It is a terrifying statistical fact that if you have a roomful of friends and relatives gathered at Christmas, you are only ever 20 minutes away from someone suggesting Trivial Pursuit. Don’t become a victim this year – have an alternative ready. Here are my 12 board games of Christmas, some of which I’ve played, the rest suggested by trustworthy pals on X. They’re all suitable for at least six players and there are no overly complicated rules to learn, making them perfect for slightly boozy Christmas afternoons.
If your favourite isn’t included, please do suggest alternatives in the comments.
Ransom Notes (Big Potato, 3-6 players)
A fresher alternative to Cards Against Humanity, Ransom Notes gives players a selection of fridge magnet words with which they need to construct responses to prompts read out from cards – for example “Give someone CPR instructions over the phone” or “Describe why cocaine is illegal”. With the limited available vocabulary, answers are usually garbled and ridiculous, and it’s the funniest that wins each round. With the right crowd, it’s hilarious. (See also, Poetry for Neanderthals, which gets players to explain ideas using only single-syllable words.)
Codenames (Czech Games Edition, 4-8+ players)
Launched in 2015, this word association game has already become a staple in many households. You play in teams as rival spy networks attempting to guess the locations of your operatives on a board, by describing words in a way that only your own team will recognise. It’s fast and funny and encourages the use of little in-jokes and shared experiences in a way that really works at Christmas.
Wavelength (CMYK, 2-10+ players)
Described as a social guessing game, Wavelength gets you to split into two teams, then take it in turns to pick a card with two ends of a scale described on it. For example, “Sexy emoji / Unsexy emoji” or “Good habit / Bad habit”. The opposing team have to guess where on that scale a given clue word sits. It’s difficult to explain, but really fun for a creative group who all know each other well.
The Resistance (Indie Boards and Cards, 5-10 players)
This is a neat spin on the old Werewolf/Mafia party game, made popular by the recent Traitors TV series, in which the participants carry out missions while trying to work out which of their group is secretly a traitor. Here you play as rebels fighting a corrupt empire while a spy from the ruling body sneakily joins in. In this take, there are a few twists and there’s no player elimination – also a complete game takes only 30 minutes.
Doodle Dash (Chillfox, 3-7 players)
A sort of turbocharged version of Pictionary where all but one of up to eight players are given a word to draw and must doodle it as quickly as possible. The guessing player then looks at each drawing, starting with the quickest completed, and tries to guess what is depicted. The player whose masterpiece is correctly identified first wins the round. It’s chaotic but not as stressful nor demanding as other drawing games, and therefore less likely to terrify non-artists.
A Fake Artist Goes to New York (Oink, 5-10 players)
An interesting alternative to Doodle Dash in which players cooperate to draw a word given to them by the game master – but one of the artists is a fake who doesn’t know the key word. Everyone has to guess who the intruder is. Basically, Pictionary meets Traitors. (Another game with a quirky, Traitors-like twist is Insider, during which players ask questions to identify a word while an interloper in their ranks manipulates the discussion.)
That’s Not a Hat (Ravensburger, 3-8 players)
This memory/bluffing game features a pack of cards, each displaying a different item: players pass these on to each other turned face down, while trying to remember what they were given originally. Eventually everyone forgets what’s on the cards, which is when the bluffing starts. It’s a simple, quickfire game that everyone can understand and start playing quickly. The perfect time-killer before Christmas dinner.
Anomia (Anomia Press, 3-6 players)
Players take it in turns to lay down cards that contain a symbol and a word. If two players have cards with the same symbol, they have to come up with an example of the words displayed on their cards, whether that’s a doughnut flavour or a type of dinosaur. Whoever shouts an example first, wins that round. It’s very noisy and frenzied, which might be just what you want after eating your own body weight in roast potatoes.
Quiddler (Amigo, 1-8 players)
Invented by prolific game designer Marsha Falco, Quiddler essentially combines Scrabble and gin rummy. Players are dealt cards showing single letters, each with a score value, and have to make words until they’ve used up their hand. It has a faster pace than Scrabble, and is more accessible with its emphasis on shorter words. (Alternatively, if you like the idea of new spins on old card games, Cockroach Poker may be for you.)
Concept (Repos Production, 4-12 players)
Yes, it’s anther word guessing game, but this time with a neat, um, concept. Players pick a word, then have to describe it to other participants, not through mime as in charades but by using a selection of icon cards, like smartphone emojis, that show different ideas, objects and colours. The rules are easy so it’s great for rowdy groups, and it’s fascinating to see how people use logic and semiotics in different ways.
Just One (Repos Production, 3-7 players)
If you’re in a group with people who hate competition, then this is an option for you. It’s a cooperative word game where one player has to guess a word using clues written down by the rest of the players. The aim is to guess as many as possible. It sounds simple and it is, but it’s a great way to work together and test your powers of explanation and clue-giving.
Herd Mentality (Big Potato, 4-20 players)
If you want an easy game that’s great for large groups, Herd Mentality is a good choice. Players write down their responses to a series of questions such as “Which is the best pizza topping”, or “What’s your favourite season?”, but the idea is to have the same answer as everyone else. Those who stick to the herd each get a nice token with a happy Friesian on it, while idiosyncratic loners get an angry pink cow figure, which they have to try to get rid of in subsequent rounds. It’s a really lighthearted game that ends up telling you a lot about people’s likes and dislikes.
And if you’re having a smaller gathering this Christmas, here are some excellent games for two to four players: Spots, So Clover!, Escape the Dark Castle, Love Letter, Sushi Go!, and Décorum.
