As you probably know by now, we’re big on games. When we’re not staying in having a games night with friends, we make our own games (check out our Stranger Things Bingo, Adult Scavenger Hunt, or Halloween Trivia if you haven’t already). So we know a thing or two about which ones truly bring the house down.
Last year, we shared our six favourite party games with you. It was a popular post, so we know you’re thirsty for more. Luckily, we have even more recommendations for you – some of which are tried and true classics and others that are new on the block.
1) Shit Happens
What the game is all about: Shit Happens revolves around ranking shitty things according to their shittiness. For example, is having OJ Simpson as your new neighbour better or worse than being adrift with Charlie Sheen and having to drink his urine? Are both of these scenarios worse than developing agoraphobia? Basically, each player acquires cards by correctly estimating where it lands on the games Misery Index – created by a panel of highly qualified professionals (marriage counsellors, therapists, career counsellors and social workers) that runs from 1 to 100. The deck is shuffled, each player gets three cards to place in numerical order of their Misery Indexes. The remaining cards are used as your draw pile (aka, your big pile of shit). Pluck a card from the top of the pile, and try to guess where it fits within the index. You don’t have to guess the exact index number – all you have to do is guess its proper place between your existing cards. If you guess correctly, you win the card. If not, it passes to the next player to guess. The first person to accumulate 10 cards wins.
Players Needed: 2 or more
Perfect for: big groups, anyone wanting to commiserate on the misery of life, people who find bad shit funny
Awesome, I want it: You can grab the game here.
2) Jenga
What the game is all about: Jenga is a classic for a reason – it’s a crazy good time…and it’s hard. It’s been around since 1982 and it’s still gaining steam. Practically anyone can play it and people get INTO it. It’s one of those games that’s competitive but also collaborative, which makes for an interesting approach. We like to kick the night off with Jenga, because unless you’re taking it really seriously, it’s one of those games that people can jump in on as they arrive, and a round of Jenga is shorter than other games. To play, players take turns to remove a block from a tower and balance it on top, creating a taller and increasingly unstable structure as the game progresses.
Fun Fact: the record for the highest known Jenga tower is 40 complete stories with two blocks into the 41st, claimed in 1985 by Robert Grebler from the United States.
Players Needed: 2-8 (you can play with more than eight, but you won’t get many turns)
Perfect for: kicking the night off with a low key game, those who like to live dangerously, anyone who performs well under pressure
Awesome, I want it: You can grab the game here.
3) Rabble
What the game is all about: If you haven’t heard of Rabble, that’s because it’s the new kid on the party game block. Rabble was created by friends George and Jake with the goal of having a crazy night with friends without the obligatory loud music or expensive drink tab. Successfully funded on Kickstarter, Rabble revolves around getting your friends to guess the words on your team’s Rabble Cards. Each team alternates 45-second turns until one team has guessed all their cards. The same words are guessed in each round, but each round has different restrictions on how to give clues. For Round 1, you can say anything you want. For Round 2, you can only say one word. And for Round 3, you can only act it out. To make things even more fun, you can play Challenge Cards to slow down the other team by making them do things like talk in a British accent or permanently hold a beer (real or imaginary) so they can only act with one hand.
Players Needed: 4+
Perfect for: anyone who digs charades, those wanting to switch up their games night roster, a big group looking to get rowdy.
Awesome, I want it: You can grab a the game here.
4) Game of Things
What the game is all about: This game is basically what inspired Cards Against Humanity and any other game that follows a similar pattern. It’s a party game that presents players with topics like “things you wouldn’t do for a million dollars” and lets each player write whatever comes to mind (being outrageous is encouraged). The players then take turns trying to eliminate each other by guessing which player wrote which response. Each round has a Reader that submits an answer but can’t be guessed and reads the submissions out loud. The player to the left of the Reader guesses first. Choose any response and try to match it to the player who wrote it. If you’re right, the Reader gives the response sheet back to its writer and that player is out of the round. Now you guess again. If you’re wrong, you’re still in the round but the chance to guess passes to the player on your left. You remain in the round until someone matches you up with your response. The round ends when only one player has not been matched to their response. The person to the left of the last Reader now becomes the new Reader. The game ends when either A) Every player has been the Reader or B) The number of rounds agreed upon at the beginning have been played.
Players Needed: 4+
Perfect for: those with a creative flair, people who think their answers are funnier than the ones in Cards Against Humanity, fam jams
Awesome, I want it: You can grab a copy of this game here
5) Scattergories
What the game is all about: Scattergories is always a good time. It never gets old because there’s so many different combinations you can get (16 cards and 26 letters in the alphabet – so you get the idea). To play the game, you start by rolling the alphabet dice to select a letter. The sand timer is then flipped and each player then fills out one of the 16 decided upon cards with answers that begin with that letter before time runs out. Then, each player reads out their answers. For every response that’s truly original (meaning no other player has the same response), a point is scored. After three rounds a winner is declared, and a new game can be begun – though we usually just play until we decide to switch games.
Players Needed: 2-6 players
Perfect for: fam jams, office functions, if you’ve got a random mix of people – including those who don’t know each other.
Awesome, I want it: You can grab a copy of this game here.
6) BeanBoozled
What the game is all about: BeanBoozled is basically roulette with jelly beans. Our fave jellybean makers Jelly Belly created 20 one-of-a-kind bean flavours: 10 that you will want to eat and 10 identical jelly beans that you will definitely not want to eat, but will give you joy to watch your friends (or family) reluctantly put in their mouth. You truly are rolling the dice with every jelly bean the dispenser spits out for you. Will it be Dead Fish or Strawberry Banana Smoothie? Canned Dog Food or Chocolate Pudding? Or our (least) favourite: Barf or Peach? And let us tell you, the nasty flavours are REAL nasty. Our friend Warren ate the canned dog food jelly bean and the whole room smelt like dog food just from him breathing. You’re gonna want to have a gag bowl on hand. But trust us, it’s fun. Just seeing the look on someone’s face when they are confirming whether it’s a good or bad one is worth eating a nasty one yourself. Have your camera ready.
Players Needed: 2-15 (you can play with more than that really, but you won’t get many turns)
Perfect for: those who like to take their chances, anyone with a strong stomach, kids (because kids find gross stuff even funnier)
Awesome, I want it: You can grab the game here.
What the game is all about: Think of this game like Scattergories on speed. The game comes with a ton of letter cards, with multiple topics, like phobia, famous athlete, place in Asia, etc. listed on the back of each. To play, you elect a host of the round (like you would with Cards Against Humanity) to read a topic and show the group a random letter. The first player to say a word that matches the topic and the letter wins the card with the letter on it (called trophy cards as there’s a beautifully illustrated trophy on each one). Once all the cards have been played, the player with the most trophies wins the game and is awarded a teeny tiny metal trophy to mark their defeat. The person who “tried their best” gets a participation trophy. That’s it, that’s all. Easy right? Warning: it’s fast, can get loud and very competitive.
Players Needed: 2-30
Perfect for: fans of Scattergories, those who excel in lightning rounds and anyone who deems themselves clever. This is also a clean game (unless your word choices dictate otherwise) making it a great option for families without any concern of running into an awkward moment.
Awesome, I want it: You can grab a the game here.
If you’re hosting a game night, then you bet we’re got a drink for you: the Pineapple Mint Margarita. It’s super easy to make in big batches, and we guarantee it will get the party started. Grab the recipe here.
A games night needs a bumpin’ playlist and nothing gets us more fired up than sweet sweet 80’s jams. We’re talking Journey, Queen, Aerosmith, Blondie – this playlist will not disappoint. Get the party started.
Click Here to Start Listening!