Christmas
Christmas games for family and friends, on your phones
Christmas // No app
Party games for a living room full of relatives: one TV, everyone's phone, and family far away can join on a video call. No app.
Christmas gatherings are mixed: grandparents, teenagers, cousins who see each other once a year, and someone always asleep on the couch. These games run on everyone's phone, so the TV shows the group moments and each person plays on their own screen. Family far away? Share the screen on a video call and they join with the same code.
One honest note first: none of these games is built around Christmas. They are party games that suit a living room full of relatives. The Christmas-themed free thing we do have is a printable Christmas scavenger hunt.
Christmas games on phones: three steps
- The host opens keyholegames.com/tv on the TV or a laptop. A party room opens with a QR code and four letters on the big screen. No TV? The host taps Host a party on their phone and the phone does the screen's job.
- Guests scan the code or type the four letters. They scan with the phone camera, or open keyholegames.com and type the letters. No app, no download and no account for guests.
- The host picks a game, and everyone plays free. Each phone shows only that player's own screen: their vote, their secret word, their answer. When a game ends, the host picks the next one and nobody joins again.
Five games for a Christmas gathering
Which Would Ya? and Spot the Blow-in are free for good. The other three are in Party Pack 01 and have all-ages cards.
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Which Would Ya?
A choice lands on every phone. Everyone picks a side in secret, then guesses how much of the room picked the same. The split lands on every screen at once, and the argument starts.
It has a Holidays pack of choices, plus Family and Food packs. Leave the grown-ups pack off when the family is in the room.
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Spot the Blow-in
Everyone gets the same secret word except one blow-in, who has to bluff. One clue each, out loud, then a secret vote on who it was.
Pick the Food pack or the Totally 80s pack: they are the least local of the word packs.
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Read the Room
One player sees a secret spot on a dial between two opposites, like Cold and Hot, and gives one clue out loud. Everyone else drags their own dial to where they think the clue points. The closer you land, the more you score.
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Near Enough
A number question and a secret dial on every phone. Back the guess you think is closest, then watch the real answer drop on the screen.
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Who Knows Ya Best?
One player takes the hot seat and answers questions about themselves in secret. Everyone else guesses what they picked. Or pair up and find out how well you really know your partner.
Use the family pack. Put a grandparent in the hot seat and let the grandkids guess.
Family far away at Christmas
Start a video call, and the host shares the window showing the party room. Everyone, wherever they are, types the four letters on their phone. Step by step, see games to play on FaceTime, Zoom or any video call.
What to expect
- The games are not Christmas themed. They are general all-ages and family games. A Holidays pack inside Which Would Ya? is the nearest we have.
- Ages vary by game. Near Enough is for ages 6 and up, Spot the Blow-in for 7 and up, Read the Room and Which Would Ya? for all ages. Each game page lists its age guide.
- Phones need to be charged and online. Home Wi-Fi or mobile data both work. Hand a charger around before the first round.
- Everyone can join in later. New arrivals scan the code between rounds.
- Up to 20 phones in a room, with fewer for some games.
Hosting a work party instead? See work Christmas party games.
Get Party Pack 01 for the host
Ten party games for one room and everyone's phones, with family cards and grown-ups cards in every game. The host buys the pack once and keeps it. Everyone they invite plays free, at every party. Free in the Launch Party until 20 November, then $15 launch price ($25 after 31 January 2027)
Launch Party: every game is free to host until midnight 20 November, Brisbane time, Party Pack 01 included. Sign in free to host. Guests never need an account. That is 9am Eastern and 6am Pacific on 20 November.
Host a game before it ends and get a Founder badge and a $5 Founder credit off your first paid purchase. The fine print
You have Party Pack 01. Open a party for any of its games; guests always play free.
Test mode: no real money is taken.
Updated 13 November 2026.
Questions
Are these Christmas games?
They are general party games, not Christmas themed. Which Would Ya? has a Holidays pack. For something Christmas themed and printable, see our Christmas scavenger hunt.
What games work for a mixed-age family?
Which Would Ya?, Spot the Blow-in, Read the Room, Near Enough and Who Knows Ya Best? all have all-ages or family cards. Check each game page for its age guide.
Can relatives who live far away join in?
Yes. Share the room screen on a video call and they join with the four-letter code on their own phone.
Do we need a smart TV?
No. A laptop on an HDMI cable, AirPlay or a cast tab works, and every game also plays on phones alone.
How many people can play?
Up to 20 phones in one room, with fewer for some games.
Is there something for work Christmas parties?
Yes, on the work Christmas party games page.
Do guests have to pay or make an account?
No. Guests join with the four-letter code or the QR code and pick a nickname. Only the host needs a free account to start a room, and the host is the only person who ever buys anything.
Is it free?
Which Would Ya?, Spot the Blow-in, Murder in the Dark and Snooze Bandit are free for good, for the host and everyone they invite. The other games on this page are in Party Pack 01, a one-time purchase for the host. The Party Pack 01 page shows the current price and any Launch Party offer.