26 Incredibly Simple Party Games That Are Fun At Any Age

The family that plays together stays together. Here's some entertainment for your next gathering.

Look, sometimes you run out of things to talk about with your friends/family/significant other, and that's okay! It doesn't mean you're not enjoying each other's company, just that you've covered everything you might need/want to tell them.

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And sometimes there are kids in the room, which means that certain topics of conversation are off the table as well. 

But never fear! Party games can bring the life back into any gathering, be it a house party or Thanksgiving dinner. Here's a list of great ones you can play any time:

1. Sticker Stalker

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A sneaky game that you can play over the course of an entire party. Everyone has some stickers — the challenge is to stick them on people without their noticing. Get stealthy and use up all of your stickers first to win. Full instructions here.

2. Likes and Dislikes

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Each person at the party writes down their likes and dislikes on index cards or slips of paper. Can you figure out who wrote what? Full instructions here.

3. React and Act

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For a group of partygoers who enjoy getting theatrical. Everyone brainstorms a ton of different events to react to (seeing your favorite celebrity on the street, discovering a viper under your bed, biting into a sandwich only to find a finger) then writes them down and pops them into a hat. Participants will draw one of the events from the hat and react to it while everyone else attempts to guess what on Earth they're screaming or fainting about. Full instructions here.

4. Giants, Wizards, Elves

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Like Rock, Paper, Scissors but 10 million times more fun. A marvelous choice to play with a group including young children and adults: Everyone can join in! Full instructions here.

5. Laughing Game

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Who can keep a straight face for the longest period of time when everyone is saying, "Ha," "Ho," and "Hee"? Full instructions here.

6. Newlywed Game (Family Edition)

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Break into pairs (cousins, father and son, niece and aunt) and see how well you know your family. Full instructions here.

7. Sing Song Ping Pong

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You may not be able to play this quite as well as the Barden Bellas from Pitch Perfect, but a more low-key (and off-key) version of the game is just as fun. Full instructions here.

8. The Mummy

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Grab some toilet paper and start making a mummy — fast! Faster than the other teams! Go! Go! Go! Full instructions here.

9. Great Wind Blows

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"The great wind blows for everyone who loves guacamole." "The great wind blows for everyone who secretly enjoys picking their nose." You get up and rush to find a new seat whenever you fit the description. Full instructions here.

10. Partners in Pen

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Break into pairs and sit back to back with your "partner in pen." One person has a drawing instrument and some paper and the other has a bag full of odd objects from around the house. Person Two describes the object to the drawer who then sketches the description. Can they guess what they're drawing? Full instructions here.

11. Musical Chairs

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You probably haven't played since you were a child and that is tragic. It's still fun! Especially if you amend the rules to allow sitting on top of other people (as long as your feet are off the floor). Full instructions here.

12. Family History Charades

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Traditional charades... only with moments from your family history. Full instructions here.

13. Draw & Write

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Known as "The Best Game To Play With Your Family Over The Holidays," this one is kind of like Telephone (only with drawing and writing instead of whispering). Full instructions here.

14. Dancing Chain

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Person One wiggles their hips. Person Two does the hip wiggle and adds some jazz hands. Person Three hip wiggles, goes jazz hands crazy, and flaps their arms like a chicken. Person Four, well... you get the picture. Full instructions here.

15. Two Truths and a Lie

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Each person at the party takes turns telling two truths and a lie while everyone else tries to surmise which one is which. Full instructions here.

16. The Oinking Game

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Can you recognize someone just by the sound of their oink? Full instructions here.

17. Things

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One person makes a "things" statement (for instance, "Things That Make You Smile") and everyone else writes down an example on a piece of paper. The answers are collected and read aloud and everyone tries to guess who wrote what. Full instructions here.

18. Freeze Dance

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Pick out some tunes and dance away until it's time to FREEZE. If you don't freeze you're eliminated and if you're the last person on the dance floor? Well, you have very good reflexes and you're the winner. Congrats! Full instructions here.

19. King Elephant

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A rhythm game that's great for large groups of people. Lots of silly fun making animal gestures to a beat. Full instructions here.

20. Addams Family

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Important note: You can only play this one if there is at least one person who doesn't know the rules. The person who doesn't know the rules steps into the circle. Someone sings the Addams Family theme song and says, "Welcome to the Addams Family. To become one of us, you must perform until we applaud." The Addams Family copies whatever the player does, and the game ends when the player realizes this and claps so the Addams Family copies.

21. Press Conference

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One person is sent out of the room and everyone else decides who that person has to pretend to be. Then the chosen person comes back inside and everyone else asks questions that would be appropriate to the person they are supposed to be. Full instructions here.

22. Who Am I?

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Each player writes the name of a famous person on a card or piece of paper. The card is then given facedown to another player. Each player holds up their card and asks yes or no questions about themselves in an effort to find out who the heck they are. Full instructions here.

23. 20 Questions

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One player picks an item, and everyone else has 20 yes or no questions to figure out what that item is. Sounds simple? You'd be surprised. Full instructions here.

24. Jinx Challenge

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25. Don't Say Yes or No

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The objective is to go as long as possible without answering any questions with yes or no. It's a lot harder than it sounds. Full instructions here.

26. Psychiatrist

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One person is the doctor, and everyone else in the room has the same problem. The psychiatrist takes turns questioning different people in the game until they think they can guess what the group's problem is. Full instructions here.

Looking for party games perfect for big groups? We've got you covered.

And before you head off to play those games, check out this video!

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