The holiday season is a great time for getting together with family and sharing the joy of being all in one place. It's also a great time for new game releases, especially as everyone is getting each other gifts. You can't have the holiday season without gaming at this point. But before Christmas rolls in, to take over everything, Thanksgiving will bring families together for great food and fun interactions.

To go along with families converging for a big turkey dinner, there are plenty of games to play and work up an appetite. Whether you're mingling with extended family or clashing with those in your immediate family, video games are a great way to bring everyone together while dinner is being cooked. Here are four games to play together over this Thanksgiving holiday. It's a guarantee you'll still have plenty of room for side dishes after playing them!

Mario Kart World

Racing to build up an appetite

There have been multiple racing games to come out in 2025 across different platforms. But the biggest one that most people would know is Mario Kart World for the Nintendo Switch 2. Even the most novice players and those who know nothing about video games can get into races of Mario Kart with family and friends to have a good time. And what's great about the latest entry in the series are the new tracks to race on, as well as the cast of characters to control. And with the Switch 2 having both docked and portable modes, younger players can still continue to enjoy playing later after everyone decides to step away for dinner and dessert.

Mario Kart World is a colorful and easy-to-play game that everyone will be able to enjoy. If you happen to have multiple JoyCon controllers or extra gamepads, then everybody can have their own style of controls. Whenever someone hosts a large gathering like Thanksgiving dinner, you simply can't go wrong with a Mario game that everyone can play together.

Heretic + Hexen

Fighting monsters while waiting for dinner

If you're looking for something that the family can play cooperatively, there are a few options around. Luckily, the Heretic + Hexen bundle came out earlier in 2025, and manages to remaster some classic FPS games that allow for multiple people to play. While the versions on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch allow for up to four players in local co-op, the Xbox Series X and PC versions can have eight players simultaneously. All of your guests can pick a class, find their weapons or spells, and take out monsters in classic 90s FPS fashion. And if things get a bit competitive, there's always the team deathmatch mode for everyone to take out their frustrations against one another.

It may not seem like the typical option for gaming with the entire family, but it'll definitely keep everyone busy killing monsters and roaming around pixelated maps while dinner is still cooking. Heretic + Hexen has the three original games that make up the Heretic trilogy, with remastered visuals and remixed soundtrack, as well as modernized controls.

Street Fighter 6: Years 1-2 Fighters Edition

Settling all the beef before turkey

Sometimes, families just have to work out any animosity and issues. And while nobody wants things to come to blows, the better alternative is to fight for bragging rights through gaming. Luckily, for everyone involved, games like Street Fighter 6 are around to let them live out the fantasy of throwing hands against each other. The game is the latest in Capcom's ongoing series, introducing new characters into the Street Fighter universe and featuring new mechanics to compliment the fighting. Many classic characters from throughout the series make their return, with fresh faces to bring new fighting styles and stylish looks to the forefront. If getting people excited together is any

While there have been multiple different fighting games to release in 2025, like Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, but Street Fighter 6 Years 1-2 Fighters Edition is the biggest fighting game release for this year. Instead of throwing fists in real life over arguments, like who gets to sit where at dinner, everyone can throw hadokens and sonic booms while the table is being set. You might not be having beef for dinner on Thanksgiving Day, but any and all beef between family can be settled in advance of dinner being served.

LEGO Party

Coming together with LEGO

For most gatherings like Thanksgiving Day, party games are always a good option to go with for entertainment. Games like Mario Party are always going to keep people engaged while someone does the cooking in the kitchen. But if you're looking for something that's a little different from the typical Nintendo mascot gathering, LEGO Party is what you'll want to check out. Up to four players can compete in a collection of more than 60 mini-games together, gathering LEGO studs as points to determine the winner. Many of the games will have people breaking into teams, or competing against each other in a free-for-all, but there's always that moment when the whole family can gang up on someone in a crazy handicap game.

Much like in Mario Party, the mini-games and boards within LEGO Party will have different themes and designs. A lot of the ones included in the game are based on classic LEGO sets, such as space, pirates, and even LEGO Ninjago. The similarities to Nintendo's mascot party are pretty spot on, even though everything is covered in a LEGO theme. But that doesn't mean it's any less fun, or won't provide a lot of great times for everyone in the family that plays. Relationships might be tested in a few spots, but everyone will go into Thanksgiving dinner with a lot more fun times to talk about as they serve themselves some turkey.

Happy playing on Thanksgiving

If the holidays are a time of gathering with family members you haven't seen in a while, having some video games to play with them can be a great way to have fun together. Cooking the turkey and all those Thanksgiving side dishes is going to take time, so games like these will keep everyone busy before dinner is served. Whether you're hosting a large gathering or a small get-together, gaming together during the holidays is always a great combination. After all, everyone is going to have to work up an appetite by doing something before diving into all the fantastic food.