Before you choose

Christmas Day is short and the table is crowded. The right game depends on how many people are playing, how much time you have and the youngest player. These ten games are chosen for a big, mixed table and listed with the numbers that decide that, taken from the manufacturers' own pages. Eight are marked between 4+ and 8+; two are marked 12+ and 14+, for tables with older children, teens and adults. For a smaller weekly game night, our family games guide compares strategy and two-player games.

Choose by headcount first

The number of players is the most common reason a game does not work on the day. Here are the figures the manufacturers give for these ten.

  • UNO: 2–10 players, marked 7+.
  • Liar's UNO: 112 cards, marked 7+, with a colour symbol on every card.
  • Dobble Classic: 2–8 players, about 15 minutes, marked 6+, with five mini-games.
  • Trivial Pursuit Family Edition: 2 or more players, marked 8+, with 2,400 questions.
  • TOMY Pop Up Pirate!: 2–4 players, marked 4+.
  • Drumond Park LOGO Best of Christmas: two teams, marked 12+.
  • The Chameleon: Find the Traitor: 3–8 players, about 15 minutes, marked 14+.
  • Cluedo: 2–6 players, marked 8+.
  • Monopoly: 2–6 players, marked 8+, with 8 tokens.
  • The Monopoly card game: 2–5 players, about 15 minutes, marked 8+.

Mixed-age tables

Trivial Pursuit Family Edition is built for this: it has separate adult and child question sets, so children and adults can play the same game. Dobble is quick to explain, which helps when new players join halfway through.

Younger children can often join in as a helper or as part of a team. The age marking still belongs to the product, though, so keep small pieces away from anyone below the marked age.

For the youngest guests, TOMY Pop Up Pirate! is marked 4+ and needs no reading at all, so a four-year-old can play a full game with their grandparents.

Two of these games are aimed at older players. The manufacturer marks LOGO Best of Christmas 12+ (some retailer listings give a lower age, so follow the manufacturer) and The Chameleon 14+. They are for a table of older children, teens and adults, and are not the right pick if the youngest players are the priority.

Fit the game to the day

Christmas afternoons get interrupted. Dobble, Pop Up Pirate! and The Chameleon are short games that can be started and finished between other things. Trivial Pursuit and LOGO Best of Christmas suit a slower stretch of the day, once the table has settled.

For travelling to relatives, an UNO deck takes up almost no room in a bag.

Cluedo and Monopoly are the two long games here. Both take up to six players and are marked 8+, and both are best started when nobody needs to leave soon: agree a finishing time for Monopoly before the dice come out.

For the Monopoly fans with less time, the card game keeps the rent and the trading in 110 cards, and Hasbro says a game can take as little as 15 minutes.

If the family already owns UNO

Most families already have an UNO deck somewhere, so Liar's UNO is a version to add rather than a replacement. One card is played face down and its owner says what it is, and anyone at the table can call the bluff. A liar who is caught draws a card; an accuser who got it wrong draws one instead. The shout of UNO on the last card stays.

Bluffing changes who does well. A quiet child with a straight face can beat a table of adults, which suits the hour when the room fills with cousins. Mattel marks it 7+ and prints a symbol on each card that shows its colour, so players with colour blindness can join in.

Check the box before you wrap

Open the box and count. Dobble Classic is listed with 55 cards, Pop Up Pirate! with 24 swords, and LOGO Best of Christmas with 55 question cards and 44 decoration pieces. A missing card in October is easy to sort out, and a missing card on Christmas Day is not. Read the packaging for the age marking as well.

Manufacturer-checked facts

Product details

What is in each of the ten boxes and the maker's age marking; the notes above give player counts and timings. The games run from the youngest marking up and are not a TopTenToys ranking.

Image: © TOMY (tomy.com)

Family action game

TOMY Pop Up Pirate!

In the box: 1 barrel, 1 pirate figure, 24 swords, for 2-4 players

Age guidance
4+
Brand
TOMY
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Image: © Zygomatic / Asmodee (asmodee.co.uk)

Observation card game

Dobble Classic

In the box: 55 cards; 57 symbols; 5 mini-games; 2-8 players; about 15 minutes

Age guidance
6+
Brand
Zygomatic / Asmodee
Model / item
Classic 55-card edition
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Image: © Mattel (mattel.com)

Family card game

Mattel UNO Card Game

In the box: 2-10 players; classic colour-and-number matching card game

Age guidance
7+
Brand
Mattel
Model / item
W2087 / MATW2087A
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Image supplied by The Entertainer through the Awin product feed.

Games / card game

UNO Liars Card Game

In the box: 112 cards and instructions; Mattel item JLH43

Age guidance
7+
Brand
UNO
Model / item
JLH43
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Image: © Hasbro (hasbro.com)

Family trivia game

Trivial Pursuit Family Edition

In the box: 2+ players; 2,400 questions with separate adult and child cards

Age guidance
8+
Brand
Hasbro Gaming
Model / item
E1921
Facts checked
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Image supplied by The Entertainer through the Awin product feed.

Game / deduction board game

Cluedo The Classic Mystery Board Game

In the box: Gameboard, 6 character tokens, 6 weapon tokens, 50 cards, solve envelope, notepad, 2 dice and rules; for 2 to 6 players

Age guidance
8+
Brand
Hasbro
Model / item
F6420
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Image supplied by The Entertainer through the Awin product feed.

Game / property trading game

Monopoly Classic Board Game

In the box: Gameboard, 8 tokens, 28 Title Deed cards, 16 Chance cards, 16 Community Chest cards, 32 houses, 12 hotels, 2 dice, money pack and instructions; for 2 to 6 players

Hasbro says the tokens in the box may vary.

Age guidance
8+
Brand
Monopoly
Model / item
C1009102
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Image supplied by The Entertainer through the Awin product feed.

Games / card game

Monopoly Deal Card Game

In the box: 110 cards (Property, Wild Property, Action and Money cards) for 2 to 5 players; the first to collect 3 complete property sets in different colours wins; Hasbro says a game can take as little as 15 minutes

Age guidance
8+
Brand
Monopoly
Model / item
G0351
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Image: © Drumond Park (drumondpark.co.uk)

Family team quiz game

Drumond Park LOGO Best of Christmas

In the box: 2 teams; 2 Christmas tree playing boards, 55 question cards, 44 decoration pieces, 2 stars and rules

The manufacturer marks this game 12+. Some retailer listings give a lower age, so follow the manufacturer's marking.

Age guidance
12+
Brand
Drumond Park
Facts checked
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Image: © Big Potato Games (bigpotato.co.uk)

Bluffing and deduction party game

The Chameleon: Find the Traitor

In the box: 3–8 players; about 15 minutes; topic cards, code cards and dice

The manufacturer marks this game 14+, so it is for older teens and adults rather than younger children.

Age guidance
14+
Brand
Big Potato Games
Facts checked
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Questions

Common questions

Which game suits the largest group?
Of these ten, UNO lists the widest player range at 2–10, followed by Dobble Classic at 2–8. Check the packaging to confirm the current details.
What is the best game for a mixed-age group?
Trivial Pursuit Family Edition has separate adult and child questions, which makes it designed for mixed ages. Dobble Classic is short and easy to explain. Neither is ranked above the others.
Which of these games are only for older players?
The manufacturer marks Drumond Park LOGO Best of Christmas 12+ and The Chameleon 14+. The other seven are marked between 4+ and 8+. Check each one and the packaging for the marking before wrapping.

Research

Sources checked

We use official safety guidance and manufacturer sources for specific product claims. Retailer popularity can inform discovery but does not replace these checks.

Each pick's identity, age marking and contents were checked on its maker's own page: