 player, opens after 20 doors)
- Pack the falling presents into full rows to clear them. 2 minutes, or until the sleigh is stacked to the top.
- Drag left or right to move, tap to turn, flick down to drop. Hold keeps one for later.
- Every present is a spinning four-sided box: food, Aussie animals, decorations, Santa & co. Flick up (or tap SPIN) to turn it to the next one.
- Clear a row that is all ONE picture for a FULL HOUSE: +1000 x level. Each present you spin uses a spin token; every row you clear earns one back.
- Keyboard: arrows move and turn, Space drops, Shift spins, C holds.
Santa Pinball (1 player, opens after 24 doors)
- Hold anywhere and let go to launch the bauble: the longer you hold, the harder it goes. Land it in the flashing lane for a skill shot.
- Touch the left half for the left flippers, the right half for the right ones. Use both thumbs at once.
- Score on the backyard and the hole lights up: sink it to climb to the rooftop, then spell NOEL or knock down the possums to open the chimney and ride the sleigh over the outback.
- Pop-up Santas rise out of the table now and then: bowl them over for points, and get the whole squad for a bonus. Present stacks come apart a present at a time.
- Drain off the roof or the sleigh and you just drop back to the backyard. Only a drain in the backyard costs a ball.
- Sleigh ride: multiball! Hit the roo sleigh for jackpots. Keyboard: Z / left arrow, M / right arrow, Space launches.