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Family-friendly games to buy for Christmas Day

Board games at Christmas are always a good idea [Photo: Getty]
Board games at Christmas are always a good idea [Photo: Getty]

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Gone are the Christmases spent playing Pictionary, Balderdash, Monoploy and charades on repeat.

These days, the sheer volume of board and card games available is really quite overwhelming. Which is why we’ve put together a guide of the Yahoo UK team’s firm favourites.

After all, there’s nothing worse than splashing out £20 on a game just to discover it’s really rather pants.

As much as we love Cards Against Humanity and Scrawl we’ve steered clear of the less PG games on this occasion and instead stuck to family-friendly alternatives that we’re forever recommending to friends.

In recent years, Dobble’s proved to be a huge hit. Another crowd pleaser is Pass the Bomb, a description game with a time limit that’s not unlike Articulate.

For those with a flair for the dramatic, the Game For Fame - which involves acting, poetry, hilarious challenges and more - promises a good few hours of fun.

Linkee’s always a solid bet and Exploding Kittens, a strategic, kitty-powered version of Russian Roulette, will remain a party pleaser for years to come.

The Logo Game is ideal for all generations and will test each family member’s British brand know-how. Popular rhyming charades game Obama Llama comes highly recommended by another of our team.

So, without further ado, let us direct you to some of the best board and card games available to buy online and play throughout the Christmas holidays.

Best family-friendly board games

Dobble | £8.25 at Amazon (RRP £12.99)

Multiple Yahoo UK team members own - and love - Dobble. A fast-paced card, Snap-inspired card game it’s ideal for big groups almost all ages.

Pass the Bomb | £14.49 at Amazon (RRP £20.99)

This high-pressure description game is another big hit. Describe one of the words or phrases on your card to your team before passing it to the other team before the bomb ‘explodes’.

Articulate! | £14.99 at Amazon (RRP £32.99)

This fast-talking board game isn’t new, but it’s been a top seller for retailers for years now providing its constant popularity.

Linkee | £15.97 at Amazon (RRP £22.99)

This simple, family quiz is easy to understand and great fun to play. Simply answer four questions, work out the link between the four answers and shout ‘Linkee’ to get given a letter card. Once your letter cards spell out ‘Linkee’, you’ve won.

Exploding Kittens | £16 at Amazon (RRP £19.99)

This highly-strategic game, that was funded via Kickstarter, is a huge hit at parties. Take turns to draw cards until you draw an exploding kitten card. Then you’re out!

The Logo Board Game | £20 at Amazon (RRP £32.99)

Part board game, part quiz, this game tests your knowledge of Britain’s most famous brands and logos.

Obama Llama 2 | £12 at John Lewis (RRP £22)

This fun-filled card game, that’s a mix between Articulate, charades and 30-second rap battle, will test both your rhyming and acting prowess.

Game For Fame | £19.99 at Amazon

Despite its name, this game requires zero talent. In fact, it’s far more fun if the players can’t act, sing, rap or write poetry. Compete in wacky challenges (guess the gargle, is a particular favourite) and move around the board to become the ultimate celebrity.

Colourbrain | £24.99 at Amazon

Every question in this quiz game has, you guessed it, a colour as the answer. Put down the right colour for each question and race to be the first team to hold 10 cards.

Anomia | £12.49 at Amazon

Easy to understand and explain, this game boasts cards printed with symbols and categories. Players flip one card at a time and if their symbol matches another card in play they have to name something in the category on their opponent’s card before their opponent can name something on theirs.

Codenames | £13.97 at Amazon (RRP £15.99)

Slightly more challenging that some of the other games in this round-up, this requires a fair bit of brainpower. Two teams compete by each having a Spymaster give one word clues that can point to multiple words on the board.

Anyone Game? | £12.99 at Outdoor GB (RRP £13.99)

Not a board or card game as such, we chose to include this fantastic book of games as all of the proceeds go towards charity. It contains 30 party games that can be played by anyone - with nothing required.