40+ Best Party Games for Adults to Keep the Fun Going

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Plus, how to choose a game that suits the vibe of your party
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Nothing peps up a celebration like entertaining party games for adults. Whether you need an easy drinking game or the hottest adult board game, we’ve got them listed here. Read on to make your next party a smash!

Fun Party Games for Adults: Top Picks

  • Best card game: Cards Against Humanity
  • Best tabletop game: Drawing Without Dignity
  • Best drinking game: King's Cup
  • Best classic party game: 2 Truths and a Lie
  • Best outdoor game: Limbo
  • Best online game: Jackbox Games Party pack
Section 1 of 8:

Card Party Games for Adults

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  1. This adults-only card game includes over 70 cards with questions about topics like dating, drinking, and pop culture. Example questions include “Which historical figure probably had the best butt?” The question-based game is open-ended, so you and other players can participate for as long as you like. It’s a great way to spend time with friends during happy hour, a bachelorette party, or any excuse for ladies' night games .
  2. 2
    "That’s What She Said" Party Game This fast-paced game includes 458 cards that are funny, bawdy, and unique. The rules are a little complex to explain fully here, but here’s the gist: Read out from the red cards to set up the hilarious “that’s what she said” answers found on the white cards. The other players answer the red card setup question until all of you are laughing.
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  3. 3
    Cards Against Humanity This classic card game for horrible people has been one of the most popular party games for adults for years now. To play Cards Against Humanity , you read from cards with phrases like “being on fire” and then have to come up with inappropriate (and probably offensive) jokes to outdo each other. Board game expert Derek Pederson notes that he "typically tries to think of the funniest most outrageous answer card I can think of!"
  4. 4
    Who Can Do It This challenging party game is all action. Your group chooses from over 250 cards containing challenges like “Text a random number. The first person to get a response wins.” The challenges can get silly, and the basic idea is to be the first player to complete a challenge and win the round.
  5. 5
    What Do You Meme? Get creative by creating your own memes from cards the dealer gives out from the deck. Here's an overview: The goal is to choose which funny caption goes with one of the image cards. A rotating judge decides which match-up is the most laugh-worthy. You can also use a rules guide to play What Do You Meme .
  6. 6
    Bad People Party Game & After Dark Expansion Set This mature version of the Hot Seat game lets you know exactly what your friends think of you. First, choose an identity out of 10 cards and ask a question like “Who’s most likely to join a cult?” Then, cast your votes. The winner is revealed, along with who the “bad people” are among you.
  7. 7
    Red Flags: The Game of Terrible Dates This fun party game lets you pretend you’re on a very bad date. Players separate the red and white cards and then choose 1 player to be “single.” The other “matchmaker” players take 4 white “perk” cards and 3 red “flag” cards. The matchmakers then create imaginary prospective “dates” using 2 of the perks, along with one of the red flags. The idea is to make your case about who is the best date material.
  8. 8
    The Voting Game & After Dark Expansion Set The voting game is a quick way to discover the dynamics of your relationships with friends. Choose a card with questions like “Who gives the most awkward hugs?” Your group then anonymously votes for a player among you, only to reveal who got the most votes.
  9. 9
    Lyrically Correct Music Trivia Card Game If you love music trivia, Lyrically Correct is made for you. Each member of two teams alternates answering questions on a specific genre of music trivia. You only have 60 seconds to answer each question. Wrong answers cost you a point, while correct answers get you one.
  10. 10
    Mafia This ingenious game is a role-playing game involving two groups (and all you need is a deck of cards!). One group represents the informed mafia and the other the uninformed villagers. It can get pretty complicated, but the gist is, if you’re a member of the mafia, you eliminate villagers during the night cycle. During the day cycle, other players try to identify and eliminate those who they think are mafia. Once you vote to eliminate a player, it all begins again.
    • Number of players : 12-16
    • Read full game instructions for playing Mafia
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Section 2 of 8:

Board & Tabletop Games for Adult Parties

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  1. Step 1 Hot Ones
    The main focus of the game involves two teams that play 10 rounds, during which you have to try and guess the famous name written on a piece of paper. You describe the celebrity name in round 1, act out who the celebrity is in round 2, and use only 1 word to describe them in round 3. Each time your team doesn’t guess correctly, it’s hot sauce for one or all of you!
  2. 2
    Escape Room: The Game You don’t have to visit an actual escape room to play this home version of the game. It’s a multi-faceted game that includes 4 different adventure scenarios, each with 3 parts. The game links to an app to help with clues and props to help create a moody room for you and your teammates to escape from.
  3. 3
    Unsolved Case Files Murder Mystery Game Have you always wanted to throw a murder mystery party for guests without all those extra props? This tricky Unsolved Case Files game is great for large groups since you’re all trying to solve the crime. The basic aim is to solve a murder using 3 objectives with the help of online keys containing extra information.
  4. 4
    CMYK Wavelength: The Party Game Show in a Box To play Wavelength , you and your team use your intuition to guess about a particular object or thing. It’s one of the more involved party games, but here’s the gist: the “hot vs. cold” dial is set and then adjusted, depending on what is being described. For example, coffee is hot, but not as hot as the sun. Once you’ve made your guess, reveal the target and see how you fared.
  5. 5
    Reverse Charades Playing charades at a party is fun, but reverse charades are an even better time. Here, your team acts out a particular word or item that you as the guesser have to try and figure out using a 60-second timer to keep things moving quickly.
  6. 6
    Hues and Cues This super inventive game is all about guessing a particular color shade (aka “hue) using different clues. It’s one of the more complex board games, but the basics are as follows: Take turns with 1- and 2-word hints to try and guess a particular color on the board. The closer you get to the correct color on the board, the more points you earn. The cue giver then gives points according to how accurate your guesses are.
    • Number of players : 3-10
    • Purchase the game here : Hues and Cues
  7. 7
    Drawing Without Dignity If you’re looking for an adults-only version of Pictionary, this is it. Teams roll the dice and pick a card. Whatever strange, offensive, or slang term you find, you’ve got 60 seconds to draw it out. If your team guesses correctly, you get points (and a few laughs).
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Section 3 of 8:

Drinking Party Games for Adults

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  1. 1
    Flip Cup This classic drinking game is a quick way to breathe new life into your next adult party. To play, each member of the two teams places a plastic cup on the edge of the table in front of them. You begin by drinking the beer in the cup (or any alcoholic beverage you prefer) and then try to flip the cup so it lands upright. It works like a relay race and is finished when everyone has drunk from their cup and flipped it (or given up).
    • Number of players : 6+
    • Read full game instructions for Flip Cup
  2. 2
    Medusa Players sit around a table or stand in a circle to play this drinking game. Everyone lowers their eyes and counts down from 3. When the countdown is complete, everyone quickly looks up to someone else in the group. If you lock eyes with someone else, yell “Medusa.” Whoever yells it last has to take a drink. The game ends when everyone is out of alcohol!
    • Number of players : 3+
    • Read full game instructions for Medusa
  3. 3
    Most Likely This is a fun game to play that is similar to “Never Have I Ever,” only with drinking involved. Each person finishes the sentence, “Who is most likely to… ” The question asker then counts down from 3 to 1, when you and your team point to the person you think is most likely to be/say/do whatever is asked. Depending on the questions , whoever gets the most fingers pointed at them drinks.
    • Number of players : 3+
    • Read full game instructions for Most Likely
  4. 4
    King’s Cup If you’re looking for a half-drinking, half-card game, King's Cup is it. Players sit around a table that has a can or glass of beer or other alcohol placed in the center. Arrange the playing cards face-down around it. The idea is for each player to pick a card, which has been assigned a unique rule or instruction (like “guys take a drink.”) The exact King’s Cup terms vary and can be customized to fit your preferences.
    • Number of players : 3+
    • Read full game instructions for King’s Cup
  5. 5
    Truth or Drink Take Truth or Dare to the next level by adding drinking as a dare. It only requires a set of Truth or Drink questions you ask the other players and they ask you. If you choose “truth,” you have to answer each question truthfully. If you answer “drink,” take a drink. The game is a great ice-breaker when you’re looking for fun dinner party games for adults. Make sure to have some interesting questions on hand.
  6. 6
    Shot Roulette You never know what you’re going to get when you play roulette with a mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Fill up a set of shot glasses with a variety of alcoholic drinks; do the same with a set of shot glasses containing non-alcoholic drinks. Place them all in a circle around the table. Going counter-clockwise, each player spins a bottle in the center of the table. Whomever it points to takes the shot located in front of them. They must replace their shot with whatever it was. Players who have had enough can opt out at any time!
    • Number of players : 4+
    • Read full game instructions for Shot Roulette
  7. 7
    A Movie Drinking Game Choose you favorite movie (preferably one you know well) and create drink rules for specific events, dialogue, or artistic choices. For instance, if you’re watching The Big Lebowski , drink every time someone says “dude.” You can customize your game using any movie you like, any alcoholic beverage, and any set of rules.
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Section 4 of 8:

Classic Party Games for Adults

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  1. Step 1 Minute to Win It
    This classic game involves physical or mental challenges you and others have to complete in one minute. Choose the strangest tasks and you’ll end up laughing your way through the game. The challenge might involve picking up a piece of popcorn using your toes, saying the list of vowels backward, or taking out all the red M&Ms from a bowl of candy. You can decide on the points, teams, and details, which makes Minute to Win It one of the most adaptable indoor party games for large groups .
  2. 2
    Saran Wrap Game This party game is all about finding special items in the center of a ball of plastic wrap. Place an item inside a piece of plastic wrap and keep adding sheets until it grows. Add other items in as you go, until the ball is relatively large. The first player attempts to unwrap the ball quickly enough to get one of the items out, while another player rolls the dice until they get a double. If you reach an item before the double is rolled, you keep it. If not, you pass it on and the game continues.
    • Number of players : 3+
    • Read full game instructions for Saran Wrap
  3. 3
    Drop a Hint This is an entertaining game to play that won’t take long to set up. Teammates choose a card or piece of paper with a word or phrase and have to use one-word hints to get you to figure out what it is. Each guess period lasts 90 seconds. Whoever has the most correct guesses after 1 or more rounds wins.
    • Number of players : 8 (4 per team)
    • Read full game instructions for Drop a Hint
  4. 4
    The Wooden Spoon This party game is all about categories and a wooden spoon placed in the center of the two teams. First, the host reads out a pre-set group of titles, names, or objects that fall within a category. An example is the category “action movies,” with the following titles: Die Hard, John Wick, The Usual Suspects, and Predator. Once you hear a title that doesn’t belong–in this case, The Usual Suspects–run and grab the wooden spoon. If whoever grabs the wooden spoon guesses incorrectly, they’re out. If you guess correctly, you then choose a person from the other team to be out. Whichever team has a member left “standing” wins.
  5. 5
    How Do You Doo This game is basically "Name That Tune" with a twist. Players on teams each take turns choosing a song title. Once you choose a title, you have to sing the song using only the word “doo” in place of the lyrics. If your team guesses the song correctly, you get a point. The other team does the same for as many rounds as you like.
    • Number of players : 3+
    • Read full game instructions for How Do You Doo
  6. 6
    Celebrity Any party becomes more fun when you play talking games with friends to break the ice. Players on 2 teams choose from a list of celebrity names and try to get teammates to guess who it is. In round 1, you use words as a hint. In round 2, you act as the celebrity might. For round 3, you can only use 1 word to describe them. When you're playing Celebrity, whoever guesses the most celebrity names correctly wins.
    • Number of players : 4+
    • Read full game instructions for Celebrity
  7. 7
    Sticky Note Game If you’ve got a set of Post-it notes and some friends, you can play the Sticky Note game. The overview of the game is as follows: Using a particular category, choose a sticky note with a word written on it out of a bowl, and stick it to your head without looking at it. Ask each player a yes or no question about the topic. If you guess what's on the sticky note, you get a point. Once all the players have gone, tally up the points to see who wins.
  8. 8
    I’m Hosting a Party In this simple but fun party game, you pretend you’re hosting a party. The gist is to use a rule that only you know when asking each player what they’re bringing to the party. You then let them know if they’re invited or not. As the game goes on, players are supposed to figure out the rule. Once they do, a new “host” takes over. It’s also known as “I’m Going to a Party.”
  9. 9
    Two Truths and a Lie When you play Two Truths and a Lie, you choose 3 statements about yourself. As a basic example, you can say “I like dogs” or “I lived in California.” Two of your 3 statements are true, while the third is a lie. Players guess which statement is false, which makes the game a great way to know more about each other. Each player goes, so everyone gets a chance to tell a lie.
  10. 10
    Mail Call This offbeat variation of musical chairs still includes putting several chairs into a circle, with one less chair than there are guests. Once everyone sits down, the odd one out must stand in the circle and say, "Mail Call for everyone…" continuing with a phrase that highlights a certain fact or trait, like “who has a cat” or “who is wearing green.” Those who fit the description must get up and find a new seat. Whoever is left standing then continues the “mail call” process.
    • Number of players : 6+
    • Read full game instructions for Mail Call
  11. 11
    Selfie Hot Potato This modern version of hot potato replaces a potato with a selfie. Set the camera timer on a smartphone for 5 seconds. A player will try to take a selfie of themselves within that time and then pass the phone to the next player to try again. What you’ll end up with is a bunch of selfies that can range from the brilliant to the hilarious to the downright blurry.
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Section 5 of 8:

Outdoor Party Games for Adults

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  1. 1
    Limbo You don’t need to be at a Hawaiian luau to play a game of limbo! It’s perfect for indoor or outdoor gatherings since all you need is a limbo stick and some fun music. Hold up the stick at a comfortable height so players can shimmy their way beneath it. Slowly, lower the stick until one last skilled player can limbo under the stick without falling.
    • Number of players : 6+
    • Read full game instructions for Limbo
  2. 2
    Tug of War There’s a reason why playing Tug of War is something that kids and adults both love—it’s fun! Purchase or make your thick tug-of-war rope with lots of knots for people to grab. It’s ideal for an outdoor gathering and can be played in as few or as many rounds as you like.
  3. 3
    Lawn Games Some great weather and an outdoor party call for lawn games. You can offer a variety of games to be played in an outdoor space, including classics like croquet and badminton to cornhole or pickleball . Playing lawn games usually requires buying a game set for whichever activity you want to play and making sure you have enough sets for your guests.
    • Number of players : 6+
  4. 4
    Scavenger Hunt Going on a scavenger hunt isn’t just for kids’ birthday parties. Plan an adult-level scavenger hunt for you and your guests that keeps everyone busy and entertained. It takes a lot of detail to create a scavenger hunt, but the idea is to choose a set of themed objects and make maps with specific clues that players or teams can follow. Whoever finds the most hidden objects wins the game. It’s a terrific option when your party is at home or in a public space like a park.
    • Number of players : 6+
    • Read full game instructions for Scavenger Hunt
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Section 6 of 8:

Digital & Online Party Games for Adults

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  1. Step 1 Head’s Up
    This digital version of the Head’s Up card game is an intricate one, but as an overview, teams can choose categories and objects. Instead of holding a card up to your head for other players to guess, you hold up your phone. The app has a built-in timer so players have a specific amount of time to guess what the word or object is.
    • Number of players : 3+
    • Purchase the game here : Head's Up
  2. 2
    Psych In this app game, the point is for players to use their smartphones to create false answers to various trivia questions. If you guess the correct answer, you get points. You also get points if you convince others to give you an incorrect answer. You can enjoy this party game even if you’re throwing a Zoom gathering for friends who live far away.
    • Number of players : 3+
    • Purchase the game here : Psych
  3. 3
    Jackbox Games Party Pack This party pack is one of the newest and most popular types of digital games available. The party pack includes 5 tricky online party games: You Don’t Know Jack, Fibbage XL, Drawful, Word Spud, and Lie Swatter. Players use their phones or tablets to play the games, which include categories like wordplay, drawing, facts, bluffing, and comedy.
  4. 4
    Codenames Games to play with friends like Codenames are perfect for a party full of people who wish they were secret agents (except the partygoers don’t have to be in the same room together to play). It’s one of the more complex digital games, but here’s the gist: Teams are made up of agents with code names who try to guess the other agents’ names by using different verbal clues. To play Codenames online, you would set up a room the same way you might for a Zoom gathering, which means this party game can be played worldwide.
    • Number of players : 2-8
    • Purchase the game here : Codenames
    EXPERT TIP

    Ashton Wu

    Board Game Expert
    Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate.
    Ashton Wu
    Board Game Expert

    Playing Codenames isn't all about taking risks. It's better to play safe than sorry. Three to four different cards are selected per hint. Usually, we say a word that's not too crazy. When you start to get to the five or six plus range, it's really risky, because you start seeing a lot of crossover with opponents.

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Section 7 of 8:

How to Choose Party Games for Adults

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  1. 1
    Think about the pacing of games. If you have a large group of people and a lot of time on your hands, a slower-paced game may be best. If you’re working with a small gathering and a limited period, choose a game you can customize or play in a half hour or less. Some parties are more raucous, while others are full of quiet types. This can also play into the pacing of different-style party games.
  2. 2
    Consider the interests of the group. If you’re having a book club, it may not be the best time to play tug of war outside in the mud. When you’ve gathered a bunch of music lovers, playing Name That Tune or How Do You Doo are your best choices. Tailor your party games for adults to the likes, interests, and personalities of your group for a game-playing experience that’s fun for everyone.
  3. 3
    Keep party games simple to play with easy-to-follow rules. No matter how big or small your guest list is, don’t choose games that take forever to set up or are totally unfamiliar to your friends. Party games that guests can figure out how to play with clear, straightforward instructions work best. This way, everyone can spend the most time having fun instead of trying to remember how to play.
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Section 8 of 8:

Party Games for Adults FAQs

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  1. There are many ways to keep guests entertained during a party, whether it takes place at night or during the way. Put on a movie in one room or a sporting event in another. Some guests may want to binge on an agreed-upon TV series, while others like to form break-off groups where they watch funny or goofy video clips on their phones together. You can also set up board games, video games, or indoor activities like darts or ping pong. Don’t forget an endless supply of snacks!
  2. 2
    How do you make an adult party special? Some interesting party themes and ideas include hosting a murder mystery adventure, a costume party, or a paint and sip class where guests get creative. Arrange to meet at an escape room or set one up at your place. Take a theme and run with it, like a Mexican fiesta or Hawaiian luau.
  3. Whether you’re having a small dinner party or a big gathering, playing charades is a classic activity that brings guests together. Charades doesn’t require any preparation or supplies either. With 2 teams, you simply act a word or phrase without speaking for your teammates to guess what it is.
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