Christmas is coming, and if you’re hosting then you undoubtedly need some family-friendly party board games to play. The following games have each been picked because they’re fun to play for kids and adults alike, presenting core concepts that are easy for the entire family to wrap their head around.
Don’t Get Got
Don’t Get Got is an excellent game for large groups that can theoretically last the entirety of Christmas Day. The great thing about Don’t Get Got is that it’s not something that requires your full focus, with players being given secret missions they must complete throughout the duration of the party. These missions range from incorrectly saying a movie quote and getting someone to correct you, to adopting a wide-legged power stance and getting someone else to copy you.
The beauty of these secret missions is that they’re mundane enough for you to get away with them, but also just weird enough that someone might spot you doing them. If you complete a mission without being caught you’ve ‘Nailed It,’ and if you ‘Get Got’ you’ve ‘Failed It’, with the winner being the first to successfully complete all three of their missions.
The Blockbuster Game
Christmas is a time for nostalgia, and what better way to reminisce than reminding your Netflix-watching family of Blockbuster? The iconic video store is recreated in tabletop form, providing “a movie game for anyone who has ever seen a movie,” meaning basically all age ranges can enjoy it.
The Blockbuster Game sees players split into two teams, before drawing three cards that each have a movie’s title on them. Players must then try to describe each of these films using one of three techniques — acting it out, saying a quote, or by providing a one-word clue. The great thing about The Blockbuster Game is that you don’t need to know the movie you’re quoting or acting out — you can say and do almost anything to guide your team to the right answer.
Dixit
If you’re looking for a party game that’s a little more on the mellow side, Dixit is a perfect choice.
This storytelling game sees players pull wonderfully illustrated cards from their hand and describe what they see in as much or as little detail as they choose. Other players then choose a card in their hand that they believe most adequately matches that description, before everyone votes on the card they believe was initially described. Points are then distributed based on whose card was chosen, with players who got no votes or all the votes receiving zero points – as such, being vague but not too vague is the way to go.
Encouraging players to give some detail but not too much results in great retellings of what is shown on the cards, and makes for an engrossing game. If you have a family with an imagination, this is the game to go for.
Codenames
A regular favorite, Codenames transforms players into two teams of spies trying to accurately guess as many codewords as possible in order to beat their OO-opponents.
If you’re not into espionage, don’t worry – the spy theme only serves as the backdrop for an entertaining word deduction game. Each team has a Spymaster with a secret card depicting which codenames on the board they need their team to correct guess. In order to guide them to these codenames, they’re allowed to say one word and a number in an effort to unify multiple codenames at once. For instance, if the codenames on the board are ‘buffalo’ and ‘duck,’ the Spymaster might say ‘wings’ and ‘2.’
While it’s a simple premise, successfully pointing your team in the direction of the words they need to guess is immensely satisfying, making this a hit for competitive families.
King of Tokyo
King of Tokyo is a great game for kids and adults alike, as it combines an action-packed and competitive concept with colorful, monstrous characters.
The goal of King of Tokyo is to go on a rampage in the titular city, while the other monsters attempt to oust you from your position inside it. This is achieved by way of rolling dice, which you use to either attack your opponents, heal your monster, or gather points that are used to deploy ability cards. If you’re looking for a fast-paced game with just enough RNG that everyone can play and enjoy it, this one’s for you.
