Choosing the right game for you and your family over Christmas can be really daunting, because you want to make sure everyone is having a great time, fully engaged in the game while still creating some lovely new memories for the years to come.
To ensure board games and non-gamers alike avoid the doldrums of Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit this year, I am writing a guide to what you should be playing this Christmas, selecting one game per different board game mechanic or genre to ensure you have a whole host of options for your board gaming festive session, with a mechanic that might speak to you or a member of your family.
To keep it in the festive spirit as well, like the twelve days of Christmas I will be sticking to just 12 different board game mechanics/genres. I will try to keep the games fairly light as outside of hobbyists no one really wants to play a 30-page rule book, 8 eight hour long board game at Christmas, so hopefully these games will be ideal for any level of gamer.
So whack on your Christmas jumper, pour yourself some mulled wine and pretend you’re working from home, as I tell you what you should be playing for Christmas 2025.
1. Co-Op
A co-operative game might feel almost blasphemy at Christmas, as we’re all know from Christmases long ago the real cherished festive memories are family arguments, but maybe this year we can all break the trend and have a lovely time working together.
A co-op game is one where you’re simply collaborating towards a shared goal or mission, with you all either winning or losing together. While the ultra-competitive person in me would usually bulk at this idea, I in spite of myself love co-operative games, and have found they can be a real hit over Christmas.
Last year me and my family played Horrified, and despite its theme being the antithesis of Christmas, had an amazing time spending a few hours putting stakes in Dracula’s heart and solving the Mummy’s puzzle.
You and up to three other players are working together to defeat monsters from myth while also trying to guide helpless villagers to safety. Every creature is defeated in unique ways, and you move around the board trying to cleverly plan your actions in correlation with your team to best achieve victory.
There’s several varieties to Horrified so you can choose the game and creatures that most speak to you or your family, with Universal creatures our particular favourite.
Really fun, simple to learn and lasts about an hour or two, Horrified is a perfect co-op edition to your Christmas board gaming table.
2. Push Your Luck
Push your luck games are really fun at Christmas, possibly my favourite genre as they capture the kind of fun chaos that can explode round the dinner table, especially after a few mulled wines. When your Mum who usually can’t stand any kind of game suddenly bursts into cheers because she was right to push her luck one more time, a new Christmas memory can easily be born.
There are several great examples out there, but one that I don’t think gets enough love is Welcome to the Dungeon.
A game for up to 4 players, in Welcome to the Dungeon you choose a hero who is representing your for that game, looking to delve into a dungeon full of dragons, ghouls and skeletons. The hero has different equipment which would allow them to easily achieve victory in the dungeon, however, on their turn each player chooses a card representing the different monsters.
They can choose to add this monster to the dungeon or take it out of the game completely. If they do this, they remove one piece of equipment from the hero, making their fight into the dungeon that much harder.
By the end, the last player to pass has to go into the dungeon, facing all the monsters that were put in, with only the equipment that has been left to defend themselves. If they make it to the end of the dungeon without dying, they get a victory point. First to get two successful runs, wins.
It’s an extremely simple game that can be taught to players of any age in 5/10 minutes, comes in a tiny box and is super fun to play. It’s difficult to know when to put in a monster or when to take out equipment, when to pass or when to go one more time as you’re sure the hero has enough to win.
Really fun, really addictive, and doesn’t get enough love from the wider audience as a fantastic example of a push your luck game.
3. Social Deduction
I am sure you may have spent the last month or so watching Joe Marler become a national treasure on the Traitors, so a social deduction game will surely be a popular choice this Christmas. A game where you will usually have a hidden traitor or traitors among the players, trying to deceive their way to victory. One game which does this really well while keeping with the light and easy mechanics you’re looking for at Christmas is The Chameleon.
A really simple bluffing and deduction game, in The Chameleon one player each round will be the dedicated Chameleon, who is trying to blend in with the other players. Everyone else will know a secret word or phrase they need to give clues to. The randomly chosen Chameleon for this round, with limited knowledge of what that word is, needs to come up with a clue which sounds plausible enough that they manage to blend in and not get caught.
It is extremely simple and perfect for Christmas. You can play essentially for as long as you want, most people will get a turn at trying to be the Chameleon, and most games I have played of it simply ends in fits of laughter, rather than the heartbreaking betrayal you get from the Traitors. A really fun, lightweight family game that will be a real crowd pleaser after your Xmas lunch.
4. Deckbuilding
Deckbuilding might well be my favourite board game mechanic, but this entry is likely to be aimed more at the tabletop hobbyists amongst your family at Christmas, but if you know of anyone be it your child or your Grandma who is getting into the hobby, then deckbuilding is a perfect mechanic to show off.
The quintessential deckbuilding game is Star Realms, which you could literally fit into your coat pocket or maybe a stocking, and play while you’re waiting for the dinner to be cooked.
Star Realms has you building up a deck of space bases or ships to destroy your opponent. There are four designated factions in the game, which synergise as you build up your deck to allow for amazing plays to ensure you reign supreme over space.
While it can take a while to get your head around, if you have played any kind of card game before it will soon become apparent what you’re trying to achieve, and is a great gateway game for any budding board game fan, but especially to the deckbuilding genre.
The small base version can only be played between two players which might not be ideal for a big family gathering at Christmas, but a bigger version of the game with expansions can be bought to increase the player count if required.
5. Card Drafting
There are many fantastic example of card drafting games, and I think they work really well around the table at Christmas, ensuring everyone is actively participating in the game. Generally speaking, you’re choosing one card from a hand of cards, and passing the cards you didn’t select to a player next to you, with you then getting a new set of cards to choose from.
There is no game which does this better than Sushi Go Party, as you look to get sets of cards in front of you to score the most points to win. It’s a Christmas staple at my family’s Christmas with the party version for me a must have. The rules remain simple but with Sushi Go Party you can play with higher player counts and a much greater variety of cards, which means every game feels different. I often find its hard getting people off the game to play something else, as every game is short and sweet and highly addictive.
There’s a whole host of luck in there but it does require strategy and forward thinking play, without bogging down less gamey players on convoluted rules. And it’s perfect to play after you’ve eaten your bodyweight in roast potatoes, because it keeps the food coming with some delightfully cute sushi. As no one know when to stop eating at Christmas.
6. Tile Placement
A mechanic which might be perfect for younger players who find rule books as boring as the King’s speech at Christmas, tile placement games are a lovely little addition to your board game session for the Xmas period, especially while the adults argue over how best to cook a turkey.
Patchwork is a game that can be taught in less than 10 minutes, with a cute and cosy theme perfect for the holidays and to draw the younger members of your family in.
The perfect example of tile placement, in Patchwork you’re choosing a tile to place onto your board, looking to build the perfect quilt with no spaces unfilled which cost you points at the end. Tricker shaped pieces of the patchwork are harder to place and fill your board, but worth more points.
It only plays two players so again isn’t a big party game post-Christmas lunch but if you do find you have a quiet 20 minutes at any point over the holiday, Patchwork is ideal. And it has a literal Christmas themed version of it, so works as a perfect Christmas gift.
7. Engine Building
Slightly breaking my own rule now of keeping the games simple, but I couldn’t have a list of different board game mechanics without talking about engine building.
Most tabletop gamers know the joy that comes with building the perfect, seamless engine to outclass your opponent, and while these games are often far crunchier than a typical board game for Christmas, could be perfect for anyone out there who does happen to have a family that loves a bigger board game for the holiday.
One of my favourite engine builders at the moment, and something which doesn’t take all day to play is Terraforming Mars. In this all timer game you are competing as rival co-operations trying to unsurprisingly, terraform Mars, however the ways in which you do this depends on the engine you build over the course of the game.
Every game feels unique and there are multiple ways to win, but there is a real sense of satisfaction after a game when you have built something so perfect, you feel like a true terraformer.
It’s not overly complicated but it still won’t be for any casual fan. But if you’re a board gamer who was lucky enough to find it under the tree on Christmas day, perhaps on boxing day you can whip open the box, pop out the cardboard and get a game going with your partner or sibling who loves tabletop games just as much as you. Just hope their still too much in a food coma to build a quality engine.
8. Trivia
From one end of the board game complexity scale to the other with a bit of classic Christmas trivia. Experienced tabletop players might feel a bit snobbish towards trivia games, but they are as important to Christmas day as chutney is to your cheeseboard, and while they can be polarising as you simply need to know the answers to general knowledge questions to be any good at them, they are the great insurance policy to get your moody father or grumpy uncle up to play a game so they can show off their knowledge about World War 2.
If you want a really good trivia game for Christmas though, one which I have found makes the whole experience much more welcoming to players of all ages while still being a lot of fun is Smart Ass.
Rather than just simply here’s a question, answer it ala Trivial Pursuit, in Smart Ass you get a category, and then get 10 clues one after the other about an answer. The 10th clue is an obscure fact or piece of information about it, and the question giver goes down each clue one by one with the clues getting easier as they go along.
At any point the player can give their answer, and if they get it wrong it goes over to their opponents. If no one proves to be a smart ass, the person asking the question scores points.
Smart Ass is a trivia game that remains very simple and doesn’t outstay its welcome, with the 10 clue aspect ensuring that most people will have a chance to be able to get an answer or two. And who doesn’t like a board game with a slightly rude pun for a name?
9. Trick Taking
Trick taking games are all over the board game sphere at the moment, where you’re usually playing cards to try and win tricks and the game. What’s great about the mechanic though, and what board game designers have done so superbly, is create a whole host of different ways trick taking can be done to offer an incredibly varied experience.
One of my favourite ways to play trick taking is co-operatively, and something I always associate with Christmas for some reason is Lord of the Rings, so The Fellowship of the Ring: The Trick Taking Game, has to be my selection for this.
A four player game where you are playing out the first book in Tolkien’s trilogy, from the books rather than the films. With each chapter the game gets progressively harder, and you can save your progress as you go to try and complete each mission or chapter.
You play as characters from the book, who have different ways that interact with the trick taking mechanic in order for you all to be successful. Frodo wants to win ring tricks, others might want to actually lose the majority, and you have to silently work with your fellow fellowship members to work out how to solve the puzzle.
It might not be for everyone over Christmas and only goes up to four, but for me and my family, this might be a cozy little challenge for a few of us to overcome as the evening draws to a close.
10. Auction Game
If you’ve ever done the auction mechanic in Monopoly which greatly improves the game as well as mercifully makes it a hell of a lot shorter, then you’ll know the thrill of an auction game, and why it can be the clutch mechanic for a Christmas game.
Playing a game where you outbid your opponents through a mock auction is more fun than it has any right to be, and even has a push your luck kind of feeling to it where you want to outbid your Dad to that thing you desperately want, but do you actually have the funds for it?
Where this is done expertly within a really small package is High Society, which I can’t wait to show people this Christmas. You and your opponents are bidding on cards with differing values, where essentially you want the highest value card. However, this will likely come at a cost. Even if at the end you have all the high value cards, if you have the least money, you’re immediately out of the game and can’t win.
There are also special cards you can bid on which double your score (the card everyone wants), cards that can deplete your scores, where you’re bidding on NOT taking it, and different strategies and tactics which make High Society a blast to play, especially with the right crowd where you can even enjoy role-playing as a member of the elite while you make your bids.
Very quick to learn and play, and caters for high player counts, High Society once tried will likely be a game you dust off every Christmas.
11. Worker Placement
Similar to engine building in that worker placement can sometimes be a slightly meatier mechanic for board games, but one which often stands out in any tabletop experience. Again potentially an ideal mechanic for any board game fan, with ideal gift options for their Christmas sack.
One of my recent favourite games is Critter Kitchen, where you place your chefs, or workers, to different locations to pick up the best ingredients for a tasty treat, hoping to impress a master chef at the end of the game with the perfect meal.
It beautifully introduces people to the world of worker placement games, as you have three or four different chefs to send out to get your ingredients, with it being important every turn who you send and where, with your opponents all having the same difficult choice as well.
You know you want that high level cheese, but there is nothing wrong with the soup truck when you know everyone else will be after that delicious moon made delicacy.
Whimsically designed artwork on all the different creatures and a beautiful board which will look wonderful on your table, it plays up to 5 people (7 with the expansion), and offers up another food theme, Critter Kitchen feels perfect for Christmas. A game to play with all the family, even if it does require a bit more rule learning and concentration than others on this list.
12. Dexterity
Games that I am absolutely dreadful at, but always get brought out on Christmas day, are Dexterity games. My dreadful hand eye coordination coupled with crippling anxiety which comes on for some reason when trying to balance one block on another, means dexterity games really aren’t my bag, but are bundles of fun to play while partying.
While you could play classics like Jenga or more modern takes like Men At Work, one game which I do really enjoy which has dexterity challenges coupled with a choose your own adventure theme perfect for the season is What Next.
Realistically a game you could play with any number of people, you’re basically working together to finish one of three stories in the game box, with a choose your own adventure hook which will have you throwing cards, delicately flicking a puck across your table, and building up a small Jenga like tower with annoyingly shaped blocks.
The dexterity challenge elements to What Next just suit the manic, party vibe of Christmas. The story’s are fun but only really a backdrop to doing stupid things with your family, so you can drop in and out while you top up on wine or chocolate, and can be played by anyone, and will especially be loved by children.
Lots of fun, truly difficult challenges which will make you and your team want to conquer it before moving onto the next game, What Next is a fantastic dexterity game and a must play this Christmas.
About the Author
Paul Websell is a freelance contributor for Zatu who spends his time either playing board and video games or talking about them. While he’s not on social media, you can view his other blogs right here on Zatu!
