Old fashioned party games

Old party games survive because they need nothing: no app, no batteries, no wifi, and no one under eight has ever asked for a refund.

Thirty below with the actual rules, grouped by who's playing. Most need a chair, a bit of music and someone willing to be in charge.

Games for young children

• Pass the parcel - one layer per child, one small prize between each. Stop the music so everyone unwraps once; that rule prevents most of the crying.
• Musical statues - freeze when the music stops. The judge should be ruthless and obviously biased. It's part of it.
• Musical bumps - same, but sit down instead. Last one down is out. Faster to run, louder to watch.
• Sleeping lions - everyone lies still, one person tries to make them laugh without touching. Buys parents ten minutes of quiet.
• Duck duck goose - circle, tap heads, run. Works from three years old and needs nothing but floor space.
• What's the time Mr Wolf? - one wolf, everyone else creeps. "Dinner time!" and it's a chase. Best played in a garden.
• Pin the tail on the donkey - blindfold, spin, stick. Draw your own donkey and it's funnier.
• Simon says - the classic listening game. Adults lose faster than children, every time.
• Corners - four numbered corners, caller shouts a number, that corner's out. Good for burning off cake energy.
• Hot potato - pass a cushion round to music. Whoever's holding it when it stops is out.

Games for family gatherings

• Charades - two teams, act out a film or book, no talking. Set a two-minute timer or Christmas disappears.
• Who am I? - a name stuck to each forehead, yes/no questions only. Best game ever invented for a dinner table.
• The chocolate game - dice, hat, scarf, gloves, knife and fork. Roll a six, dress up, eat chocolate one square at a time until someone else rolls a six.
• Consequences - fold the paper, pass it on, read the nonsense out at the end. Free and reliably filthy-adjacent without ever being rude.
• Wink murder - one murderer winks, victims die theatrically, detective guesses. The dying is the entertainment.
• The memory tray - twenty objects on a tray, one minute to look, then covered. Most remembered wins.
• Twenty questions - one person thinks of an object, everyone else has twenty yes/no questions.
• Chinese whispers - a sentence round a circle. The longer the circle, the better the payoff.
• Are you there Moriarty? - blindfolded, rolled newspapers, lying on the floor. Sounds odd, always the loudest ten minutes.
• The name game - name a famous person, next player names one starting with the last letter of that surname. No repeats.

Games for adult parties

• Mr and Mrs - questions asked separately, answers compared publicly. The standard engagement and hen party game.
• The post-it game - a name on each forehead, work out who you are. Same as Who Am I? with more prosecco.
• Empires - everyone writes a famous name, guess who has what, absorb them into your team. Long, brilliant, needs a good host.
• Ibble dibble - a candle, a cork and increasingly complicated counting. Traditionally results in soot on faces.
• The pass the orange relay - chin to chin, no hands, two teams. Guaranteed photos.
• Beetle drive - roll dice to draw a beetle, part by part. Old church-hall classic and weirdly addictive.
• Play your cards right - higher or lower with a big deck. Zero skill, maximum shouting.
• The hat game - three rounds with the same names: describe, one word, mime. The best party game there is.
• Blind taste test - crisps, biscuits or supermarket own-brand wine. Cheap and mildly humiliating.
• Heads or tails - everyone stands, hands on head or bottom, host flips a coin. Fastest way to give out a prize to fifty people.

Prizes and forfeits that work

• Small and daft beats big and expensive. A pin badge, a bar of chocolate, a bag of sweets.
• One prize per child at a kids' party, no exceptions. The winner gets the glory, everyone gets the bag.
• Forfeits should be silly, never embarrassing: sing a line, do an impression, name five vegetables in ten seconds.
• Have a spare prize. There's always a tie and never a tiebreaker.
• Write the winner's name on the back of a badge with a date. It becomes the keepsake, not the sweets.

Shop party supplies

Bits for the party

Banners, cake toppers and confetti that are actually in stock.

Cards for the occasion

Blank inside, designed in house, posted first class.

How to write it so it lands

• Write your running order on paper. Deciding what's next mid-party never works.
• Have one game in reserve for when the food arrives late.
• Appoint one adult as referee and let them be openly unfair. Children find it hilarious.

Where to shop next

• Old fashioned party games
• Playground games we all played
• Classic British pub games
• Family card games
• Rainy day activities
• Garden games for a party
• Growing up in the 80s and 90s
• Nostalgic quiz questions
• Party supplies
• Work party ideas
• Celebration ideas
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas

Frequently asked questions

What are the best traditional party games?

Pass the parcel and musical statues for under-eights, charades and Who Am I? for family gatherings, and the hat game for adults.

What party games need no equipment?

Sleeping lions, Simon says, twenty questions, wink murder and the name game all need nothing but people and a room.

How many games should a children's party have?

Four to six for a two-hour party, with food in the middle. Any more and the energy collapses before the cake.