Party games

Which party game should we play?

Tell us who's there and what you have. We sort the classics, with rules you can read out in a minute.

🕵️Imposter (word game)

3–12 players · kids, teens, adults · a phone · about 10 min

Everyone gets the same secret word except the imposter, who has to bluff. Pass one phone around.

How to play
  1. Pass the phone round: each player taps to see the secret word, then hides it.
  2. One player (the imposter) sees "You are the imposter" instead.
  3. Going round, everyone says one word linked to the secret word. Not too obvious, not too vague.
  4. After two rounds, vote on who the imposter is.
  5. If you catch them, the imposter gets one guess at the word to steal the win.
Play it here

🐺Mafia (Werewolf)

6+ players · teens, adults · paper and pens · about 30 min

The classic social deduction game: a hidden mafia picks off villagers at night, and the village votes by day.

How to play
  1. One player is the narrator. Deal secret roles on folded paper: about one mafia per four players, one detective, one doctor, the rest villagers.
  2. Night: everyone closes their eyes. The mafia silently pick a victim, the doctor picks someone to save, the detective points at someone and the narrator nods yes or no.
  3. Day: the narrator tells the story of who was "killed". Everyone argues and votes someone out.
  4. The village wins when the mafia are gone. The mafia win when they equal the villagers.

😉Wink Murder

6+ players · kids, teens, adults · paper and pens · about 15 min

A secret murderer kills by winking. Can the detective catch them before the room is empty?

How to play
  1. Fold slips of paper: one says "murderer", one says "detective", the rest are blank.
  2. Sit in a circle. The detective says who they are.
  3. The murderer kills by winking at someone, who dramatically "dies" a few seconds later.
  4. The detective gets three guesses to name the murderer.

🎭Charades

4+ players · kids, teens, adults · paper and pens · about 20 min

Act out a film, book or phrase without saying a word while your team shouts guesses.

How to play
  1. Split into two teams. Each team writes film, book and song titles on slips for the other team.
  2. One player acts out a slip in silence. Show the category first (crank a camera for a film, open hands for a book).
  3. Hold up fingers for the number of words, then tap your arm for syllables.
  4. One minute per turn. Most correct guesses wins.

🎨Pictionary-style drawing

4–16 players · kids, teens, adults · paper and pens · about 20 min

Charades with a pen: draw the word, no letters or numbers allowed.

How to play
  1. Split into teams, write words on slips and put them in a bowl.
  2. A drawer picks a slip and has one minute to get their team to guess it.
  3. No letters, numbers or talking. Pointing at the drawing is fine.
  4. Take turns; first team to 10 points wins.

🤥Two Truths and a Lie

3–15 players · teens, adults · nothing needed · about 15 min

Say three things about yourself. Two are true. Everyone guesses the lie.

How to play
  1. Each player thinks of two true facts about themselves and one believable lie.
  2. Say all three in any order.
  3. Everyone votes on which one is the lie.
  4. Score a point for each person you fool.

🐟Fishbowl (Celebrity)

4+ players · teens, adults · paper and pens · about 40 min

Three rounds with the same names: describe them, then one word only, then charades.

How to play
  1. Everyone writes five famous names (real or fictional) on slips and puts them in a bowl.
  2. Round 1: describe the name to your team without saying it. Get through as many as you can in a minute.
  3. Round 2: same names, but you can say only one word.
  4. Round 3: same names, charades only. The jokes from rounds 1 and 2 make it hilarious.

📱Forehead guessing (Heads Up)

3–12 players · kids, teens, adults · a phone · about 15 min

Hold a word on your forehead; your friends describe it before the timer runs out.

How to play
  1. One player holds a phone to their forehead showing a word they can't see.
  2. Everyone else describes it without saying the word.
  3. Guess as many as you can in one minute.
  4. Use the imposter game's word lists on this site for words.

🤔Would You Rather

2+ players · kids, teens, adults · a phone · about 15 min

Two impossible options, everyone must choose and defend their pick.

How to play
  1. Read a question out loud.
  2. Everyone picks A or B at the same time, by pointing or raising hands.
  3. The smallest group has to defend their choice.
  4. Play it here, one question at a time, and see what your answers say about you.
Play it here

🧐Fact or Myth

1+ players · kids, teens, adults · a phone · about 10 min

Is it true that goldfish have a three-second memory? A trivia quiz for people who think they know things.

How to play
  1. Read a statement out loud.
  2. Everyone shouts "fact" or "myth".
  3. Reveal the answer and the real story.
  4. Ten rounds, keep score, share your result.
Play it here

❓20 Questions

2–10 players · kids, teens, adults · nothing needed · about 10 min

Think of anything. The others have 20 yes-or-no questions to work it out.

How to play
  1. One player thinks of a person, place or thing.
  2. The others ask yes-or-no questions, up to 20 in total.
  3. Guessing counts as a question.
  4. If nobody gets it in 20, the thinker wins and goes again.

🏷️Who Am I? (sticky notes)

3–15 players · kids, teens, adults · paper and pens · about 20 min

A famous name is stuck on your forehead. Ask yes-or-no questions to find out who you are.

How to play
  1. Everyone writes a famous name on a sticky note and sticks it on the forehead of the person to their left.
  2. Take turns asking one yes-or-no question about yourself.
  3. Keep going while you get yeses; pass on a no.
  4. First to guess their name wins.

👂Telephone (Chinese whispers)

6+ players · kids, teens · nothing needed · about 10 min

Whisper a sentence along a line and see how mangled it is by the end.

How to play
  1. Sit or stand in a line.
  2. The first player whispers a sentence once to the next.
  3. Pass it along, no repeats allowed.
  4. The last player says it out loud. Compare with the original.

🔤Categories

2–10 players · kids, teens, adults · paper and pens · about 15 min

Pick a letter, then race to find a fruit, a country, a film and a name starting with it.

How to play
  1. Agree on six categories, like country, animal, food, film, name and job.
  2. Pick a random letter.
  3. Everyone writes one answer per category starting with that letter. Two minutes.
  4. Unique answers score 2 points, shared answers score 1.

🪑Musical Chairs

5+ players · kids · music · about 15 min

Walk round the chairs while the music plays. When it stops, sit or you're out.

How to play
  1. Put chairs in a circle, one fewer than the players.
  2. Play music; everyone walks round.
  3. When the music stops, grab a chair. The one left standing is out.
  4. Take away a chair each round until one winner is left.

🥫Sardines

4–15 players · kids, teens · nothing needed · about 20 min

Reverse hide and seek: one person hides, and everyone who finds them squeezes in too.

How to play
  1. One player hides while the others count to 60.
  2. Everyone searches separately.
  3. When you find the hider, hide with them quietly.
  4. The last person to find the group hides next round.

✋Never Have I Ever (clean)

4+ players · teens, adults · nothing needed · about 15 min

Hold up ten fingers. Say something you've never done; anyone who has done it puts a finger down.

How to play
  1. Everyone holds up ten fingers.
  2. Take turns saying "Never have I ever..." and something you have not done.
  3. Anyone who has done it puts one finger down and maybe tells the story.
  4. Last person with fingers up wins.

🧠Mind Meld

2–12 players · teens, adults · nothing needed · about 10 min

Two people say a random word, then try to land on the same word by finding a link.

How to play
  1. Two players count to three and each say any word.
  2. Both then count to three again and say a word that links the two previous words.
  3. Keep going until you say the same word at the same time.
  4. Pass to the next pair and count the rounds it takes.
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Party games: questions

What are the best party games for adults?

With no props: Two Truths and a Lie and Mind Meld. With paper: Fishbowl, the funniest word game we know. For bluffing: Mafia and the imposter word game.

What party games need no supplies?

Two Truths and a Lie, 20 Questions, Never Have I Ever, Telephone, Sardines and Mind Meld need nothing at all. With one phone you can add would you rather, fact or myth and the imposter game on this site.

What are good party games for kids?

Musical Chairs, Sardines, Telephone, Wink Murder and Charades. The kids' would you rather questions work well in the car.

Just for fun. Our games, results and the lie detector are entertainment: they can't read minds or detect lies. Facts are checked against the sources shown; if you spot a mistake, tell us. Full disclaimer