As the year winds down, the holidays get closer. Whether you love them or not, your phone is a vital way to make sure you make it through this stressful period with your sanity intact. Thankfully, your smartphone, whether it’s an Android or an iPhone, has plenty of ways to keep yourself busy when you just want some space from friends and family. They also offer multiple ways to entertain your guests.
Here are some apps and games to keep you and everyone happy this holiday season. Think of it as a holiday survival guide, with a selection of apps for every circumstance.
Heads Up!
If you’ve waited in line at a theme park like Disneyland, chances are high that you’ve seen Heads Up! being played. This is a highly entertaining charades-style party game that is great for keeping a large group of people busy and entertained with just one phone.
In Heads Up!, you’ll find over 100 themed decks to pick from, or you can even make your own custom category. You’ll get a handful of decks with the initial download, such as Celebrity Quiz, Blockbuster Movies, Animals, Superheroes, Famous Characters, and more. Additional themed decks are available to purchase.
So how do you play? One person in the group will hold the phone up to their forehead and everyone else will act out the word shown on the screen. The one holding the phone has to guess what the word is, and if they get it right, they tilt the phone down to go on to the next word, or tilt up to pass. There’s only so much time in each round, and each correct guess is a point, so the object is to try to get as many points as you can in a round.
Though Heads Up! is best played in person, the developers recently added the ability to play over FaceTime, so you can now play the game with friends and family all over the world. The game also has the ability to record gameplay videos that you can keep for yourself or share on social media.
Heads Up! has been around for years now and is frequently updated, so it’s definitely one game that will keep everyone entertained for years to come. It’s not a free app, but it only costs $2 to download.
Apple App Store Google Play Store
Among Us!
Another great little game to keep you and family busy over the holidays is Among Us! It’s a game about both teamwork and betrayal in space. Pretty sus, right?
In Among Us!, a game can include between 4 and 15 players online, and cross-platform play is supported. So you can be playing on your iPhone or Android phone with others on PC, mobile, or console. Each game will place players in space as a crew. Everyone has a task, and each player has to work with their teammates to make sure their tasks are complete. However, there are a number of imposters in the crew, and they’re out to sabotage the rest of the crew without getting caught. If you’re a crewmate, then you need to discover and vote off the imposters — only, who can you actually trust?
The game can also be customized for a new experience each time. You can change the number of imposters aboard the ship, roles, player visibility, and more. Among Us! is constantly updated as well, with even more customization options added over time.
This has been a hit game for a while, and if you haven’t tried it out yet, it’s the perfect game to play with younger family members, or even more adventurous older ones.
Apple App Store Google Play Store
Amazon Kindle
Need a break from your relatives during the festivities? Then there’s nothing better than curling up with a blanket by the fireplace (or a heater), a hot drink, and a good book. The Amazon Kindle app is perfect for this, so you don’t even need a Kindle e-reader, just your phone.
Once you sign in to your Amazon account, you’ll find all of your existing e-books in your library, and you can browse for new books from the Kindle Store. If you have Kindle Unlimited or Prime Reading, then those collections are also accessible too. The Kindle app supports e-books, audiobooks, magazines, comics, and serial stories.
The Kindle app lets you personalize your reading experience by adjusting fonts, layouts, and backgrounds. You can take notes, annotate, look up words, and even see your reading progress. And if you tend to listen to audiobooks, you can switch between that or manual reading without losing your place. The Kindle app is free to download, but you will need to have a subscription for Prime or Kindle Unlimited to access those collections.
Apple App Store Google Play Store
Balatro
When you need to get away from family drama, then it’s probably best to immerse yourself in a game. Balatro is one of those new hit games that has taken the world by storm, and for good reason.
What is Balatro? It’s a rouguelike deck-building game that mixes classic card games like solitaire and poker. Yeah, that’s a lot, but it’s an incredibly fun mix that works really well.
The overall goal of the game is to beat the Boss Blinds with strong poker hands. But as you play, you’ll find new Jokers that will change things up and enable you to create more combos. Get chips from beating bosses, and discover bonus hands and new decks as you go. Each run is different, and the handcrafted retro pixel art is delightful.
Once you start playing Balatro, you won’t be able to stop. If you have Apple Arcade, you can find Balatro+, included in your subscription.
Apple App Store Google Play Store
ElfYourself
You’ve heard of elf on the shelf, now get ready for … ElfYourself!
ElfYourself has been around since 2006, when it started out as a website. But now it’s an app that you can get on your smartphone of choice, and it’s one of the most popular holiday apps for a reason. I mean, who doesn’t want to see themselves as a dancing elf?
Using the app is pretty simple — add a photo of yourself into the app, select a dance, and watch as you’re magically transformed into an elf. You can have up to five faces at a time, and the app will automatically create your video. You can then share your video on social media or just send it as a fun Christmas video for friends and family.
The free download of ElfYourself has some dances that are included for free, but there are more to unlock through individual in-app purchases. There’s also an annual subscription to unlock everything and remove ads.
Apple App Store Google Play Store
Pokémon TCG Pocket
Didn’t get real Pokémon cards for Christmas? Don’t worry, now there are digital Pokémon cards to collect and battle with in Pokémon TCG Pocket. This is a fun little mobile game to keep you busy, whether you’re a Pokémon newbie or a veteran. You get two booster packs to open up each day, and the thrill of seeing what you get is incredibly exhilarating. Nothing beats the joy when you find an ultra-rare holographic card.
Speaking of cards, immersive cards are an all-new kind of card that have debuted in this game. These have new illustrations for classic Pokémon that have a 3D look and feel, making you feel like you’re actually in the card illustration. Even if it’s not an immersive card, the detail in each original illustration is impeccable.
Collecting is the main point of this game, so you can show off your collection in digital binders or display boards. But again, this is Pokémon, so there is also a casual battle mode too. These games don’t take very long (like the traditional card game), so you can play during your lunch break.
The game is initially free to download, but there are in-app purchases to get more cards and packs.
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