Quick answer
For a family gathering, play team trivia, charades and hangman with your own words. For a friends' party, add a group guessing game and fast reaction rounds. On Apple TV, Pass the Remote! has all of these, played by passing one Siri Remote. The no-prep games below need almost nothing.
Christmas party games at a glance
| Game | Good for | Players | Prep | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trivia Battle | Family teams | 2–4 color teams of any size | None | Apple TV and its Siri Remote |
| Charades & More | A loud room | One guesser, the room gives clues | None | Apple TV and its Siri Remote |
| Hangman | Family names and inside jokes | 2–4 colors | None | Apple TV and its Siri Remote |
| Read the Room | Friends' parties | 2–4 colors | None | Apple TV and its Siri Remote |
| Press Swipe Play | Keeping a crowd moving | Solo or a group run | None | Apple TV and its Siri Remote |
| Splat! | Quick laughs | 2–4 colors | None | Apple TV and its Siri Remote |
| Holiday movie charades | Any group | 4 or more | 5 minutes | Paper, a bowl and a timer |
| Sticky-note Who Am I? | Mingling at parties | 5 or more | 5 minutes | Sticky notes and a pen |
| Name Five | Any age | Any number | None | Nothing |
Pass the Remote! is rated 9+ on the App Store.
Why do TV games work so well at Christmas parties?
Everyone can see the screen at once, nobody has to install an app or hand over their phone, and up to four color teams let a big crowd play together.
At a family gathering, the TV is already the center of the room. A game that needs only the remote means a grandparent who has never touched a game controller can play the same turn as a teenager, and guests who arrive late just join a color.
Which Pass the Remote! games are best for Christmas parties?
Trivia Battle for team trivia, Charades & More for the loud part of the night, Hangman with your own words, Read the Room for the grown-ups, Press Swipe Play to keep a crowd moving, and Splat! for quick laughs.
There are no Christmas-themed packs in the game. These are the regular games, and they work because of who's in the room.
Trivia Battle
Split the room into color teams and play five rounds. Classic Films, Blockbusters & Franchises, Classic Rock and 90s Nostalgia suit a mixed crowd; they come with Unlock Everything, and Around the World, Wild Science and Odd One Out are free. Every answer ends with a fun fact.
Charades & More
The guesser turns their back to the TV while everyone else shouts or acts out the clue. Sixty seconds a round, with a recorded countdown for the last ten.
Hangman
Pick CREATE YOUR OWN WORD and spell out cousins' names, the family's favorite movie or this year's big gift on the letter board.
Read the Room
One person sees where the target hides on the dial and gives a one-word clue; everyone else guesses. Perfect for a friends' party where half the fun is arguing.
Press Swipe Play
The music calls the moves out loud, and in party mixes it shouts "Pass it!" so the remote has to change hands fast. Good for getting a crowd off the couch.
Splat!
Keep a falling item bouncing on a trampoline until it splats, then pass the remote. Three quick rounds between bigger games.
Is there a Christmas trivia game for the TV?
Trivia Battle works for the whole party: split into color teams and pick from 27 categories, with a fun fact after every answer. It doesn't have a Christmas pack; categories like Classic Films and 90s Nostalgia carry the night.
Each color answers one question per round for five rounds, passing the remote between teams. There's no timer, so teams can talk it over before they lock in. How Trivia Battle works · Movie trivia questions · '90s trivia questions · More trivia questions
No-prep Christmas party games
Holiday movie charades, sticky-note Who Am I?, Name Five and Two Truths and a Lie need little or nothing, and they work while dinner is in the oven.
Holiday movie charades
Everyone writes the names of three holiday movies or songs on slips of paper. Split into two teams and act out as many as you can in 60 seconds. No talking, no pointing at the TV.
Sticky-note Who Am I?
Write a famous name (real or fictional, Christmas or not) on a sticky note and stick it on someone's forehead without letting them see it. They ask yes-or-no questions until they guess who they are. Great for mingling.
Name Five
Someone calls a holiday category (reindeer, cookies, things on a tree, Christmas movies) and the next person has ten seconds to name five. Make it easier for the youngest players.
Two Truths and a Lie
Each person shares three holiday memories, one of them made up. Everyone else guesses the fake. Expect some family stories you've never heard.
Christmas games for kids
Short turns and simple rules: Splat!, Stack It and Memory on the TV, or Name Five and holiday movie charades away from it.
Put each child on a color team with a grown-up so nobody gets stuck. Pass the Remote! is rated 9+, so grown-ups can decide which games suit the youngest kids.
Christmas games for adults and friends' parties
Read the Room, Trivia Battle with Double Down, Press Swipe Play's party mixes and Two Truths and a Lie keep a grown-up party talking.
Read the Room is all about one-word clues and arguing over the answer. Trivia Battle's Double Down lets a confident team bet big, and Press Swipe Play turns passing the remote into a race.
Games for big family gatherings
Split everyone into up to four color teams of any size and pass one remote between the teams. Trivia Battle, Charades & More and Hangman all work this way.
Seat each team together, pass the remote in one direction, and pick a captain per color to lock in answers. Twenty people play as easily as four, and anyone who arrives late just joins a color.
A Christmas party game plan
Mingle with sticky-note Who Am I?, move to the TV for team trivia, get loud with charades, speed things up with Press Swipe Play, and finish with family-made hangman words.
Printable game plan
Christmas party: 75 minutes of games
-
0:00–0:15
As people arrive: sticky-note Who Am I?
A famous name on everyone's forehead; ask yes-or-no questions while you mingle.
-
0:15–0:20
Make color teams
Up to four colors, mixing kids, parents and grandparents. Give the teams names on the TV.
-
0:20–0:40
Team trivia: Trivia Battle
Five rounds, one question per color per round. Pick a category the whole room can try.
-
0:40–0:55
Get loud: Charades & More
One guesser per round turns their back to the TV while the room shouts the clues.
-
0:55–1:05
Speed round: Press Swipe Play
Pick a party mix and listen for "Pass it!"; the remote has to change hands fast.
-
1:05–1:15
Finale: Hangman with family words
CREATE YOUR OWN WORD: cousins' names, this year's big gift, the dog. Winner picks the first cookie.
Short on time? Skip the speed round and play two rounds of Splat! instead.
Christmas party games: questions
What are good Christmas party games for a big group?
Team games anyone can join: team trivia, charades and a group guessing game. Split everyone into up to four color teams and pass one remote between them, so a room of twenty plays as easily as a room of four.
Are there Christmas party games you can play on the TV?
Yes. With an Apple TV, Pass the Remote! turns the TV into 11 party games played with one Siri Remote, including Trivia Battle, Charades & More and Hangman. It has no Christmas-themed packs; the regular games work for a holiday crowd.
What Christmas party games need no prep?
Name Five, Two Truths and a Lie and sticky-note Who Am I? need almost nothing, and TV games like Pass the Remote! need only the remote. Charades on paper takes five minutes to write the slips.
What Christmas games work for both kids and adults?
Games where teams can help each other: team trivia, charades and hangman. Mix ages on every team so kids and grown-ups win together, and keep rounds short.
More family game night ideas · All 11 games · New Year's Eve games
