The announcement came after new restrictions were put on large events and hospitality venues earlier this week due to concerns over the Omicron variant.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said that a new law would require nightclubs to close rather than have them enforce 1 m distancing between customers.
He said funding would be made available to support affected businesses.
Swinney said nightclubs would have the option to stay open by effectively becoming a bar, but physical distancing and table service would need to be in place.
He said that we consider that closure in regulations, combined with financial support, may reduce losses and help these businesses weather what we hope will be a short period until they are able to operate normally again. People in Scotland have not been told to cancel their Christmas plans, but have been told to stay at home as much as possible throughout the rest of the festive period and limit any gatherings to three households.
Swinney told MSPs that there had been a rapid acceleration of cases driven by the Omicron variant in recent weeks and that the faster-spreading strain could overwhelm health services despite early evidence that fewer people need hospital treatment than other variants.
The deputy first minister said we have to reduce the level of social interaction if we want to interrupt the circulation of Omicron Nightclubs, which were only allowed to reopen in August, having been shut for longer than almost every other sector during the Pandemic, and had been subject to vaccine certification rules since October.