12 Simple and Fun Party Games Ideas for Adults

Who has two thumbs and loves party games? This girl. If you come to my house for a get-together, you better believe there will be party games. I had my 87-year-old Grandpa blowing turkey feathers down a table for a feather relay race at Thanksgiving one year. It’s still one of my all-time favorite holiday memories.  

Party games are perfect for breaking the ice and inviting everyone to engage in the party atmosphere. Even the most reluctant partygoers will have fun after playing these 12 simple and fun party games.

So, what are some easy and fun party game ideas?  

Never Have I Ever

Make a circle of chairs in an open area and have everyone but one person sit down. The one person not seated will stand in the middle. They will start the game. As the host, you could start the game.  

You will share one thing that you have never done. For example, “Never have I ever gone scuba diving.”

Anyone who HAS gone scuba diving has to stand up and move to another open chair in the circle as quickly as possible. The person in the middle also sits down.  

Whoever is the last person standing with no seat to sit in is the next person in the middle. Play continues, and they must think of something they have never done.

If people find it challenging to come up with ideas of things they have never done, you can have slips of paper in a bowl with pictures for them to draw from. Ideas include but are not limited to never have I ever gotten a speeding ticket, never have I ever gotten a perm, never have I shaved my legs, and never have I ever traveled outside the country.  

You can go as crazy or as tame as you want based on the crowd.

Find the Never Have I Ever game here.

Skunk

Skunk is a dice game. It would be best if you had two dice and a pad of paper to record the participant’s name and their scores. There’s no limit to the number of people that can play.  

The game aims to be the first person to get over 100 points. However, the person with the most points wins, and everyone has one more road to beat the first person to go above 100’s score.

Play begins when the first player rolls the dice. They roll two dice and add up the dice total; those are their points. They can stop and keep those points until the next round or keep moving to get as many points as possible.

Players who roll a one and a two together lose all their points from that round. If players move two 1s together, they lose all the points they have accumulated from all rounds.  

In either case, their turn is over. If they don’t roll any of those combinations, a player can choose to end their turn at any time and keep the points they have earned.

Once a player decides to stop rolling, record their total points from that round, play continues clockwise, and the next player rolls.

When a player reaches 100 points, everyone has one final turn to try to beat the person’s score. It’s in the best interest of the person who scores at least 100 points to try to get as many points as possible since everyone will try to beat them.  

Play concludes when the final round has been completed, and the person with the most points wins.

Celebrity

Celebrity is a charades-type game with three rounds of play. Divide your group into two even teams to begin. Then, give each player 3 to 5 strips of paper.  

Have each player secretly record a person, place, or thing on each strip of paper. It’s essential that they are specific; for example,  write down Toyota Sienna instead of a van, or even better, write down “Erin’s Toyota Sienna.” The options are endless. We have had papers that said “Tostito’s cantina thin and crispy tortilla chips” and “Seattle Space Needle.”

Once the participants have recorded their ideas on their paper, have them fold their slips of paper in half and put them in a bowl.

 In Round One, each team will take turns guessing what’s on the slip of paper by describing and acting out the item without using any words.  

The opposing team will set a timer for 30 seconds while the other team will guess. The guessing team will choose one person from their team to start. That person will pick a slip of paper out of the bowl when the timer begins and describe the item to their group.  

When the team guesses correctly, they grab another slip of paper out of the bowl. If they get stumped, they cannot skip. At the end of 30 seconds, the other team can try to steal if the team playing has not guessed a paper correctly.

Play continues with the other team choosing a player to act out the words for their team, and the opposite team keeps time. Play continues in round one until all slips of paper have been described. Both teams total up their slips of paper and record their scores.

Round two begins with all the same slips of paper deposited back into the bowl. This time, only one word can be spoken to describe the item on the slip of paper. Players may also use actions but no other words or sounds.  

The next player on the team in the rotation will start round two, and the opposite team will keep time (30 seconds). Play continues like in round one until all slips of paper have been won. Teams tally their scores and add to the round one score.

Round three begins with all the slips of paper in the bowl; this time, NO words can be spoken. Each player must act out the words for their team. Play resumes like in rounds one and two, with one player from one team acting out the slips of paper while the other team keeps time (30 seconds).

The play concludes when all slips of paper have been acted out. Both teams tally up their slips of paper and add to the first two rounds’ scores to determine the winning team.

Bingo

Pick some fun or unusual prizes and play Bingo with friends and family. Choose one person to be the bingo caller and distribute bingo cards to everyone else. Choose the type of Bingo to win: five across, four corners, or black-out. This game is perfect for groups of all ages.

Find a Bingo set here.

Joe Name It

This easy card party game rewards participants who can think fastest on their feet. A participant will draw a card and then roll the dice. They will read the card and fill in the blank with the number they rolled on the dice. Be the first person to answer their question and win the card. The first player to earn ten cards wins.

Find the game Joe Name It here.

Things

The game has 300 topic cards like ‘THINGS…tha’ are so last year,’ and everyone writes their responses on paper. The person reading the card then collects all the papers and reads all the answers. Others take turns guessing who wrote what; if they think correctly, they get a point. If someone guesses correctly what you wrote, you are out for that round.

Find the game Things here.

Charades

Like Celebrity, you can buy a box set or record a noun (person, place, or thing) on paper. Each participant takes turns acting out what’s on the what. You can even tailor this game to the holiday or event you are celebrating. Choose Christmas-themed nouns like Christmas Tree, Santa Claus, or Christmas cookies.

Find a Charades game here.

5 Second Rule

Pick one of the 150 cards and read the topic. Start the timer.   You have 5 seconds to name three things that fit the topic. Issues like “name three s”ates that start with the letter A.”  There is a”  now a 5-Second Rule Junior (find it here). Play in teams or as individuals.

Find 5 Second Rule here.

Catch Phrase

The Catch Phrase game is an electronic game. Players try to get teammates to guess the word or phrase on the screen by describing it, but you must hurry; there’s a time.

Find Catch Phrase here.

LCR (Left Center Right)

LCR (Left Center Right) is a dice game! Players take turns rolling the dice to determine where they pass their chips. The last player with chips is the winner. This is a perfect party game for all ages and skill levels. If you have more people than chips, you can use coins. We often use quarters, and the winner takes the prize money!

Find LCR here.

Relative Insanity

“A game about”crazy family members and even crazier situations.”  A participant”  will read a card aloud, like, “When my sist got engaged, Dad blurted out…”. Then, everyone else records a punchline to conclude that sentence. The reader then reads the anonymous punchlines, picks the funniest one, and gives that participant a point. Comedian Jeff Foxworthy makes them.

Find Relative Insanity here.

Do you need some holiday-themed party game ideas?

The Best Simple Christmas Party Games for Everyone

Simple & Fun Family Holiday Craft Competition

Plush Snowball Game Ideas

 

Have you heard of a Favorite Things Party?

Another great way to break the ice is to invite guesses to bring a favorite thing for less than $10 to exchange. Read more about this fun party idea here.

What food should I serve at my party?

Check out this post with my favorite simple party spread and one of my favorite simple appetizers.

Just Remember –

It’s the season for entertaining, and everyone knows a party is way more fun when party games are involved. Hopefully, these ideas will help your party be the one no one can stop talking about for all the right reasons.  Let’s Connect | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

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