Secret Santa board games

Last checked 2 November 2026

Quick answer: That's Not a Hat is a game about passing on presents, so it's a natural Secret Santa pick (3 to 8 players, 8+). Skull and Coup are bluffing games for grown-ups, The Chameleon takes up to 8, and Monopoly Deal suits anyone who only knows Monopoly. All seven play in 30 minutes or less.

Secret Santa is a funny brief. You're buying for someone you might not know that well, it has to work for the office, a group of friends or the in-laws, and it can't need a whole evening to learn. So these seven are games for grown-ups that get going fast, all play in 30 minutes or less, and none of them takes much explaining. They lean towards bluffing and banter, because that's what gets played at a Christmas do.

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That's Not a Hat box: a bright pink box with a white traffic cone under the title

1. That's Not a Hat

A memory and bluffing card game about regifting. Pass a face-down gift on and say what it is. The next player accepts or calls you out, and a wrong call costs a penalty point. Lowest score wins.

Players: 3 to 8 players
Age: 8+
Play time: about 10 minutes
Our teaching rating: Very easy to teach

Why it suits this: The obvious one, because it's a game about regifting. Kasper Lapp's little card game has you pass a face-down present to the next player and tell them what it is. They either accept it or call you out, and your memory of what's actually in each box goes surprisingly quickly. It's 110 cards, 3 to 8 players, 8 and up, about 10 minutes. Very easy to teach.

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Details last checked 26 October 2026.

Skull box: a pink box with a white skull decorated with flowers

2. Skull

Everyone has three flowers and one skull. Place discs face down, then bid on how many you can flip without finding a skull. Pure bluffing.

Players: 3 to 6 players
Age: 10+
Play time: about 30 minutes
Our teaching rating: Very easy to teach

Why it suits this: Hervé Marly's bluffing game is about as simple as it gets: everyone has four discs, three flowers and one skull. Place them face down, then bid on how many you can flip without turning up a skull. That's the whole game, and it's still tense. Space Cowboys' current edition is the pink one. It's 3 to 6 players, 10 and up, about 30 minutes.

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Details last checked 2 November 2026.

Coup box: a portrait of a stern woman in a red Renaissance gown with a high collar

3. Coup

Bluffing in a tiny box. You hold two face-down characters and can claim to be anyone to use their power. Get caught lying and you lose a card; lose both and you're out, so games are short.

Players: 2 to 6 players
Age: 13+
Play time: about 15 minutes
Our teaching rating: Easy to teach

Why it suits this: Rikki Tahta's Coup is a card game of lying to your colleagues' faces. Your influence is your face-down character cards, and you can claim to be any character you like, as long as nobody calls your bluff. Lose them all and you're out. Last one with influence wins. It's 2 to 6 players, 13 and up, about 15 minutes, so it's one for adults and older teens.

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Details last checked 2 November 2026.

4. The Chameleon

Everyone but one player knows the secret word. Each of you says one word linked to it, then you vote on who's faking. Catch the Chameleon and they can still escape by guessing the word.

Players: 3 to 8 players
Age: 14+
Play time: about 15 minutes
Our teaching rating: Easy to teach

Why it suits this: Big Potato's social deduction game. Everyone except the Chameleon knows the secret word from the topic card, then each player says one word linked to it, and the Chameleon has to bluff along without knowing what it is. Then you vote. It's 3 to 8 players, 14 and up, around 15 to 20 minutes for a full game. Good for a mixed group where not everyone plays games.

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Details last checked 2 November 2026.

Point Salad box: green box with a pepper, aubergine and other vegetables along the bottom

5. Point Salad

A quick card-drafting game. Each turn take two vegetables or one scoring card, with over 100 ways to score, so every game plays out differently.

Players: 2 to 6 players
Age: 14+
Play time: 15 to 30 minutes
Our teaching rating: Easy to teach

Why it suits this: For the person who quietly likes a bit of strategy. Every one of Point Salad's 108 cards is double-sided, with vegetables on one side and a way to score on the other, and the designers (Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin and Shawn Stankewich) say there are over 100 ways to score. Pick two veg or one scoring card each turn. It's 2 to 6 players, 14 and up, 15 to 30 minutes.

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Details last checked 2 November 2026.

6. Monopoly Deal

Monopoly as a 110-card game. Play up to three cards a turn to bank money, lay down property or charge rent, and the first to finish three full sets in different colours wins.

Players: 2 to 5 players
Age: 8+
Play time: about 15 minutes
Our teaching rating: Easy to teach

Why it suits this: The safe bet if you've no idea whether they play games. Everyone knows Monopoly, and this card version keeps the property sets, rent and dirty tricks but plays in as little as 15 minutes, according to Hasbro. First to collect three complete property sets in different colours wins. It's 110 cards, 2 to 5 players, 8 and up.

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Details last checked 20 October 2026.

Flip 7 box: a small card box with rainbow foil lettering reading Flip 7

7. Flip 7

Flip cards one at a time and bank your points before you turn up a number you already have. Get seven different numbers and you score a bonus.

Players: 3+ players
Age: 8+
Play time: about 20 minutes
Our teaching rating: Very easy to teach

Why it suits this: Eric Olsen's push-your-luck card game was nominated for the 2025 Spiel des Jahres (Germany's big game of the year award). Flip cards one at a time and stop before you turn up a number you've already got. Get seven different numbers and you end the round with a bonus. It's 94 cards, 3 or more players, 8 and up, about 20 minutes, and it's very easy to teach.

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Details last checked 19 October 2026.

Buying for a stocking rather than a Secret Santa? See our stocking filler games. Need the main present? Try best board games for Christmas, or board game gifts for board game lovers if they already play. Got a spending limit? Our cheap board games under £20 page has approx. prices. For a bigger crowd, see board games for large groups.

How we choose and check

We pick games for the situation, and ignore hobby rankings and hype. Player counts, ages and play times come from the publisher's own page or the box. If we can't confirm a detail there, we leave it off the card. The teaching rating is our own view from reading the rules, not a publisher figure. Nobody pays us to include a game. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. See how we make money.