The unwrapping, turned into a show
A gift reveal game: make them win the surprise
Some gifts deserve more than two seconds of tearing paper. Hide yours in a board of mystery boxes, alongside decoys, IOUs and a lump of coal, and send the game as a link. They pick a box, open the rest, say GIFT or NO GIFT to the Banker and find out at the very end what they have won. You get to watch every second of it.
Hide the gift · $4.99Phone, tablet or TV · $4.99 once · nothing to download
How to reveal a gift with the game, in four steps
- Decide what the big reveal is. A trip, a ticket, the bike in the shed, a letter you have been meaning to write. Put it in a Grand box.
- Surround it with decoys. We fill the other boxes with Treats, Great gifts and Coal. Keep the ones you can actually give and rewrite the rest.
- Write the Banker's three offers. Make them tempting enough that saying NO GIFT hurts a little.
- Pick your moment. Send the link, play it on the TV, or open it on a video call. Add a PIN if the link might be seen too early.
Why a reveal works better as a game
A surprise lands hardest when there is a little doubt first. In a normal unwrapping, the doubt lasts as long as the tape. Here it lasts four rounds. Every box that opens without the surprise in it raises the stakes, and every call from the Banker asks them to bet a sure thing against a hope. By the time it comes down to KEEP or SWAP, they want that gift badly, and you can see it on their face.
It's also a fun way to give a gift that doesn't fit under a tree. The box doesn't need to hold the thing itself, just a line about it: "Pack a bag for Friday", "Look under the bed", "Your first clue is in your coat pocket". The game reveals the clue; the clue reveals the present.
Surprises that make a good reveal
The kind of gift people build a game around, plus a couple of decoys. All from the game's own ideas.
- Look under the bed Something big is hiding down there · Grand
- Check the garage Bring a flashlight and a big smile · Grand
- Follow the clues Treasure hunt: the first clue is in your coat pocket · Grand
- A weekend away, booked Bags packed, destination on the fridge · Grand
- The trip you always wanted Destination: your dream. Dates: soon · Grand
- Concert of the year The tour you thought sold out. Not for us · Grand
- A brand new bike New wheels, bow on top · Great
- The game console Plugged in, controllers charged · Grand
- Something that really sparkles Small box, very big deal · Grand
- A handwritten letter Look in the nightstand drawer · Treat
- A playlist made for you Songs that remind me of you, in order · Treat
- The box itself Premium cardboard. Cats love it · Coal
What happens when they open the link
- 01Pick
They choose one mystery box and keep it shut.
- 02Open
Round by round, they open the other boxes. Every gift revealed is one they can no longer win.
- 03Resist
The Banker calls three times with an offer you wrote. GIFT, or NO GIFT?
- 04Reveal
Keep or swap, then the last box opens. That gift is theirs.
A mystery gift box game, without the boxes
Mystery box games usually mean a stack of identical boxes and a lot of tape. This one keeps the mystery and drops the wrapping. Each of the 10, 15 or 20 boxes stays shut on the board until it's picked, and every gift carries a tier (Coal, Treat, Great or Grand) so the room knows how big a loss each opening is. If you like, the player can see the full list of gifts in play and watch them get crossed off, the way a prize board works on TV, but never which box holds which. Or switch the list off for a total surprise.
Other fun ways to give a gift
Different ways to reveal a present, from no-prep to a weekend project.
- Scavenger hunt: a chain of clues around the house or the neighborhood, ending at the gift.
- Box inside a box: nest the present in progressively smaller boxes, so the size gives nothing away.
- Frozen gift: a small present or a ticket frozen in a block of ice, to be melted out with warm water.
- Coded message: write where the gift is in a simple cipher and hand over the key.
- Puzzle reveal: print a photo of the gift as a jigsaw and let them put it together.
- Lock box: put it in a box with a combination lock and give out the numbers one riddle at a time.
Looking for decoys and joke prizes? Spin the gift idea generator.
Pick an occasion
Planning a reveal for December? The Christmas gift game page covers Christmas morning, and the Christmas game for the family covers playing it on the TV with kids. For birthdays, see the birthday gift game.
Questions, answered
What is a gift reveal game?
A game that builds up to the moment someone finds out what their present is. In Gift or No Gift, the gift hides in one of 10, 15 or 20 mystery boxes. They pick a box, open the others over four rounds, face the Banker's offers and find out at the end what they have won.
What if they don’t end up with the big surprise?
That's the risk that makes it a game: they win the box they finish with, so every box should be something you're happy to give. If the surprise has to happen no matter what, give it anyway when the game ends and let the game decide a bonus on top. You can also show the list of gifts in play, so they see the surprise was on the board all along.
How do I reveal a gift that won’t fit in a box?
Write a clue instead of the gift: "Check the garage", "Look under the bed", "Your first clue is in your coat pocket". The box reveals where to look, and the real thing is waiting there.
Is this a mystery gift box game?
Yes, a digital one. Each box is a mystery until it opens, and four tiers (Coal, Treat, Great and Grand) set how good the gift inside is. We fill every box from 192 ideas; you change whatever you want.
Can I reveal something over a video call?
Yes. Send the link, share the moment on a call and let them play on their own phone. We email you the result too, in case the connection drops at the worst moment.
How much does it cost?
$4.99, one time. You can fill and change the boxes as much as you like before you pay; after paying they are locked and the link is yours, with unlimited replays.
Your surprise is in one of these boxes
Hide it, send the link, and watch them play for it.
Hide my gift$4.99, once · no subscription · unlimited replays