Party Gift Exchange Games Ideas

Party Gift Exchange Games are always fun at Christmas time, or at any other time of the year. (See our Christmas Gift Exchange Games page for seasonal ideas.)

We all like to get presents, but it is more exciting if we don't know WHAT we are going to get and if, before getting the gift, we play some games or variations and according to the result of the games we get one gift or another. Surprise, surprise, what will I get?

So here are the party gift exchange games for you.

Roulette gift exchange game concept

Sit around a big table or in a circle on the floor and grab an object with a slightly outstanding pointed end that can be spun as a roulette. Each one of the players has to go and spin the object and the person to whom the end of the item points to gets the first gift and so on.

If there is no person exactly where the item is pointing to, you can choose the person on the right or on the left to pick up the gift.

Each one of you will have to bring a gift to exchange from home, or the person in charge of hosting the party will buy or get some presents according to the number of guests in the party. If it is not Christmas time, not necessarily everybody has to get a gift.

Card gift exchange game

Pick up or hand out cards to decide who is going to pick the gift. You choose which suit of card is more valuable than others (spades, hearts, diamonds or clubs). The Ace is always more valuable than any card and then the King, the Queen and the Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7 cards.

The person who gets the most valuable card gets the first gift. Then you repeat the game and so on.

Dice gift exchange game

Each player has to throw the dice three times, and the person who gets the highest score adding all three results gets the first gift and so on.

Musical Chairs exchange game

Musical Chairs was a kids' party gift exchange games staple in my youth, but it works just as well today -- and with "kids" of all ages! Play with a set of chairs in a row, with one less chair for every player. You play music and suddenly stop it. Everybody rushes for a chair. Of course, there is one less than required, so you eject whoever fails to sit down, and remove a chair each round until there are two players left. The winner is the person who sits down successfully on the final chair.

Or try this (safer!) variation. Form a circle. The DJ has to play music blindfolded. The players keep passing or rolling gifts to each other around the circle. When the music stops, the person with the gift in their hands gets it.

Trivia exchange game

Use your choice of printable trivia quizzes. the person who gets the most answers right gets the first or most valuable gift and so on.

Be creative!

Multiple variations can be done to these party gift exchange games; there may be gifts for everybody, or there may be some gifts of bigger value than others, and the winners get the most valuable ones, or there may be only a few gifts and not for everybody so that the players will be more willing to win first.

If you come up with a killer gift exchange variation, then please share it! Contact us with your party games ideas and we'll publish them.

And if you are looking for Christmas season ideas for gift exchange games, you can't go wrong with my Christmas Party Gift Exchange Games page.