Stocking filler games
Last checked 7 November 2026
Quick answer: Love Letter is the smallest here, at just 21 cards for 2 to 6 players. Sushi Go! and Dobble suit the whole family, Qwixx is six dice and a score pad, and Exploding Kittens is the silly one for 7 and up. Flip 7 is the push-your-luck pick for 3 or more. Sleeping Queens (8+) and Rat-a-Tat Cat (6+) are good for younger children. All eight are very easy to teach.
A good stocking filler game is small, quick to learn and fun before the turkey's in the oven. These eight are all card or dice games, so they fit in a stocking, and every one gets our top teaching rating: very easy to teach. You can open it, read the rules and be playing in no time. Where the publisher says how many cards are in the box, we've put it on the card, which gives you a fair idea of the size. Ages run from 6+ to 10+, so check the card for whoever's stocking it's going in.
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1. Love Letter
A pocket-sized game of risk and deduction with just 21 character cards. Play one a turn, use its power and get your letter to the Princess.
- Players
- 2 to 6 players
- Age
- 10+
- Play time
- about 20 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: Seiji Kanai's Love Letter is 21 cards, which is about as small as a proper game gets. Each turn you draw a card and play one, using its power to knock someone out of the round or peek at their hand, all to get your letter to the Princess. It's 2 to 6 players aged 10 and up, about 20 minutes, and you'll play round after round without noticing. Good for older kids and grown-ups.
Check price on Amazon for Love Letter (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 19 October 2026.
2. Sushi Go!
Pick a card, pass the rest. Phil Walker-Harding's quick drafting game: chase maki rolls, finish sashimi sets, dip nigiri in wasabi to triple it and save room for pudding.
- Players
- 2 to 5 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 15 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: Phil Walker-Harding's Sushi Go! is pick a card, pass the rest. Everyone chooses a card from their hand at the same time and passes the rest on, so there's no waiting. You're chasing maki rolls, finishing sashimi sets, dipping nigiri in wasabi to triple it and saving room for pudding. It's 108 cards, 2 to 5 players aged 8 and up, and about 15 minutes.
Check price on Amazon for Sushi Go! (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 2 November 2026.
3. Qwixx
Six dice and a score pad in a pocket-sized box. Everyone can use every roll to cross off numbers, so there's no downtime, just lots of nervous little decisions about what to skip.
- Players
- 2 to 5 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 15 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: Six dice and a score pad, and that's it. Someone rolls and everyone can use the roll to cross off numbers on their own sheet, so nobody's ever waiting for a turn. The tension is in what you skip, because once you've passed a number you can't go back for it. It's 2 to 5 players, 8 and up, about 15 minutes. One for the grandparent who likes Yahtzee.
Details last checked 2 November 2026.
4. Dobble
Any two cards share exactly one matching symbol. Spot it and call it out before anyone else. Young kids are often quicker than the grown-ups.
- Players
- 2 to 8 players
- Age
- 6+
- Play time
- about 15 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: Dobble's 55 cards come in a little tin. Any two cards share exactly one symbol, and you're racing to spot it and shout it out first. It's 2 to 8 players aged 6 and up, about 15 minutes, and younger kids often beat the adults, which is half the fun on Christmas morning.
Check price on Amazon for Dobble (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 19 October 2026.
5. Exploding Kittens
Draw cards and hope it isn't an Exploding Kitten. Skip, attack, shuffle or defuse your way to being the last one standing.
- Players
- 2 to 5 players
- Age
- 7+
- Play time
- about 15 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: 56 cards with art by The Oatmeal and a daft idea: draw an Exploding Kitten and you're out, unless you've got a Defuse card. You skip, attack and shuffle to dodge them, and the last player standing wins. It's 2 to 5 players, 7 and up, about 15 minutes. Getting knocked out early is part of it, but rounds are short enough that nobody minds for long.
Check price on Amazon for Exploding Kittens (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 19 October 2026.
6. 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 Flip 7 is a small deck that fits easily in a stocking. It's push-your-luck (keep going for more, or stop while you're ahead) at its simplest: flip cards one at a time and bank your points before you turn up a number you've already got. Seven different numbers scores a bonus. It's 94 cards, 3 or more players, 8 and up, about 20 minutes, and it was nominated for the 2025 Spiel des Jahres. Very easy to teach.
Check price on Amazon for Flip 7 (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 19 October 2026.
7. Sleeping Queens
Twelve queens are under a sleeping spell and it's your job to wake them. Play a knight to pinch one, chance a jester, and watch out for potions and dragons. Invented by a 6-year-old.
- Players
- 2 to 5 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 20 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: Sleeping Queens was invented by a 6-year-old, Miranda Evarts, with her family, and it shows in the best way. Twelve queens are under a sleeping spell and you wake them by playing cards. Knights steal a queen from someone else, and there are jesters, potions and dragons to mess things up. Most queens woken wins. It's 79 cards, 2 to 5 players aged 8 and up, and about 20 minutes.
Check price on Amazon for Sleeping Queens (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 21 October 2026.
8. Rat-a-Tat Cat
Get rid of the high rat cards and keep the low cat cards. You sneak a peek, draw two or swap, then try to remember what's face down in front of you. Lowest score wins.
- Players
- 2 to 6 players
- Age
- 6+
- Play time
- about 20 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: Joint youngest pick here with Dobble, at 6 and up. You want the low cat cards and want to get rid of the high rat cards, but your cards sit face down in front of you, so it's half a memory game. Sneak a peek, draw two or swap. Lowest score wins. It's 54 cards, 2 to 6 players, about 20 minutes.
Details last checked 21 October 2026.
Looking for the main present rather than a stocking filler? See our best board games for Christmas, or board game gifts for board game lovers if they already play. Want a bigger box of card games? Try our pick of the best card games, family card games or card games for adults. Shopping to a budget? See cheap board games under £20, with approx. prices. Doing an office Secret Santa? See our Secret Santa board games. Already got Exploding Kittens? See games like Exploding Kittens.
Got a fan of UNO or Dobble to buy for? See the best UNO versions and the best Dobble versions.
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.