17 Fun Party Games That Are Perfect For Big Groups

Party games: the other social lubricant.

1. The Hot Seat, which lets you fulfill your fantasy of being a guest on a late night show (basically).

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How to play: One person's in the hot seat each round, and has to answer a question about themselves (like "What's the strangest thing I've ever boought online?"). All the other players also have to answer as the person in the hot seat. Hilarity (and possibly hurt feelings?) ensues.

Number of players: 4–10

Promising review: "AWESOMELY HILARIOUS!!! Played tonight with our adult children. Just when you think you know who the obvious answer is... SURPRISE!!!" —michelle kumpe

Get it from Amazon for $13.59.

2. Codenames, a game of word association and light espionage.

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How to play: Two teams compete to figure out the assigned codenames of everyone on their teams, while avoiding guessing the names of the other team's agents.

Number of players: 2–8+

Promising review: "This is the most fun game our family has found in quite a while! We played it on Christmas Eve before opening presents, and I had a hard time getting everyone to stop playing long enough to get to the presents. They kept begging for just one more game. They were loud and raucous, totally involved. We have also played with only a few people, and this game is still fun. Highly, highly recommend Codenames!!" —Janet

Get it from Amazon for $12.39.

3. Superfight, the game that forces you to defend your firmly held beliefs about who would win in various fights.

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How to play: Combine a character card ("kindergarten class", "the Illuminati") with attribute cards ("is really hangry", "can fly if nobody's watching") to create the ultimate fighter. Defend your ultimate fighter in a head-to-head (or card-to-card) battle with another player. The rest of the players will vote on who made the best case, so there's high potential for screaming.

Number of players: 3–10

Promising review: "We gave this to our 16-year-old son for Christmas, but the whole family had a great time playing it. Excellent game for people who are verbally quick and witty, and maybe slightly mean. The point of the game is to argue about whose character would win in a fight to the death. One of my characters was a three-storey-tall pet rock with two extra legs. it was really fun to try to think up all the reasons my character was better than my opponents. Great game for teenagers, debaters, families, and groups of friends" —Chris Berg

Get it from Amazon for $29.95.

4. The Metagame, which bills itself as "the ultimate cure for awkward silences".

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How to play: The Metagame is comprised of 200 culture cards ("featuring civilization's greatest achievements. Like the Mona Lisa. Or Ms. Pac­Man.") and 100 opinion cards ("that say things like 'Which feels like first love?' or 'Which is a sign of the apocalypse?'"). There are six separate games you can play with the cards, including Debate Club (where you have to argue for your card) and Massively Multiplayer Metagame (which can be played with an indefinite number of people).

Number of players: 2–50

Promising review: "Bought this game for my parents for Christmas. It's much less vulgar than Cards Against Humanity and so much more fun. We loved that there are different game types so once we got bored with one, we could just move on to a different one." —Joedrummer

Get it from Amazon for $25.

5. What Do You Meme, because chances are you'd rather be looking at memes than socializing at this theoretical party anyway.

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How to play: Pair caption cards with photo cards to make the best meme (as judged by a different player every round).

Number of players: 3–20

Promising review: "This game is a priceless addition to game nights with friends. The cards included are witty and appropriately meme-ish. As a comment to anyone looking to buy this, this is definitely not a game for children (unless you take out some specific cards) and is at a same level of adult content as Cards Against Humanity. I thoroughly enjoy it and look forward to potential expansions of new photo cards if provided by the creator." —Alex Coppolo

Get it from Amazon for $29.97.

6. Joking Hazard, which lets you DIY highly dysfunctional comics.

amazon.com, Explosm Entertainment / YouTube / Via youtube.com

How to play: Complete hilarious and tasteless comic panels for the judgement of your peers.

Number of players: 3–10

Promising review: "No one likes the awkward holiday arguments over politics and "when are you getting married?" I avoided those conversations completely this Christmas by gifting Joking Hazard. My whole family (the grown ups, anyway) had a great time and laughed our asses off. Easy to learn and play, and no knowledge of the comic is required. " —Jenn

Get it from Amazon for $25.

7. Game of Phones, a game that lets you exercise your favorite appendage—your smartphone.

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How to play: The cards give you tasks you can complete on your cell phone—create Emoji art, find your best selfie, etc.

Number of players: 3+

Promising review: "My entire family enjoyed playing this game over the holidays. I have two high schoolers and they enjoyed the game as much as the adults." —Mama Bear

Get it from Uncommon Goods for $20.

8. The Game of Things, which combines creativity and friend-pigeonholing.

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How to play: Everybody writes down their answers to questions ("Things you shouldn't do naked," for one), and then the group guesses who wrote what.

Number of players: 4+

Promising review: "Fun game for all ages. I have played it with a group of girlfriends and with family. We laughed until we cried. Good for all ages. You can control the content based on your answers. I'm very happy with this purchase." —Kelli Manford

Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in two versions).

9. Drunk Stoned or Stupid, the game most likely call you and your friends on your shit.

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How to play: The judge picks a card (they say things like "shame people for going to bed" or "sings but shouldn't"—no winning qualities here) and hands it to the person on their left, who gives the card to the player they think best embodies its characteristic. The person with the fewest cards at the end wins (at the game, and also maybe at life). Note: the game doesn't actually have anything to do with being drunk or stoned.

Number of players: The more, the better!

Promising review: "We played this at our department Christmas party and had a blast! We all laughed so hard and it was hours of fun. But, it is best when you play with a large group, who know each other very well, and aren't afraid to call each other out. I bought the expansion pack so that we have even more cards for next time." —Jennifer Lubbers

Get it from Amazon for $18.

10. CatchPhrase, a handheld game that benefits the quick-witted (and quick shouters).

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How to play: Players divide into two teams. One player at a time tries to get their team to guess the word or phrase that appears on the game's little screen (without actually saying the word, obviously).

Number of players: 4+

Promising review: "The game made a big hit with the family. Teams can be as large as you want and of any age. We had all generations participate and had the most hysterically fun time playing. And, it has the great side effect of forcing you to communicate using real words and descriptions." —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $42.67.

11. One-Night Ultimate Werewolf, which will pit man against mythical beast, and friend against friend.

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How to play: Every player is assigned a (secret) role (including Werewolf, Seer, and Troublemaker), and everyone falls into on of two teams: Villager or Werewolf. A free app walks everyone through the "night phase" (that's when the Werewolf stalks its prey), and then everyone tried to figure out who the Werewolf is.

Number of players: 3–10

Promising review: "This is one of the best party games in existence. Sure, you have to download an app on your phone to make it work, but the level of interaction between members and the varied differences in play make this a game to play over, and over, and over again. If you forced me to get rid of my board games collection and save only one game, this might be the one!" —fermat200pg

Get it from Amazon for $24.94.

12. Spontuneous, which requires singing—or shouting—but not musical talent.

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How to play: Each round, players have to blurt out a song containing a given word. The fastest blurter wins.

Number of players: 4–10

Promising review: "This game has excellent, clear directions and is easy to play. We played last night with 8 family members and it was an easy party game with everyone staying actively involved. The description was great. I was expecting to have a list of words included but was surprised to find players make their own word list - I think that allows a LOT more flexibility in playing and the owner won't get bored playing the same word list over and over again! I'd recommend it!" —Elizabeth

Get it from Amazon for $29.99.

13. Double Ditto, which encourages synchronized thinking.

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How to play: Each round, the Ditto Master (lol) reads out a card ("dog breeds," "candy bars," "things you see at the beach"), and players write two responses. The goal is write things you think another player will write.

Number of players: 4–10+

Promising review: "Creative game :) It's really fun to play with family and friends as shows how different your thinking can change according to your age/ background and stuff. It was really good! I'm not a native English speaker and I find this game easy to understand and play." —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $24.95.

14. Cards Against Humanity, the gold standard of hilarious, tasteless party games.

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How to play: Players each have a hand of white cards, which they use to fill in blanks or answer questions posed by black cards. Funniest answer wins. Guaranteed to get weird.

Number of players: 4+

Promising review: "This game has got to be the funniest game I've played in a while. I played it with friends at a BBQ and it was a huge hit. WOULD DEFINITELY not recommend playing around children though, the cards are funny, but not intended for little ones..." —Angel Lueras

Get it from Amazon for $29.

15. LCR: Left Center Right will get your game night rolling. Players roll dice to see where to move their chips, and the last player with chips wins.

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The game includes three speciality marked cubes, 24 chips, and instructions. It's recommended for ages 5 and up.

Promising review: "This game is so much fun! The more people the better. I was introduced to it in a hospitality suite at a professional conference. Needless to say, it sure was an icebreaker! We made things a little more interesting and each person played with $3 (rather than the enclosed chips), and the pot was substantial. I also lent it to a friend to take on vacation with her young nieces and nephews. It was a hit for a rainy day at the beach." —KD

Get it from Amazon for $8.47.

16. HedBanz is the G-rated version of that Diversity Day episode of The Office: You wear a card on your head and ask yes-or-no questions to figure out if you're an animal, food, or man-made object.

Amazon

The premise is simple, but it's fun for families. You have one minute to guess. It's recommended for ages 5 and up and for two to six players.

Promising review: "This game is so much fun! I played with friends and their kids once before. I opted to buy the adult version for my spouse, and it was nowhere near as fun as this one. The kid game is perfect for all ages. It’s a great ice breaker game and gets people talking. I often bring this to parties and everyone quickly becomes friends. :D" —Jim

Get it from Amazon for $12.99. 

17. Cards Against Humanity has more than 29,000 five-star reviews, so you know it's worth it to indulge the horrible people you and your friends are.

Amazon

This game rose to popularity and rose fast. It has a simple concept, but is not for the faint of heart (and might not be the best to play with your parents, take my word for it...). This new version has more than 150 new cards. One person asks a question from a black card and everyone else plays a white card with their funniest answer. The person with the most black cards at the end of the game wins funniest friend. Recommended for ages 17 and up. Plus, don't forget to stock up on expansion packs to keep the game fresh forever!

Promising review: "As long as you are playing with people that you know that won't be offended by anything that may come up in the cards, this game is great. There are several times during a game that you will laugh until you nearly cry. The only negative is that some overly sensitive people may have some issues with statements on cards. This is an adults-only game." —Jody D.

Get it from Amazon for $25.

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The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.

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