Top 5 Party Games for Thanksgiving: Game On, Gobble Off!

Thanksgiving is all about eating too much, pretending to like cranberry sauce, and trying not to fall asleep before dessert. But the real secret ingredient to a great holiday? Games. Obviously.

We’ve rounded up the top 5 party games that'll turn your Thanksgiving gathering from belly aches to belly laughs!

This list includes:

• Thanksgiving party games for families
• Post and Pre-feast group games everyone can actually agree on
• Hilarious games to play after dinner (and maybe after wine)
• Alternatives to watching football all day

Let’s get to it!

1. It's Bananas 🍌

Let’s get one thing straight... NO ONE is too classy to act like a monkey. In It's Bananas, you’ll strap on a tail and swing into chaos, racing to pick up rings and win bananas! It’s equal parts silly and competitive, and the best way to remind your family that yes, you are the fun cousin.

After dinner, clear the floor, gather your players, and prepare to get wild! Here’s how it works:

1. Spin the banana spinner – This decides your challenge for the round.

2. Tail on, dignity off – Strap that tail on; dignity is not part of this game.

3. Collect your rings! – Compete head-to-head in ridiculous physical challenges that’ll have the whole family crying with laughter.

The first player to snag five bananas wins but honestly, everyone wins when Grandpa starts squatting for points.

Thanksgiving tip: It’s the perfect post-feast workout. Who needs a walk when you can burn off stuffing by flailing around the living room?

2. Fish Fight 🐠

Forget football there's other fish in the sea! Join the fight as Team Silly Salmon or Team Greenie Meanies and compete to be the ultimate game day champ! With 25 unique challenges and more chaos than the kids’ table, this game turns post-turkey sluggishness into a splashy showdown.

It's time to sea who will be crowned Titan of the Tides! Here’s how it works:

1. Pick your team! – Choose your side: Silly Salmon or Greenie Meanies. 

2. Draw a challenge card – Draw a challenge card from the 25 unique mini-games.

3. Battle it out! – Complete the challenge before the other team and earn a point for your fishy friends.

The first team to collect 5 belt titles wins the last slice of pie.

Thanksgiving tip: Perfect for burning off that third helping of mashed potatoes!

3. Wavelength 📈

One player gives a clue that lands somewhere on a hidden spectrum (like “Hot–Cold” or “Good–Evil”), and the rest of the team debates where the dial should land. It’s a hilarious test of how well you know your people and how differently their brains work. Expect passionate debates, terrible metaphors, and way too much overthinking. It’s the most civilized way to argue after dinner…

In my family, this game gets deep fast. One minute we’re discussing how “spicy” pumpkin pie is, the next we’re philosophically debating whether Grandma is more “Cat Energy” or “Dog Energy.” Here’s how it works:

1. Set the spectrum – Each round, you pick a card that has two words that are the opposite of each other on it.

2. The Psychic gives a clue – Without showing the group the secret target spot, the clue-giver (a.k.a. “The Psychic”) says one word to help everyone guess.

3. Everyone debates. Loudly. – The team discusses (read: argues) where the hidden target is before revealing the truth.

Nail the location and score big; miss completely and prepare for endless family ridicule. The real prize? Finding out just how differently everyone’s brains work!

Thanksgiving tip: Best served with a slice of pie and a heated debate about whether “cranberry sauce” counts as a dessert or a war crime.

4. The Cat Mitt Game 🐱

Let’s be honest… dexterity is overrated. In The Cat Mitt Game, you already can’t move from all the food, so why not double down and make fine motor skills impossible? Slip on the cat mitts and prepare for pure, unfiltered chaos. You’ll be trying to paw treats out of a ball, hiss at poison, purr at catnip, and roll for "meow meows" all while trying not to knock over the gravy boat!

After dessert, clear the pie crumbs, summon your inner feline, and get ready to cause some Thanksgiving mayhem. Here’s how it works:

1. Hands gone, paws on! – Put on your oversized cat mitts and embrace your new identity as an extremely uncoordinated house cat.

2. Grab the treat ball – Each round brings a new ridiculous test of coordination. With your mitts, paw at the ball for treats.

3. Meow your way to victory – Race to get the treats out of the ball before the other cats!

The first player to get all their treats wins the game and family bragging rights.

Thanksgiving tip: It’s best played after dinner when everyone’s too full to move anyway.

5. Horrible Therapist 💬

In this chaotic card game, players take turns being the “therapist” while everyone else confesses their (fake) emotional issues. Think: “I’m afraid of squirrels,” or “I can’t stop eating candles.” It’s equal parts absurd and hilarious, basically the perfect outlet for your family’s collective weirdness!

Here’s how it works:

1. Become the Therapist – One player takes the hot seat as the Therapist and flips a Problem Card and a Patient Card to set the stage for the session.

2. Prescribe something terrible – Everyone else (the “patients”) plays a Treatment Card from their hand that they think will make the funniest or most ridiculous cure.

3. Pick your favorite fix – The Therapist reads them all aloud, picks the funniest “treatment,” and awards that player a point. Then rotate therapists and repeat until someone’s crowned the most horrible therapist of all.

The first player to collect three points wins, but honestly, everyone wins when Gramps tries to “treat” stage fright with interpretive dance.

Thanksgiving tip: Perfect for the post-turkey slump... less physical flailing, more belly laughs. Plus, it’s cheaper than real therapy!.

Final Thoughts on Thanksgiving Game Day

Thanksgiving isn’t just about turkey and pie, it’s about chaos, laughs, and secretly crushing your aunt in a game no one saw coming! I always have a party game ready to keep everyone entertained while the stuffing’s in the oven, because let’s be real: awkward waiting-for-dinner moments are prime time for mischief. A little friendly competition, a lot of ridiculousness, and maybe some dramatic defeats make the holiday way more memorable!