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Christmas Games for Adults: 30 Games for Parties, Couples and Christmas Day
30 Christmas games for adults with simple rules: party games for a crowd, games for couples, drinking games and after-dinner games for Christmas Day.
Jordan Underwood · · 10 min read
By Jordan Underwood, Founder of Playmate Labs · Last updated: November 2026
The best Christmas games for adults need almost no kit, take a minute to explain and get the quiet ones joining in. Below are 30 Christmas games for grown-ups with simple rules, sorted by the kind of night you're having: party games for a crowd, games for two, drinking games for those who want them, and after-dinner games that work on Christmas Day with every age around the table.
Quick picks
| If you are | Play | Kit |
|---|---|---|
| A big group, nothing prepared | The hat game (2) | Paper, pens, a hat |
| Work party or friends' do | Present stealing (8) | One wrapped gift each |
| Just the two of you | Twelve days of truth or dare (14) | Nothing |
| Drinks flowing | Christmas film rules (21) | A film and a drink |
| Christmas Day, all ages | The ABC of Christmas (26) | Paper and pens |
What makes a good Christmas game for adults
After a big lunch or halfway through a party, nobody wants to read a rulebook. The Christmas games that work for grown-ups have three things in common:
- Explained in under a minute. If you need to demonstrate it twice, half the room has wandered off to the kitchen.
- Everyone plays at once, or turns are short. Long waits kill the mood.
- Silly, not cruel. The best games make people laugh at themselves, not at each other.
Christmas party games for adults (groups of 6 or more)
1. Christmas charades
Write Christmas films, songs and traditions on slips of paper. Split into two teams; one person acts a slip out in silence while their team guesses against a one-minute timer. Ban pointing at objects in the room and it gets funnier fast.
2. The hat game
Everyone writes five famous names (real or fictional, Christmas themed if you like) and drops them in a hat. In round one you describe a name without saying it. In round two, the same names, but you can only say one word. In round three you act them out. Because the names repeat, round three turns into a stream of in-jokes.
3. Sticky-note heads
Write a Christmas character on a sticky note and stick it on someone's forehead without them seeing. Players ask yes or no questions in turn to work out who they are. Mix the obvious (Father Christmas) with the cruel (the third shepherd from the left).
4. Two truths and a lie, Christmas edition
Each person tells three stories about Christmases past: two true, one invented. The room votes on the lie. Best with a mix of old friends and new partners, because everyone learns something.
5. Oven-glove unwrapping
Wrap a small prize in a ridiculous number of layers and tape. Pass it round to music; when the music stops, whoever's holding it puts on oven gloves and unwraps until the music starts again. Whoever gets through the last layer keeps it.
6. Finish the lyric
Play the first line of a Christmas song and stop it. First to sing the next line correctly gets a point. Harder than it sounds once people start mixing up the verses.
7. Blindfold wrapping race
Pairs race to wrap a box: one person is blindfolded and does the wrapping, the other can only give instructions. Judges score speed and neatness. Expect very bad parcels.
8. Present stealing
Everyone brings one wrapped gift to an agreed budget. Draw numbers. Player one opens a gift; each player after can either open a new one or steal an opened gift from someone else, who then opens a new one. Cap steals at two per gift so it ends.
9. Cracker joke-off
Save every cracker joke from dinner. Players take turns delivering one with a completely straight face; anyone who laughs is out. The last person standing wins the paper crown.
10. Back-drawing telephone
Sit in a line. The person at the back draws a simple Christmas picture with a finger on the back of the person in front, who draws what they felt on the next person's back, and so on. The person at the front draws the result on paper. It is never a reindeer by the end.
11. Who's most likely to
Someone reads a question and on three, everyone points at the person they think fits. Try "who's most likely to re-gift a present?", "to fall asleep before the film ends?" or "to still have the tags on their Christmas jumper?".
12. Just a minute, Christmas edition
Give someone a Christmas topic, such as sprouts, the office party or tinsel, and they talk for 60 seconds without hesitating or repeating themselves. Anyone can challenge. A correct challenge takes over the topic.
Christmas games for couples (just the two of you)
Christmas games for two are less about winning and more about an evening with your full attention. For more all-year ideas, see our couples games to play at home and Christmas date night ideas at home.
13. Christmas would you rather
Take turns asking festive would you rathers: Christmas in a snowy cabin or on a beach? Sprouts at every meal or no pigs in blankets ever? Then switch to the bigger ones. Our list of would you rather questions for couples has 118 more.
14. Twelve days of truth or dare
From the 13th of December, draw one truth or dare each evening until Christmas Eve. Keep the dares small and fun (a slow dance in the kitchen, a three-line love note left somewhere to find). Our truth or dare for couples has 100 in three levels.
15. Blind taste test
Buy six festive treats you don't usually eat, from chocolates to cheeses. Blindfold your partner and feed them one at a time; they score each and guess what it is. Swap over. Loser makes the morning coffee.
16. The £5 swap
Go to the same shop, separately, with £5 each and twenty minutes. Wrap what you buy and swap at home. The rule: it has to be something only your partner would understand.
17. Christmas film bingo for two
Before the film, each of you writes nine things you're sure will happen (a snowy kiss, a reunion at an airport, a dog in a hat). Tick them off as you watch. First to a line chooses tomorrow's film.
18. A grown-up stacking game
A block-stacking game with prompts is a good after-dinner game for two that feels nothing like a family board game. Our own Nude Stack'd (£39.99) is made for this: pull a block, match its symbol to a card and choose Mild, Spicy or Wild. Either of you can skip any card. Adults only.
19. Guess the Christmas
Pull up old photos from Christmases before you met. Your partner has to guess the year from the clues: hairstyles, phones, the jumper. Every right guess earns a story.
20. Winner chooses
Play any two-player card game you both know, with Christmas stakes. Loser does the washing up, walks the dog in the rain or wraps the last presents. It is amazing how competitive the washing up makes people.
Christmas drinking games (for those who want them)
Adults only, and alternate with water. Every one of these works just as well with soft drinks.
21. Christmas film rules
Pick a film and agree three rules before it starts: take a sip every time someone says "Christmas", every time it snows and every time someone falls over. Choose your film carefully.
22. Cracker hat roulette
Write forfeits on slips and tuck them into paper hats. Everyone picks a hat and must do what's inside before the next course: sing a carol, give a toast, swap seats.
23. Never have I ever, Christmas edition
Never have I ever re-gifted a present. Never have I ever opened a present early and wrapped it back up. If you have, you drink. For grown-up rounds, see our never have I ever questions, including spicy ones.
24. Mince pie pong
Like table tennis pong, but with paper mince pie cases as targets on a tray. Land a ping-pong ball in a case and the other team drinks.
Christmas Day games for after dinner (all ages)
25. Pass the parcel with forfeits
Each layer hides a sweet or a forfeit: an impression, a carol, a compliment for the person on your left. Keep it gentle when grandparents and children are playing.
26. The ABC of Christmas
Give everyone paper and three minutes to write something Christmassy for every letter of the alphabet. Score one point for each answer nobody else has. X is always the decider.
27. Christmas word association
Go round the table saying a word linked to the last one, as fast as possible. Hesitate, repeat or say something that makes no sense and you're out.
28. Treasure hunt
Hide a small present and leave rhyming clues around the house. Each clue leads to the next. Pair children with adults so everyone gets to play.
29. Paper plate portraits
Everyone puts a paper plate on their head and draws the person on their left without looking. Hold them up together. Instant family portrait.
30. Winner stays on
Set up a quick game, like noughts and crosses, rock paper scissors or coin flicking. Winner stays on, challengers queue. Whoever lasts longest picks the evening's film.
How to host a Christmas games night that actually works
- Prepare the slips before people arrive. Charades and the hat game run twice as smoothly with names already written.
- Start with something everyone can do sitting down, like who's most likely to, then move to the noisy ones.
- Keep teams mixed. Couples on opposite teams make for better rivalry.
- Stop while it's still fun. Three games is usually the sweet spot before people drift.
Still sorting presents? Our Christmas gifts for couples guide has ideas for two, by budget.
Frequently asked questions
What are good Christmas games for adults?
Games that need little kit and take a minute to explain: the hat game, Christmas charades, present stealing, who's most likely to and a cracker joke-off. For two people, try a blind taste test, Christmas film bingo or twelve days of truth or dare.
What Christmas games can couples play?
Christmas would you rather, twelve days of truth or dare, a blind taste test of festive treats, Christmas film bingo for two, guessing the year from old Christmas photos, or a grown-up stacking game after dinner.
What Christmas games need no props?
Who's most likely to, two truths and a lie, Christmas word association, just a minute and finish the lyric all need nothing but people. The hat game only needs paper and pens.
What is a good Christmas drinking game?
Christmas film rules is the easiest: pick a film and agree three things that mean a sip, like someone saying "Christmas", snow falling or someone falling over. Alternate with water, and every version works with soft drinks too.
What games can adults and children play together at Christmas?
The ABC of Christmas, pass the parcel with gentle forfeits, a treasure hunt with rhyming clues, paper plate portraits and winner stays on all work for every age.
