Ready, set, play games! We have rounded up the best games of 2025!
Nothing creates memories quite like sitting around a table and playing a game together with your family and friends, especially during the holidays.
With so many options out there, we’ve reviewed tons of games throughout the year and have compiled our absolute favorites for you to gift and play this holiday season. These games were selected for their playability, durability, and in some cases their educational components, making for playful game play that lasts well beyond the holiday season.
Best Games of 2025
Ridley’s Games Kazoo That Festive Tune
- Try to play this game and not laugh hysterically, we dare you! This game is all about festive spirit, laughter, and getting everyone to join in — no musical talent required! Players hum (or “kazoo”) familiar holiday tunes from 100 festive song cards while teammates guess the song.
- Family-friendly & inclusive: Since the kazoos replace actual singing, even young kids or musically shy players can join in with confidence, making it ideal for multigenerational holiday gatherings (and hysterical outcomes).
- Short & lively: Fast-paced and easy to learn, it’s a great “starter game” for holiday parties before dinner, during gift exchanges, or while waiting for dessert. Play, kazoo and watch the laughter roll in for a game of memory creating unlike any other.
- Guaranteed laughs & memorable moments: In this drawing-and-guessing “telephone game” reimagined, players sketch a word, pass the sketch, then guess, leading to hilarious, unpredictable outcomes. When we first played this game with our family, it resulted in so many hilarious jokes that we talked about them all year long.
- No skills necessary: You don’t need to be an artist with this one! Stick figures and a sense of humor are all that matters. In fact, the worse the sketches, the more hysterical it is. That makes it perfect for kids, teens, and adults alike.
- Ideal for large holiday gatherings: With room for multiple players and minimal setup, Telestrations works wonderfully for extended families or group get-togethers, breaking the ice and getting everyone involved.
Trivial Pursuit Family Edition
- Northing says family game night quite like this classic game that many say started it all. This version of the classic trivia game includes questions for kids and adults, letting the whole family play together. It covers a variety of categories like history, entertainment, science, and more.
- Fast-paced and easy to pick up: With a quicker tempo than the classic version, it’s great for holiday breaks when you want gameplay that doesn’t stretch too long.
- Fun learning disguised as play: For families who love a little brain-teasing during the holidays, especially those who want kids to flex knowledge (or adults to reclaim trivia bragging rights) this is a fantastic option and helps prevent against the Winter Break slide.
- We love this brand of educational, award-winning games and you will, too. They’re gorgeously made and of superior quality. Ice Tumble is one of their newest games and is a mix of hand-eye coordination and suspenseful stacking: Players roll the die, collect “ice” blocks, and carefully stack them, trying not to make the tower tumble. The first player to place all their blocks and their “fox pawn” wins.
- This game is perfect for short holiday bursts. With rounds lasting only 15 minutes, Ice Tumble is great for a quick game between holiday activities or as a fun “just-for-fun” break. The “ice” visual is also perfect for this time of year.
- Builds spatial reasoning & fine motor skills: The balancing and stacking challenge helps kids hone these skills, and it’s fun enough for adults to enjoy too.
- Explore our nations beautiful parks with this entertaining and educational game of adventure and exploration, all while you sit in your cozy living room. Players race across the U.S., collecting trek cards and visiting national parks. It’s a fun, competitive journey that celebrates the beauty and diversity of America’s wild spaces.
- Great for families who love travel, nature, or geography, this game encourages learning about parks and geography in a hands-on, engaging way that avoids screens.
- Perfect for a cozy, relaxed holiday evening with strategy wrapped in a friendly race, it’s a nice “sit-back-and-play” option for older kids, teens, and adults alike.
Big Potato Games The Chameleon
- This one gets that anxiety going, especially if you’re not the best at fibbing. In this deduction game, one player is “the Chameleon” (secretly), while others share a word everyone must expand on, but only the Chameleon doesn’t know the word. The suspense as roles are revealed always leads to laughter.
- Game rounds tend to be quick, making it easy to play multiple rounds during holiday parties and no game night lasts too long.
- Inclusive for many ages and skill levels: Because gameplay focuses on social interaction, bluffing, and guessing, it’s easy for casual players and seasoned game fans alike to jump in.
Ridley’s Games Selfish Edition Dungeon Game
- With a game like Selfish, you know every player must be out for themselves. A darker, strategic twist for older kids and adults, this game turns the tables: players find themselves competing to escape a dungeon first, outwitting monsters and even fellow players. It’s a fun mix of strategy, risk, and betrayal.
- Best for older siblings, teens, and adult gatherings because of its more competitive edge and strategy-heavy gameplay, it’s ideal for family game nights among older players or friends who enjoy more intense games.
- We love how this game is a break from that “holiday sweetness”, with controlled chaos. Sometimes holiday nights call for something different: a little edge, a little strategy, and this game gives it in spades. Ridley’s does a great job of creating fun and trendy games that actually don’t go out of style.
- A PARENTS Magazine Best Toy Award-Winner for 2025, this is a math and adventure game all disguised as fun. Players become dragon-pirate captains, using multiplication and addition to “plunder” treasure islands. It’s a clever way to build math fluency while staying immersed in a fun pirate theme.
- For families who want screen-free educational play, or even homeschooling families, this game makes math feel like a treasure hunt instead of homework.
- Game rules allow for adjusting complexity (easier math for beginners or tougher numbers for older kids), so it grows with your child’s skill level.
Gatwick Games It’s in the Bag!
- It’s in the Bag! is fantastic to play in large groups. Players take turns describing, guessing, acting out, or giving one-word clues to guess items in the bag, across three dynamic rounds. It’s fast-paced, silly, and great for family fun.
- Encourages creativity, communication, and quick thinking. Because description style changes each round, the game pushes players to adapt, making for goofy, spontaneous moments full of laughter.
- Perfect as a party game or holiday icebreaker, especially if you have new in-laws or extended family over for the first time. It’s easy to learn and inclusive, which is great when you have a mix of ages and want a lively, low-pressure game.
Which Game for Which Holiday Moment?
After the games have all been unwrapped, which should you go with first?
For Big family dinners or multi-generational gatherings, start with games that don’t require skill levels, just laughter and teamwork like:
- Kazoo That Festive Tune
- Telestrations
- The Chameleon
- It’s in the Bag!
For short game sessions between holiday events, go with games that are quick to set up and play, but still engaging try:
- Ice Tumble
- Plundering Times
For Game nights with older kids or teens that require a bit more strategy or challenge but are still inclusive, try:
- Trekking the National Parks
- Selfish: Dungeon Game
- Trivial Pursuit Family Edition
For educational, screen-free holiday downtime, go with this award-winner, especially if you want to sneak in some learning with play.
- Plundering Times
The holiday season isn’t just about gifts of course, it’s about creating memories. The games on this list do more than fulfill the gifting requirement. They bring people together, bridge age gaps, and create laughter and connection around the table.
Whether you’re looking for a riotous ice-breaker, creating a cozy family tradition, or supplying a playful learning tool, there’s something here for every home, every kind of kid (or kid at heart), and every holiday mood. Happy playing!
