TikTok And Viral Party Games: 20 That Actually Work In A Living Room

Most viral party games were filmed by six people in a well-lit kitchen with a tripod. Some of them are genuinely great with a real group; some only work because somebody edited them.

Here are the ones that hold up, with how to run them, plus the ones that don't.

The ones that genuinely work

• Post-it forehead: everyone writes a famous name and sticks it on the person to their left. Yes or no questions only, first to guess wins.
• The chopstick challenge: teams move sweets from one bowl to another using chopsticks, or the version where one person is blindfolded and directed.
• Guess the song in one second - a playlist on shuffle, one second of audio, first to shout the title.
• Speed stacking cups, timed, knockout brackets.
• The rice bowl challenge: find small objects buried in a tray of rice with your feet. Chaotic and cheap.
• Flip cup or its alcohol-free version with water or squash.
• The 'we're not really strangers' style question decks, which are much better than they look on paper.

Challenge games that need almost nothing

• The tape face challenge: sellotape across your face, try to say a sentence.
• Whisper challenge with headphones on and the music loud.
• The dot game - a sticker on each person's back, find out what colour you are without asking.
• Guess the sound: a playlist of noises, from a kettle to a Windows XP startup.
• The accent roulette: read a normal sentence in an accent drawn from a hat.
• Two truths and a lie, which predates the internet and beats most of what's replaced it.

Games built round a phone camera

• The photo scavenger hunt: a list of things to photograph in ten minutes, best shot per category wins.
• Guess whose camera roll - one photo each from an old folder, guess whose.
• The recreate-the-photo game: an old family or group photo staged again, side by side.
• The group chat quiz: screenshots of old messages with names blurred out.
• Slow-mo replays of a party game you've just played, which is often funnier than the game.

The honest bit: viral games that fall flat

• Anything needing a big open room, a soft floor or a stack of bought props usually doesn't survive contact with a normal house.
• Games where one person performs and everyone watches are content, not party games. Look for games where everyone is doing something.
• Anything with a complicated set-up that must be filmed from one angle - if the fun is in the edit, there is no game.
• Balance and throwing challenges ruin walls and televisions. Ask how a wobbly person with a full drink interacts with it.
• If a game needs everyone to read rules off a screen first, it's already lost the room.

Shop cards

How to write it so it lands

• If only one person is doing something, it's content, not a game.
• Ask before filming anyone.
• Post-it forehead is still the best of the lot.

Where to shop next

• Phone-based party games
• Party games that use one phone only
• Escape room at home and puzzle nights
• Murder mystery party for beginners
• How to run a quiz night
• Alcohol-free party games
• Games night for people who hate games
• Board games hub
• Adult birthday party games
• Traditional British party games
• Pen and paper games
• Free feel good tools
• Shop cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What viral party games actually work at a real party?

Post-it forehead, guess the song in one second, the whisper challenge, speed cup stacking, the rice bowl challenge and photo scavenger hunts. They all have everyone doing something at once, which is the test.

What makes a good viral party game in real life?

Everybody active at the same time, rules you can explain in one sentence, nothing to buy and no filming needed. If the fun only exists in an edited video, it isn't a party game.

What party games are good for filming?

Chopstick and rice bowl challenges, speed stacking, the tape face challenge and slow-motion replays of anything. Just ask everyone first - not everyone wants to be posted.

Do you need to buy anything for these games?

No. Post-it notes, a playlist, some cups and whatever's in the kitchen cover nearly all of them.

Do you sell games, kits or party supplies?

No - we make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. Everything recommended here is either free, an app, or something you already have, and the only products on this page are our own cards.