Best Christmas board games for kids and adults

Players: 2-6

The all-time favourite game of Monopoly has had a festive glow-up in this Christmas edition – hop around the board with the choice of six special tokens including Rudolph and Santa.

Instead of London landmarks like Bond Street and Mayfair, there are reindeer, festive treats and Christmas shopping, while hotels and houses have been swapped for grottos and workshops. But be careful – jail, taxes and bankruptcy still very much exist in this competitive trading game.

Players: 2-5

New for 2022, be transported back to Elizabethan England and travel from Shakespeare’s birthplace of Stratford to London to perform his plays at different theatres.

Race against others before they steal your ideas, burn down your theatre or even spread the plague. You will rise to victory when you’ve made the most money at the box office. An immersive game for the whole family to get stuck into.

Players: 2-4

Wordsmiths can get very competitive in a game of Scrabble, challenging themselves and other players to spell long unusual words to earn the highest score.

Start with seven tiles each, place them across and down the board to create your words and play until they’re all gone. A great game to interact as a family unit, while encouraging unique vocabulary and spelling.

Players: 2-8

The classic fast-talking game has had a Christmas makeover. Describe as many festive words as you can in 30 seconds – from seasonal films and songs, to foods and traditions – and work your way around the board as you advance.

For every correct word guessed, add a piece to the additional Christmas jigsaw to win. A fun family-friendly game for hours of giggles and merriment.

Players: 2-6

Where was the murder, which weapon was used and who was the suspect? In this nail-biting board game of whodunnit, use your cards, clues and a process of elimination to solve the mystery of the murder in the mansion. Think you’ve guessed it? Reveal the cards at the end to crack the suspense.

Players: 2+

Think you’re a Christmas expert? Put yourself and the whole family to the test with pictured, themed and pot-luck cards to quiz your festive knowledge and climb your way up the Christmas tree. Be the first team to add the twinkling star to the top to win.

Players: 4-20

Follow the herd in this crowd-pleasing board game. When fired questions, the aim is to think of the response that everyone else will guess. If your answer is the majority, you win cows.

If you’re the odd one out, you’ll land the pink cow until someone else thinks outside the box. Easy to pick up and can take up a whole afternoon post-turkey and all the trimmings.

Players: 2-4

Harry Potter fans can show off their wizardry knowledge in this Hogwarts adventure. Be a student in class and learn magical skills. You need to collect five tokens from different subjects to pass your exams and win the game. Just remember it’s leviosa not leviosar!

Players: 2-6

It’s been a stalwart on the board game scene since the 80s for a reason. Step away from the Christmas pudding and gather your players to go head-to-head with trivial knowledge as you move around the retro-style board.

There are 400 cards with more than 2,000 trivia questions, covering topics on entertainment, history, geography, art and literature, science and nature, and sports and leisure. Let the competition begin.

Players: 2-4

Journey through different eras – from the Saxons and Middle Ages to the Tudors and Georgians – as you travel across the different sections on the board to reach the present day. Answer multiple choice questions, act out charades and steer clear of Rattus and tricky chance cards in this educational game. A welcome break from screens.