White Elephant Generator
Draw the turn order, print numbered slips and the rules, and track every steal on screen — free, no sign-up.
Runs in your browser — names are never uploaded or storedWhite Elephant rules, turn order and a steal tracker on one page
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Turn order
Pass the screen around: each player taps once to get a number
–
Who has what
What happened
Playing with dice?
- Take a gift from the pile. If the pile is empty, swap with anyone.
- Pass your gift to the player on your left.
- Pass your gift to the player on your right.
- Swap gifts with anyone you choose.
- Everyone passes their gift one seat to the left.
- Roll again.
A common table — every group has its own, so agree on yours before you start.
How this White Elephant generator works
Quick answer: type the players, one per line, and press Draw the order — or, if people will draw paper slips, type how many are playing and press Print numbers. Then press Run the game on this screen: the board shows whose move it is, which gifts can be stolen, how many steals each one has left and when a gift is frozen, so nobody keeps score on a napkin. Undo fixes a mis-tap.
The rules are the classic White Elephant game, also called Yankee Swap or Dirty Santa: on your turn you open a new gift or steal an opened one; if yours is stolen, you choose again; a gift is frozen after its third steal; and player 1, who had nothing to steal at the start, gets one final swap. Each rule is a setting — the steal limit, stealing back, the final swap — and Print the rules turns your choices into a one-page sheet for the table.
The order is a fair shuffle from your browser's cryptographic random generator, so every order is equally likely, and the number draw hands out each number exactly once. Names stay in this tab: nothing is uploaded or saved, which also means closing the tab ends the game, so the page asks before leaving while one is in progress. For an office party on Zoom or Teams, share your screen and run the board from here.
White Elephant rules, step by step
- Everyone brings one wrapped gift under the agreed price limit and puts it in the pile.
- Everyone draws a number; players take turns in number order.
- Player 1 opens a gift from the pile and shows it to everyone.
- On each turn, the player opens a new gift from the pile or steals a gift that is already open.
- A player whose gift is stolen chooses again: open a new gift or steal a different one — not the gift that was just taken from them.
- A gift is frozen after its third steal and stays with whoever holds it.
- When the last gift is open, player 1 may swap once with any gift that isn't frozen. Then the game ends, and everyone keeps what they hold.
House rules: steals, freezing and the final swap
Every group plays a slightly different version, so settle these before the first gift is opened — the Print the rules button puts your choices on one sheet.
| Rule | Usual choice | Variations |
|---|---|---|
| Steals per gift | Frozen after the 3rd steal | 2 for big groups; 4, 5 or no limit for small ones |
| Stealing back | Not the gift just taken from you | Allowed any time, or never the same gift twice |
| Player 1 | One final swap at the end | Player 1 steals at the end and starts one last chain |
| Price limit | Set before the party | $20–$30 is typical at work; lower for gag gifts |
| Opening | Open the gift as soon as you take it | Everything stays wrapped until the end |
White Elephant numbers and turn order
Paper slips work fine: Print numbers prints 1 up to the number of players, four to a row, with dashed lines to cut along; fold them and draw from a bowl. Without paper, Draw the order with no names gives a number draw instead — each player taps once and gets a number nobody else has. With names typed in, Draw the order shuffles the whole list at once.
Going first is the worst seat in the classic game, since player 1 opens a gift with nothing to steal; that is why the final swap exists. Going last is the best seat, with every opened gift on the table.
White Elephant, Yankee Swap, Dirty Santa and Secret Santa
| Name | Where you hear it | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| White Elephant | Across the US | Open a gift or steal one — the game on this page |
| Yankee Swap | New England | The same game |
| Dirty Santa | The South | The same game, often with gag gifts |
| Secret Santa | Everywhere | Names are drawn in advance; each person buys for one person |
| Pollyanna | Philadelphia area | Another name for a Secret Santa draw |
White Elephant with dice
There is no single standard for the dice version. This is a common table, and the one the roller above uses:
| Roll | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 | Take a gift from the pile. If the pile is empty, swap with anyone. |
| 2 | Pass your gift to the player on your left. |
| 3 | Pass your gift to the player on your right. |
| 4 | Swap gifts with anyone you choose. |
| 5 | Everyone passes their gift one seat to the left. |
| 6 | Roll again. |
A popular format: keep rolling until the pile is empty, then set a timer for five or ten minutes and keep going. Whatever you hold when it rings is yours.
FAQ
How many times can a gift be stolen in White Elephant?
The most common rule is three: after its third steal a gift is frozen and stays with whoever holds it. Small groups sometimes allow more; groups of 30 or more often lower it to two so the game doesn't drag. Set it in Steals before a gift is frozen — the board enforces it and the printed rules say it.
Can you steal a gift back right after it was stolen from you?
Not under the usual rule: if your gift is stolen, you can open a new gift or steal a different one, but not take back the one that was just taken from you. On a later turn you can steal it again if it isn't frozen. If your group allows an instant steal-back, untick that option.
What is the difference between White Elephant and Secret Santa?
In Secret Santa, names are drawn in advance and each person buys a gift for one specific person. In White Elephant, everyone brings one wrapped gift for the pile and nobody knows which one they'll go home with, because players take turns opening and stealing. Yankee Swap and Dirty Santa are other names for White Elephant; for a Secret Santa draw, use the Secret Santa generator.
How long does a White Elephant game take?
Plan on two to three minutes per player: roughly 30 to 45 minutes for 15 people and an hour or more for 25. Steals are what make it long, so with a big group lower the steal limit to two or split into two tables.
How does White Elephant with dice work?
Gifts start in a pile in the middle, and players take turns rolling a die; each number is an instruction, such as take a gift, pass left, pass right or swap with anyone. Groups use different tables, so agree on yours first. The dice box under the game rolls a fair die and shows the instruction from a common table.