Adult Birthday Party Games: 20 That Grown-Ups Actually Play

The problem with adult party games isn't the games, it's the launch. Announce 'right, we're playing a game' to a room of thirty-somethings holding drinks and you'll watch half of them find the kitchen.

These all start without an announcement, run in under fifteen minutes, and work whether people are drinking or not.

Games that start themselves

• Post-it foreheads - a name on a sticky note on each arrival's forehead, yes-or-no questions only. Runs quietly all night.
• Two truths and a lie - one round per person as people sit down to eat. No equipment, no setup.
• Guess the baby photo - ask guests to send one in advance, number them on a wall, everyone writes their answers on a scrap of paper.
• The name game - a bowl of folded names, three rounds: describe, one word, mime. The best party game ever invented and it costs nothing.
• Who am I bingo - a grid of 'has been skydiving', 'has never seen Titanic', find the person who matches.

Team games for a bigger crowd

• A short quiz about the birthday person - ten questions, teams of four, a prize that's a bar of chocolate.
• Articulate or Heads Up in teams - two minutes per round, everyone shouting.
• Mr and Mrs style Q&A, adapted - the birthday person answers about their partner, best friend or sibling in front of everyone.
• Pictionary on a big pad - stick it on an easel or a wall, one pen, no board needed.
• Beat the intro - thirty song clips, teams write answers down. Easiest game to build from a phone and a speaker.

Drink-optional games that don't force anyone

• Never have I ever with fingers, not shots - ten fingers up, drop one per admission. Keeps the non-drinkers in.
• Most likely to - point on three. Fast, funny, over in ten minutes.
• The stacking game (Jenga) with prompts written on the blocks - answer or lose your turn.
• Ring of fire with the rule that any drink counts, soft or otherwise.
• Cards Against Humanity if you know your crowd, and only if you know your crowd.

Games for a quieter, older group

• Call My Bluff with obscure words - three definitions, one true.
• The decade round - a quiz on the year they were born, using real headlines and number ones.
• Guess the price - old adverts or a 1970s catalogue page, guess what the items cost then.
• Dominoes or Rummikub in the corner for whoever drifts that way. Not everyone wants a game with shouting.
• A memory round - each guest contributes one story about the birthday person, read out anonymously, everyone guesses who wrote it.

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How to write it so it lands

• Prepare one game properly and keep two no-equipment games in your back pocket.
• Put the game near the food and drink, never in a separate room.
• Name a host who isn't the birthday person - they should be enjoying it, not explaining rules.

Where to shop next

• Birthdays hub
• Milestone birthday party games
• Teen and tween birthday party games
• Toddler party games (2-4s)
• Games for a party with 4-6 guests
• Games for a small house or flat
• Games for a hall or garden hire
• No prep, no equipment party games
• Games for a party where parents stay
• Games for a birthday meal at a table
• Kids' party games by age
• Charades word lists
• Board games hub
• Birthday party ideas
• Free feel good tools
• Shop birthday cards
• Birthday badges & party pins
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Party bag ideas for adults
• How much helium do you need for balloons?
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

How do you get adults to actually join in with party games?

Don't announce it. Start a game with two or three people near the food and let it spread, or run something passive like post-it foreheads that people join as they arrive. Games that need everyone to stop and sit down almost always die.

How long should an adult party game last?

Ten to fifteen minutes each, with gaps between. Two or three short games across an evening beats one long one, and it lets people who hate games opt out of one without opting out of the night.

What are good adult party games that don't involve drinking?

The name game, post-it foreheads, guess the baby photo, a quiz about the birthday person and beat the intro all work exactly the same sober. Use fingers rather than drinks for 'never have I ever' so nobody is singled out.

What prizes work for an adult party?

Cheap and funny beats expensive. A bar of chocolate, a scratch card, a bottle of supermarket fizz or a joke trophy. Nobody plays harder for a £20 prize than they do for a Twix.

Do you sell party games or party supplies?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK - the games here are simply what we'd suggest to a friend, and they need little or nothing to run. The cards on this page are ours.