Short answer
Hues and Cues is the best game for a family gathering: box age 8, up to ten players, and nobody needs to read a rulebook. For teams of any size, Sequence (up to 12 players). For laughs, Telestrations. For a mixed table that includes young kids, Camel Up.
Quick picks
The eight games
Most board games stop at four or five players, which is why a holiday table so often ends up with a game nobody can join. This list is built the other way round: every pick plays with at least eight people, and the planner below shows exactly where each one tops out. They also keep everyone involved, so nobody sits out for twenty minutes while another player thinks.
01
Hues and Cues
A grid of colored squares sits on the table. On your turn you secretly pick one square, then give a one-word clue, and everyone places a marker where they think it is. A second, slightly longer clue narrows it down, and the closer a guess lands, the more points it scores. It's quiet, silly and a little bit competitive, and you can learn it by watching one round. We have a how to play Hues and Cues page if you want a refresher before the guests arrive.
Why it works for a crowd
- No reading or strategy; anyone can join mid-game
- Up to ten players
- Art-minded and number-minded guests both have a chance
Think twice if
- Color perception varies, which can cause arguments
- Scoring takes a moment to explain
02
Sequence
Each card in your hand matches a space on the board, and playing one lets you put a chip on that space. The first team to line up five chips in a row scores a sequence, and two sequences win a two-team game (one, with three teams). Players can block each other's rows, which gives the game more tension than it first looks like it has. The team structure means a group of eight or ten can all be involved at once, and quiet players can hide a bit in a team.
Why it works for a crowd
- Team play for up to twelve people
- Easy to learn if you've ever played a card game
- Works for older relatives and kids from age 7
Think twice if
- A long, slow turn from one player can drag the table
- Bigger groups mean more chip and card space
03
Telestrations
It's the game of telephone, drawn. Everyone gets a booklet and a secret word, draws it, then passes the booklet on. The next person guesses what the drawing was, and the booklet moves on again for a drawing of that guess. At the end everyone reveals how the first word turned into something unrecognizable. The best moments come at the reveal, so give it a few minutes of silence while players scribble.
Why it works for a crowd
- Drawing skill doesn't matter; bad drawings are funnier
- Everyone plays at once, so there's no downtime
- Up to eight players
Think twice if
- Box age is 12+, so it suits older kids and adults best
- Needs paper-handling and markers, so a bit of table space
04
Camel Up
Five camels race around a small track, and the players aren't riders but bettors. On each turn you can place a bet on a camel to win the leg or the race, or you can shake a die out of a pyramid to move one camel along. Camels can land on top of each other, and the ones on the bottom carry the ones on top. It's more about reading the odds and enjoying the chaos than outsmarting each other.
Why it works for a crowd
- Betting on a camel race is easy to grasp at any age
- Up to eight players
- Kids and adults have the same odds
Think twice if
- Luck decides most of the outcome
- The dice pyramid is easy to knock over
05
Dixit
One player is the storyteller. They pick a picture card from their hand and give a clue for it: a word, a phrase, a sound. Everyone else plays a card from their own hand that fits the clue, and the cards are shuffled and revealed together. Then the guessing begins. If everyone guesses the storyteller's card, or nobody does, the storyteller scores nothing, so the clue has to be just vague enough. It's the right choice for a family that likes talking more than competing.
Why it works for a crowd
- Dreamlike picture cards invite stories and guesses
- Up to eight players
- Works for kids and adults at the same time
Think twice if
- A score system needs a quick explanation
- Quiet players can feel on the spot when it's their turn to give a clue
06
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
Players flip cards while chanting taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza in order, and slap the middle when the card matches the word. Three special cards call for a silly gesture instead. It's a good ten-minute game while the dinner is being finished or cleared, and it's the one most likely to get a grandparent laughing.
Why it works for a crowd
- About $10 and easy to take to someone else's house
- Up to eight players
- Rules fit in a breath
Think twice if
- Loud and frantic; not for a calm room
- Gets repetitive if you play it all night
07
Wavelength
A dial hides a target on a spectrum, say from "hot drink" to "cold drink". One player sees where the target sits and gives a clue to steer the team to turn the dial toward it. The other team can then guess whether it's left or right of the team's guess. It's a game of conversation more than of rules, and it's best with a group that likes to argue amicably. For more of this, see our party games guide.
Why it works for a crowd
- Two to twelve players, the widest range here
- Sparks long debates about where an idea falls on a scale
- No skill needed beyond having opinions
Think twice if
- Box age is 14+, so it leans toward teens and adults
- Needs a table and a bit of setup for the dial
08
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Everyone gets a secret role, then closes their eyes while certain roles wake up to peek at or swap cards. When everyone opens their eyes, the table argues for a few minutes and votes on who's a werewolf. It's short enough to play two or three times in a row, which suits a group that's been sitting at the table a while. Save it for the older kids and adults, and for a group that already knows each other.
Why it works for a crowd
- Up to ten players in a game that lasts about ten minutes
- No one is knocked out early
- A free app can narrate the night
Think twice if
- Needs players who enjoy lying and being lied to
- First games can be confusing until roles are clear
Group-size planner
This table is built from each game's box player count. "Yes" means the game supports that many players at one table. If your group is bigger than twelve, split into two tables, or use a team game and run two teams of six.
| Game | 4 people | 6 people | 8 people | 10 people | 12 people | Box age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hues and Cues | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 8+ |
| Sequence | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7+ |
| Telestrations | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | 12+ |
| Camel Up | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | 8+ |
| Dixit | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | 8+ |
| Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | 8+ |
| Wavelength | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 14+ |
| One Night Ultimate Werewolf | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 8+ |
At 12 people only Sequence and Wavelength fit one table. For a smaller group of four to six, our family board games guide has better options.
Side-by-side table
| Game | Players | Time | Age | Complexity | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hues and Cues | 3–10 | 30 min | 8+ | 1/5 | Party |
| Sequence | 2–12 | 10–30 min | 7+ | 1/5 | Team |
| Telestrations | 4–8 | 30 min | 12+ | 1/5 | Party |
| Camel Up | 3–8 | 30–45 min | 8+ | 1/5 | Competitive |
| Dixit | 3–8 | 30 min | 8+ | 1/5 | Party |
| Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza | 2–8 | 10 min | 8+ | 1/5 | Party |
| Wavelength | 2–12 | 30–45 min | 14+ | 1/5 | Team |
| One Night Ultimate Werewolf | 3–10 | 10 min | 8+ | 1/5 | Team |
How we chose
Every game here supports at least eight players and can be taught in a couple of minutes. We then looked for a spread: team games, drawing and word games, a betting game, a bluffing game and a speed game. Player counts, times and ages follow the publisher's box listing. Two of the eight carry a box age of 12 or higher (Telestrations and Wavelength), so check them against your youngest guests. Complexity is our own 1–5 rating, explained on our method page.
Questions
What's a good board game for a big family?
Sequence for teams of any size, Hues and Cues for up to ten, and Telestrations for a group that likes laughing. All three handle eight or more people.
What board game can kids and grandparents play together?
Camel Up and Hues and Cues both work across a wide age range. Sequence is another good choice from age 7.
What are good board games for Thanksgiving?
Games that people can join and leave easily, like Hues and Cues or Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, work well between the meal and the pie.
What if we only have four or five people?
Most of these still work. For games built for smaller groups, see our family board games or cooperative games.
Corin Ashdown is the pen name of the editor who writes and checks every guide on Vorbelutrioperbir. How we write and check guides.