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Top 12 best mobile multiplayer games to play with your family this Christmas

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Top 12 best mobile multiplayer games to play with your family this Christmas

Beware: family arguments guaranteed

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Updated: Original list by Emily Sowden, Updated by Jupiter Hadley on December 24th, 2021.

So, it's Christmas and you're surrounded by family. Whether this is your idea of heaven or hell, you've always got games to help break the ice and keep things interesting. There are tons and tons of games out there, but you may be wondering what the best games are to keep your family entertained and to show off your own skills as you are clearly the best gamer in the bunch.

Thankfully, Pocket Gamer is here to help you do just that, with these ten games that are perfect for playing with family. You can find yourself racing cars around, fighting each other, taking on a game of golf, singing, fighting over a single screen and so much more, all through the games on this list - which are well worth downloading onto your phone before Christmas is actually here. You may even want to practice a bit on your own, so that you are sure to beat your long rivals within your family.

Let's get onto this list of wonderful games, all multiplayer, that can be played right from mobile devices.

   

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1
Heads Up!

Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
Available on: iOS
Genre: Puzzle, Word game
Find out more about Heads Up!
Heads Up!

Ideal for big gatherings, Heads Up challenges you to answer as many questions as you can while those around you try to assist by giving you clues or performing some questionable impressions. With one person holding the phone to their head, which showcases a word, the people around them need to help them guess the word on their head. It's a fun game always bringing laughs to gatherings.

2
Smash Tanks

Available on: iOS
Genre: Card/board game, Multiplayer
Find out more about Smash Tanks
Smash Tanks

Smash Tanks is a fun, 1 v 1 AR game where you can place a board, ready to battle, on any flat surface. Once your board is placed, you can start deploying tanks - moving these colorful, cartoon tanks around the map, attacking each other and the environment in hopes of ending on top.

Despite being a game about tanks, Smash Tanks has a cartoon graphic style perfect for all ages and provides a lot of fun while using AR in a great way.

3
Among Us

Developer: InnerSloth
Publisher: InnerSloth
Available on: iOS + Android + Steam
Genre: Multiplayer, Strategy
Find out more about Among Us
Among Us

Among Us is one of those games where everyone can fight each other, everyone can be sneaky, and everyone will still have a good time. It's a game where you all are alien-creatures, on a space ship, but one of you is the impostor. Everyone else is looking to fix up the ship and play mini-games, where as the imposter is looking to slowly kill everyone else on the ship!

4
King of Opera

Developer: Tuokio
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Arcade, Multiplayer, Party/mini-games
Find out more about King of Opera
King of Opera

As something I'd possibly pay to see in person, this multiplayer game pitches you against your competitors in a sing-off, that just happens to take place in an arena-like stage, where you can end up pushing members of your family off of, to steal the spotlight and dominate the show! Prepare for real-life arguments amidst the hilarity.

5
Bloop

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Multiplayer, Party/mini-games
Find out more about Bloop
Bloop

Get ready for bruised knuckles in this tabletop finger-battler.

You have to stick to your colour as tiles appear with their own symphonic 'bloops' then tap the hell out of them to get the most points possible. It's a chaotic, fun game where you'll find your family members pushing away your hands, blocking part of the screen, and trying as hard as they can to get their colors!

6
Spaceteam

Developer: Sleeping Beast Games
Publisher: Sleeping Beast Games
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Multiplayer
Find out more about Spaceteam
Spaceteam

Spaceteam is a cooperative party game for up to eight players. Each player is sequentially given time-sensitive instructions on their mobile device - except they're for another player. You'll need to somehow get the other player to actually listen to you and follow the instructions - expect chaos as everyone starts the game.

So, just like in Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, you'll be shouted at until you cry. Merry Christmas!

7
Drive Ahead

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Multiplayer, Racing
Find out more about Drive Ahead
Drive Ahead

Test relationships in this gladiatorial car battler, either on the same screen or separate ones (to avoid broken fingers). Knock your competitors around and beat them down to win the point. Driving up walls, doing flips in the air, and crashing into each other is just so much fun in this game!

8
Battle Golf

Publisher: Colin Lane
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Sports
Find out more about Battle Golf
Battle Golf

This massively stressful golf games knocks its competition out of the park.

Though it only supports two players, it's a race against time - and the opposing player - to get to the hole first. With the holes popping up between you both, in a very wacky world, there is a lot of fun to be had as you wait for the right moment. Yes, stressful, but fun.

9
Slamjet Stadium

Developer: Alistair Aitcheson
Publisher: Alistair Aitcheson
Available on: iOS
Genre: Sports
Find out more about Slamjet Stadium
Slamjet Stadium

Having received PG's Gold Award, this competitive sports game is essentially encouraging you to do everything you were told not to do.
There're no rules in Slamjet Stadium. Call over extra help, steal your opponent's players, smash them out of the way, and - well - play dirty to win.

10
Slingshot Racing

Developer: Snowbolt Interactive
Publisher: Crescent Moon Games
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Racing
Find out more about Slingshot Racing
Slingshot Racing

Challenge up to three other players in this brilliant racing game.

Propel yourself around the track using perfectly-timed grappling hooks and beat the rabble to become king / queen of the game - all on a single device! It's an intense game, but one that is super fun to play through and win at.

11
Out of the Loop

Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Multiplayer, Party/mini-games
Find out more about Out of the Loop
Out of the Loop

Out of the Loop is a party game where takes a turn looking at the screen, which will display the same word to all players apart from one. The person without a word becomes the imposter - but that's when the real game begins, as everyone will need to ask questions to figure out who knows the word and who does not, then accusing the imposter of not knowing!

It's a fun game where you'll need to think on your toes and be quick at answering to keep suspicion off of you.

12
Gumslinger

Developer: Itatake
Publisher: Itatake
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Action, Multiplayer
Find out more about Gumslinger
Gumslinger

Gmslinger is a funny looking game where you are made of jelly and looking to shoot another player in a western showdown. It's funny watching yourself fling and squirm as a jelly person. After you shoot, you will find aiming again to be a challenge, as your arm will not be where it is meant to have been. The game is simple, but it is really a fun one!

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Jupiter Hadley
Jupiter Hadley
Jupiter is a prolific indie game journalist with a focus on smaller indie gems. She covers thousands of game jams and indie games on her YouTube channel, letting every game have a moment in the spotlight. She runs indiegamejams.com, a calendar of all of the game jams going on in the world, and judges many jams and events. You can find her on Twitter as @Jupiter_Hadley