17 Fun Adult Games for Thanksgiving You Have To Try

This post is all about fun adult games for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is so much more than just the food! It’s also a great time to gather friends and family for some fun! 

Whether you’re looking to break the ice with distant relatives, hosting a Friendsgiving party, or just want to bring some laughter to the table, adding a few lighthearted games to your Thanksgiving celebration will create unforgettable fun memories!

These games are great to play while waiting for your Thanksgiving feast to be done cooking. From Thanksgiving gratitude games to more active games your guests will appreciate something a bit different being added to this year’s holiday gathering!  

Fun Thanksgiving Party Games For Adults 

1. Gratitude version of Pictionary

Each guest gets a turn drawing something they are thankful for. All the other guests try to guess what the person is drawing.

This is a great way to see what your loved ones are thankful for! 

2. Jenga with gratitude questions

Upcycle your old Jenga game into one for the perfect Thanksgiving game. On each Jenga piece write a question surrounding the topic of gratitude.

Every time someone removes a piece they then have to answer the gratitude question. Here are a few prompts to start with: 

• What family tradition or activity are you most thankful for, and why does it matter to you?
• Who is someone in our community you are grateful for? 
• ​​Who in the family has influenced your life the most, and why are you grateful for them?
• What experience are you most grateful for? 
• What is a skill you recently learned that you are grateful for? 
• Can you think of a moment in the past year when you felt really thankful for our family’s support?

3. A gratitude jar

When guests start arriving, encourage them to write something they are grateful for on a slip of paper.

When everyone is done eating at the end of the night, pull out the slips of paper and try to guess who wrote each entry! 

4. Would you rather Thanksgiving game

This is a fun Thanksgiving game to play while eating dinner to get the conversations flowing! Come up with a list of funny would you rather Thanksgiving topics and get guests to share their answers. 

Here are a few prompts to start with 

• Would you rather eat only mashed potatoes for the rest of the week or only pumpkin pie?
• Would you rather cook the entire Thanksgiving meal by yourself or clean up the entire mess alone?
• Would you rather have your Thanksgiving dinner covered in gravy or cranberry sauce?
• Would you rather have no dessert on Thanksgiving or no side dishes?
• Would you rather host Thanksgiving for 30 people or be a guest at a table with people you don’t know?
• Would you rather eat Thanksgiving leftovers every day for a month or never have leftovers at all?

{RECOMMENDED POST: 7 Budget-Friendly Friendsgiving Party Ideas For an Unforgettable Fall Gathering}

5. Thanksgiving bingo

Design bingo cards with gratitude-themed topics. You can easily create your own custom bingo card with Canva! 

You can simply add Thanksgiving-themed pictures to each square or add Thanksgiving/gratitude-themed questions that players have to answer when they get all of their spaces in a row. 

6. Thankful hot seat

Each guest takes a turn sitting in the “hot seat” and everyone else takes turns saying something they love or appreciate about that person.

You can make the seat extra special by decorating it with bows or Thanksgiving decor. You can also make a hat or items that are passed around to signify who the person everyone is praising!

Sometimes we don’t tell our loved ones enough how much we appreciate them so this is a great opportunity to do so. 

7. Thanksgiving heads up to guess the word

You can download an app to do this or simply use pieces of paper.

Come up with a list of Thanksgiving topics and write them on slips of paper. One person puts the paper on their forehead (without seeing the word) and the group has to guess what the word is! 

8. Pumpkin bowling

Set up some empty cans or bottles as “pins”. Extra points if you paint or decorate them! 

Use a small pumpkin as the bowling ball to knock over the DIY pins. Try to play this game in the grass so the pumpkins don’t crack! 

9. Thanksgiving trivia

If you have a brainy bunch, research some fun facts and questions around the Thanksgiving holiday.

You can read them aloud or put each question at the table setting for your guests. Go around seeing if everyone can guess the answer. 

You can always split into teams to try to guess the answers as well! 

10. Name the Thanksgiving side dish or appetizer

Before dinner gets started, have guests guest what each side dish is without looking.

This will get everyone excited for the dinner to come! 

11. Thanksgiving charades game

Play a classic game of charades but make it Thanksgiving themed.  Have guests act out prompts to see if others can guess what they are silently describing.

Choose silly topics to make the game more challenging: 

• Falling asleep after too much food
• Black Friday shopping
• Characters in a Thanksgiving parade 
• A football player doing a touchdown dance 
• Burning the stuffing 
• Wresting for the last dinner roll

{RECOMMENDED POST: 10 Easy DIY Thanksgiving Crafts for Adults Perfect For Home Decor}

12. Relay race and yard games

To keep everyone from falling asleep after Thanksgiving dinner or while everyone is getting hangry have everyone play some outdoor games. 

You can do a relay race, jumping in bags as a race, balancing a pumpkin on your head, carrying a crannyberry on a spoon etc.! There are plenty of silly ways to get your family and friends up and moving. 

If you wanted to you could include small prizes or awards for the winning teams. 

13. Mini pumpkin tic tac toe

Create a simple DIY tic tac toe board with spare wood (or cardboard!) and mini pumpkins. This is a super cute way to give guest something to do and the mini pumpkins just add to the festive theme. 

14. Thanksgiving word scramble

Scramble up some words using scrabble pieces or a sheet of paper. Then have guests try to guess what the word is. You could even set a timer if you want the game to be more tricky! Try to use Thanksgiving related words! 

15. Pumpkin ring toss

Choose a large pumpkin with a long stem. Have guests toss rings onto the stem from varying distances.

You can make the game more challenging by using pumpkins with different-sized stems, adding multiple pumpkins, or having smaller rings available.

16. Cranberry toss

Before baking your sides and desserts save a few cranberries to play cranberry toss! Set up small bowls and have guests toss cranberries into them. 

You can use different-sized bowls to make the game more difficult. 

{RECOMMENDED POST: 21 Beginner-Friendly Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board Ideas To Recreate}

17. Thanksgiving movie night 

Choose a Thanksgiving-themed movie and enjoy it as everyone relaxes after dinner. This may not be a game but it is a Thanksgiving activity that everyone can participate in!

Thanksgiving movies can be hard to find but here are some great ones to check out! 

• Free Birds 
• Home For The Holidays 
• Friendsgiving 
• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
• The Oath 
• Garfileds Thanksgiving 
• A Family Thanksgiving 

Sometimes just having a Thanksgiving dinner can be a bit boring year after year. Including a few Thanksgiving activities like games or crafts can help to create lasting memories and keep your family focused on having fun and enjoying each others company!

Whether you are hosting a large group or a small family gathering I hope this list of simple games gave you some inspiration for your upcoming gathering! 

Have any other fun adult games for Thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments below! I’m sure others in the community would love to learn from you as well.

Be sure to sign up for the newsletter if you would like sustainability and wellness tips sent directly to your inbox!

Stay well, 

Maggie

This post was all about adult games for Thanksgiving.

Other posts you may like: 

7 Sustainable Fall Family Activities For New Fall Traditions

28 Cute Thanksgiving Letter Board Ideas You Need to Copy

29 Beautiful Thanksgiving Tablescape Ideas Anyone Can Create

8 Sustainable Thanksgiving Tips to Host the Perfect Holiday Spread

If you would like to save this adult games for Thanksgiving post for later-Pin it!