The tradition of Christmas games stretches back centuries, rooted in medieval and Victorian Europe, where festivities included feasting, dancing, and lively parlor games. From Tudor-era archery to the risky blindfold game “Hot Cockles,” Christmas has always been a time for shared, interactive fun. We continue that rich legacy today by seeking out the best Christmas games for families.
Just as “Snapdragon” once excited players by the fireside, the games below are designed to create unforgettable, modern memories. They guarantee laughter and competition for every age group. Keep the celebratory spirit alive this year with our list of the best Christmas games for families for your 2025 gathering.
25 Best Christmas Games for Families That Will Make Your Celebration Legendary.
1. Gibsons Pass the Pud After-Dinner Party Game
Players: 4+ | Ages: 8-99
A hilarious, fast-paced categories game where players must quickly name items fitting a card’s theme before the electronic Christmas pudding timer starts its embarrassing burp. Hold the pud when it burps to lose a sixpence! If you are looking for a fast, quick, and fun game, this is definitely at the top of the best Christmas games for families.
How to play:
Step 1: Read a card, press the timer, and give a quick answer.
Step 2: Immediately pass the pudding to the next player for a unique answer.
Step 3: If the pudding burps while you hold it, you lose a sixpence. The player with the most sixpences at the end wins.
2. Wordsy
Players: 2-6 | Ages: 6+
This quick word game challenges players to build the highest-scoring words using only the consonants provided on the board. Score points based on the value of the displayed letters used, aiming for vocabulary-boosting festive fun.
How to play:
Step 1: Display a grid of letter cards, each with a point value.
Step 2: Players secretly write one word using at least one displayed letter.
Step 3: Score points only for the value of the displayed letters used. The player with the highest score after seven rounds wins.
3. Santa’s Workshop
Players: 2-5 | Ages: 8+
A strategic worker-placement game in the best Christmas games for families, where players are elves racing to craft gifts by collecting materials and assembly tokens. Train your elves and manage resources efficiently to complete the most Christmas orders and earn cookies.
How to Play
Step 1: Place elf tokens on the board’s action spaces to gather resources.
Step 2: Use collected materials to complete Gift Cards (orders).
Step 3: Completed cards earn cookies (points). The player with the most cookies after set rounds wins.
4. Snow Tails
Players: 2-6 | Ages: 10+
A thrilling deck-management racing game on a modular snowy track. Players strategically use and manage their individual card decks to control speed, navigate tight corners, and avoid accumulating ‘Stress’ cards.
How to play:
Step 1: Play movement cards to accelerate and steer your sleigh.
Step 2: Cornering at high speed causes “Drift,” adding ‘Stress’ cards to your deck.
Step 3: The first player to cross the finish line wins the race.
5. Christmas Monopoly Board Game
Players: 2-6 | Ages: 6+
Monopoly has been one of the best Christmas games for families. The classic property trading game is decked out for the holidays. Buy and sell Christmas-themed properties like Santa’s Grotto and Elf Workshops, using charming seasonal tokens to become the wealthiest holiday mogul.
How to play:
Step 1: Roll the dice to move, then buy or auction the property you land on.
Step 2: Collect full color sets to build Workshops/Grottos and charge higher rent.
Step 3: The last player remaining after everyone else is bankrupt wins.
Don’t miss: Creative New Year Corporate Gift Ideas for Employees to Stand Out This Year
6. Santa’s Escape Room
Players: Teams of 2+ | Ages: 10+
A cooperative puzzle-solving challenge for the whole family. Teams must decipher clues, unlock locks, and solve a series of holiday-themed riddles to “escape” Santa’s workshop before the Christmas Eve deadline arrives.
How to play:
Step 1: Get the festive mystery and starting clues.
Step 2: Work together to solve interconnected puzzles to unlock the next stages.
Step 3: Win by solving the final puzzle and completing the objective before time runs out.
7. Gift Wrap-Up Relay
Players: Teams of 3+ | Ages: 6+
A high-energy, silly relay race that tests dexterity and teamwork. Teams compete to wrap oddly shaped “gifts” with the provided supplies as quickly and neatly as possible, often with ridiculous constraints like wearing mittens. It’s not just another game among the best Christmas games for families; it is an exercise for you and your family.
How to play:
Step 1: Divide into teams. The first player gets supplies and a gift to wrap.
Step 2: The player must wrap the item following the rules (e.g., using one hand).
Step 3: Once finished, the next teammate takes over. The first team to complete all tasks wins.
8. Christmas Movie Trivia
Players: 2+ | Ages: 7+
A fun test of cinematic holiday knowledge for all ages. Questions cover everything from classic black-and-white films to modern Christmas blockbusters, sparking family memories and friendly competition.
How to play:
Step 1: Get holiday film trivia questions.
Step 2: Teams take turns or simultaneously answer.
Step 3: Award points for correct answers. The team with the most points after set rounds wins.
9. Christmas Bingo
Players: 3+ | Ages: 4+
An easy-to-play, festive version of the classic game. Bingo cards feature holiday icons like elves, reindeer, and candy canes instead of numbers. This makes it accessible for everyone and fun in the best Christmas games for families.
How to play:
Step 1: Each player gets a Christmas Bingo card with festive icons.
Step 2: A caller draws and announces an icon from the deck.
Step 3: Cover the matching icon. The first player to get a full line or ‘full house’ shouts “Bingo!” to win.
Also read: Festive Cheer Hacks Using Best Office Party Christmas Games
10. Christmas Theme Charades
Players: 4+ | Ages: 6+
A merry mime game where players act out holiday-related titles or concepts. This classic game promotes fun and laughter, perfect for getting everyone involved and showcasing impressive acting skills. It is indeed among the best Christmas games for families to connect over.
How to play:
Step 1: Teams prepare slips with Christmas words or titles.
Step 2: One player silently acts out the phrase for their team to guess against a timer.
Step 3: Teams score points for correct guesses. The team with the most points after set rounds wins.
11. Big Potato Don’t Get Got
Players: 2-10 | Ages: 10+
A mischievous secret mission game. Each player is given a list of bizarre tasks to complete during the party without anyone realizing what they are doing. The first player to successfully “nail” three missions wins the game.
How to play:
Step 1: Each player gets a wallet with six secret missions.
Step 2: Subtly try to complete missions on others; success means you “nail” the card.
Step 3: If accused correctly, the mission fails. The first player to nail three missions wins.
12. Festive Alphabet
Players: Teams or Solo | Ages: 2+
A creative word challenge where the goal is to think of a Christmas-related word for every letter of the alphabet. This quick, simple game compared to other best Christmas games for families. This one suits all ages and encourages collaborative or competitive play.
How to play:
Step 1: Set a time limit for each letter, starting with ‘A.’
Step 2: Players take turns shouting a unique Christmas word starting with that letter.
Step 3: Move to the next letter when the time runs out or the group is stumped. Play to finish the alphabet or for the most unique words.
13. Mystery Stockings
Players: 2+ | Ages: 4+
A sensory and suspenseful guessing game. Players reach into opaque Christmas stockings filled with unusual, everyday objects and must rely solely on touch to identify the contents—no peeking allowed!
How to play:
Step 1: Fill several stockings with mystery items.
Step 2: Players take turns feeling inside to guess the item.
Step 3: Correct guesses earn points. The player with the most points when all items are found wins.
14. Snowman Bowling
Players: Whole family | Ages: 3+
A simple, active game blending crafting and indoor play. Players create their own “snowman” pins and then bowl a soft ball to knock them down for points.
How to play:
Step 1: Set up ten snowman pins in a triangle.
Step 2: Players roll a soft ball from a line to knock down the pins.
Step 3: Keep score like bowling. The player with the highest score wins.
15. Talking Tables Christmas True or False Game
Players: 2+ | Ages: 8+
Test your knowledge of bizarre and wonderful festive facts. This quick-paced trivia game is perfect for playing around the dinner table or between courses for a dose of friendly, fast-moving competition.
How to play:
Step 1: One player reads a Christmas statement from a card.
Step 2: Everyone else secretly or simultaneously guesses True or False.
Step 3: Correct guesses earn points. The first player to reach the set score wins.
16. The Very Merry Christmas Game
Players: 2-4 | Ages: 8+
A lively, unpredictable board game where players collect or trade ‘Present Cards’ to fill their stocking with the highest-value gifts. Watch out for the dreaded sprout cards and the singing spaces!
How to play:
Step 1: Roll the dice and move; the space dictates your action.
Step 2: Take actions like collecting present cards, spying on stockings, or singing carols.
Step 3: When all stockings are full, the player with the highest present value wins.
Recommended by Our Editors: These Best New Year Gift Ideas Will Make You Everyone’s Favorite in 2026
17. Christmas Eve: The Family Board Game
Players: 2-6 | Ages: 5+
A festive board game where players race around a wintry track to find lost presents and save Christmas. The game integrates fun mini-games and unexpected challenges, promoting cooperation or friendly rivalry.
How to play:
Step 1: Players move, landing on spaces that trigger mini-games or challenges.
Step 2: Race to collect all necessary present tokens or reach the final destination.
Step 3: The first player to complete the main objective wins the game.
18. Santa Style Costume Race
Players: Teams of 3-4 | Ages: 4+
A festive, creative, and timed competition. Teams use provided craft materials (belts, paper, and cotton wool) to construct the most convincing or hilarious Santa outfit on one of their team members before the timer runs out.
How to play:
Step 1: Divide into teams and give each identical craft materials.
Step 2: Set a time limit. Teams must build a Santa costume on one teammate using the materials.
Step 3: A judge rates the costumes for creativity and completeness. The team with the highest score wins.
19. Festive Film Charades
Players: 4+ | Ages: 5+
A specialized, high-energy version of charades focusing entirely on miming titles of popular Christmas movies, books, or songs. It’s a guaranteed source of physical comedy and family fun. If you are looking for an action-oriented game among the best Christmas games for families, this might be the one.
How to play:
Step 1: Teams prepare slips with holiday titles (film, song, or book).
Step 2: A player mimes the title to their team within a time limit.
Step 3: Teams score a point for correct guesses. Play until the titles run out or time is up.
20. Once Upon a Christmas: The Storytelling Game
Players: 2+ | Ages: 4+
This imaginative game inspires players to spin magical, collaborative Christmas tales. Players combine character, setting, and plot prompt cards to weave an unpredictable and hilarious narrative together.
How to play:
Step 1: Start the story based on the first drawn prompt card.
Step 2: The next player draws a card and must organically add that element to the story.
Step 3: Continue passing the story around, adding new elements until the group agrees on a conclusion.
21. Christmas Family Game – Rudolph’s Red Nose
Players: 4+ | Ages: 3+
An old tradition in the list of the best Christmas games for families, Rudolph’s red nose is a classic, giggle-inducing blindfolded game. Blindfolded players are spun around and must try to pin a cut-out red nose onto a large picture of Rudolph the Reindeer.
How to play:
Step 1: Hang a picture of Rudolph without a nose.
Step 2: Blindfold a player, spin them, and give them a sticky red nose.
Step 3: The player tries to pin the nose in the correct spot. The closest player wins the round.
22. Family Feud Christmas Edition
Players: Teams | Ages: 5+
If you are looking for something fun and exciting, don’t look any further! A festive adaptation of the popular TV game show. Teams compete to guess the top survey answers to Christmas-themed questions, aiming to clear the board and earn points.
How to play:
Step 1: Divide into two teams. Read a Christmas survey question.
Step 2: Teams compete to guess the top popular answers on the board.
Step 3: Correct answers score points. The team with the most points after the rounds wins.
23. Christmas Memory Game
Players: 2+ | Ages: 4+
A simple, engaging matching card game featuring vibrant holiday icons. It’s perfect for honing the concentration and recall skills of young children, but fun for adults too! This game, standing in the best Christmas games for families, is good for the brain and fun.
How to play:
Step 1: Lay all matching card pairs face down in a grid.
Step 2: Players take turns flipping two cards to find a match.
Step 3: Keep the pair and take another turn if they match; if not, flip them back over. The player with the most pairs wins.
24. Big Potato Santa Banter
Players: 4+ | Ages: 14+
A humorous team-based party game filled with festive rhymes and puns. Players must get their team to guess hundreds of holiday-themed phrases by either acting them out or describing them using rhymes.
How to play:
Step 1: Divide into teams. A player draws a card with a festive rhyming phrase.
Step 2: The player acts out or describes the phrase to their team for them to guess within a time limit.
Step 3: Teams score points for correct guesses and collect matching rhyming cards. The team with the most total points/cards wins.
25. Hearts: Family Card Game
Players: 4+ | Ages: 8+
A classic trick-taking card game popular for family gatherings. The goal is a negative one: avoid taking tricks containing any point-scoring cards, particularly the dreaded Queen of Spades (13 points).
How to play:
Step 1: Deal 13 cards to each of four players. Before play, pass three cards to an opponent.
Step 2: Players must follow suit if possible. The highest card of the suit led wins the trick.
Step 3: Avoid points: Hearts are 1 point each, and the Queen of Spades is 13 points. The player with the lowest score when someone hits 100 wins.
You Must Read: 20 Festive Family Games for Christmas That Ignite Holiday Cheer
Conclusion:
The best Christmas games for families are the heart of holiday memory-making. Once the gifts are unwrapped and the feasting is done, these 25 games offer the perfect excuse to connect. With options from the laughs of Pass the Pud to the strategy of Santa’s Workshop, you can easily engage every generation.
This year, commit to active playing over passive viewing. Every roll of the dice and shouted guess adds a priceless moment to your family’s history. Don’t let 2025 pass without forging new, fun traditions. Elevate your celebration with the best Christmas games for families.
FAQs
1. What is a good alternative to Santa’s Escape Room if I need a free option?
You can create a simple, free digital scavenger hunt or a Christmas-themed riddle trail around your house using paper clues.
2. Is it better to play one long game or several short games during a Christmas gathering?
Playing a mix of several short, high-energy games keeps engagement high, especially when different age groups are involved.
3. Are the best Christmas games for families, easy to adapt for a very large group, such as 20+ people?
Many of the parlor-style games like Charades, Trivia, and Big Potato Santa Banter can easily be scaled up by dividing players into larger teams.
