30 Best Party Games for Adults: Christmas & Halloween Ideas
2024-08-15
30 Best Party Games for Adults: Indoor, Funny & Seasonal Ideas
The secret to a great gathering isn’t just delicious food and drinks; it’s the games that bring people together. Choosing the right party games for adult parties ensures laughter, bonding, and unforgettable moments.
Whether you’re hosting a cosy dinner, a lively birthday, or a festive celebration, these fun games for parties for adults will make the night memorable.
Indoor Party Games for Adults
1. Scavenger Hunt
How to play: Guests receive a list of objects to find within a set time, often ten minutes. The harder the object, the more points it’s worth, and the player with the highest total wins. This is one of the most engaging indoor party games for adults.
Materials: paper, pens, and a list of items.
Tip: add unusual or funny objects to make it more challenging.
2. Face the Cookie Challenge
How to play: Players place a cookie on their forehead and, without using their hands, must wiggle it into their mouth. The first to eat their cookie wins. It’s one of the fun party games for adults.
Materials: one cookie per player.
Tip: Use a stopwatch for added excitement.
*Photo by Outscord
3. Memory Game
How to play: Ten items are placed on a table and covered after thirty seconds of viewing. Players must recall as many as possible, with the most correct answers winning. A great choice for dinner party games for adults.
Materials: ten items and a cloth.
Tip: Rotate items each round to keep it fresh.
4. Telephone Pictionary
How to play: Each player writes a phrase, which is passed to the next person to draw. The next writes a description of that drawing, and the cycle continues. The results are often hilarious and unrecognisable.
Materials: paper and pens.
Tip: play with at least six people for maximum fun.
5. Two Truths and a Lie
How to play: Each player shares three statements, two true and one false. The group guesses which is the lie, sparking conversation and laughter.
Materials: none.
Tip: Encourage unusual facts to make it funnier.
Funny Party Games for Adults
6. Hot Ones Challenge
How to play: Players eat chicken wings in order of spice level. Anyone who quits is out, and the last person remaining wins. This fiery option is one of the boldest funny party games for adults.
Materials: chicken wings and hot sauces.
Tip: keep milk handy for those who can’t handle the heat.
7. Guess the Beverage
How to play: Blindfolded players taste drinks and must guess what they are. The one with the most correct answers wins, making it an entertaining game party for adults.
Materials: blindfolds and assorted drinks.
Tip: mix soft and alcoholic drinks for extra laughs.
8. Press Conference
How to play: One player secretly takes on the role of a celebrity or character. The rest act as reporters asking questions until they figure it out.
Materials: none.
Tip: Pick well-known personalities for quicker guesses.
9. Thumper
How to play: Guests sit in a circle and invent hand gestures. The first performs their gesture and someone else’s, who then repeats theirs and passes it on. Hesitations result in elimination.
Materials: none.
Tip: add silly penalties for mistakes.
10. Dance Freeze
How to play: Everyone dances while music plays and freezes when it stops. Anyone caught moving is out, and the last standing wins.
Materials: music and speakers.
Tip: play upbeat songs to raise the energy.
Good Party Games for Adult Groups
11. Mafia
How to play: Players are secretly assigned roles as mafia, townsfolk, or police. The mafia eliminates others while the police and townsfolk work to identify them. The last side standing wins.
Materials: slips of paper or cards.
Tip: works best with eight or more people.
12. Charades
How to play: Teams act out phrases or words while others guess. A timer makes it more competitive. This is one of the most classic good party games for adults.
Materials: paper slips with words or phrases.
Tip: add themes like films or jobs for variety.
13. Heads Up!
How to play: One player holds a word card (or phone app) on their forehead while others give clues. They must guess before time runs out.
Materials: cards or Heads Up app.
Tip: use themed decks for extra fun.
14. Twenty Questions
How to play: One player thinks of a person, place, or thing. The others have twenty yes/no questions to guess correctly.
Materials: none.
Tip: start with broad questions, then narrow down.
15. Musical Chairs
How to play: Arrange chairs in a circle, always one less than the number of players. Music plays until it stops, and everyone scrambles for a seat. The person left standing is out.
Materials: chairs and music.
Tip: add dares for those eliminated to keep it fun.
New & Unique Party Games for Adults
16. Flip Tac Toe
How to play: Flip Tac Toe combines Tic Tac Toe with cup flipping. A 3×3 grid is marked on a table, and players flip cups onto it. When a cup lands upright, the player claims a square. The first to get three in a row wins.
Materials: nine cups and masking tape.
Tip: tape the cups down outdoors to stop them blowing away.
*Photo by Outscord
17. Walker Bottle
How to play: Two players flip a bottle, in 60 seconds, and each successful landing pushes it toward the opponent’s side of the table. The first to push it past the finish line wins.
Materials: one plastic bottle.
Tip: mark start and finish lines for clarity.
*Photo by Outscord
18. Ping Tac Toe
How to play: Nine cups are arranged in a 3×3 grid, and players throw ping pong balls to claim squares. The first to line up three in a row wins.
Materials: nine cups and ping pong balls.
Tip: weigh the cups with water to stop them tipping.
*Photo by Outscord
19. Bottle Bomb
How to play: Players flip bottles in turn. If one lands upright, the player assigns a dare or penalty to someone else, keeping the game unpredictable.
Materials: plastic bottles and written dares.
Tip: Prepare dares in advance to keep it moving.
20. Balloon Cup
How to play: Each player has a balloon and a cup, keeping the balloon in the air using only the cup. The last person with their balloon aloft wins.
Materials: balloons and cups.
Tip: Use larger balloons for longer rounds.
21. Flip Stack
How to play: Players flip cups until they land upright, stacking them into a tower. The first to finish their stack without it collapsing wins.
Materials: ten or more cups.
Tip: decide the target stack size before starting.
22. Balloon Pyramid
How to play: Teams blow up balloons and balance cups into pyramid shapes. The tallest or most stable pyramid within the time limit wins.
Materials: balloons and cups.
Tip: Try “one-hand only” rules for added chaos.
23. Combo Cups
How to play: Players complete a sequence of cup flips and stacks, such as flipping two, stacking three, and flipping again, until finished. The first player to complete the sequence wins.
Materials: several cups per player.
Tip: add more steps to make it more challenging.
Christmas Party Games for Adults
24. Funny Christmas Charades
How to play: Guests act out festive themes like Santa, elves, or decorating a tree while their team guesses.
Materials: slips of paper with festive ideas.
Tip: include film and song titles for variety.
25. Christmas Trivia Quiz
How to play: Split guests into teams and ask holiday-themed questions about films, songs, and traditions. The team with the most points wins.
Materials: trivia questions and score sheets.
Tip: offer small prizes for winners.
26. Guess the Gift
How to play: Wrap small objects in boxes and let players shake and guess the contents before opening. The best guesses win.
Materials: wrapped boxes with objects inside.
Tip: Use multiple layers of wrapping for added suspense.
Halloween Party Games for Adults
27. Pumpkin Bowling
How to play: Use small pumpkins as bowling balls and bottles as pins. Guests roll pumpkins to knock over as many pins as possible.
Materials: small pumpkins and plastic bottles.
Tip: Decorate the bottles like ghosts for Halloween flair.
28. Mummy Wrap Race
How to play: Teams race to wrap one member completely in toilet paper, creating a mummy. The neatest or fastest team wins.
Materials: rolls of toilet paper.
Tip: Set a strict time limit for extra chaos.
29. Scary Story Circle
How to play: Guests sit in a circle and build a scary story together, each adding a twist. The story continues until it comes full circle.
Materials: none.
Tip: dim the lights to set the spooky mood.
Classic Conversation Game
30. Never Have I Ever
How to play: Players take turns saying “Never have I ever…” followed by something they haven’t done. Anyone who has must drink or lose a point. The revelations make it one of the funniest dinner party games for adults.
Materials: none (optional drinks).
Tip: keep it light-hearted so everyone enjoys playing.
Final Thoughts
From nostalgic classics like Charades and Musical Chairs to modern challenges such as Combo Cups, Bottle Bomb, and Balloon Pyramid, this list of 30 best party games for adults has something for every occasion. Whether it’s a cosy dinner with indoor party games for adults, festive fun with funny Christmas party games for adults, or spooky laughs with Halloween party games for adults, these games guarantee connection, energy, and plenty of laughter.
