25 Christmas Party Games for Adults (Printable & No-Prep Ideas)
The best Christmas party games for adults have three things in common: they take less than a minute to explain, they work whether you have six guests or sixty, and nobody has to be good at anything to enjoy them. Below are 25 games that pass that test, grouped by what your party needs at that moment: something to break the ice, something to fill the middle of the night, and something to send everyone home laughing.
How to plan the games (the 3-game rule)
Don't try to play everything. For a two-to-three-hour party, plan three games: a quick icebreaker while people arrive, one "main event" game after food, and a gift exchange or a fast silly game to close. Print what you need the day before, put sheets and pens on a tray, and pick one person (not the host, if you can help it) to read the rules.
Icebreakers for when guests arrive
- Christmas "Find the Guest" bingo. Each square is a prompt ("has seen Elf more than five times", "has never had eggnog"). Guests mingle to find someone who matches each square. Great for office parties where people don't know each other.
- Would You Rather: Christmas edition. "Would you rather only eat Christmas cookies for a week or never eat them again?" Read one aloud and have people move to opposite sides of the room.
- This or That. Faster than would you rather: real tree or fake? Hot cocoa or eggnog? Guests mark a sheet, then compare with someone new.
- Name tag characters. Stick a Christmas character on everyone's back. They ask yes-or-no questions to work out who they are.
- Two Truths and a Christmas Lie. Each guest shares three holiday memories; the room guesses the fake.
Main-event games after dinner
- Christmas movie trivia. Split into teams of three to six. Read each question twice, give two minutes at the end to check answers, and score one point per correct answer. We've put 40 Christmas trivia questions with answers on a separate page, plus a free printable round.
- Christmas bingo. The best game for a big, mixed group: everyone plays at once and you need no teams. Use unique cards (repeats lead to ties), and have the caller draw from shuffled calling cards.
- Emoji Pictionary. Show a string of emoji (☃️🎩✨) and teams guess the song or movie (Frosty the Snowman). Works great on paper or projected on a TV.
- Finish the Carol. Read the first half of a carol lyric and teams write the next line. Surprisingly competitive.
- Christmas charades. Two teams, a one-minute timer and a bowl of cards: "wrapping a present with no tape", "the Grinch stealing the tree".
- Who's Most Likely To. "Who's most likely to re-gift a present?" On three, everyone points. Best with people who know each other well.
- Christmas word scramble. A quiet, sit-down game for the lull after dinner. Set a five-minute timer.
- Name That Christmas Tune. Play the first three seconds of a song from a playlist. First team to shout the title wins the point.
- Christmas Scattergories. Pick a letter and a list of holiday categories (a cookie, a movie, something on a tree). Only unique answers score.
- Christmas Jeopardy. Five categories, five questions each. More prep, but a great centerpiece for a game-night party.
Gift exchange games
- White elephant (Yankee swap). Everyone brings one wrapped gift. Draw numbers; each person can open a new gift or steal an opened one. Cap steals at three per gift to keep it moving.
- Christmas dice game. Players roll a die and follow the chart: 1 = swap with your left neighbor, 6 = steal any gift, and so on. Our gift exchange guide has a full dice chart you can copy.
- Left Right story. The host reads a Christmas story; every time you hear "left" or "right", gifts pass that way. Whoever holds a gift at the end keeps it.
- Secret Santa reveal. Guests try to guess who drew their name before the giver is revealed.
- Christmas card swap. Every guest brings a funny card, signed anonymously; the group votes on the best.
Games for big groups and office parties
- Christmas scavenger hunt. Hide items around the house or office and hand out a checklist. Teams of three or four.
- Minute to Win It: candy cane hook. Use a candy cane held in your mouth to pick up as many other candy canes as you can in 60 seconds.
- Ornament relay. Teams pass an ornament down the line using only spoons.
- Ugly sweater contest. Hand out ballots for categories (ugliest, most creative, best homemade).
- Christmas "Price is Right". Show holiday items and guests write their closest guess without going over.
Tips that make any game better
- Prizes don't have to cost much. A candy cane, a scratch-off ticket or the right to choose the next song all work.
- Keep rounds short. Ten trivia questions per round beats one 50-question marathon.
- Have answer keys. Disputes over trivia answers can derail a whole party.
- Print on cardstock if you want to reuse charades and bingo cards next year. Our printing guide covers paper and settings.
Free printable: Christmas bingo cards
Want to try a game tonight? Our 10 free Christmas bingo cards and caller list are ready to print.
Free printable Christmas bingo: 10 unique word bingo cards plus a caller list. Print-and-play PDF for family parties, classrooms and office parties. No sign-up.
Want them all ready to print?
If you'd rather skip the prep, our Christmas party games bundle has 12 of these games designed, laid out and ready to print tonight, including 30 unique bingo cards, emoji pictionary with an answer key, charades cards, a left right story and a gift exchange dice game.
Merry & Bright Christmas Party Games Bundle: 12 Printable Games$10.99 · Instant downloadView the printable →Frequently asked questions
What are the best Christmas party games for adults?
Games that need almost no explanation work best: Christmas trivia, bingo, emoji pictionary, charades, who's most likely to and a gift exchange game such as white elephant or the dice game.
How many games should I plan for a Christmas party?
About three for a two-to-three-hour party: an icebreaker while people arrive, a main game after food, and a gift exchange or quick silly game to finish.
What Christmas games work for large groups?
Bingo with unique cards, trivia in teams, a scavenger hunt and the left right gift exchange all scale to 30 or more people.
