The game rewards quick-witted and inventive players. The playing cards feature this thick gloss finish that makes them long-lasting and pleasant to the touch. The easel makes the game comfortable to play despite the chosen venue.
Some meme cards are quite outdated.
What Do You Meme? Party Game can be played with as many people as you want. The rules are as simple and accessible as they come. You can play the game with friends and family. You'll be able to showcase your creativity and your cunning wit.
Entertainment
17+
3 - 20+ players
60 minutes
435 cards (360 caption cards, 75 photo cards), easel, rules, box
Provided you don't mind dark humor, sarcasm, and making fun of/ridiculing touchy subjects, there's no way you won't like this game. The people who are used to punching below the belt will dominate Cards Against Humanity.
There are duplicates that multiple players will occasionally pick throughout the game.
Cards Against Humanity Party Game for Horrible People is among the most intentionally provocative games out there. The offensive, risqué, and politically incorrect phrases printed onto the cards make the game extremely fun to play when surrounded with people who are not stuck-up and can laugh at all subjects.
Entertainment
17+
4 - 20+ players
30-90 minutes
600 cards (500 white cards, 100 black cards), box, booklet of sensible game rules and preposterous alternate rules
The game's rules are easy to figure out. The contents are as inoffensive as party games get, so you can play with kids. The artwork is fantastic and hilarious too. You can play the game anywhere you want.
The instructions are somewhat confusing.
Exploding Kittens is fast and dynamic. At the same time, the game's highly strategic. Some have described this game as "UNO, except with goats, magical enchiladas, and exploding kittens that will reduce you to ashes and, far as we're concerned, that's an apt description.
Entertainment
7+
2-5 players
15 minutes
56 cards, box, instructions
This drinking game will not only eliminate awkward ice-breakers but also let you get to know your friends closer than ever before. You'll also be able to test how well your friends know you. Plus, there are no winners and losers here.
The light cards are easily soiled when played semi-regularly.
These Cards Will Get You Drunk will seldom fail to get you and your friends drunk. Make sure to choose the drinks responsibly though because, with the right tempo, you might get completely wasted within 10 minutes when sticking to shots rather than beer/wine.
Entertainment
21+
2-8 players
Depends
100 cards, box
The game is entertaining but also surprisingly educational. You'll be able to train memory, improve imagination skills, develop associate thinking and deduction. The games usually last long enough to remain entertaining without making them feeling dragged out.
The box is quite fragile (more than susceptible to crushing, cracking, and bending).
Codename's premise is pretty simple yet the gameplay is anything but. The game's tense yet silly simultaneously. You can have fun winning and losing. The game is fun to play with close friends, acquaintances, and even complete strangers.
Entertainment, somewhat educational
14+
2-8+ players
15 minutes
65 cards (16 agent cards, 1 double agent card, 7 innocent bystander cards, 1 assassin card, 40 key cards), hourglass, rulebook, box
Memes are the DNA of the Soul
Memes are love. Memes are life. Originally spawning from the counter-culture platforms, memes have been around for quite some time now, becoming so mainstream nowadays that people are discussing and writing massive books/papers regardings memes' influence and how various denizens are using them to communicate different thoughts and ideas.
We're not here to do that though. We believe that memes exist to brighten our days and meme party games do that better than most things.
The game has seen multiple editions but the rules remained the same - simple and accessible to most. First, you give the players seven cards and three tokens each. Then, the players roll the dice to see who's going first. You know, standard board game routine.
The person that's drawn the highest number rolls the dice two times, adding the numbers together and ending up with a number somewhere between 00 and 99. For example, you roll three on the first roll and seven on the second roll, meaning that the number you've rolled combined is 37.
Then, you go through the Scenario document to find the number 28 and read out loud what the scenario suggests.
Upon hearing the scenario, the player has to choose one card from the seven cards in his possession as a reaction to the scenario, placing the chosen card face down onto the table. As you would imagine, the card you're supposed to pick has to be the one that you reckon represents/relates to the scenario as closely as possible.
The remaining players (you can have as many as you want, the more the merrier) then are supposed to guess the card you've chosen by placing one of their cards face down onto the table too.
Let's Bet
Now, oddly enough, the game involves betting. You can bet as many as three tokens at the same time. You're betting on the players' guesses here. All you have to do is place the token next to the card you believe to be matching the card you've chosen.
After that, all the players' cards (except the one you've chosen) are flipped and, consequently, revealed. The remaining players are free to bet now too.
Finally, you reveal the card that you've initially chosen. The bets are paid off as such: the incorrect guesses are canceled (you don't lose money on these), the right guesses are paid in cash (using funny-money bills). Players receive as much cash as the number of tokens they've placed upon the right guesses.
The round is done. You pass the die clockwise. You ought to play enough rounds that every player gets three turns. Then, the players ditch the tokens and play using cash. Needless to say, the winner's the one with more dough than all players.
Additional Info
| Last updated price | $29.99 |
| Stock | In stock |
| ASIN | B01MRG7T0D |
Aren't we all Horrible Though?
Cards Against Humanity: Party Game for Horrible People is everything that the name suggests. We're all horrible people though, aren't we? Deep down, we all want to see the world burn and be the one to toss all norms and expectations away, letting the chaos take over and dictate the rules.
No? You do not relate to this sentiment whatsoever? Well, that's a little awkward. You'll still enjoy the game though. Probably.
See, Cards Against Humanity is the simplest party game you'll ever play. There are basically no rules to the game.
The players draw ten white cards each. According to the rulebook, the person who most recently pooped (we're not making this up, pinky-swear) is declared the first Card Czar and will be the first player drawing from the black cards stack.
The Card Czar reads the note out loud. Then, the players pick the card they believe to be the funniest card they have that still somehow relates to this note. The Card Czar will be the one deciding whose card gets the cake, so you want to take into account his sense of humor first and foremost. Also, the Card Czar can declare that you're supposed to pick and place two cards.
Needless to say, you aren't supposed to show these cards to other players. When you have to pick two cards, make sure to place them in the right order though.
The Card Czar has Spoken
With that out of the way, the Card Czar picks the white cards and shuffles them so that no one knows who put down which card, avoiding bias claims and making the game more fun.
You reread the black card, then read the white cards one by one, placing them face up onto the table. The Card Czar selects his winner now. The person who played the card that the Czar has chosen receives one Awesome Point. You can easily track these points by giving the black card to the one who's played the winning card.
The next round you repeat the formula with a new Czar (you can appoint them clockwise or assign the title to the last round's winner).
The players can talk as much as they want throughout the entire game, influencing Czar's decision and whatnot.
The expanded edition that we're reviewing here includes 500 white cards and 100 black cards, so you'll be able to engage as many players as you want and play for quite some time before running out of cards.
What else is there to add? Sure, some might find the game's scenarios vulgar and offensive but its success suggests that these people might want to consider loosening up and giving this fun game a try.
Additional Info
| Last updated price | $25.00 |
| Stock | In stock |
| ASIN | B004S8F7QM |
Russian Roulette but with Kittens
People usually associate party games with adult-themed content. That's not always the case though. Sure, there are board games like Monopoly and such but these are usually described as board games, not party games (the distinction, as far as we're concerned, is that all board games are party games but not all party games are board games).
There are party games that are able to entertain adults and children alike. First and somewhat foremost, we're talking about Exploding Kittens here. Though there are many games that fit the above description, Exploding Kittens is easily the most popular and accessible game on this list.
Anyone can play Exploding Kittens not only because the game's premise/contents are inoffensive but also because the rules are not even remotely difficult. Surprisingly enough, the instructions that come with the game are somewhat confusing though, which's odd considering, again, how easy the game is.
Wait, Don't Explode Yet
Basically, there are 56 cards in the deck. You put the entire deck face down and have players take turns drawing cards before someone picks up an Exploding Kitten.
The person that's picked an Exploding Kitten explodes. You won't be incinerated in real life, surprisingly enough. However, you will be removed from the game. In other words, what we have here is a fun, friendly take on Russian Roulette.
You don't stop when the loser draws the aforementioned card though. Sometimes, you're even able to avoid exploding. Setting Exploding Kittens aside, there are also Defuse Cards in that deck. You can use these cards to prevent from exploding, distract the Exploding Kittens with laser pointers, catnip sandwiches, and kitten yoga.
There are also cards that will let you skip the turn, attack players, peek inside the deck, and even secretly relocate an Exploding Kitten card. So, as you can see, the game's simple but not necessarily basic. More often than not, you will have some wiggle room, provided you weren't lucky enough to draw an Exploding Kitten as the first card.
Generally speaking, the game will last somewhere around 15 minutes. You can have as many as five people playing the game (more than that will mean that there's very little chance someone won't be removed from the get-go and less than three makes the game as dull as most party games are without sufficient company).
Additional Info
| Last updated price | $19.99 |
| Stock | May be out of stock |
| ASIN | B010TQY7A8 |
Your Party Won't Suck
The best party games let you know what these games all about using the name alone. On that note, let's address These Cards Will Get You Drunk.
Needless to say, what we have here is a drinking game, so we do not advise gifting this game to teenagers. Drinking games are designed for people 21+ years old and we believe they should remain this way.
With the obligatory disclaimer out of the way, what is it exactly that we're dealing with here? Well, drinking games are seldom that complicated. In fact, the best drinking games are usually borderline basic, which's fine. More than fine actually since drunk and even tipsy/slightly intoxicated people rarely want to/can follow convoluted rules.
There are 100 cards comprising the deck. These cards fall under three categories: compete, vote, and screw your friends over.
The "compete" cards include basic assignments. For example, you have to imitate another player. The first player that will guess who you're imitating will be choosing the person who drinks. Of course, since the game's age rating is 21+, you will often draw more risqué assignments like guess the player's underwear color or ask him any question you want, usually forcing the person to unveil some shameful secret or drink.
Have Fun at People's Expense
The "vote" cards are fun too. The players will be forced to vote on the most indecisive person playing the game and that person will have to decide who's drinking next. More often than not, these vote cards are pretty basic, like select the biggest alcoholic and that person will be the one drinking and choosing the person he's drinking with. Sometimes though, they're more fun and intriguing, like making the players vote who's the most likely to own ten cats.
As you would imagine, the "screw your friends over" cards are everything that the name implies - these are the cards that will let you play Judas and have fun at your friends' expense. Occasionally, these cards are quite innocuous, such as the free pass card that you can donate to other players, letting them avoid drinking for once. More often than not though, the cards we're talking about here are pretty insidious, like forcing people to double-drink.
What else is there to add? We wouldn't recommend playing the game with more than 8 people since you'll run out of cards sooner than you'd probably prefer. The average session length will depend based upon the number of players and how long you are willing to play.
As far as we're concerned, the game's downsides (setting aside drinking games general downsides) are pretty much limited to the fact that the cards' face is light and easily soiled. Apart from that, we've no issues with this fun drinking game.
| Last updated price | $15.99 |
| Stock | In stock |
| ASIN | B073R59XYF |
The Code's in the Name
Codenames is one of those social word games that has a relatively simple premise yet challenging gameplay. The game's not hard to play but often hard to win, especially when the opponents are good enough.
Its biggest and, as far as we're concerned, only downside is that Codenames is pretty much impossible to play with 2-3 people and pretty boring/imbalanced with 3/5 players, so you need 6 or more players (preferably an even number) to make the game as fun as it is supposed to be. Apart from that, Codenames is awesome.
The players select two spymasters, breaking down into two teams. The 'masters shuffle the cards and arrange them before the players. What these players see is nothing but words before them.
The spymasters, on the other hand, know that behind these words are team's spies that they're trying to unlock, the opposing team's spies that they're trying to avoid unlocking, the double agent card that works for the first team to unlock the card for the entire game, the innocent bystander cards that do no harm/good, and an assassin that ends the game for the team that unlocks this card.
Choose the Words Carefully
So, how do you unlock these cards? Well, again, the premise is quite simple. The spymaster whose turn it is can say only one word and one number. For example, "orange two" or "irrelevant three". The numbers suggest that the spymaster believes his operatives will be able to associate the word he said with, in this case, two or three words before them.
You don't have to guess this many words though. You can always guess one and pass. Also, you can only guess multiple words when you guess right, so you won't be able to guess two words when you've failed to unblock the first word.
Apart from that, there's not much to add here. As you would imagine, spymasters cannot use root words. Besides that, you can be as creative as you want (although we would recommend consulting the rulebook from time to time because it is informative, easy to comprehend, and offers ample guidance regarding allowed clues).
Additional Info
| Last updated price | $10.89 |
| Stock | In stock |
| ASIN | B014Q1XX9S |
What Are Party Games?
Quality family time indoors can be somewhat difficult to achieve/execute sometimes. In the same vein, there are not too many activities that children, teenagers, and adults can enjoy doing together.
As far as we're concerned, that's where game nights with party games come into play. These games work wonders facilitating interaction and entertaining various large groups. There are many interesting games you can play with different people. There are drinking games. There are board games. There are various card games. There are many creative games.
You can organize an awesome house party with nothing but one exciting game. Sometimes, these games are competitive as hell. Sometimes, these are mere entertainment games with no winners and losers.
The objective here is to have fun and whatever that means for you and your social group you can bet there's an appropriate party game out there to match the group's needs/preferences. Provided you've read the reviews, you shouldn't have any issues figuring out the right game here. Also, these games make excellent birthday/Christmas gifts.
These puzzles for adults will let you entertain relatively large groups too. Diamond painting kits, on the other hand, will keep you engaged and enveloped all alone.
What Features to Compare
Type
We have divided these games into education-oriented and entertainment games. That's not necessarily how you categorize party games though. There are many different games that incorporate different principles and premises. In fact, there're more than enough differences between these games to justify a separate section, which is what you'll find below this one. There, we discuss what separates and unites these games.
Replayability
As far as we're concerned, what separates excellent group games from passable games is replayability, especially when these games are not cheap. Most games are fun when you play them for the first time. That being said, there are not too many games that remain as fun when you play them for the nth time.
Generally speaking, what determines the game's replayability is how many different combinations and variations you're able to execute and how different the gameplay can be. Of course, these are somewhat subjective factors but you can definitely categorize different games as more and less replayable.
Recommended Age
This one is pretty straightforward. First, there are drinking games and these should be reserved for adults alone. Second, there are various party games that promote/adopt offensive themes and subjects, so we wouldn't recommend them to children and even most teenagers. Sure, these guidelines can be somewhat arbitrary at times but we'd still advise following them to avoid various consequences.
Number of Players
More often than not, these are arbitrary suggestions and do not necessarily reflect/tell you much about how many people you should play these games with. With that in mind, we would suggest reading the reviews before making any choices. Often, the people behind these games would tell you that the games can be played with 2-3 people and while that's usually technically true, they're usually no fun unless you invite at least 5 people.
Also, some games will divide you into teams, so you might want to take into account that too and make sure you're able to form even teams.
Average Session Length
Again, these are guidelines, not rules. At the same time, they're usually pretty accurate. Most party games last somewhere between 15 and 60 minutes. Sometimes, they're much too complicated/convoluted to be resolved this quickly though. That being said, there are also games that you can complete within 5-10 minutes.
Differences Between Various Party Games
Board Games
Before anything else, all board games are party games (to some extent) but not all party games are board games (duh). Generally speaking, party games are played at different social gatherings in order to facilitate interaction and provide entertainment/recreation. More often than not, people do not decide to come together to play these games. Someone suggests to play these games mid-party or from the get-go to break the ice and make everyone feel more comfortable and engaged.
That's seldom the case with board games. More often than not, people plan these games beforehand. First, these tabletop games are usually much more complicated than most party games, so you can rarely bust out the game anytime you want and invite newbies and experienced players alike to start the game. You have to learn the often complicated rules and the experienced players will usually have an enormous advantage over beginners. Even though these games often incorporate dice cubes, meaning that there's usually some chance element, most board games require strategic thinking and experience. Plus, sometimes, these games not only do not facilitate interaction and communication but downright prevent them because the rules dictate so.
Board games are fun though, we definitely recommend trying them, just though that you should know the difference between these games.
Drinking Games
As you would imagine, these games are completely opposite to board games. Generally speaking, drinking games are anything but layered, detailed, and convoluted. These games are designed to get people drunk and keep them entertained once they get drunk. These games usually incorporate various dares and challenges where you're forced to do or say something to avoid drinking. Sometimes, there are physical activity elements involved but we're talking hopping on one hand and not doing push-ups or running. The biggest upsides to these games are low entry threshold and the fact that you can comfortably play these games with three or nine people alike.
Word Games
Word games can be extremely complicated and ridiculously simple/straightforward. These games usually incorporate various association tactics and things alone that nature. More often than not, these games are designed for small groups, somewhere between 4 and 8 people. Also, word games will usually divide you into teams, so you'll need an even number of participants to make the games fair. What we like about these games first and foremost is that they can be not only entertaining but also fairly educational.