Dinner is done, the pie is half gone, and everyone has migrated to the couch with a second plate they swore they didn't want. That's the perfect moment for Friendsgiving games. They keep the night going without anyone needing to stand up for long (well, except during charades).
Every game here works with stuff you probably already have: paper, pens, a bowl, a deck of cards and a phone timer. You'll find games for the table, games that get people moving, a card game, and a few tips for choosing what fits your group and your space.
The best Friendsgiving games for after dinner
The best Friendsgiving games are ones everyone can learn in a minute and play while still a little full. Thankful charades, Fishbowl, a group survey game, paper-tablecloth drawing and Spoons are all great picks, since they need almost no setup and work with groups of four to twelve.
A good after-dinner game has short rounds, so people can drift in and out to grab more pie. It also gives everyone a turn, so the quiet friend and the loud friend both get a moment.
There's a nice bonus too. Greater Good research on shared laughter describes a study where people who laughed together felt more positive and saw each other as more alike. A silly round of charades is a great place to start.
Friendsgiving games you can play at the table
These games work while everyone's still sitting around the table with their plates pushed to the side. They're perfect for the slow, cozy stretch right after dinner.
Thankful two truths and a lie
Each person shares three things they're thankful for this year, with one made-up item mixed in. Everyone else guesses which one is the lie. The made-up ones get funnier as the night goes on ("I'm thankful for my 6 a.m. lab" is a classic fake).
It's a sneaky way to hear what your friends have loved lately, and it works with any group size. The Greater Good article on why gratitude is good calls gratitude a social emotion, which feels right when you're saying it out loud to the people you're thankful for.
A Friendsgiving survey game
This one takes five minutes of prep. A few days before, send your group a short survey with questions like "Best Thanksgiving side?" "Worst pie?" and "Most likely to fall asleep after dinner?" Tally the answers.
At the party, split into two teams. Teams take turns guessing the most popular answers, game-show style, and earn a point for each answer that made the list. The fun part is finding out that four people voted for canned cranberry sauce.
Group trivia
Write ten questions about your friend group: where you met, who had the worst first-week-of-school story, which song was on repeat on your last road trip. Read them aloud and have people answer on scrap paper.
Keep the questions kind and things everyone would be happy to laugh about. The goal is "oh my gosh, I forgot about that," not embarrassing anyone.
Thanksgiving would you rather
Take turns asking "would you rather" questions with a Thanksgiving twist. Would you rather eat only stuffing or only mashed potatoes for the rest of the night? Would you rather host every Friendsgiving forever or never have to wash a single dish? Everyone answers and defends their choice in one sentence.
It's the lowest-effort game on this list, which makes it perfect for the moment when everyone is too full to move. You can write a few questions ahead of time, but they're more fun when people make them up on the spot.
Keep a running tally of the most divisive questions. The one that splits the room exactly in half wins the night.
Friendsgiving games that get everyone moving
Once people have stretched out a little, these games bring the energy back up. Clear a bit of floor space and keep a phone timer handy.
Thankful charades
Everyone writes three Thanksgiving or fall words on slips of paper: "pumpkin pie," "football," "carving the turkey," "falling asleep on the couch." Fold them up and put them in a bowl.
Split into two teams. One person acts out a word in one minute while their team guesses. No talking and no pointing at objects in the room. Rotate until the bowl is empty, then count points.
Fishbowl
Fishbowl is three rounds with the same pile of words, and it's one of the best group games there is. Everyone writes five names, places or phrases on slips of paper and drops them in a bowl.
In round one, you describe the word with any words except the word itself. In round two, you can say only one word. In round three, you act it out with no sound. By round three, everyone remembers the words from earlier rounds, and the inside jokes stack up fast.
Tablecloth drawing
Cover the table with kraft paper or a paper tablecloth before dinner, and put a cup of markers in the middle. After dinner, play a drawing-guessing game right on the table. One person draws a word from the bowl while their team guesses within a minute.
When the night's over, the tablecloth is a drawing of your Friendsgiving. Take a picture before it goes in the recycling.
A card game for Friendsgiving: Spoons
Spoons is a fast card game for three to eight people, and all you need is a deck of cards and spoons from the kitchen drawer. Put the spoons in the middle of the table, using one fewer spoon than the number of players.
Deal four cards to each person. The dealer draws a card from the deck, keeps it or passes it to the left, and everyone keeps passing one card at a time. The goal is to collect four of a kind. When you get it, quietly take a spoon. Once anyone takes a spoon, everyone else grabs one too. The person left without a spoon gets a letter, and spelling S-P-O-O-N means you're out.
Spoons gets loud. Play it after the pie plates are cleared and the gravy boat is somewhere safe.
If you have a quieter group, a round of Go Fish or Crazy Eights with a "say one thing you're thankful for when you win a hand" rule keeps it low-key.
How to pick games for your group
Pick your Friendsgiving games based on three things: how many people are coming, how much space you have and how much energy the group has after eating.
For four to six people, table games work best. Thankful two truths and a lie, trivia and Spoons all keep everyone involved. For eight or more, team games like charades, Fishbowl and the survey game give everyone a role and keep turns quick.
In a small apartment, stick with games that happen around a table or couch. Our guide on how to host Friendsgiving in a small space has ideas for seating and setup that also make room for a game corner.
Mixed groups need a little extra thought. If your roommates are meeting your hometown friends for the first time, start with games that help people learn about each other, like thankful two truths and a lie or would you rather. Put people from different groups on the same team for charades, and skip group trivia until everyone has the same inside jokes.
Energy matters too. Right after dinner, people want something slow. An hour later, the same group might be ready for Fishbowl. Plan one calm game and one loud one, and let the room decide.
How to set up game time
Set up your game supplies before guests arrive, so you can start without hunting for a pen. Put scrap paper, pens, a bowl and a deck of cards in a basket near the couch or table.
Cut paper into small slips ahead of time for charades and Fishbowl. Ten slips per person is plenty. Have a phone ready as a timer, and pick one person to keep score on the back of a receipt or a sticky note.
Keep the rules short. Explain each game in a sentence or two, play one practice round, and start. If a game isn't landing, switch to another one. The game that gets everyone laughing is the one your friends will bring up next year.
If your group can't all get together on the same night, these games also work as part of things to do with friends over Thanksgiving break, like a game night at someone's house back home or a deck of cards at a coffee shop. And if one game becomes the night's favorite, it might turn into one of your small traditions to start with friends every November.
Our favorite from this list? Fishbowl. By the third round, everyone's acting out an inside joke from round one, and that's the best kind of chaos.
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