Eleven Games to Play With Your Family Instead of Going to Thanksgiving Dinner

Tis’ the season where we’re forced to babysit all of our younger siblings and cousins. Instead of brooding about having to share the game console, here’s a list of multiplayer games that you can enjoy with the whole family to make some core memories this Thanksgiving season.

WWE But with Animals

Gang Beasts and Party Animals are both games where you take out your frustrations with family members by pummeling them virtually. Gang Beasts and Party Animals are round based brawler games, whoever is the last man/team standing at the end the most times is the winner.

Party Animals was released September 2023 and developed by Recreate Games. Gang Beasts, developed by Boneloaf, is nine years older than Party Animals, having been released in August 2014. Gang Beasts and Party Animals can both be played on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows. Gang Beasts can also be found on Nintendo Switch. 

Both are bound to start some fights but there’s a simple solution; grab your controller and settle them on the screen!

Sibling Squabbles

Why fight over the game console when you can fight your family for first place in these competitive games? Mario Kart is a competitive racing game starring your favorite characters from the franchise. The most recent installment of this iconic series, Mario Kart World, was released on June 5, 2025. You can find this heartracing game on the Nintendo Switch 2. 

Super Mario Party Jamboree is a board game style series of mini-games that tests your loyalty. Race against the board through a series of minigames and betrayal to come in first place and brag at the dinner table. Super Mario Party Jamboree rolled off the shelves on October 17, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch, and continued to cause chaos on the Nintendo Switch 2 when it was released on July 24, 2025. 

Everyone is here! Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a fighting game that features a massive cast of Nintendo’s most beloved characters, and some characters from more popular franchises too. Let your family know just how powerful Kirby and the Wii Fit Trainer really are. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate made history in December 2018 and can be played on the Nintendo Switch.

Working off Those Calories from Thanksgiving Dinner

After a big meal on Thanksgiving, what’s better than working off those calories playing Wii Sports? Wii Sports has Baseball, Bowling, Boxing, Golf, and Tennis. If those games aren’t enough you can also play Wii Sports Resort which has Archery, Swordplay, Wakeboarding, Frisbee, Basketball, Table Tennis, Golf, Bowling, Power Cruising, Canoeing, Cycling, and Air Sports. 

Wii Sports came out in November 2006 and was followed by Wii Sports Resort in June 2009. Both are available to play on Wii, and were developed by Nintendo.

Let your hatred for Wii trainer, Matt, fuel your wins against your family as you play Wii Sports this Thanksgiving break.

Virtually Making Thanksgiving Dinner

Overcooked proves to your family why you shouldn’t be allowed in the kitchen. Test your coordination and try to meet the expectations of your customers to cook and deliver their food on time before they leave and give you a bad review on Yelp. Overcooked has been serving its customers on Playstation, Xbox, Windows, and the Nintendo Switch since August 2016. Remember to watch those burners and keep those doors clear. One overcooked dish could lead to your restaurant's collapse.

Order up! Plate Up! is another game to satisfy your hunger when you want to sneak a treat from the kitchen. Work with your friends and family to become a well oiled machine as you scramble to complete orders on thyme. Your family will channel their inner Gordon Ramsay if you hesitate to put the fries in the bag. Plate Up! was released August 2022, and can be played on Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo Switch, and Windows. 

Party Like Its New Year’s Eve

Why pull out grandma's board games that are older than you, when you can play a Jackbox Party Pack instead? Each party pack has a mix of five original games, one of the most notable being Quiplash- Cards Against Humanity but custom responses. 

There are over 10 Jackbox Party Packs that started releasing in November 2014 and are developed by Jackbox Games (originally known as Jellyvision). All the packs are available to play on all different systems. 

Jackbox is bound to bring out anyone’s wild side. While all these other games are kid friendly, Jackbox can get rather vulgar depending on the crowd. We recommend ditching your younger siblings for a 13+ crowd.

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If you’re not a fan of the gameplay of any of these games, the amount of mayhem and mischief you can get up to more than makes up for it. These games will have you looking forward to something other than food this Thanksgiving.