Christmas is almost here, and the holiday season is the perfect time to get together with friends and family for a round of party games. 2023 has been a brilliant year with the release of some amazing titles, and while not all of them may be as much fun during a family or friends get-together, there are always some classics and new party games to keep everyone occupied.
The games listed below can be good fun any time of the year, but even more so around this time. Pick any of these to get things started and even run through the list of the suggested games playing them over the last fortnight of the year.
Drunk, Stoned, or Stupid is perfect to kick-start a party
Drunk Stoned or Stupid is strictly for adults as there could be stories and incidents from the past being retold that might not suit the young ones. The game is best played with four or more players with one of the players taking on the role of a judge. The game involves a deck of cards each with a random statement that the judge picks up and reads out loud.
The rest of the players try to pin it on one of the other players along with the reasons. These statements can be downright funny and quite embarrassing and each of the players tries to justify why the card suits a player. The judge gets to decide who deserves the card after considering the accusations and the card ends up with that player till the end of the game.
The player who racks up 7 or more cards the first gets to be the loser. Suffice it to say there are no winners in this game as none of the players would be proud of the cards and the statements. Drunk, Stoned, or Stupid is available on Amazon for $18.00 and up, depending on the number of cards.
One for cooking enthusiasts and amateurs alike
Overcooked! 2 is available on almost all platforms and can be a stressful game but can also be one of the best games to consider with a bunch of gamers in the house. The sequel to the blockbuster cooking action Overcooked! brings even more fun to the table.
To those who haven’t checked out the original game, the sequel is just as same as players teaming up to cook and wash dishes. The orders can be quite daunting as the ingredients will be spread across the kitchen. This will lead to players bumping into each other if they’re not careful and will require coordination from every single player in the team.
Overcooked! 2 is available on all consoles and also on PC for $24.99 and even features online multiplayer.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is for all ages
It’s not a party without Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the latest addition to the Switch collection this year. The game can be played by 12 players online or local co-op can be played by up to four players. The game features a side-scrolling course that players compete to complete as soon as possible without getting killed by Goombas or Piranha Plants.
To those who have played the original Super Mario Bros. game, these levels will look quite familiar as they also feature Warp Pipes that help players teleport ahead. That’s not all as the game also features courses where players jump vertically to complete courses. With a total of 152 levels in the game, Wonder can be a brilliant option to stay entertained for hours at a party.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is available on the Switch Store for $59.99 and requires around 4 GB of space for installation.
Charades with a Christmas twist
For those who don’t fancy any of the video games, there are always the classics to go back to. Charades have been around for as long as one can remember and adding a Christmas twist to the game is all that one would need to bring the band together at a Christmas Party.
There is no requirement to purchase a deck of cards or an expensive game to get started with Christmas Charade. The theme for the game can be anything that’s related to the holiday season and not just Christmas necessarily. There are several printable cards available online that can be printed and cut out to use while playing.
Christmas Charade can be played by teams of two or more who try to guess a word or a phrase, while one of the team members tries to act out the number of words and then each syllable of a word or words in a phrase in order. Charades have been a regular at parties and adding phrases and words related to the holiday season in general or Christmas in particular is all that’s needed to get into the holiday mood.
The Holiday Season is about party games and gifting
White Elephant is an interesting twist on the classic game of Secret Santa. Secret Santa isn’t a game per se, as it’s always just been a way of gifting each other without openly revealing who got to gift whom which is revealed in the end once everyone’s got their gifts.
White Elephant is a take on the same concept but also an attempt to make a party game out of it. Everyone brings a wrapped gift and they’re all kept on top of a table or the floor even. To get started, the first person to choose a gift from the table can either decide verbally or by drawing a name from a hat.
Once decided, the first person gets to collect a gift from the lot and open it up. The next individual to step up can either choose a new gift from the lot or choose to steal the previous individual’s chosen gift. This can continue until everyone ends up with a gift. In the case of a person whose gift was stolen, they can have another go at picking up a new gift.
To make things even more interesting, three rules can be applied to the game. The maximum amount of gifts that can be stolen by an individual is set to three times. It should also be obvious that a present can be stolen by an individual who does not already have a gift.
The same rule applies to the gifts as well, and if a gift gets stolen or swapped around three times, it will be considered out of the game along with the one that’s holding the gift. Finally, there are no extra turns available for anyone in the game to pick and choose a gift unless their gift is stolen and they don’t have a gift with them.
With Christmas being less than 10 days away, this is the busiest time of the year with friends and families getting together. Party games can break the ice and get everyone involved no matter what each one’s preference is, and this list aims to provide some of the best suggestions for all ages.
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