PartyGames
3–10 players
Impostor
A bluffing and deduction game where almost everyone knows the same word. The impostor must blend in, listen closely and work out the secret before the group catches them.
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Pick your next game
16 party games for friends and family
From bluffing and drawing to word games and duels: choose a game for your group size and start without signing up.
2–20 players
Name, Place, Thing
The classic category word game, organised by the app. PartyGames draws a letter, presents the categories and handles scoring while you play on paper around one phone or answer on separate devices.
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1–8 players
Crossword
Pick a puzzle and solve it at your own pace. In an online room everyone works on the same grid in real time, so different players can focus on different clues.
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4–16 players
Forbidden Word
Describe the target while avoiding its most obvious related words. Every hesitation costs time, while a creative clue can earn another point for your team.
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3, 6, 9 or 12 players
Trio Sync
Two teammates build a clue by alternating one word at a time; the third tries to connect the idea and find the target. Good chemistry matters more than speed.
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2–20 players
Who Am I?
Hold the screen to your forehead without looking. Everyone else can see who or what you are and may answer your questions only with yes, no or maybe.
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3–20 players
Charades
One player sees the word and must communicate it using only body movement, facial expressions and gestures. Everyone else can call out guesses freely.
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1–20 players
Would You Rather
Every question offers two possibilities. Choose on instinct and discover where your friends stand; the final percentages turn each result into a conversation.
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3–20 players
Most Likely To
A prompt describes something surprising, brave or funny. Everyone votes for one person, and the result gives the most popular choice a memorable title.
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3–12 players
The Spy
The group shares a secret word while the spy knows only its category. Questions must prove that you understand the answer without revealing too much to the person listening.
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3–16 players
Doodle Guess
Drawing skill is optional — strange interpretations are half the fun. The phone shows the word while paper or a whiteboard becomes the playing surface.
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2 players
Duel
Two players, two secrets and a chain of questions. In word mode the first correct guess wins; in number mode the closest estimate takes the round.
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2 players
Tic-Tac-Toe
The classic 3×3 grid game, always ready for a rematch. PartyGames chooses the first player and alternates who starts subsequent rounds.
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2–10 players
Word Wheel
Spin the wheel, choose a consonant and multiply the value by every match in the phrase. Buy vowels, solve at the right moment and move your winnings into the bank.
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1–20 players
Word in Bloom
A cooperative word challenge without gloomy imagery: every mistake drops a petal. The group must find the answer before the flower is empty.
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2–20 players
Against the Grain
Name a sea: easy. Name one nobody else thinks of: that’s the game. In Against the Grain, a correct answer is worth more the fewer people have given it before you.
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How to choose
Which game is right for you tonight?
Sixteen games is a lot to choose from: here is how to narrow it down, depending on how many of you there are, the mood you are after and who is sitting round the table.
Start with how many of you there are
The number of people is the first filter, because some games need a group to work and others were made for a one-on-one challenge.
Two of you
Duel and Tic-Tac-Toe are designed for exactly two players. Name, Place, Thing, Who Am I? and Word Wheel also work well with two, while Crossword, Would You Rather and Word in Bloom can even be played on your own. We go into more detail in the guide to games for two people.
Three to eight people
This is the ideal size for hidden-role games such as Impostor and The Spy: enough people to muddy the waters, but not so many that a round of clues drags on. With three, six, nine or twelve players you can form one or more teams for Trio Sync.
Big groups
Once you are past ten or so, it pays to choose games where everyone takes part at the same time: Charades, Most Likely To, Would You Rather and Name, Place, Thing go up to twenty players, and Forbidden Word up to sixteen split into teams. There are more tips in the guide to games for large groups.
Then pick the mood
- Bluffing and suspicion. Impostor and The Spy pit one person against the rest of the group: you listen, you accuse, you vote. If you are not sure which of the two to try, read about the differences between Impostor and The Spy.
- Words against the clock. Name, Place, Thing, Forbidden Word and Trio Sync reward quick thinking and a good vocabulary, with the timer cranking up the tension.
- Movement and laughter. In Charades you act without speaking, in Doodle Guess you draw, and in Who Am I?, when you play on a single phone, you hold it up to your forehead: these are the noisiest games in the collection.
- Conversation. Would You Rather and Most Likely To have no right answers: they are there to get people talking, and they work well round the dinner table.
- A gentler pace. Crossword, Word in Bloom and Word Wheel let you take your time (the first two can even be played with everyone on the same side) and suit the end of the evening or a family afternoon.
- Head to head. Duel and Tic-Tac-Toe are short and lend themselves to an instant rematch.
Finally, look at who is round the table
With young children, the games that work best are the ones where they can team up with an adult and nobody is left out: Charades, Doodle Guess and Word in Bloom, which is cooperative in “All together” mode. Most Likely To is at its best among people who know each other well, whereas with a group that has only just met it is easier to start with Would You Rather or a team game. You will find ideas for every age in the guide to family games.
All sixteen games can be played on a single phone passed from hand to hand, even without a connection (except Against the Grain, which needs the internet), or in an online room where everyone uses their own phone. A room is useful when there is secret information to check often, or when you are playing at a distance.
All the games at a glance
| Game | Players | Length | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impostor | 3–10 | 10–20 minutes | Clues and bluffing: find who doesn’t know the word |
| Name, Place, Thing | 2–20 | 15–30 minutes | Words for each category starting with the drawn letter |
| Crossword | 1–8 | flexible length | Crossword puzzles, on your own or together |
| Forbidden Word | 4–16 | 10–20 minutes | Get others to guess a word without saying the banned ones |
| Trio Sync | 3, 6, 9 or 12 | 10–20 minutes | Two clue-givers, one word each, a third player guesses |
| Who Am I? | 2–20 | 10–15 minutes | Yes-or-no questions to find out who or what you are |
| Charades | 3–20 | 10–20 minutes | Act out a word with no voice and no sounds |
| Would You Rather | 1–20 | 5–20 minutes | Two-way dilemmas and the group’s percentages |
| Most Likely To | 3–20 | 10–20 minutes | Vote for who in the group would do a certain thing |
| The Spy | 3–12 | 10–20 minutes | Chain questions to unmask the spy |
| Doodle Guess | 3–16 | 10–20 minutes | Draw a word for the others to guess |
| Duel | 2 | 5–10 minutes | Guess your opponent’s secret by asking questions |
| Tic-Tac-Toe | 2 | 2–5 minutes | Line up three symbols on the 3×3 grid |
| Word Wheel | 2–10 | 15–30 minutes | Wheel, consonants and vowels to solve the phrase |
| Word in Bloom | 1–20 | 10–20 minutes | Guess the word letter by letter before the petals fall |
| Against the Grain | 2–20 | 5–15 minutes | Finding the right answer nobody else thinks of |
Picked one? Let’s play.
Open PartyGames in your browser or download the Android app.