20 Friendsgiving Games for Adults

Friendsgiving works best when the games are as relaxed as the guest list. Nobody wants a rulebook while the gravy is going cold. Here are 20 games sorted by when you play them, from the table to the couch.

Table games while you eat

1. Conversation bingo: everyone gets a card with squares like “Someone mentions politics” or “Seconds on pie” and marks them quietly. Print Thanksgiving bingo cards for free.
2. Highs and lows: go around the table and give one good thing and one bad thing from your year. Keep it short.
3. Two truths and a lie: each person shares three statements about themselves. The table guesses the lie. Works even better if some guests have just met.
4. Thanksgiving would you rather: read one at a time from our Thanksgiving questions list. Skip the ones aimed at kids.
5. Hot take turkey: pass a small object around. Whoever holds it shares a food hot take (pineapple on pizza level, not politics) and the table votes on whether they are right.

Party games for after dinner

6. Charades: teams act out dishes, traditions and awkward holiday situations. Our free Thanksgiving charades generator has cards, a timer and team scores.
7. Imposter: everyone gets a secret word except one person, who has to bluff. It works well for 4 to 8 people. Read the rules on the Imposter game page.
8. Never have I ever, holiday edition: use cooking and family disasters. “Never have I ever served raw turkey” gets more hands than you would think.
9. Who’s most likely to: point at the friend who fits. Questions like “Most likely to burn the rolls” are safe and funny.
10. Pictionary: draw dishes and movie scenes. A phone with a timer is all you need.

Drinking-optional games

Each of these works with a sip, a sticker, a snack or nothing at all.

11. Bingo with a sip: take a sip, or score a point, when a square on your card happens.
12. Gravy toast: the host gives a toast, and anyone who can name the dish that is not on the table has to add one to next year’s list. Silly, but it gets people talking.
13. Kings-style card game: each card has a rule. It is easy to play without alcohol by using forfeits, like “tell a story” or “give a compliment”.
14. Guess the dish: each person brings a plate and hides the recipe. Everyone tries to guess who made which. The wrong guessers take the first bite.

Gift swap idea

15. White elephant with a cap: each guest brings one wrapped gift under a set price. Draw numbers, then pick or steal. Cap the steals at two per gift so it ends. The rules are in our white elephant rules guide, with ideas in white elephant gift ideas.

Trivia

16. Thanksgiving trivia: the Thanksgiving trivia game shows each question, reveals the answer and keeps a team score. Pick the history round and the food round for a mixed group.
17. Thanksgiving Family Feud style: two teams guess the most popular answers. Our Thanksgiving Family Feud-style questions come with ranked answers and points.

Team games for large groups

18. Team charades relay: split into teams of four. One player acts, the team guesses, then the next player takes a card. First team through ten cards wins.
19. Two-team trivia: use the trivia game with a team on each side of the table. The losing team does the dishes, or at least dries.
20. Pass the pie: play your favorite game and let the winning team pick the next one. It keeps big groups taking turns.

Tips for hosting

• Pick one game for the table and one for after. More than that tends to stall.
• Put the rules on a phone screen or a note and let someone else read them.
• Keep prizes small: first slice of pie, picking the playlist, skipping the dishes.
• For more ideas, see our 30 Thanksgiving games and the Thanksgiving questions list.