Christmas comes as a complete surprise every year! For many of us, this is a time to get together with family and do things together. And to be honest: Why not just play a round with children, relatives or grandparents? Or give someone a game as a gift?
If you’re already together, you can also play video games together. If you spend Christmas with people who are not averse to it, we show you a number of games in our list that are great family games for Christmas. You can read below what these are without any particular order or rating.
Overcooked: All You Can Eat (2020 – PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch)
Local player count: Maximum four
At Christmas people like to cook (sometimes more, sometimes less) lavishly, so why not cook virtually? At least in the Overcooked: All You Can Eat campaign, which links Overcooked and Overcooked 2, good teamwork is important. Especially for this new release, part one was processed again in the engine of part two.
Whatever the case, you must work together to cut, cook, and assemble ingredients into the right meals in order to deliver them to the waiting customers within the required time limit. A lot of fun, which is sometimes not as easy as it seems. There are tons of levels to complete and all the DLCs for both games are included. Great fun and one of my couch co-op favorites!
Interest? For PC there is Overcooked: All You Can Eat auf Steamfor the Xbox in Microsoft Storefor PlayStation in PlayStation Store and for Nintendo Switch in eShop.
Mario Party Superstars (2021 – Nintendo Switch)
Local player count: Maximum four
If you’ve played Mario Party before, you’ll feel right at home in Mario Party Superstars, which features five Nintendo 64-era game boards and 100 mini-games from Mario Party over the years, modernized and revamped for this game. The result is a great party game for four players.
It goes harmoniously until you steal a star from someone else who is sitting next to you. Then caution is required. Going hunting for coins and stars with Mario, Yoshi and Co. is a lot of fun and it all just looks magical. A great party game for the whole family on the Nintendo Switch.
Interest? For Nintendo Switch there is Mario Party Superstars im eShop.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2021 – Nintendo Switch)
Local player count: Max four on one console, eight with two consoles
In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, fierce fighting takes place on numerous racetracks, where you not only race with well-known characters from the Super Mario universe in karts and motorbikes and hit items in your face. The tide can turn quickly in Nintendo’s popular racing game, so make sure you always have a good item on hand to fend off attacks.
At the same time, it’s worth opening your eyes because there are various shortcuts to be discovered on the routes or exploited using items. In certain situations, this can give you a decisive advantage. In any case, a round of Mario Kart is always possible, and players of all ages will quickly find their way around here.
Interest? For Nintendo Switch there is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe im eShop.
Rabbids: Party of Legends (2022 – PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch)
Local player count: Maximum four
Ubisoft’s Rabbids are back with their very own party game. You accompany the crazy rabbits on a journey through Chinese culture, in total more than 50 different mini-games await you here. On the one hand, you can play in story mode, but you can also create your own playlists with your favorite mini-games.
In addition, the level of difficulty can also be adjusted and the controls are kept relatively simple. Add to that the typical Rabbids humor, so get ready for some entertaining moments and wacky characters. A good alternative for you if, for example, you already know Nintendo’s in-house party games on the switch by heart.
Interest? For Xbox there is Rabbids: Party of Legends im Microsoft Storefor PlayStation in PlayStation Store and for Nintendo Switch in eShop.
Just Dance 2023 (2022 – PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch)
Local player count: Maximum six
If you still feel like dancing after the sumptuous Christmas feast, you can do so with Just Dance 2023. For the first time this year also with online mode, but the real fun is offline with several people in front of one screen. Here everyone can put their skills as a dancer to the test.
You can choose from numerous well-known songs and the list will only continue to grow over time. If you fail this year, you can plan your revenge with new songs for the next meeting. Ultimately, it’s all about pulling off the best moves and performing the dances as accurately as possible. But of course the focus is also on having fun, because everyone (not only here) should have that while dancing.
Interest? For Xbox there is Just Dance 2023 Microsoft Storefor PlayStation in PlayStation Store and for Nintendo Switch in eShop.
1-2-Switch (2017 – Nintendo Switch)
Local player count: Maximum two
1-2-Switch is not directly about keeping an eye on the screen, but on your opponent. You complete various games against each other, in which, among other things, the HD vibrations of the Joy-Cons and their motion sensors come into play. A maximum of two players doesn’t sound like much, but it’s also entertaining for the viewers and you can take turns.
You can also form teams and then take turns in team duels in different games. The winning team always moves a little bit forward on the game board. This creates tension, especially when the teams are close together and each game can ultimately be decisive.
Interest? For Nintendo Switch there is 1-2-Switch im eShop.
Big Brain Academy: Head to Head (2021 – Nintendo Switch)
Local player count: Maximum four
Don’t feel like dancing, karting or anything like that? Then work out your gray cells together! Big Brain Academy: Head to Head has numerous different tasks to offer that will test your skills and your speed. This is how you ultimately find out which of your relatives has the greatest brain value. Sounds fun doesn’t it? Maybe you already know some of them beforehand, but I don’t want to be mean…
What do you have to do? Well, among other things, spotting an animal in an image that’s very blurry at first, but keeps getting sharper. Elsewhere you build figures, have to lead a train to its destination or destroy blocks. There are a lot of varied tasks that will put you to the test. You can also unlock some cute costumes for your characters.
Interest? For Nintendo Switch there is Big Brain Academy: head to head in the eShop.
Minecraft Dungeons (2020 – PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch)
Local player count: Maximum four
You can also play Minecraft from a different perspective, namely from diagonally above according to Diablo style! Minecraft Dungeons is a dungeon crawler where you fight your way through numerous areas, level up your character and collect new loot to improve it. Only to then defeat even more dangerous opponents.
Together and with teamwork, this is even more fun, especially since you can coordinate with each other directly in front of the screen. Since the release, several expansions have been added that significantly expand the game world, the available levels and the collectible equipment. If you are looking for a family-friendly dungeon crawler, you will find it here.
Interest? For PC there is Minecraft Dungeons on Steamfor the Xbox in Microsoft Storefor PlayStation in PlayStation Store and for Nintendo Switch in eShop.
Not the right thing for you? Have a look at them best free to play gamesthe Best Lego Games and the Best Star Trek Games over!
