Gift guides
The best board games for Christmas
Short answer. Pick by how many will play, then by the youngest player's age. Ticket to Ride or Flip 7 suit most families from 8, Wavelength suits six or more, and Lost Cities suits two.
Filter the games
PlayersAny
Age on the boxAny
Play timeAny
How much thinkingAny
Every age on this page is the one printed on the game's box.
01 · Trending
Trending this Christmas, for ages 8 and up
4 light games for the Christmas table.
Trending this Christmas
*Paid link
USAOPOLY Flip 7 party card game
A USAOPOLY card game played around a table, where every turn means choosing between risking another card and stopping safely.
Why we like it
A push-your-luck card game anyone can pick up in one round: flip cards one at a time and stop before you draw a repeat. Every round ends in cheers or groans. 3 or more players, about 20 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: On your turn, flip a card or stop and bank your points. Flip a number you already have and you score nothing that round. Action cards can freeze a player out or make them flip three in a row. Seven different numbers earn a bonus, and the first to 200 points wins.
Why it's fun: Making someone flip three cards when they are one card away from a bust.
Good to know: Only a deck of cards, so it travels.
Asmodee Harmonies tabletop strategy game
A tabletop strategy game where players take turns building landscapes, thinking a few moves ahead to make the most of each choice.
Why we like it
A calm, pretty puzzle: stack tokens into rivers, forests and mountains so the animals you collect have somewhere to live. Lovely for a slow holiday afternoon. 1 to 4 players, about 30 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Take tokens from the shared market and place or stack them on your board to make rivers, fields, forests and mountains. Animal cards each need a certain pattern of land; build it and an animal moves in. Your landscape and your animals both score.
Why it's fun: Stacking the chunky tokens and watching a little landscape grow in front of you.
Good to know: Plays solo too. Quiet and thoughtful. The board has a second side for a different game.
Pandasaurus Games Faraway strategy card game
A strategy card game where players lay cards down and plan their choices carefully to come out ahead on points when the game ends.
Why we like it
A short card game you play forward and score backward, so every pick is a small puzzle. Quick to set up, and it seats up to six. 2 to 6 players, 15 to 30 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Over eight rounds, everyone picks a region card at the same time and adds it to their row. At the end you flip your cards from last to first, and each card scores only from what has been revealed so far, so you plan the trip backward.
Why it's fun: Building a route that only pays off in reverse.
Good to know: Icons and numbers, little reading. Most people need a game or two before the scoring clicks.
Thames & Kosmos Gang team poker game
A card game that reworks poker into a team effort, with everyone at the table working together toward a shared result instead of competing.
Why we like it
Late on a sleepover night, a teen who reads his friends' poker faces deals The Gang to the guys still awake.
Here his knack for sizing up a friend's hand pays off for the whole crew, since nobody wins unless everyone does.
Dito! (JinxO in the US)
This year's Spiel des Jahres, a word game about guessing what the others will write. It rewards knowing people, not knowing facts. 3 to 7 players, from 10, about 30 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Each round brings three topics, and everyone secretly writes three answers for each. Players then read answers out one at a time. You score for every player who wrote the same thing, and a match with exactly one other player is a "Jinx" worth extra.
Why it's fun: Guessing what your brother-in-law will write, not what is right.
Good to know: Players write short answers, so they need to read and spell. It rewards knowing people, not knowing facts.
Rebirth
The Kennerspiel for keener players, by Reiner Knizia: rebuild a landscape one tile a turn. Simple turns, plenty to think about. 2 to 4 players, 30 to 60 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: On your turn, place a tile on a matching space of the map and score it, then draw a new one. Castles go to whoever has the most tiles around them, and cathedrals hand out missions. Most points wins.
Why it's fun: One tile a turn keeps it moving, and every placement is a small, satisfying choice.
Good to know: A step up from family games, but each turn stays simple. The board has a second, harder side.
Cozy Stickerville
On this year's shortlist, a village you build with stickers over one long co-operative campaign. 1 to 6 players, from 8.
More about this game
How it plays: Each turn starts with a morning event card read aloud; then everyone takes one action, sharing one pool of resources. Reaching milestones earns stickers for the village. It runs over about ten in-game years, and there is no way to lose.
Why it's fun: Peeling a new sticker onto a village you have all built together.
Good to know: It is a campaign you play through once: the stickers stay. Each in-game year takes about 30 minutes, and there is reading aloud from cards and a storybook.
02 · Classics
Classics that never fail, for families with children from 7
The ones people still ask to play again, years after they came out.
Classics that never fail
*Paid link
Days of Wonder Ticket to Ride route-building train game
A tabletop strategy game about railway travel, where players take turns planning train routes and competing to connect distant destinations.
Why we like it
Collect cards and claim train routes across a map: easy for an eight-year-old to follow, and still close at the end for the adults. 2 to 5 players, 30 to 60 minutes. A Spiel des Jahres winner.
More about this game
How it plays: On your turn, draw two train cards, take new destination tickets, or play a set of same-coloured cards to claim a route between two cities. Finished tickets score points; tickets you don't finish count against you.
Why it's fun: Completing a long route across the map, or finding someone just took the one track you needed.
Good to know: Little reading: the cards are colours and the board has city names. Many map expansions exist, but the base game is complete. Spiel des Jahres 2004.
CATAN trading strategy board game
A strategy board game in which players haggle over trades and expand their settlements, planning each move around what the others at the table want.
Why we like it
Trade wood, brick and sheep with the people around you to build roads and towns, and the bargaining keeps the whole table talking. 3 to 4 players, 60 to 90 minutes. A Spiel des Jahres winner.
More about this game
How it plays: Roll two dice: every tile with that number pays wood, brick, sheep, wheat or ore to the players beside it. Trade with each other, then build roads, settlements and cities. A 7 brings out the robber. The first to 10 points wins.
Why it's fun: The trading: "one sheep for your brick?" across the table.
Good to know: The base game is for 3 or 4; a separate extension adds players 5 and 6. Dice decide a lot, and a game can run past 90 minutes. Spiel des Jahres 1995.
Word-clue board game for team play
A word-guessing board game played in rival teams, with players trading clever clues and guesses around a table on game night.
Why we like it
For a mom who reaches for the puzzle page before the headlines, your gift can be a team word contest for the whole family.
Her ear for double meanings turns into sly hints that only her side knows how to decode.
Her winning tally ends up scribbled on the back of a grocery list, saved for the rematch.
Asmodee Splendor tabletop strategy game
A tabletop strategy game where players collect and trade gems, planning ahead to build a stronger position than their opponents.
Why we like it
Collect gems, buy cards, and watch your little gem engine grow. Quiet and quick, with heavy gem chips that are nice to handle. 2 to 4 players, about 30 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: On your turn, take gems, reserve a card, or buy a card with your gems. Each card you buy gives a permanent gem discount, so your buying power grows. Nobles visit the first player with the right cards, and 15 points ends the game.
Why it's fun: The turn your cards finally pay for a big card on their own.
Good to know: No reading: icons and numbers. Quiet and quick, with heavy gem chips.
Carcassonne
Lay tiles to build roads, cities and fields, and the map grows between you. A calm classic that suits grandparents. 2 to 5 players, ages 7+, about 35 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Draw a landscape tile and add it to the map so its edges match. You may put one of your followers on a road, city or monastery on that tile. Features score when they are finished; fields score at the end.
Why it's fun: Joining a road or city to someone else's so you share their points.
Good to know: No reading. Spiel des Jahres 2001. Many expansions exist; the base game is complete.
Azul
Draft colourful tiles to decorate a palace wall. The tiles are heavy and lovely, and the choices are sharper than they look. 2 to 4 players, ages 8+, 30 to 45 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Take all the tiles of one colour from a display, and the rest slide to the middle. Fill rows on your board; at the end of each round, a tile from each full row moves to your wall and scores for its neighbours. Tiles you can't place cost points.
Why it's fun: Taking the colour your neighbour has been waiting for.
Good to know: No reading. BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 2. Quiet and thoughtful, with a little take-that. Spiel des Jahres 2018.
Dixit
Give a clue to a dreamlike picture and see who guesses which card is yours. 3 players or more, ages 8+, about 30 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: The storyteller picks one of their picture cards and gives a clue: a word, a sound, a line of a song. Everyone else secretly adds a card that fits, the cards are shuffled and shown, and the others vote for the storyteller's. A clue that only some people get scores best.
Why it's fun: Hearing why someone picked the picture they did.
Good to know: No reading: the cards are only pictures. BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 5 or 6. Spiel des Jahres 2010.
Cascadia
Match habitat tiles and wildlife in a calm landscape puzzle. It plays well with two, or alone. 1 to 4 players, ages 10+, 30 to 45 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Each turn, take a habitat tile and the animal token paired with it from the four on offer. Add the tile to your landscape and put the animal on a matching habitat. After 20 turns, score your biggest habitats and the animal patterns on the scoring cards.
Why it's fun: The quiet satisfaction of a salmon run lining up just right.
Good to know: BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 2, and it has a good solo mode. Icons, almost no reading. Little interaction between players.
03 · Two players
What are the best board games for 2 players?
Good for couples, a parent and child, or two cousins on the sofa.
Games for two
*Paid link
Thames & Kosmos Lost Cities expedition card game
A card game about launching expeditions, where players decide which journeys to commit to and how far to push their luck.
Why we like it
A tense two-player card game by Reiner Knizia about when to commit to an expedition. Simple rules, one hard choice every turn. 2 players, about 30 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: On your turn, play a card in rising order on one of five expeditions, or discard one, then draw. Every expedition you start costs 20 points before it earns anything, and handshake cards multiply the result. Three rounds make a game.
Why it's fun: Deciding whether one more card is worth starting an expedition you may not finish.
Good to know: Made for two. No reading: numbers and colours only.
Asmodee Splendor Duel strategy board game
A head-to-head strategy board game in which players face off across the table, planning moves and outthinking a single opponent to claim victory.
Why we like it
The two-player Splendor, with a shared board of gems and more ways to get in each other's way. 2 players, about 30 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Take up to three gems in a line from a shared board, or buy cards that give permanent gem bonuses. Some moves hand your opponent a privilege. Win with 20 points, 10 points in one colour, or 10 crowns.
Why it's fun: Three ways to win, so you are always watching what the other player is going for.
Good to know: Made for two, and more interactive than the original Splendor. You don't need to know Splendor to play.
Strategy board game for head-to-head play
A competitive strategy board game in which opponents take turns placing pieces, planning moves ahead and disrupting each other's plans.
Why we like it
Head-to-head strategy belongs with a parent who enjoys outguessing a partner at the end of the day.
Rounding up a group is hard with kids at home, and this contest needs only the couple.
Its board becomes a quiet duel where each placed piece answers the partner's last move.
IELLO King of Tokyo monster duel dice game
A tactical dice game in the King of Tokyo line where giant monsters face off in a head-to-head duel, rolling dice to outplay each other.
Why we like it
A parent who enjoys light strategy but rarely gets a group together can square off against a partner in a monster brawl.
Their evenings seldom hold a full game night, and a contest for just the couple matches the hour they have.
The bragging rights from each victory stay with the champion until a rematch evens the score.
Sky Team
Land a plane together, without talking. A short, tense co-op made only for two. 2 players, from 12 on the box, about 20 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Each round you both roll dice in secret, then take turns placing them in the cockpit: steering, engines, flaps and landing gear. You can't discuss your dice, so you read each other's moves. Land without stalling, overshooting or crashing to win.
Why it's fun: The final approach, when everything rides on one die.
Good to know: Made for exactly two. Quiet and tense, with laughs. Spiel des Jahres 2024.
Hive
Insect tiles and no board to set up: a chess-like duel you can learn in minutes. 2 players, ages 9+, about 20 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: On your turn, place a new insect next to your own tiles or move one already down. Each insect moves its own way: the grasshopper jumps, the beetle climbs on top, the ant goes almost anywhere. Surround your opponent's queen bee on all six sides to win.
Why it's fun: Closing in on the queen while your opponent's beetle sits on top of yours.
Good to know: Made for two. No reading. The chunky tiles need no board, so it travels well.
Patchwork
Sew the best quilt from fabric tiles, a calm puzzle for two by Uwe Rosenberg. 2 players, ages 8+, 15 to 30 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: On your turn, buy one of the next three patches with buttons and spend the time shown on it, or move ahead on the time track and collect buttons. The player furthest behind always goes next. When time runs out, the most buttons wins, and gaps in your quilt cost you.
Why it's fun: Fitting an awkward patch into the exact hole you left for it.
Good to know: Made for two. No reading. Quiet and calm.
7 Wonders Duel
Build a civilisation head to head. Designed for two from the start, with 3 ways to win. 2 players, ages 10+, about 30 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Take a card from the layout, but only one with nothing covering it. Build it, use it to build one of your wonders, or sell it for coins. Over three ages, win by military power, by six different science symbols, or by points at the end.
Why it's fun: Racing toward a sudden win by science or war while the other player tries to stop you.
Good to know: Made for two. It takes a full read of the rules. Icons on the cards, little text. Expansions exist but aren't needed.
04 · Party games
Which party games work for six or more?
Teams, quick rounds and no long rules to read.
Party games for a big group
*Paid link
CMYK Wavelength guessing party game
A party game about reading each other's minds, where players chat, debate and guess together during a lively social evening at home.
Why we like it
Guess where a clue falls between two opposites, like hot and cold. Every round turns into a friendly argument about how your family thinks. 2 to 12 players.
More about this game
How it plays: One player sees a hidden target on a dial between two opposites, such as hot and cold, and gives a clue. Their team turns the dial to where they think the target is, and the closer they land, the more they score. The other team guesses left or right for a point. First to 10 wins.
Why it's fun: The debate: the team talking each other round to one spot on the dial.
Good to know: BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 6 or 8. The cards carry printed word pairs, so younger players need to read.
USAOPOLY Telestrations draw-and-guess party game
A party game of drawing and guessing, where players sketch a prompt and then try to work out what each other's pictures show.
Why we like it
Draw, guess, pass, and laugh at the result. Nobody has to be good at drawing, which is exactly why it works. 4 to 8 players.
More about this game
How it plays: Everyone gets a secret word and draws it in their own sketchbook against a timer. Pass the books on: the next player guesses the drawing, the next draws that guess, and so on until each book comes home.
Why it's fun: The reveal, page by page, when everyone sees how the word turned into something else entirely.
Good to know: Everyone plays at once, so nobody waits for a turn. BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 8. Guesses are written, so players need to read and write.
USAOPOLY Hues and Cues color-guessing party game
A party board game where a clue giver offers word hints and everyone else guesses which shade on the board they mean.
Why we like it
Give clues to one colour among hundreds on the board. Calm and chatty, and grandparents play it as well as teenagers. 3 to 10 players.
More about this game
How it plays: The cue giver picks a secret colour from the 480 on the board and says one word. Everyone puts a cone where they think it is; then comes a two-word clue and a second cone. Closer cones score more, and the cue giver scores too.
Why it's fun: Finding out that your aunt's idea of "tomato" sits three rows from yours.
Good to know: Very quick to teach. BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 6 to 8. Clues are spoken, so guessers don't need to read.
Big Potato The Chameleon group bluffing game
A tabletop bluffing game where players read each other, voice their suspicions and try to spot whoever is fooling the rest of the table.
Why we like it
Everyone knows the secret word except one player, who has to bluff. Rounds are quick, so nobody minds being caught. 3 to 8 players.
More about this game
How it plays: A topic card shows 16 words, and everyone except the Chameleon learns which one is secret. Each player says one word linked to it, then the table votes. Caught, the Chameleon can still win by guessing the word.
Why it's fun: Choosing a clue that proves you know the word without handing it to the Chameleon.
Good to know: Rounds take a few minutes. BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 6 or 7. Players read the topic cards, so it suits confident readers.
Jumbo Hitster music party card game
A music party card game that pairs song cards with the Hitster app on a mobile phone, turning popular hits into a group guessing contest.
Why we like it
Put songs in order of the year they came out. Every generation at the table has a decade it knows by heart. 2 to 10 players.
More about this game
How it plays: Scan a card with the Hitster app and a song plays without its title or year. Place the card on your timeline where you think its year fits, then flip it to check. Get it right and you keep it; tokens let you steal a card someone else got wrong. The first to 10 cards wins.
Why it's fun: Hearing three notes and knowing exactly which year it is.
Good to know: Needs a phone with the free Hitster app, an internet connection and a speaker; the songs play through Spotify. No reading needed to play.
Just One
Everyone writes a one-word clue, and matching clues cancel out, so simple words turn surprisingly hard. 3 to 7 players, ages 8+, about 20 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: One player looks away while the rest see the mystery word and each write a one-word clue on their stand. Identical clues are removed before the guesser looks. The team plays 13 cards and tries to get as many right as it can.
Why it's fun: Finding out three of you wrote "snow" and the guesser is left with "carrot".
Good to know: BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 6 or 7. Players write words, so they need to spell a little. Spiel des Jahres 2019.
05 · Young children
First games for children aged 3 to 6
Short turns, no reading, and a winner in about 15 minutes.
First games for young children
*Paid link
Hasbro Gaming cherry-themed board game
A cherry-themed board game where players sit around a table, take turns in order and see who comes out ahead each round.
Why we like it
Any four-year-old who picks the cherries out of a fruit bowl can carry that favorite to family night with Hi Ho Cherry-O. He asks for that snack by name, so a board built around it gets pulled out at his request.
The wins he racks up get announced to everyone at the table before the box closes.
Educational Insights Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel family board game
A squirrel-themed tabletop board game that players set up together and play in turns, built around a woodland critter during family game time.
Why we like it
Family game night makes room for its youngest player with a first board game a preschool girl can follow without help.
She keeps the box by the couch and asks for a round whenever someone sits down.
ThinkFun Zingo matching bingo game
A bingo-style game played around a table, where players race to spot matches for their cards and fill them to win.
Why we like it
Bingo with pictures for children who can't read yet, and a tile slider they will want to work themselves. Fast and noisy. 2 to 6 players.
More about this game
How it plays: Slide the Zinger and two picture tiles pop out. Whoever has that picture on their card calls it first and covers it. The first to fill their card shouts "Zingo!"
Why it's fun: The race to call out a picture before your brother does.
Good to know: Each card has an easier green side and a harder red side, so older children can play at their own level. Pictures carry the game, with the word printed beside each one.
Asmodee Spot It! matching card game
A quick card game of spotting the shared picture on cards before anyone else, with several ways to play in the same deck.
Why we like it
Find the one match between 2 cards. It takes seconds to learn and fits in a small tin. 2 to 8 players.
More about this game
How it plays: Turn over cards and race to spot the one picture two cards share, then say it out loud. The tin holds several mini-games, from collecting the most cards to a hot-potato round.
Why it's fun: The moment the match jumps out at you after staring for ages.
Good to know: No reading, only pictures. 55 cards in a small tin, so it fits in a stocking.
Mooki Island
This year's children's Spiel des Jahres, a quick card duel about collecting little creatures. 2 players, from 4, about 15 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Take turns picking cards to collect Mookies, little creatures from five families. Whoever has more of a family wins its trophy.
Why it's fun: The shiny legendary Mookies, and a poster for naming every creature.
Good to know: No reading: it was made for children who can't read yet. The designer started it because his four-year-old wanted to play with cards he couldn't read.
Outfoxed!
A co-operative mystery: find the fox before it escapes. Everyone wins or loses together, so nobody ends up in tears. 2 to 4 players, ages 5+, about 20 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Roll the dice to move around the board and either uncover clues or reveal suspects. Slide each clue into the decoder to rule foxes out. Catch the thief before it reaches its den.
Why it's fun: The clue decoder, which shows whether the thief has the item on the card.
Good to know: Talking is allowed and encouraged. BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 3 or 4.
Rhino Hero
Stack card walls and roofs until the tower falls. Giggly and quick, and the crash is the best part. 2 to 5 players, ages 5+, 5 to 15 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: On your turn, stand a folded wall card on the roof below and lay a roof card from your hand on top. Some roofs have symbols that change the next turn or send the wooden Super Rhino up the tower. Empty your hand to win; topple the tower and you lose.
Why it's fun: The hush before you place a card, and the clatter when the tower goes.
Good to know: Steady hands, no reading. BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 3.
Keep games short and stop while it is still fun. Playing on a team with an adult takes the sting out of losing.
06 · Families from 7
Games the whole family can learn, from age 7
Easy to teach to grandparents, close enough that children can win.
Family games from 7
*Paid link
Pressman Rummikub tile rummy game
A rummy-style tile game in which players arrange numbered tiles into sequences and matching groups, aiming to put down every tile they hold first.
Why we like it
Make runs and sets with number tiles, then rearrange what's on the table to fit yours in. The tile game many grandparents already know. 2 to 4 players.
More about this game
How it plays: From the tiles on your rack, make runs in one colour or groups of one number in different colours. Your first play must add up to 30 points. After that you can rearrange any tiles on the table to fit yours in. The first to empty their rack wins.
Why it's fun: Pulling apart the sets on the table to squeeze in one more tile.
Good to know: Numbers and colours only, no reading. Quiet and thinky. Spiel des Jahres 1980.
Mattel Games Blokus tabletop strategy game
A strategy game where players take turns fitting their pieces into a shared playing area, each trying to claim space while blocking rivals.
Ages 7+ (Mattel Games)
Why we like it
Place your coloured pieces so they only touch at the corners. One rule, and the board fills up into a picture. 2 to 4 players.
More about this game
How it plays: Each colour has 21 pieces shaped like Tetris blocks, and your first piece goes in a corner. Every new piece must touch one of your own at a corner, never along a side. When nobody can place any more, the fewest squares left over wins.
Why it's fun: Slipping a piece into the last gap and cutting off someone's path across the board.
Good to know: BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 4. No reading. Rules for two players are in the box.
Ravensburger Labyrinth maze board game
A strategy board game set in a maze, where players plan routes and compete to outthink each other around the table.
Why we like it
Slide the maze to reach your treasures, and close off someone else's path while you're at it. Children and adults play on even terms. 2 to 4 players.
More about this game
How it plays: On your turn, push the spare maze tile into a row or column to shift the paths, then move your pawn toward the treasure on your secret card. Collect all your treasures and get back to your start to win.
Why it's fun: Shoving a row to open your own path and, just as often, closing someone else's.
Good to know: No reading: the treasures are pictures. Children play it as a puzzle; adults can play it more ruthlessly.
Sushi Go!
Pick a card and pass the hand to build the best plate of sushi. Cute for children, sharp enough for adults. 2 to 5 players, ages 8+, about 15 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Everyone picks one card from their hand at the same time, reveals it, and passes the rest along. Score sets: dumplings get better the more you have, wasabi triples your next nigiri, and pudding scores at the very end. Three rounds, highest score wins.
Why it's fun: Taking the card your neighbour clearly needs.
Good to know: BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 4. No reading; the scoring is on the cards. Everyone plays at once, so nobody waits.
Ticket to Ride and Flip 7, above, also suit this group.
07 · Play as a team
Co-op games for families who would rather play as one team
Everyone wins or loses as one team, which keeps Christmas peaceful.
Play together, not against
*Paid link
Pandasaurus Games The Mind cooperative card game
A team card game in which every player works on the same side, sharing the win or loss rather than competing.
Why we like it
Play numbered cards in order without speaking. It sounds impossible and works more often than it should. 2 to 4 players, about 20 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Each round everyone gets as many cards as the level number. Without talking, the team plays them onto one pile from lowest to highest. Play out of order and you lose a life; clear all the levels to win.
Why it's fun: The held breath while everyone waits to see who plays next.
Good to know: BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 4. Numbers only, no reading, and very quick to teach.
Thames & Kosmos Crew cooperative card game
A cooperative card game where everyone plays on the same side, planning moves together and winning or losing as a group.
Why we like it
Look for Mission Deep Sea, the edition of The Crew where the whole table plays a trick-taking card game as one team.
Each hand asks him to read his teammates' plans from the cards they lay down.
Asmodee So Clover! cooperative word clue game for friends
A cooperative party game built around linking words with clever clues, suiting teens who prefer playing together with friends and family over competing.
Why we like it
Write clues that link pairs of words, then watch the others rebuild your clover. Funny when it works, funnier when it doesn't. 3 to 6 players, about 30 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: Each player gets four word cards on a clover board and secretly writes one clue between each pair of neighbouring words. Then the cards come off, a decoy joins them, and the team puts your clover back together. The first try scores the most.
Why it's fun: Watching everyone puzzle over why you wrote "grandma" between "boat" and "cheese".
Good to know: BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 3 or 4. Players read and write words, so it suits confident spellers.
Bomb Busters
Defuse a bomb by working out which wire to cut, over 66 missions that each add a twist. 2 to 5 players, from 10, 20 to 40 minutes. Last year's Spiel des Jahres.
More about this game
How it plays: Each player has a hidden row of numbered wires sorted low to high. On your turn, point at a teammate's wire and name a number you hold. Right, and you both cut; wrong, and the countdown moves on. Cut every wire to win, but a red wire ends it at once.
Why it's fun: Working out from one cut where every other number must sit.
Good to know: BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 4. 66 missions in the box, each adding a twist, so it lasts all winter. Missions need some reading.
Pandemic
The team races to cure four diseases before they spread. Each player has a role with its own power, and nobody wins alone. 2 to 4 players, ages 8+, about 45 minutes.
More about this game
How it plays: On your turn, take four actions: travel, treat a city, build a research station, share cards or find a cure. Then draw cards, and new infections spread across the map. Cure all four diseases before outbreaks, cubes or cards run out.
Why it's fun: Planning the whole team's moves together, and stopping an outbreak chain one city short.
Good to know: BoardGameGeek players rate it best with 4. Plan an hour for the first game. One keen player can end up running everyone's turn, so let each player decide their own.
08 · Free games
Christmas games with nothing to buy
You don't always have to buy a game. These are our free ones, with rules you can read out on the night.
- Christmas party games: charades, quizzes and quick games for family, friends and work.
- Secret Santa generator: draw names online, with no email and no sign-up.
- White elephant rules: the gift swap where guests can steal.
- Left right Christmas game: 6 stories to read aloud while the gifts move round the circle.
- White elephant dice game: roll to swap, steal or pass, with a dice roller and timer.
Hosting? Print our free party game sheets and you have 3 games ready before anyone arrives.
Christmas party game sheets
Free to print: charades with six cut-out prompts, a ten-question quiz with the answers folded under, and the left right story with rules. Letter or A4.
Open PDF to print: Christmas party game sheetsPDF · Letter09 · Questions
A few last questions
When should I buy a board game for Christmas?
Before December, if you can. Popular games and new award winners often sell out in the weeks before Christmas.
What is a good board game for someone who never plays?
A light game with short rules, such as Flip 7, Ticket to Ride or Codenames. Avoid heavy strategy games for a first game.
What do easy and some thinking mean?
Easy games teach in 5 minutes and leave room for snacks and chatter. Games with some thinking need a full read of the rules and about an hour at the table.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.