Enjoy quality time and lots of laughter with these Christmas board games, tailor-made for holiday cheer and festive gatherings!
We LOVE the Christmas games. It’s what our childhood Christmases were all about. Well, games and the food, and the decs, and the gifts too, if we’re honest! But the games were absolutely the best part for us both. The one time of year when everyone had time to stop and play, without clock watching or multi-tasking, and when you had big enough groups to enjoy different games from the standard set. As soon as the family started to gather for the festivities, the games would come out (as would the pack of Cadbury chocolate fingers to help with concentration, obviously).
We’re a family of game obsessives and given Jo and my love of all things Christmas, it’s hardly surprising that we’ve tried and tested our fair share of the Christmas board games on offer too. Here’s our pick of the bunch for some fabulous festive fun, sure to get you and yours in the Christmas spirit. What better way to spend a Twixmas afternoon?!
Our 9 Favourite Christmas Board Games For 2023
All of these are tried, tested and enjoyed by us! Quick summary below and scroll down for more details and quick links:
- Monopoly (Christmas Edition) – best for a festive twist on a board game classic.
- Mince Spies – best non-traditional game and fun activity for Christmas parties.
- The Christmas Express Game – best family Christmas board game to play with young children.
- Christmas Games – best value for money Christmas game compendium.
- Shot In The Dark (Christmas) – best Christmas quiz style game to play after Christmas dinner.
- Santa Banter – best festive team game for older groups.
- Articulate! Christmas – best fast-paced game for larger groups.
- Rotten Sprout – best festive travel game for younger childen.
- Escape Room: Sprout Edition: best Christmas themed collaborative game.
Monopoly (Christmas Edition)
In Summary: The classic game with a festive twist.
Age Range: 8+
Number of Players: 2 – 6 players
The most iconic of all the board games get a festive makeover. Whilst the game itself is basically the same as the original version, if you’re going to only play Monopoly at Christmas time, why not lean into the festive season?! The car and boot are replaced by a snowman and Christmas turkey! And instead of taking a trip to the train stations, you’ll be paying a visit to Santa’s reindeer. Invest in grottos and workshops or take a gamble on a card from Santa’s Sack or the Christmas Crackers. Would make a great gift for board game enthusiasts, this is a fun Christmas twist on the annual monopoly family tradition. Elf & Love Actually versions available too if you are a particular fan of the movies.
Mince Spies
In Summary: Secret festive missions to undertake undetected.
Age Range: 14+
Number of Players: 3-18
Neatly set out as a set of drinks coasters, Mince Spies is a game of secret missions. Everyone playing will receive a challenge to carry out undetected over an agreed timeframe. For example you may need to steal food from the plates of multiple players, or repeatedly insist the same person takes a group photo. The player that correctly identifies the most missions and matches these to the correct performers wins. In our experience, this is a game best played with a larger group and over a long enough time period that people start to forget about the missions and let their guard down.
The Christmas Express Game
In Summary: It’s a race to the North Pole in this Christmas take on Snakes & Ladders.
Age Range: 6+
Number of Players: 2-4
This family-friendly game ups the ante on classic Snakes & Ladders with all sorts of festive twists and turns to navigate. Collect and use cards to help make your way along the path fastest. There’s some fun strategy required as well as luck of the draw to make it to the North Pole quickest. Players can choose between 8 festive characters to be as they traverse the beautifully festive board. A great game to play across the generations, it’ll leave you feeling suitably Christmassy.
Christmas Games
In Summary: Eight games in one; there’s something for everyone. Perfect for keeping the troops entertained.
Age Range: 12+
Number of Players: As many as you want!
The perfect game for Christmas parties, family gatherings and games nights with friends. There’s eight games in this Christmas Games compendium so you’re sure to find something suitable for each group, making it a worthwhile investment for various events. Games include charades, Pictionary-style challenges, hum the tune, and good old fashioned Christmas trivia (they’re only easy if you know them..). We love the Christmas Lists game of guessing the items detailed for a particular category (such as items commonly found in a Christmas cracker) and Santa Says where three Christmas statements are woven together into a story. A great compendium, sure to be put to good use over the Christmas season.
Shot In The Dark (Christmas)
In Summary: A quiz game where nobody knows the answers; but can you get closest?
Age Range: 10+
Number of Players: 2+
Another fun team game for festive celebrations! This brilliant variation on the classic Christmas quiz presents questions to which nobody knows the answer. But can you get closest to the actual answer? Think you know what percentage of Brits consider Die Hard to be a Christmas film, for example?! This Christmas version of Shot in the Dark makes a brilliant stocking stuffer and is ideal for holiday season travelling. It’s the kind of game everyone’s happy to join in as they lounge around on the sofa digesting Christmas dinner!
Santa Banter
In Summary: Team-based rhyming fun and charades for larger groups.
Age Range: 14+
Number of Players: 4+
If you know the game Obama Llama, you’ll know what to do. A fun team game with three rounds (and an ongoing game of picture pairs to boot). A great option for family gatherings with older children, or evenings in with friends. Describe bizarre rhyming phrases to the counterparts in your team before switching to a charades style round of acting the rhymes out. The aim of the game is to be the team with the most points but really it’s about the fun along the way! Giggles guaranteed.
Articulate! Christmas
In Summary: Fast-paced team game of festive descriptions. A Christmas take on the year-round classic.
Age Range: 12+
Number of Players: 2-8
Another of the family-friendly classics which has had a festive overhaul! Perfect for family game nights – describe as many Christmas themed words as you can to the rest of your team to add pieces to your Christmas jigsaw puzzle. First team to complete their puzzle wins. Such a simple concept idea but it’s one of those games that brings out the competitive side in everyone without losing sight of the laughs. Play is quite short so this is a great one for groups with shorter attention spans or filling the gap between other festivities. A firm favourite.
Rotten Sprout
In Summary: Fun little matching pairs game. But beware of the rotten sprout..!
Age Range: 6+
Number of Players: 2+
Players take it in turns to select cards at random from their opponents’ hands in order to find the matching pairs. But in amongst the Brussel duos lurks one rogue rotten sprout (sounds like Christmas lunch hahaha). Can you keep out of the path of this stinker and avoid losing the game? A simple game of luck which will go down well with younger players. A fast-paced card game that would make the perfect addition to your case for family holiday travels.
Escape Room: Sprout Edition
In Summary: Work as a team to solve the sprout-themed puzzles within the timeframe.
Age Range: 8+
Number of Players: 2 – 6
Work together with your fellow players to solve a series of 10 puzzles, which together give the co-ordinates to your festively themed solution. There’s no prize other than glory but this is a great alternative to the traditional festive board games for any escape room lovers. The game is designed to take around 45 minutes. The puzzles are not too tricky by Escape Room standards so this is definitely a game for the whole family (younger members of the family can join in some of the activities although they may not have the interest to follow the escape room to completion). Works well to play as a pair, or for small groups if you divvy up the challenges.
Looking for more inspiration?
- Download Our Free Printable Christmas Movie Quiz
- 15 Hilarious Christmas Taskmaster Ideas
- 180 Fun Christmas This Or That Questions
And be sure to check out our Christmas Gift Guides For 2023 – we’ve got inspiration for everyone on your nice list!
Celebrate the Christmas holiday with interactive, competitive games that turn your living room into a hub of fun. From Christmas Eve to the festivities on Christmas Day, these party games, interactive games and occasionally rather competitive games offer the best way to spend quality time together, fostering the holiday spirit. What are your favourite Christmas-themed board games?
