Christmas party games for the whole family
Christmas is the one day the whole family is in the one room: little cousins, teenagers, and grandparents who don't do video games. These games work for all of them, on the TV, with everyone playing on their own phone.
Whether it's a cold Christmas inside or a hot one after a swim and a plate of prawns, here's how to run it.
- Players
- From 2 to a room full; each game gives its own numbers
- You need
- A TV or screen with a web browser, and a phone for each player
- Set-up
- A couple of minutes: open the TV page, then everyone scans the QR code
- Price
- Players never pay. Basic costs nothing; the Trial is every game for a month or 5 plays (plans)
The best games for Christmas Day
All of these work with mixed ages, and nobody needs to know the rules before you start: the TV explains each one.
Quiz
A quiz on the TV with phones as buzzers or answer pads. Choose a ready-made quiz, write your own or build one with AI.
- 1–30 players
- Depends on the quiz
Survey Showdown
Try to name the answers people gave in a survey. Popular answers score more. A good game for people who like talking and quick guesses.
- 2–30 players
- About 15–25 minutes
Imposter
Everyone gets the same secret word, except one player: the Imposter. Find them before they fool you!
- 3–16 players
- About 5–15 minutes
- Same room only
Doodle Dash
One player draws on their phone. Everyone else races to guess what it is. The TV shows every line as it is drawn.
- 2–30 players
- About 10 minutes
Bingo
The TV calls the numbers and every phone has its own card. A relaxed game for mixed ages.
- 1–30 players
- About 10–20 minutes
- Same room only
Tick Tock Boom
A ticking bomb flies from phone to phone. Fast reactions keep you in the game.
- 2–30 players
- About 3–8 minutes
Christmas games for kids
Kids want games that start fast, are easy to follow and let everyone have a go. Doodle Dash (draw a Christmas word on your phone while everyone guesses), Bingo with a card on every phone, Tick Tock Boom and the Koala Climb race all run on the TV with no rules to learn first.
For the little ones, pick the young kids' questions in the quiz games, let them share a parent's phone, and act out our Christmas charades: 110 ideas, from Santa and snowmen up.
Doodle Dash
One player draws on their phone. Everyone else races to guess what it is. The TV shows every line as it is drawn.
- 2–30 players
- About 10 minutes
Bingo
The TV calls the numbers and every phone has its own card. A relaxed game for mixed ages.
- 1–30 players
- About 10–20 minutes
- Same room only
Tick Tock Boom
A ticking bomb flies from phone to phone. Fast reactions keep you in the game.
- 2–30 players
- About 3–8 minutes
Koala Climb
A climb-and-jump race up a half-built Surfers Paradise tower: everyone climbs the same floor on their own phone, and the TV shows every koala climbing at once. Best time wins.
- 1–16 players
- About 1–2 minutes a floor
Christmas games for adults
Once the kids are in bed, the grown-ups want a bit of bluffing and a lot of arguing. Imposter (one player doesn't know the secret Christmas word), Survey Showdown, the Question Quest quiz board and the Two-Faced card game are all about talking, accusing and bragging.
Run a Christmas quiz with the ready-made questions, make a hard round of Christmas charades, or have AI write a quiz about your own family's year.
Imposter
Everyone gets the same secret word, except one player: the Imposter. Find them before they fool you!
- 3–16 players
- About 5–15 minutes
- Same room only
Survey Showdown
Try to name the answers people gave in a survey. Popular answers score more. A good game for people who like talking and quick guesses.
- 2–30 players
- About 15–25 minutes
Question Quest
Pick a clue from the TV board, buzz in and answer in the form of a question. For 2 to 8 players, each playing for themself, who enjoy trivia and a little risk.
- 2–8 players
- About 20–35 minutes
Two-Faced
Everyone has two secret cards and some coins. Claim any character you like, true or not. Get caught fibbing and you lose a card. Last one with a card left wins!
- 4–6 players
- About 10–20 minutes
- Same room only
A running order for Christmas afternoon
- 1
A warm-up: Tick Tock Boom
Five loud minutes passing the bomb from phone to phone. It gets everyone joined and laughing.
- 2
The Christmas quiz
Teams of mixed ages. Pick the ready-made Christmas quiz in the quiz library (ten fresh questions from 100 each time), use our Christmas quiz questions, write your own, or have AI write one about your family's favourite things.
- 3
Survey Showdown
Kids against grown-ups works well: everyone says their answer out loud into their phone.
- 4
Doodle Dash
Drawing Christmas things badly on a phone is funny at any age.
- 5
Imposter to finish
Once the little ones are off playing, the older ones can argue about who's bluffing.
Put it all in a show
A show is a running order of games and quizzes that plays one after another, with music and our hosts Arnold (the virtual host) and Lily (the virtual co-host) keeping things moving. Set it up before lunch, and after the pudding just press start.
What is a show?
A show is your whole night, set up in advance. Put games and quizzes in a running order, and the night flows from one to the next with music and the host talking.
The points add up across every game to one big winner. One whole show counts as one play.
Read the video transcript
Arnold: A show is your whole night, set up in advance. Pick the games, then set their rules, age groups and players before the night.
Lily: Then it flows from game to game. No stopping for setup! The points add up all night, to one big winner.
Arnold: Or pick a one-off game: choose its options when you play, and its points count just for that game.
Tips for a family Christmas
- Mix the teams. Put a grandparent, a parent and a kid on each team, so nobody is left out and the scores stay close.
- Share phones if you need to. Little kids can play on a parent's phone, or two people can team up on one.
- Pick the host who will play along. With Playing along, the host plays too, and the answers stay hidden from them.
- Keep it short. Three or four games, then back to the leftovers. The best game nights end with people wanting one more.
- Work Christmas party? See our work party games for bigger groups and teams.
Questions
What games can the whole family play at Christmas?
Quizzes with mixed-age teams, Survey Showdown, Doodle Dash, Bingo and Tick Tock Boom work for kids and grandparents alike. Imposter suits older kids and adults.
Do we need a games console?
No. Just the TV (with a web browser or our Android TV app) and everyone's phones.
Is there a Christmas quiz?
Yes: there's a ready-made Christmas quiz in the quiz library (ten fresh questions from 100 each time you play), and our Christmas quiz questions have four more rounds with answers, including an Aussie Christmas round. You can also have AI write a fresh Christmas quiz.
How many people can play?
Up to 20 players in most games, so the whole family can join in.
What are good Christmas games for kids?
Doodle Dash, Bingo, Tick Tock Boom and Koala Climb: quick to start, easy to follow, and everyone has a go. Christmas charades works for all ages without a screen.
What are good Christmas games for adults?
Imposter, Survey Showdown, Question Quest and Two-Faced: bluffing, arguing and a scoreboard. A Christmas quiz with a hard round works too.
Get Christmas ready
Start your trial and put the first game on the TV in a couple of minutes. Players join on their phones, with no app or account.
Start your trial