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So, you’re planning a fun night with friends. Are there any games you can play that are totally fun and absolutely ridiculous? You bet! Take a look at the list of the silliest and funniest board games for adults below. Paired with a few drinks and your best pals, they’re sure to be a hit! And if you’re not having an adults-only night, we’ve included plenty of family-friendly games that the kids will love.
The Best Board Games for Adults
- Telestrations After Dark: A Pictionary-style party game where the prompts are rated R.
- Balderdash: A game where players must bluff their way to victory.
- Ruin It: A party game where players have to quickly ruin a topic in 4 words or less.
- Incohearent: A card game where players try to decipher gibberish.
Steps
Hilarious Board Games for Adults
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1Off Topic In Off Topic , nothing is off limits! This hilarious adult party game starts by players drawing a card to set the topic. Then, players roll a die to determine what letter their responses must start with. After that, it’s a race against time to fill in the prompts.
- Players: 2-8
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 15+
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2Balderdash Balderdash is a hilarious game for adults and teens all about lies and manipulation. In this game, players have to bluff their way to the finish line. Players make up creative descriptions of celebrities, laws, words, and movies. Then, the other players have to guess if they’re bluffing or being totally serious.
- Players: 2-6
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Age: 12+
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3Superfight In Superfight , the player who fights the hardest wins! This card game centers around outrageous events and scenarios. You compete against other players to see who would win in a fight. For instance, would a killer clown in a skin suit beat a walking Dracula?
- Players: 3+
- Duration: 15-30 minutes
- Age: 17+
- This card game has multiple themes and decks to choose from! Opt for The Mythology Deck or The Con Deck to see some of your favorite mythological creatures or superheroes.
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4What the Blank? In What the Blank? , you’re tasked with filling in a blank in the most inappropriate way possible. This card game is perfect for large adult parties where there may or may not be some drinking involved. One player is put in the “hot seat,” while the other players guess what the hot seat player will say for a given prompt.
- Players: 3+
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 18+
- This can be turned into a drinking game by taking a shot every time you make someone laugh. Needless to say, this variation is 21+
EXPERT TIPBoard Game ExpertAshton 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.Plan a game night with friends. Set up a time and place for you and your friends to meet and play a new game. You can even go the extra mile by theming the evening around the game. Serve game-themed drinks and food, or even decorate for the occasion.
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5Ruin It Ruin It is an adult party game where your mission is to ruin a topic! Players pull a topic card and have to ruin the given topic in 4 words or less. The player with the most points at the end wins.
- Players: 3-8
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 17+
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6You Laugh You Drink In You Laugh You Drink , you’re challenged with keeping a straight face no matter how ridiculous things get! This party card game features over 150 hilarious prompts that are sure to make you laugh. You have to do what the card says, but if you laugh, you have to take a drink.
- Players: 3+
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 21+
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7Ransom Notes Ransom Notes puts your creativity to the test! In this game, you’re given a prompt and a bunch of magnet words. Your job is to describe the prompt with the word magnets to create a “ransom note.” The best ransom note wins!
- Players: 3-6
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 17+
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8Telestrations After Dark Telestrations After Dark puts an adult spin on a beloved game of miscommunication. In this version of the game, players pass around sketchbooks for other players to guess and draw in. The difference? The prompts are R-rated!
- Players: 4-8
- Duration: 15 minutes
- Age: 17+
Silly Board Games for Adults
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1Sunken Sailor Sunken Sailor is Pictionary with a twist! In this version of the classic drawing game, players can only draw one line at a time. The picture is passed around, with every player drawing with a different color. The catch? Only one player knows what they’re supposed to be drawing.
- Players: 3-8
- Duration: 20 minutes
- Age: 17+
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2Gloom In Gloom , you control the fate of a Victorian family of misfits. This card game is full of fun twists and outrageous possibilities. The goal is to make the worst things happen to your family. The more unhappy your characters are, the better!
- Players: 2-5
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Age: 13+
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3We Didn’t Playtest This at All In We Didn’t Playtest This at All , there are no rules…except when a card determines them. Each card in the deck has a set of rules players must follow. Every time a player draws a card, the rules of the game change!
- Players: 2-15
- Duration: 1-5 minutes
- Age: 15+
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4Incohearent Incohearent is an adult party game that’ll make you laugh out loud! Players draw cards and have to sound out complete gibberish, trying to guess what the phrase actually means.
- Players: 3-8
- Duration: 20 minutes
- Age: 17+
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5The Game of Things The Game of Things is full of hilarious prompts that’ll make any adult or teen laugh! This party game is full of surprises as players are prompted to write responses to various prompts. Players then must decide who wrote which response to earn points.
- Players: 4+
- Duration: 45 minutes
- Age: 14+
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6First to Worst First to Worst is a card game that puts you in control. Players are tasked with ranking items from first to worst and guessing who ranked what. The game can be played as a family or with friends (and a few drinks).
- Players: 2+
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 15+
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7Boop Boop is not only fun, but super adorable! This 2-player game features cats jumping on a bed. Each player works against the other player to try and get their cats to the other side of the bed. Think of it like checkers but with fluffy kittens.
- Players: 2
- Duration: 20 minutes
- Age: 10+
- Don’t see a board game you like yet? No worries! As board game expert Jess Hamlet puts it, new games are always coming out. You just have to keep an eye out.
Fun Board Games for Couples
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1No Wrong Answers After Dark No Wrong Answers After Dark is a hilarious card game that has couples in mind. Select a card and read the given question out loud. Then, discuss! It’s that easy.
- Players: 2+
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 18+
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2Couples Connection Couples Connection is a card party game perfect for couples of all ages. In this head-to-head game, players try to guess what’s in the other players’ heads, ranking various topics from least to best. It’s a great way to get to know one another better!
- Players: 2+
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 15+
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3SERVD Couples SERVD Couples is a fun card game designed for couples. You and your partner are encouraged to be spontaneous and “take down” each other’s in-game lives. With wild interactive scenarios and outrageous consequences, this game is sure to be a hilarious way to bond.
- Players: 2
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 17+
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4The Ultimate Couples Game The Ultimate Couples Game is described as the newlywed game and Cranium’s baby! In this game, you play against other couples. You have to complete trivia, matching, drawing, and talent challenges as a team to come out victorious.
- Players: 2-12
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 17+
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5Why Don’t We Laugh Together? Why Don’t We Laugh Together? is a hilarious card game for couples that features trivia, games, and talent showcases. Players draw a card to receive a task. The more tasks they successfully complete, the more points they earn.
- Players: 2
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 15+
Family-Friendly Board Games
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1Snake Oil In Snake Oil , you’re tasked with selling the silliest products to fellow players. This party game is fast-paced and perfect for those who don’t play a lot of board games. Simply pick a card, give your best pitch, and see if anyone takes the bait!
- Players: 3-10
- Duration: 20-30 minutes
- Age: 10+
- Playing board games can help bring your family together! According to experts Our Family Plays Games, games build a sense of community .
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2Say Anything: Family Edition In Say Anything: Family Edition , kids and adults can say whatever they want! A question is read to the players, and everyone writes down their answer. Then, the judging player decides which answer they like best.
- Players: 3-6
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 8+
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3Reverse Charades Reverse Charades puts a fun and silly twist on the classic party game. In this version of charades, an entire team of players uses 60 seconds to act out as many words as one person can guess. The game is fast-paced and extremely competitive—perfect for family game night!
- Players: 3+
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 6+
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4Danger The Game Danger The Game is a hilarious card game that puts you in the center of peril. In this game, players must use their imaginations to devise a plan to save the day and rescue a Victim from an absurd situation.
- Players: 3+
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 12+
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5Cranium In Cranium , players are divided into teams to use their brain power! Each team competes by acting, spelling, solving, and drawing different tasks. The team with the most points at the end wins.
- Players: 4+
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 12+
Funny Board Games for Kids
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1Shoot the Poop Shoot the Poop is an interactive game kids will get a kick out of! In this game, players must launch plastic poop into a plastic toilet to earn points. To make it even better, the toilet makes fun and silly noises!
- Players: 2
- Duration: 15 minutes
- Age: 4+
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2Pie Face Pie Face is the interactive, whipped-cream-splattering game every kid loves! In this game, kids take turns clicking a mechanical lever. Each click of the lever brings a hand of whipped cream closer and closer to their face.
- Players: 2+
- Duration: 15 minutes
- Age: 5+
- Make the game even more fun by asking trivia questions! Each wrong answer earns a click.
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3Hurry Up Chicken Butt Hurry Up Chicken Butt is a hot-potato style game that’s super easy and quick to play. Players shake the chicken to see what wacky task they must complete, like spinning around 5 times. Then, they have to complete the task before the timer runs out.
- Players: 2-6
- Duration: 2 minutes
- Age: 4+
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4The #UpsideDownChallenge Game The #UpsideDownChallenge Game puts your skills to the test! In this game, players wear upside-down glasses and try to draw or do basic tasks while seeing the world upside down. The more challenges they complete, the more points they earn.
- Players: 2-6
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 8+
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5Kids Create Absurdity Kids Create Absurdity is a family-friendly card game that kids and adults love! One player reads a question card out loud, and the other players must choose a card from their hand that has the most ridiculous answer. Then, the player who read the question judges which question is the silliest.
- Players: 4-10
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Age: 6+
How to Host a Game Night
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1Pick a date, time, and location. The first step to hosting a game night? Planning! Ask your friends what dates and times work best for them. Then, determine where you’ll meet. As board game expert Ashton Wu advises, be sure the location has enough space and time for you to play the entirety of the game. Once a date and location are agreed on, send out those invites .
- While it’s rare that everyone can clear their schedules, it’s important to take into account when people are free—it helps you be a good host .
- If you’re hosting at home, be sure your house is clean and ready for your guests before they arrive.
- Send invites via text or with digital RSVP platforms like Evite , Poply , and rsvpify .
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2Choose a theme. While planning your party, think, “What games do we want to play? Are we celebrating anything?” Game nights can be whatever you want them to be! You can theme the evening around a specific game or overall theme, like “couples night,” “trivia,” or “mystery.”
- Maybe you’re celebrating a friend’s birthday. Then, choose a theme and/or game that they love.
- Need some theming ideas? Check out our “Creative Game Night Ideas” article for inspiration!
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3Decorate and accessorize based on the theme. Once you have a theme picked out, it’s time to start diving deep into the details. Decorate according to your theme to make your friends feel that much more immersed. You can also have themed food, drinks, and costumes! As Wu says, “it’s like going the extra mile.”
- Know that you don’t have to decorate or be super elaborate with your game night. Even a simple gathering with your pals can be tons of fun!
- As a general rule, always be sure you have food and drink available for your guests—you don’t want anyone to go hungry.