The holidays are the perfect time to gather around the fire, drink too much eggnog, and doze off between second (or third) helpings of pumpkin pie. And sure, you’ll probably get some fun new toys that will keep you occupied for a while, but it’s also good to have some activities in your back pocket, just in case there’s any sort of lull in the action while you’re with your family—like the best co-op games.
During your gatherings, video games can often be the perfect group activity to keep everyone engaged and entertained. Even if you’re a multi-generational group, these couch co-op and family-friendly titles are surefire hits once all the shredded gift wrap has been collected and you need something else to do.
12 Games to Play With Your Family During the Holidays
Maybe you already have a collection of titles ready to show off to your relatives, but if you’re looking for suggestions, these 12 family/couch co-op video games are guaranteed crowd-pleasers for all types of gamers (and non-gamers) alike. There’s a little something for everyone here, so if you’re already thinking about what to start downloading to be ready for Christmas, we’ve got you covered.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort
Back in the day, the original Wii Sports was the title that fully transcended video games entirely. As a kid, I was mesmerized by the Wii’s motion controls, and thousands of nursing homes around the world proved that the appeal went well beyond middle schoolers.
Enter Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, the recently released Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive that is ready and waiting to capture this magic once again. With returning classics to the series such as bowling, tennis, and golf, plus new activities like skateboarding and thumb wrestling, this is a family gaming experience that can keep your crowd entertained for a long time.
| Developer | Nintendo EPD |
| Release Date | October 22, 2026 |
| Platforms | Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Best For | Any relatives that were caught by the Wii Sports craze, kiddos that you can trust not to break your TV. |
| Where To Buy | HERE |
The Jackbox Party Pack
There are other video games that have employed the use of your mobile phone as your controller, but none are nearly as prolific and proven in their fields as The Jackbox Party Pack collection. By now, there have been a staggering 12 Jackbox titles released, which kind of proves the point that they’re well worth your group’s time.
Honestly, you can more or less take your pick of whichever pack of Jackbox games you want to bring to the party, and though there is some variance in quality, you really can’t go wrong. Featuring games that have since become classics like Fibbage and Quiplash, Jackbox allows everyone’s inner comedian to come out and draw some full-belly laughs from the entire room. The barrier to entry is extremely low, which makes any Jackbox title a slam dunk for just about every family.
| Developer | Jackbox Games |
| Release Date | 2014-2026 |
| Platforms | PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, XBOX, Streaming |
| Best For | Larger groups with a good sense of humor. |
| Where To Buy | HERE |
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
No, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe isn’t the newest entry in the long and storied kart racing franchise, but it’s still easily the best for a group, and also the most ubiquitous in terms of sheer number of copies out in the wild. If you or anyone else in the family owns a Nintendo Switch, chances are, you probably have this game.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a bit more chaotic than older titles thanks to the anti-gravity sections of most tracks, but if you have enough people that won’t get dizzy by the fast-paced action on screen (sorry, Mom), this one is always a winner. The optional Booster Packs double the number of available courses, and toggleable assists make Mario Kart 8 Deluxe accessible to younger gamers as well.
| Developer | Nintendo EAD |
| Release Date | April 28, 2017 |
| Platforms | Nintendo Switch |
| Best For | Anyone who’s ever played a Mario Kart, and kids old enough to stay on the tracks. |
| Where To Buy | HERE |
Overcooked 2
Depending on how chaotic the food preparation aspect of your family Christmas gathering ends up being, Overcooked 2 might be one to avoid if you’ve already experienced enough cooking stress. For everyone else, however, Overcooked 2 is a frantic kitchen-management whirlwind that puts an extreme premium on careful coordination and cooperation between all players.
Overcooked 2 requires each chef to pull their weight preparing food items, assembling plates, washing dishes, and everything in between, while also demanding the flexibility to switch roles at the drop of a hat (or a missed time window for a plate to go out). What’s even better is that Overcooked 2 features a ton of holiday-themed content, making it one that even makes sense thematically to relax around the fire with… and yell at your uncle when he burns a pizza.
| Developer | Team17, Ghost Town Games |
| Release Date | August 7, 2018 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation, XBOX, Nintendo Switch |
| Best For | Anyone who wants to feel the chaos of preparing Christmas dinner. |
| Where To Buy | HERE |
LEGO Party!
I won’t mince words; LEGO Party! is 100% a Mario Party clone, to the point that it feels a little absurd at times. Even so, there’s a chance your family has already played Mario Party to death, or perhaps you don’t own a current Nintendo console and are looking for a nice alternative. This is a huge strength in LEGO Party!’s favor since it’s currently available on all modern platforms.
Derivative or not, LEGO Party! is a blast. The mini-games lean heavily into classic LEGO ideas and building mechanics; the game boards are well-designed, and you’ll play round after round, competing with the other three players to end the match with as many golden bricks as possible to claw out a victory. Don’t expect wheel reinvention here, but do expect competitive multiplayer chaos that will erupt into plenty of cheers, jeers, and shouts along the way.
| Developer | SMG Studio |
| Release Date | September 30, 2025 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation, XBOX, Nintendo Switch |
| Best For | Those looking for more Mario Party-like fun, and perhaps on a non-Nintendo platform. |
| Where To Buy | HERE |
Ultimate Chicken Horse
Ultimate Chicken Horse is another family/couch competitive title that definitely has the potential to cause some Christmas drama, but all in good fun, of course. Here, each player controls a goofy, dancing animal with the simple goal of reaching the other end of a chasm as quickly as possible. Points are awarded based on who crosses the gap first, and most points at the end wins.
But it’s not as simple as it sounds. Between each round, everyone is allowed to select one new item to add to the map, whether that be a new platform to make your Point A to Point B traversal easier, or a well-placed trap to try to deter your opponents from being able to reach the goal on the other side. Oftentimes, your item placements can end up trolling yourself too, making Ultimate Chicken Horse a hilarious time for those of us that are into platformers.
| Developer | Clever Endeavour Games |
| Release Date | March 4, 2016 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation, XBOX, Nintendo Switch, Mobile |
| Best For | Those with a proclivity for platformers and trolling your friends/family. |
| Where To Buy | HERE |
LEGO Voyagers
LEGO Voyagers is a very specific couch co-op recommendation, but one that I think makes perfect sense around Christmas, provided you have the opportunity to sit down and play the four-hour journey with one other friend or family member. Sure, there are technically “better” two-player couch co-op titles out there, like It Takes Two or Split Fiction, but the fact that LEGO Voyagers is so short, digestible, and charming makes it a strong candidate here, provided you have the right person to play it with.
One of my personal favorite games of 2025, LEGO Voyagers is full of nostalgia, easy-but-satisfying puzzle solutions, and plenty of surprising emotional beats along the way. Without spoiling anything, this is a journey about growing up and leaving home. For me, I think it would be a genuinely beautiful game to play with a sibling (or even a parent) you grew up with, but have since moved away from upon becoming an adult.
| Developer | Light Brick Studio |
| Release Date | September 15, 2025 |
| Platforms | PlayStation, XBOX, Nintendo |
| Best For | Those looking for an emotional two-player game that can budget the time to play in one sitting. |
| Where To Buy | HERE |
NHL 94 Rewind
Growing up in the ’90s, being a lifelong sports fan, and having an older brother, I spent a lot of time scoring wraparound goals in the OG NHL titles on the Super Nintendo. And sure, modern sports titles have come a long way, but there’s a pretty high percentage of gamers who were around back in the day that will still tell you NHL ’94 is the pinnacle of ice hockey games when it comes to actual fun.
NHL ’94 Rewind is a return to the golden era, but featuring updated teams and rosters (at least, they’re accurate to when the game came out back in 2020). If you have nostalgia for the series and share these memories with your family, Rewind still feels just as you remember it, and it’s an absolute blast. Personally, if you have enough interested players beyond the four the game supports, I think setting up a family NHL ’94 Rewind tournament would be an amazing tradition to start up this year.
| Developer | Electronic Arts |
| Release Date | October 30, 2020 |
| Platforms | PlayStation, XBOX |
| Best For | Retro sports fans who miss the glory days of the ’90s. |
| Where To Buy | HERE |
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
The premise of Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is simple. One person is defusing a bomb with a timer, while another is pouring over a manual to give verbal directions on how to complete each module before everything goes up in flames. The kicker? You aren’t allowed to see what the other person is working with, making very direct and clear instruction-giving paramount to success.
This game was originally in VR, but it’s since come to flat-screen platforms as well, so play it however is most convenient. It is two-player by design, but could work in a group setting tremendously well all the same. One person could still be the bomb diffuser, while the rest of the room is given specific pages of the manual to jump in and aid as needed. Or, just let the entire room give directions at once and watch the chaos unfold.
| Developer | Steel Crate Games |
| Release Date | July 16, 2015 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation, XBOX, Nintendo Switch, VR, Mobile |
| Best For | Those who are good at giving/following directions, or at least can enjoy the fallout from failure. |
| Where To Buy | HERE |
Mario Tennis Fever
Truth be told, there are at least a dozen Mario Sports titles that will always be winners at family gatherings and around Christmas. Maybe your family’s preference is golf, soccer, or baseball. My pick for best family/couch co-op title to play this holiday season, however, is Mario Tennis Fever.
In general, the barrier to entry for Mario Sports titles is the lowest in the Tennis series. Sure, there is plenty of strategizing to be had, but at the end of the day, it can be as simple as “press a button, swing your racket.” Whether or not Mario Tennis Fever specifically is your personal favorite, it’s the most readily available for gamers right now and is a better overall package than Aces for the original Nintendo Switch.
| Developer | Camelot Software Planning |
| Release Date | February 12, 2026 |
| Platforms | Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Best For | Mario Sports fans from any era. |
| Where To Buy | HERE |
Death Squared
Playable in groups of two or four (or solo if you just need a break from the Christmas spirit), Death Squared is the most puzzle-focused game on the list and is perfect for any groups in your family that are looking for something a little more thought-provoking. Heck, though it’s limited to four players maximum, any extra people on the couch can still call out solution ideas for the controller-holding players to attempt to execute.
In Death Squared, each player controls a different colored cube with the goal of sliding and maneuvering around to their final designated space on the board. To get there, however, you’ll need to coordinate between switch pressing, laser dodging, and precisely orchestrated movements in order to get everyone where they’re trying to go. Don’t fall off, or you’ll be doing it all over again.
| Developer | SMG Studio |
| Release Date | March 14, 2017 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation, XBOX, Nintendo Switch, Mobile |
| Best For | Groups up to four that want to flex some critical thinking muscles. |
| Where To Buy | HERE |
Among Us
For many, Among Us doesn’t need a ton of introduction. One of the most viral games of the last decade, it’s essentially a video game version of Murder in the Dark or Mafia. Before a round starts, players are designated either Crewmate or Imposter. Crewmates simply need to survive and perform simple tasks, while the Imposter(s) tries to secretly take everyone out one by one. After a death is discovered (or whenever someone pushes the Emergency Meeting button), everyone meets up and claims their innocence.
This is when Among Us truly begins to shine, as players plead their cases (or lie through their teeth) about why there’s no way they’re the imposter. It’s even better with a family group all in the same room, because you can just have your deliberations out loud instead of frantically typing on your PS5’s on-screen keyboard. Kids love Among Us. I platinumed the game in my 30s. It really does have massive appeal for everyone. Even better, your family already has everything they need on their smartphone to participate. Time to find out if Aunt Amy is a liar.
| Developer | Innersloth |
| Release Date | June 15, 2018 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation, XBOX, Nintendo Switch, Mobile |
| Best For | Families with a lot of drama that enjoy making their case for innocence, or that can sell a good bluff. |
| Where To Buy | HERE |
Did we miss any games, or does your family have other titles in the rotation already? Let us know in the Insider Gaming Discord server.
Looking for a co-op experience that’s a bit more intense? A new Bloodborne mod allows for up to five players at once, and to get more coverage from Insider Gaming directly, be sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
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Ethan Krieger got started as a sports journalist covering the NBA, but video games have always been his main passion. Since then, he's edited and written for multiple gaming outlets,…
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