Best Games To Play On Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is nearly here! As millions of turkeys prepare themselves for a good stuffing, millions of families are getting ready to come together, setting the stage for dinners that can be pretty memorable. If you are not interested in the NFL and won't be spending the day watching the triple header, then you might need to find another source of entertainment that can involve (nearly) everybody and should produce a lot of laughter, discourse, and maybe even playful banter. Thanksgiving-themed games are hard to come by, but there are dozens upon dozens of multiplayer titles that are absolutely perfect for either the day itself or the entire weekend.

So, prepare your Joy-Cons, boot up your PS5, or remind everyone to check that their phones are fully charged; let's take a look at a few modern games that can turn a good Thanksgiving into a great one. While they are all, obviously, multiplayer and suited to a party atmosphere, we are going to try and cover a few pretty different types of experiences, just because every family has their own situation.

We are going to focus on games available on modern systems rather than classics like Wii Sports.

Super Mario Party Jamboree (Or Mario Kart)

The Ultimate Party Game For The Ultimate Thanksgiving

Required Hardware: Nintendo Switch (1 or 2) and a controller/Joy-Con for each player.
Number of Players Supported for Local Games: 4
Why Super Mario Party Jamboree is Great for Family Gatherings: Very easy to pick up and play, even for people who might not game often. While a casual experience, Mario Party has more direct gameplay than most other options. Also, it is just messy fun.
Mario Kart World or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: These games scratch the same itch as Mario Party and are better options for bigger groups since races only last a couple of minutes, so everyone will get multiple turns if they want to play. If you have four Switch 2 consoles, 8 players can play Mario Kart World at the same time. On one console, 4 players can join in on the fun.

Honestly, you can pretty much pick any big Mario spin-off and have a good time with friends or family. Mario Kart is better suited for larger groups that have multiple consoles, but Mario Party is unbeatable in a 4-user set-up. Super Mario Party Jamboree has been highlighted simply because it is the most recent entry, and I imagine more people are likely to have access to it than some of the classics. After a few lackluster entries, Jamboree ended up being a return to form for the franchise, a shift mostly accomplished by sticking to the core formula that made Mario Party great to begin with.

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Although a more traditional game than most other titles mentioned in this list, Super Mario Party Jamboree's boards and mini-games are so self-explanatory that most people will be able to understand them, regardless of their familiarity with the series or gaming in general. Yeah, matches can get competitive, but the randomness of everything encourages laughter rather than anger.

Just Dance

(Just) Dance The Thanksgiving Weekend Away

Required Hardware: Any modern console (Switch, PS5, or Xbox Series) and a controller/smartphone per person. That said, Just Dance Now requires nothing.
Number of Players Supported for Local Games: 6
Why Just Dance is Great for Family Gatherings: A lively and energetic game perfect for setting a positive and fun mood. The gameplay is also self-explanatory.
Alternative: Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival or a classic like Guitar Hero.

Ubisoft has had more than a few franchises with yearly releases, and Just Dance is the one that makes the most sense for the format. Since 2023, the series has been dropping annual song packs rather than new games, so you can just go with whatever roster you prefer.

Even as someone who has exactly no sense of rhythm, I still manage to get into Just Dance, as it works just as well as a party game. Just Dance Now is also a great mobile/web browser option, as it does not require a console or controllers. If the goal is to loosen everyone up, Just Dance might just be the best Thanksgiving game, as it is quick, simple, and gets the whole group moving.

Gang Beasts

Throw Your Family Off A Skyscraper Or Feed Them To A Shark

Required Hardware: PC and most modern consoles (Native on PS5, Switch, and Xbox One, but backward compatible with their successors).
Number of Players Supported for Local Games: 4 (Possible to get 8 working on some systems)
Why Gang Beasts is Great for Family Gatherings: Sheer laugh-out-loud madness that can get competitive but also is just a bit too silly to be taken all too seriously. Skill is involved but not required.
Alternatives: Party Animals, Move or Die, and Pummel Party

OK, now for something that is a touch more competitive than Just Dance and slightly less random than Mario Party. Gang Beasts is a physics-based multiplayer game where players have to clumsily punch each other towards certain doom, while controlling beings that are fighting their owner just as much as their opponents.

Although rewarding skill and experience to an extent, the game's fundamentals are so straightforward and fueled by chaos that complete beginners can easily pull off wins that will have everyone else screaming in disbelief. Gang Beasts has a few different modes, but the main multiplayer one cycles through different stages until one player reaches the chosen win count. You are free to pick the latter, allowing you to decide how much time the group would like to invest.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

A Great Game For A Family Of Gamers

Required Hardware: PC and most modern platforms, along with a controller for each player.
Number of Players Supported for Local Games: 6
Why Shredder's Revenge is Great for Family Gatherings: Honestly, this one requires someone to be at least slightly familiar with gaming, and I would not recommend it to complete beginners. However, if everyone is a gamer, then this is a fantastic beat 'em up that can be completed in a few hours.

For the most part, this article prioritizes games made for all skill levels, as that just makes the most sense for the holiday. However, gaming has been mainstream for a very, very long time, so there must be thousands of families who are united by their love for PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo. If that is the case, something more intensive and, well, traditional might hit the mark, and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is a beat 'em up that moonlights as a party game.

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While the genre is known for its crushing difficulty and surprisingly steep learning curves, Shredder's Revenge is relatively easy by those standards, and its combat is stylish, flashy, and satisfying. The game has a solid roster of 7 playable characters, all of whom are unique and 6 of whom are unlocked from the start. Although the gameplay is tight, the more players involved, the more chaotic the action becomes as the screen fills with special moves and double-teams. While you might not play through the full campaign, the stages are short and work well enough in isolation.

Other Games That Might Be Better Suited For A Group Of Gamers

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Most Modern Call of Duty Zombie Modes
Street Fighter 6 (Or Most Traditional Fighting Games)
Rocket League
Overcooked!
Move or Die

The Jackbox Party Pack

The Definitive Party Game Franchise To Bring Out On Thanksgiving

Required Hardware: Depends on the pack, but the newest ones are available on most modern systems. You can even use something like an Apple TV. If the option is available to you, Amazon Luna has a Jackbox Games subscription that has basically everything. Players will also use personal devices like smartphones.
Number of Players Supported for Local Games: Varies from game to game; a few support 2, others 6, and some even allow 8 or 10.
Why The Jackbox Party Pack is Great for Family Gatherings: A robust franchise with dozens upon dozens of party games that are designed to be short and accessible.

Except for Mario Party, The Jackbox Party Pack is the biggest name in the genre, and its wide range of options arguably makes it a better pick for a family setting. Each pack comes with 5 games that fall under a couple of categories, including drawing, trivia, or team-based. They are not linked with each other in any way, and you are free to just stick to one or two games that suit the group.

The number of players varies from game to game, but most of them target between 3 and 8 participants, and they tend to use common devices like smartphones to make it easier for everyone to join in. There are too many great Jackbox games to count, but some favorites are Fibbage, Trivia Murder Party, and Fain' It.