Christmas Party Games for Adults: Loud, Clever, or Cozy

The best Christmas party games for adults teach in two minutes, play in teams, and run in short rounds so people can drift in and out between the cookies and the coats. Pick by the mood of the room. Loud games for a crowd that wants to laugh, clever games for friends who like a puzzle, and cozy games for the end of the night when the fire is low.

The quick answer: for a loud room, play Herd Mentality with its Christmas Expansion or Telestrations. For a clever crowd, play Codenames or Just One. For a cozy close, play Hues and Cues. No games in the house? Play Fishbowl with paper and a bowl.

Prices below are publisher list prices checked at the time of writing. They move a lot between now and December.

What makes a game work at a Christmas party?

A party is not a game night. People arrive late, wander off, and leave early to beat the snow. The games that work survive that.

• Teams over turns. Teams absorb uneven numbers and let a shy guest contribute without being on the spot.
• Short rounds. If a round lasts five minutes, a latecomer joins the next one. If a game lasts ninety, they watch.
• A two-minute teach. Nobody at a party wants to read a rulebook. If the host cannot explain it while the cheese plate goes around, skip it.

The best Christmas party games at a glance

Loud games for a crowd that wants to laugh

Herd Mentality

Herd Mentality from Big Potato asks a question, and everyone writes an answer. The goal is not to be right. The goal is to match the herd. Answer with the majority and you earn a cow. Be the only person with a different answer and you get stuck with the pink cow. It plays 4 to 20, ages 10 and up, in about twenty minutes, and lists for about $25.

Big Potato also sells a Christmas Expansion with 100 festive questions that shuffle straight into the base game, for about $13 at the time of writing. Expect a long argument over the most overplayed Christmas song.

Telestrations

Telestrations is the telephone game with sketch pads. Everyone draws a secret word, passes the pad, guesses what the drawing shows, and passes again. By the end, “candy cane” has become something nobody can explain. It plays 4 to 8, ages 10 and up, about thirty minutes, with a list price of about $32. Nobody needs to draw well. Bad drawings are the best part.

Monikers

Monikers is the boxed version of the classic party game Celebrity. Two teams play the same deck of names three times. First you can say almost anything, then only one word, then only charades. The jokes build on each other as the rounds go. It lists for about $25, plays 2 to 12 or more, and takes about thirty minutes. The main edition is rated 17 and up. For a mixed crowd, the Family Edition is the same price.

Clever games for friends who like a puzzle

Codenames

Codenames splits the room into two teams. Each team has a spymaster who gives one-word clues to steer teammates toward their secret words on a grid of 25, while avoiding the assassin. It seats as many as you have. A refreshed edition lists for about $25 at Czech Games Edition. Our free Codenames course covers how to give a clue people remember.

Just One

Just One is a cooperative word game. One player has a mystery word, and everyone else writes a one-word clue for it. Before the guesser looks, any matching clues are erased. So the obvious clue cancels itself out, and the table has to get creative. It plays 3 to 7, ages 8 and up, in about twenty minutes, and lists for about $25. Nobody loses alone, which suits a group of near strangers.

The Chameleon

The Chameleon is a quick bluffing game. Everyone sees a secret word from a grid of topics except one player, the Chameleon, who has to fake it. Each person says one word related to the secret, then the table votes on who was bluffing. Rounds take a few minutes. It plays 3 to 8, ages 14 and up, and lists for about $27.

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Cozy games for the end of the night

Hues and Cues

Hues and Cues is a color game. One player picks a color square from a board of hundreds and gives a one-word clue, then a two-word clue, while everyone else places their markers on the color they think it is. It works for 3 to 10 players ages 8 and up in about thirty minutes. List price is about $26.

Skull

Skull is bluffing with almost nothing in the box. Each player has three roses and one skull. You stack cards face down, then bid on how many roses you can flip without hitting a skull. It plays 3 to 6, ages 10 and up, about thirty minutes, for about $21.

Flip 7: Grinch Edition

Flip 7 is a push-your-luck card game. Flip cards one at a time and add them up, but flip a number you already have and you bust for the round. The Op sells a Grinch Edition that plays 3 or more, ages 8 and up, in about twenty minutes, with a list price of about $8. The Op sells through retailers, and holiday editions sell out, so check your local game store early. Our free Flip 7 course has a five-minute teach.

Which game fits your group size?

• 4 to 6 people: Just One, Skull, or The Chameleon. Everyone plays every round.
• 6 to 10 people: Codenames in two teams, Telestrations, or Hues and Cues.
• 10 to 20 people: Herd Mentality, which runs up to 20 at once, or Monikers in two big teams.
• More than 20: split into tables, or play a no-box game below. For more ideas, see our guide to party games for large groups.

What Christmas party games need no equipment?

Some of the best party games need nothing but people. A few work well at Christmas.

• Fishbowl. Everyone writes a few names or holiday words on scraps of paper and drops them in a bowl. Two teams play three rounds with the same slips: describe it, then one word, then act it out. Paper and a bowl are all you need.
• Christmas movie charades. Write holiday film titles on slips of paper and act them out for your team, on a timer. Familiar titles keep it moving.
• Name that carol. One person hums a carol and the room races to name it. Ten seconds per tune keeps it from dragging.
• Contact. One player thinks of a word and gives its first letter. Everyone else gives each other clues for words that start with those letters. If two players say the same word together before the word keeper can block it, the keeper reveals the next letter. It works best with a group of word lovers.

How do you run games at a Christmas party?

Start early. Bring out the first game within the first hour, while energy is high and before people settle into their corners. A game that starts at 10 p.m. has to fight the coats going on.

Keep rounds short. Play one round, then ask who wants another. Stop while people still want more.

Play in teams. Teams mix people who do not know each other and make room for latecomers. Shuffle teams after each game so the same friends do not huddle together all night.

Name a game captain. One person teaches, keeps score, and moves things along. The host has enough to do. If nobody can agree on what to play first, let the room vote from their phones with Game Night Madness, our free bracket app.

Set up a side table. Not everyone wants to play. Put a quiet game on a side table for people who would rather talk, and let the loud game own the living room.

Skip the shock decks. They run out of jokes by round three. Our adult card games stay funny longer.

The game is the reason. The people are the point.

FAQ

What is the best Christmas party game for adults?

For most parties, Codenames or Herd Mentality. Both teach in two minutes, play in teams, and handle a crowd. Herd Mentality’s Christmas Expansion adds holiday questions to the base game.

What are good Christmas games for adults with no supplies?

Fishbowl, Christmas movie charades, and name that carol need only people, paper, and a pen. Contact needs nothing at all.

How many games should I plan for a Christmas party?

Two or three is plenty: one loud game for the crowd, one cozy game for a side table, and one in reserve. Most parties play one game for most of the night.

Are there Christmas editions of party games?

A few. At the time of writing, Big Potato sells a Christmas Expansion for Herd Mentality, and The Op sells a Grinch Edition of Flip 7. Holiday editions sell out, so buy early.

More ideas for the season

Hosting more than one party this year? Our guides to office holiday party games and New Year’s Eve party games pick up where this one leaves off. Subscribe to The Ludarium newsletter for one game-night idea at a time, all season long.