The Best Party Games to Play with Your Family

The time of celebration is now. It’s the holiday season, and you are bound to have family and friends gathering. And some of you may be wondering, how do I keep everyone entertained? Party games, of course! We have assembled a list of some of the best party games for Christmas, or any occasion.

Jackbox

Many of you may be familiar with what Jackbox is. Or even played one of the nine Jackbox Party Packs that are available. But if you haven’t, you will be wondering “what is Jackbox?” Jackbox, or a Jackbox Party Pack, is a game that allows up to 10 players to play in a wide variety of games.

Each party pack has several games available with them, like quiplash. In quiplash, you are given a prompt and must type the funniest answer you can think of, and players will vote for the one they like the most. Quiplash is one example of many games that you will get within a Jackbox party pack. It is worth checking out each pack before you decide which you want.

How does Jackbox work? With Jackbox, one person must own the game/pack on their console, laptop, or any other compatible device. This person can then set up the game you want to play, and then everyone can join by entering the lobby code on the dedicated website on their phone or another device.

Jackbox is available on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC. But as mentioned, you only need one person to own it and everyone else can play on their phones! Jackbox is normally worth around £15 to £25 but can be more or less depending on what pack you get.

Mario Party

Mario Party is yet another great party game that everyone can get involved in. And there are quite a few options in this series that you can pick. The most recent entries: Mario Party Superstars and Super Mario Party are two top picks. Being available for Nintendo Switch, which is a top pick for both multiplayer and solo gameplay.

Super Mario Party is the most popular option of the two. With 80 mini-games and 20 playable characters, that can all be controlled through one Nintendo Joy-Con. And you can play with up to four people. You might want to make sure you have enough controllers though! Or if you have played Super Mario party before, Mario Party Superstars features many of the classic games and boards from the earlier entries.

Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars are available on Nintendo Switch only and are available between £35 and £40.

Just Dance

Just Dance, just like Mario Party, is a party game that has seen regular releases over a long time. Just Dance has a release almost every year and has had a release this year. Just Dance 2023 is available on all platforms and is a great choice to play with your family.

For those who are unfamiliar with the game, Just Dance is a dance rhythm game where you can play with up to 4 players. You simply go along with the dance moves being shown to you in the game, in perfect rhythm, to score the most points.

Just Dance is also available on all platforms, including Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, PS4 and PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch. Just Dance can vary quite a bit based on what version you get. The most recent release, Just Dance 2023, is £29.99.

Gang Beasts

Next on our list is a bit of an untraditional one, but a super fun one nonetheless. It’s a great option for all the family, with quick and easy controls to learn, fun arenas to fight each other and wide availability.

The goal of Gang Beasts is to be the last person standing. Gang beasts put four players into the shoes of different rag doll characters, in arenas full of different environmental hazards, traps and ledges to push each other into. You eliminate players by throwing them out of the arena. How? You can pick up players and throw them, push them into traps and wherever else your creativity takes you.

Gang Beasts is available on all platforms (Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, and PC), and is worth between £15 and £25, depending on what platform you buy it on.

Monopoly Plus

Now onto a more classic choice. One of the world’s most popular board games, made into a video game. Monopoly Plus has all the features you know and love. And it saves the hassle of having to get out of the game and tidy up after playing.

Just like with the board game, up to six players can get in on the fun. Each player picks their piece and rolls to determine how many moves they can make. And then buy and upgrade properties with the money they get from going around the board.

Monopoly Plus is also available on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, and PC. Making it fully accessible to all players. It is also available from £10 to £15, varying on different platforms.

Other Top Options

There are a lot of game options that you can pick from, and we quickly want to mention some other top options that you can get:

• Skribbl.io – Skribbl.io is a free game that anyone can play on their web browser. It is a multiplayer drawing game where you must guess the word based on a player’s drawing. A bit like Pictionary!
• Among Us – Among Us is a hit option over the years. Recently featuring a VR mode. Among us splits 10 players into two teams: imposters and crewmates. There can be up to 2 imposters, who aim to kill all the players before they complete all the tasks. Crewmates can win either by completing the tasks mentioned or by successfully voting off imposters. Among Us is also available on all platforms for under £5.
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Super Smash Bros is a hit choice for the Nintendo Switch. 4 players can pick a character from a huge roster, and fight against each other in small arenas. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is only available on Nintendo Switch, and for between £40 and £50.