5 family and group games to play this winter!

Whether it’s Monopoly, Cluedo, Scrabble, instant quizzes or the newest Playstation game; the competition is on to take the Winter crown and there is no better way to do this than with a traditional game or discovering newer games to enjoy as a family. 

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best games to play this Winter with either family, friends or on your own.

This family favourite is played across the world and is a great game to keep you entertained throughout the Winter. Charades eliminates the need for language and brings all age groups together- which is perfect for diverse families.

To play, split your group into teams of two. Each team is competing against the others by taking turns to act out a randomly picked prompt to their other team member- without speaking. Teams who correctly guess the charade score a point. The winners are the team who scored the most points at the end of the game. You can play as many or as few rounds as you wish, depending on the age and attention span of players, which makes it perfect for family fun.  

A newer game, which is darkly funny and has gained in popularity over recent years, Cards Against Humanity, is better suited to friends and family over 16+. If you’ve never played before, then this is a go-to game from groups everywhere and there’s no better setting to play than at a family or friend get-together.

The premise of the game is simple; each player is dealt 10 white cards, one player starts by picking from the box and laying one black card. The black card contains blanks. Players must submit a white card to fill in the blanks in the sentence. The submitted white cards are shuffled and the person who started the round must read each, picking the funniest answer. The player who submitted that card wins a point. 

Be warned, the point of this game is to be as politically incorrect as possible using risque wordplay and adult language. This game is not appropriate for younger players, but if your family is already grown-up, or you’re looking for a late-night evening game then Cards Against Humanity is the perfect play.   

We all know Monopoly, most of us grew up playing it around the dining table. Whether you love or hate it, it’s an undeniable feature of a British games night, especially for younger players. In its most traditional form, Monopoly is a multi-player board game that simulates being a landlord.

The idea is to buy up property and force the other players into bankruptcy through rent when they land on areas you own- obviously, it’s a family favourite! More recently this traditional board-games, has been reinvented for solo players and new versions of Monopoly can now be played online for real money- check industry expert CasinoGuide's full article for details of where you can play.

This is an easy card game that will have all the family shouting and roaring with laughter as they compete to be the first player to have zero cards. Best played with 4+ players all you need is a deck to get going. 

The basic gameplay is the same as snap, but with one key difference. As a player lays a card they must also say the correct number in the sequence (the sequence starts with the first player who says 2, players move up, following the deck sequence with each card laid so 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A and back to 2). When the number said, matches the card laid players must race to be the first to snap the pile. The last player to realise a snap has taken place picks up all the laid cards. The winner is the first to have zero cards and if you want to get really competitive keep a silent count as you play. Be warned, this game is packed full of rivalry so get ready to have your hand slapped!

Another card game (and ranked #4 in CasinoGuide’s top 5 card games to play at Christmas), Cheat is a classic and is well-known up and down the UK making it a great choice for family fun over the Winter period. It requires 5+ players, but if you’ve got more, just add another deck. The aim of the game is to trick other players and be the first to have zero cards. 

To play, split the whole deck between the number of players and lay a card to start. Cards can only be laid if they are the same as, one above, or one below the previous player’s card. For example, if the person before you lays an 8, you can lay another 8, 7, or 9. Note that Ace can be high or low and you can lay multiples of the same cards. Cards are laid face-down with players declaring what they are and how many, but they do not need to be telling the truth, they may be cheating to achieve the aim of the game and get rid of all their cards. It’s up to the other players to consider their hand and work out the probability of each card move being the truth or not. If they think the player is lying they call cheat. If no player calls cheat, play moves to the next player. When cheat is called, if it is called correctly, the player who lied claims the deck. Incorrectly, and the player who calls cheat collects the cards. 

Now you’ve got 5 games to pull out at any family get together or friends games night. Or if you are stuck for things to do on a cold and windy Winters day then these are great go to games to play to keep the family entertained.