Top 10 Game Ideas for Christmas 2023

As the festive season approaches and the air fills with the unbearable heat of Aussie summer, there's no better way to gather friends and family, stay inside and enjoy some board games on the table or couch, or even around the air con.

Whether you're gathered around living room watching the families favourite Christmas film (mine is the Grinch), enjoying a nice Christmas meal with the extended family, or coming back from the crazy Boxing Day sales, these top 10 game ideas are designed to add an extra layer of merriment to your holiday festivities, creating lasting memories and moments of pure, unbridled joy, laughter, and generally good times.

Get ready to unwrap the gift of togetherness with our carefully curated list of games that are sure to be a hit during this holiday season!

1. Codenames: Pictures

Number of Players: 4-8

Best Setting: Fun for Christmas lunch with the family or a fun day with friends. 

Codenames: Pictures is a lively word association game where players, divided into two teams, try to uncover their team's picture cards using one-word clues provided by their spymaster. The challenge lies in connecting seemingly unrelated images with a single word but watch out for the assassin - it's almost worse than getting coal in the stocking!

Each team takes turns provide one word associated to as many agents as possible, as well as one number which symbolises how many agents are similar. Pair up with your family and friends to uncover all their picture cards for your team to win!

Pair up with your family and uncover all of the spies by clicking here to check out Codenames: Pictures!

2. Potion Explosion 2nd Edition

Number of Players: 2-4

Best Setting: Cozy family night with a hot cocoa

Potion Explosion is a delightful potion-making game where players collect marbles representing different magical ingredients. Players aim to create powerful potions by skillfully selecting marbles from a dispenser, triggering chain reactions for more efficient gathering.

Players score points by completing potions and achieving specific combinations. The player with the most points at the end emerges as the master potion maker. 

Brew some potions and then perhaps a nice cup of Hot Chocolate by checking out Potion Explosion by clicking here!

3. Ticket to Ride: Europe

Number of Players: 2-5

Best Setting: Either before or after watching The Polar Express

Ticket to Ride: Europe is a strategic railway-themed board game. Players collect train cards to claim routes connecting cities across Europe and complete destination tickets for additional points.

The goal is to build an extensive railway network and accumulate points through completing destination tickets, claiming routes, and achieving the longest continuous route. The player with the highest score at the end of the game emerges victorious. You may even see Saint Nicholas!*

*Disclaimer, you probably won't get to see Saint Nick - he's a little busy at the moment.

Build a bigger train empire than your family by checking out Ticket to Ride: Europe by clicking here!

4. Splendor

Number of Players: 2-4

Best Setting: Competitive board game nights with friends and family

Splendor is a gem-collecting and card development game set in the Renaissance era. Players act as merchants acquiring gem mines, developing trade routes, and attracting influential nobles to build their gem empires.

Players earn points by purchasing development cards and attracting nobles. The first to reach 15 points triggers the game's end, and the player with the most points is declared the winner.

Strive for victory, arise victorious, and gloat just the perfect amount on Christmas by clicking here to check out Splendour!

5. Forbidden Desert

Number of Players: 2-5

Best Setting: Family co-op adventure night

In Forbidden Desert, players collaboratively venture into a desert to recover ancient artifacts. As a team, they must excavate the artifacts before succumbing to the ever-shifting sandstorm.

Success is achieved by locating all the artifacts and escaping on the flying machine. The challenge lies in managing resources and navigating the storm by relying on one another and everyone's abilities - perfect for families and friends that are looking for a co-op game where you can depend on one another!

Survive the Forbidden Desert with your friends and family by clicking here!

6. Wavelength

Number of Players: 3-6

Best Setting: Secret Santa events

Wavelength is a social guessing game where players provide clues within a spectrum. One player gives a target word, and their teammate must guess where it falls on a spectrum based on a given clue.

Teams earn points by accurately guessing the target word's location on the spectrum. It's a game that encourages creative thinking and understanding your teammates' perspectives - best for those who connect well with one another and fun for those who don't; even better with friends coming together.

Get on the same Wavelength with your friends by clicking here!

7. The Mind

Number of Players: 2-4

Best Setting: A tight nit family who prefer the quieter games

The Mind is a unique and cooperative card game where players must play cards in ascending order without communicating. The challenge lies in synchronizing actions with one another without verbalizing strategies. 

Together, players succeed - and fail - by collectively playing all their cards in the correct order. It requires concentration, teamwork, patience, and a shared understanding of timing without the use of communication - perfect for a family trying to test their skills.

Become one with your friends and family by clicking here to view The Mind!

8. Telestrations

Number of Players: 4-8

Best Setting: Christmas lunch with the whole family!

Telestrations is a drawing and guessing game where players sketch a word or phrase and then pass their drawing to the next player, who must interpret it. The fun ensues as the original phrase morphs through each player's interpretation.

These games are always more enjoyable when generations collide between children, parents, and grandparents, as we all get to partake and see a fun side of one another!

The joy of Telestrations doesn't come from having a winner, instead relying on the hilarious misunderstandings and artistic interpretations. A hit for the families that enjoy Charades and Pictionary without the stress of having to win!

Make some funny pictures and lasting memories this Christmas by clicking here to view Telestrations!

9. Sagrada

Number of Players: 1-4

Best Setting: Silent nights, holy nights

Sagrada is a visually stunning game where players create beautiful stained glass windows using colorful dice. Each player has a unique board with placement restrictions, aiming to complete specific patterns.

Players score points based on matching their pattern by rolling various coloured dice and meeting specific criteria on their boards.

The player with the highest score based on dice rolled and their patterns created at the end of the game wins

Roll some dice for a beautiful mosaic by clicking here to view Sagrada!

10. Dixit

Number of Players: 3-6

Best Setting: Quite nights with the family or extended family who are creative and clever.

Dixit is a storytelling and deduction game where players use beautifully illustrated cards to create imaginative stories or descriptions. Players provide clues, and others must guess which card matches the description.

Points are awarded for clever clues and successful guesses. The player with the most points at the end of the game is declared the master storyteller.

Get to guessing and get some points by playing Dixit by clicking here!



Our Top 10 Game Ideas of Christmas 2023 Buying Guide:-
- Games suited for a quiet night at home with the family: Sagrada, The Mind, Splendour, or Forbidden Desert!

- Games suited around the backyard/indoor table either before Christmas Lunch, or just after: Dixit, Telestrations, Wavelength, or Codenames: Pictures! Maybe even a bit of charades but you didn't hear that from me.

- Games to enjoy to spend just a little bit more time with you family during this busy period: Ticket to Ride: Europe or Potion Explosion!

- Best films to watch during this time: The Grinch, Home Alone, Die Ha... wait, this is the wrong list!

So there we have it as we wrap up our journey through the top 10 game ideas for Christmas 2023 with a nice kangaroo-sized bow.

Whether you're spending time with your close ones after a night of driving around and looking at lights, or you're heading to see the parents/grandparents on Boxing Day, be sure to pick up one of these games and have a blast during this magical time!

Cheers to a ripper of a holiday season, where the real treasure lies in the joy shared with those who matter most.

From all of us at Gameology, have a very Merry Christmas and a lovely new year!
- The Team at Gameology