Thanksgiving is fast approaching and many families will come together whether willingly or not to spend time celebrating. If you are worried about an awkward silence or a drunk uncle saying something inappropriate, may we suggest a distraction from our favourite pastime, Video Games!!
Here are our choices for Thanksgiving Video Games For The Whole Family.
That’s You!
Back in the wild days of 2017, PlayStation, though it was 23 years old, was still in its experimental stage, having launched its first VR headset just the previous year. PlayStation realised that a big issue with party games was the need for each player to use a gaming controller, so along with Wish Studios they developed PlayLink, apps for your mobile devices that allowed you to play games on the PlayStation 4.
That’s You! will see you and your fellow gamers or non-gamers loading up the official mobile app and entering their names while also taking a funny picture. this will then be shown on the screen so why not try out some of the weird mirror effects for a good laugh? Players are then introduced to the host who explains the game and reads out the questions.
Rounds consist of questions where you must choose which player is most likely to do this or that, those that pick the same answer as another will get points, the more players you match with the more points you get.
Each round will also include a round where all players have to draw a picture on their screen or someone will have to use their camera to snap a picture and everyone will get to draw on it, these are all uploaded to the TV screen and the best one is voted for. The number of rounds you play depends on the number of players and the final round is a chaos-filled drawing session where photos are drawn over but are passed to another player after a very short time.
Many hours of fun can be had with this crazy party game, especially for those who don’t consider themselves gamers, if they can scroll through TikTok they can manage this, just remember if you are playing with younger players don’t forget to turn on the reduced question set to avoid any awkward questions.
If you enjoy this check out Wish Studios’ other PlayLink games Knowledge Is Power & Knowledge Is Power: Decades for some quiz show touchscreen fun.
Madden NFL 25
Can it be a family Thanksgiving with football? The national pastime is essential viewing for many while that turkey is being basted for the 14th time. But what if everyone turns up in their favourite teams’ colours but they’re not playing this year, or you feel as if you could call the plays better than the players themselves? Why not switch off the game and pop on a game of Madden NFL 25, these games have been released yearly since 1990 and are always looking to improve and refine the gameplay. With up to 4 player local multiplayer all generations can hit the field and try to get the touchdown before you are forced to sit down with the family for dinner.
Madden NFL 25 is available here on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Ea App for PC, Steam, and Epic Games.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat
Fancy your hand at preparing the virtual Thanksgiving dinner but don’t wanna risk burning yourself? How about delegating jobs to a team of chefs to get the work done efficiently? Overcooked! All You Can Eat has you covered, just don’t expect it to be easygoing, and things may get heated in the kitchen.
With over 200 levels from both games and all DLC included there’s plenty of family fun and mayhem to be had, and there are even some festive levels to play called the Festive Seasoning DLC. With 8 levels of festive-themed cooking where players need to work together to make either a festive stew or a turkey dinner. Overcooked can be a great way to work up an appetite just remember not to neglect the family members who are making the real dinner.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat is available on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One & Series X/S, Switch, and Steam.
Just Dance 2025 Edition
Once the plates have been cleared and the adults have had a glass or two of the bubbly stuff what do you do now? Sit around on the sofa feeling overly full and falling asleep? Heck no. Get yourselves up and moving around or as developer Ubisoft put it, Just Dance.
Just Dance 2024 Edition follows the formula of the iconic dancing series with 40 new songs for players young and old to groove their bodies to and work off that turkey. There are regular dance modes for party play or you can turn on Workout Mode to track those calories burned, although who really wants to be tracking during the holidays?
New copies of the game come with a 1 month subscription to the Just Dance+ service with an additional 300+ songs so you can still find your favourites from previous entries. Another great feature is the use of the Just Dance App that allows you to connect your phone and use it as a controller to dance with rather than having to use the consoles controllers, this way more players can join in, just try not to bump into each other or someone’s phone may take an unexpected trip to the repair shop.
Just Dance 2025 is available on Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Nippon Marathon
Ichi, Ni, San, Go. Time to lace up your virtual trainers and participate in Japan’s favourite annual sporting event at least according to the in-game presenters. Nippon Marathon sees you taking on a marathon across the many cities and towns of Japan while playing as one of a selection of zany characters, from a woman who dresses as a narwhal (just don’t call her a unicorn) to a man who has a dogs head for reasons. Run, jump and use odd weapons to get in the lead and watch out for obstacles like cars, dogs and even oversized flapping fish.
Nippon Marathon presents itself as a televised race where runners are trying to climb the ranks for a chance to be the multi-time champion Handsome Hazuki. There is a story to experience that goes as crazy as you would expect but there is also a lot of fun to be had with the multiplayer options.
Up to 4 players can race in the marathon to see who will be the first across the finish line. But the party games are where the real fun is. L.O.B.S.T.E.R. is a combination of HORSE & Total Wipeout where you must run through an obstacle course consisting of everything from hurdles, cannons and even roller skaters and if you can’t get as far as the other players in the short time frame you get a letter, the first player to get all letters loses.
Also included is Go-Go Trolley, a game where players take turns to launch a shopping trolly down an oversized bowling lane from the top of a ramp and knock down as many pins as possible, you can even jump inside the trolly to attempt to steer it on the way down. Scoring works like a traditional 10-pin bowling game, so if you’re good enough you may get to the sweet taste of a turkey even after dinner.
Both party games are pass and play so only one controller is required for everyone to get involved.
Nippon Marathon is certainly a weird game that had some varying reviews when it launched but you cannot deny that it is a lot of fun, especially with family and friends.
Nippon Marathon is available on Xbox One & Series X/S, Switch, PlayStation 4, and Steam.
Super Mario Party Jamboree
Is there anything everyone’s favourite mustachioed plumber can’t do? From stomping Goombas to racing, golf and even taking part in the Olympics. So when he and his friends need to wind down they gather around for some party games of their own (seriously has anyone ever understood why Mario & crew are so happy to play games and sports with serial kidnapper Bowser and his henchmen?)
Super Mario Party Jamboree is the latest in the Mario Party series to be released on Nintendo Switch. As with previous games in the series, up to 4 players (up to 20 online) take control of one of the crazy cast to take part in traversing a large board on the hunt for coins and stars. After every player has their turn a mini-game plays out where those who do better get more coins and coins are needed to buy the stars once you reach them, Whoever has the most stars at the end of all the rounds wins the game.
Mario Party has entertained families for the last 25+ years and no doubt will continue to do so for a long time, so pass grandma a Joy-Con and let the fun begin.
Super Mario Party Jamboree is available on Nintendo Switch.
We here at Spawning Point hope you like our choices and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.