Two Artists, One PenPairs hold a single marker together and draw whatever the host calls, such as a horse or a lighthouse, without speaking. They then sign it together in one joint signature. The room votes for the most convincing horse. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and markers.
Last Hoop SpinningEveryone spins a plastic hoop around their waist at the same moment. The last hoop still turning wins the round. In round two, contestants also have to answer quiz questions while they spin. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: a plastic hoop each, or play in heats.
What's on Your Phone Points SheetPrint a list of things that might be on a phone, each worth points: a photo of a sunset, an alarm set before 6 a.m., more than fifty unread emails, a contact saved under a nickname. Guests score their own phones. Nobody has to show anything they would rather not. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: a printed points sheet and pens.
Funny Party Games for Adults, Clean and Silly: how it works
The biggest laughs at a party come from watching sensible adults do something ridiculous with total commitment. These 70 funny party games for adults are built for that, and every one is clean, so they work with in-laws and coworkers. Press New games to deal three, or tap a chip first.
Match the game to how brave the room is
Seated and dinner table holds 43 games nobody has to stand up for, such as Bad Advice Column and Movie Plot, Badly Explained. Once people are laughing, move to Acting and improv or Silly stunts and straight faces, where Pterodactyl, No Teeth Showing can undo a whole room. Lock a keeper and press New games to replace the others. Simple party games for adults sit under Simple games, one-line rules: 31 you can explain in one breath.
Printable party games for adults, and what to print
The Printable and pen-and-paper chip holds 20 games. Eight need little more than pens and paper, such as Wrong-Hand Portraits and Worst Invention Blueprint. The other 12 run from a sheet you type up once, and each description says what goes on it: a guest fact list, a points sheet, a ballot. Press Print to put your chosen games on paper. For fun outdoor party games for adults, Outdoor games holds 20, from Rubber Boot Toss for Distance to Crab Walk Soccer.
Tips
Silly party games for adults work when the host goes first. Take the first turn yourself, badly, and the room relaxes.
Point every joke at the game and never at a guest. The awards, quirks and compliments here are written to be kind.
Stop each game at its loudest laugh. A straight-face contest that runs too long stops being funny.
Questions and answers
Which funny games need no props at all?
Tap No props for 20 games that need only people. Straight Face Compliments, World Expert Interview and Why I Was Late, the Excuse Contest work around a table. Museum Night Guard and Slow-Motion Race, Last Place Wins need some floor or a lawn. Fifteen of the 20 also have one-line rules.
Are these games really clean?
Yes. Every game is alcohol-free, nothing is suggestive, and no game makes fun of a guest, so the list suits a family reunion or a work party. Adults here means the humor is for grown-ups: bad advice, pompous nursery rhymes and sensible people racing on pool noodle ponies.
How many games should I plan for an adult party?
Fewer than you think. Adults also want to talk and eat, so three or four games an evening is plenty: one seated opener, one team game such as Reverse Charades, Team Acts Together, and one silly closer.
Hard Drawing Game Words for Adults and Teens250 hard words and sayings for adults and teens: two-part words, idioms, feelings and grown-up life, each with a drawing hint in the list.
Air Guitar FinalsEach contestant gets forty-five seconds of a rock song and an invisible guitar. Judges hold up paper plate scores for technique, commitment and stage presence. A power slide on a rug counts double. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: a playlist, a speaker and paper plates.
Alphabet ConversationTwo players hold a conversation in which every line starts with the next letter of the alphabet: Are you ready? Born ready. Can we start? Anyone who hesitates for three seconds is replaced by a player from the audience. Try to reach Z. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Dance Style RouletteEveryone dances to the same song. Every twenty seconds the host draws a style card, such as robot, ballet, disco or underwater, and the whole room has to switch to it. The host gives a prize for the most committed dancer of each song. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: style cards and music.
Dramatic Reading of the Instruction ManualHand a guest the dullest text in the house, such as a microwave manual, a parking notice or a shampoo bottle. They draw a style from a hat, such as soap opera, sports commentary or bedtime story, and read thirty seconds of it in that style. The room guesses the style. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 12 min. Props: dull things to read and style slips.
Dubbed Scene, Voices From the CouchTwo actors play a scene with their mouths moving and no sound. Two players on the couch supply the voices, one each. The actors have to follow whatever their voice says, and the voices have to explain whatever their actor does. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 12 min. Props: none.
Guess the Guest's QuirkThe host steps out while three guests each draw a quirk slip, such as thinks they are on a cooking show or is afraid of the carpet. The host comes back and throws a pretend party, chatting with each guest until they can name all three quirks. Players: 5 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: quirk slips.
Reverse Charades, Team Acts TogetherOne player guesses while the whole team acts out the card at once, in silence. Six adults all trying to be a washing machine is the entire point. Each team gets one minute per turn and a point per card. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 20 min. Props: charades cards and a timer.
Sound Effects CharadesThe guessing team turns to face the wall. The actor may use only sounds, with no words and no humming of tunes, to get across a card such as a creaky door, a blender or a cat at five in the morning. One minute per turn. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: sound cards and a timer.
Telephone Charades, Five in a RowFive players line up facing the wall. The first turns around to watch the host mime a short scene, such as washing an elephant, then taps the second player and repeats it from memory. The mime passes down the line, and the fifth player says what they think they just saw. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: a list of scenes to mime.
Three-Headed ExpertThree players link arms and become one expert who can speak only one word per head, in order. The audience asks for advice on anything, from houseplants to parallel parking, and the expert answers in full sentences, one word at a time. Players: 5 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Vacation SlideshowOne player narrates the slides from a vacation that never happened. Three others jump into a frozen pose for each slide before the narrator turns around to look. The narrator then has to explain whatever the slide shows. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
World Expert InterviewThe room invents a ridiculous field of study, such as competitive napping. One guest becomes the leading world expert and takes questions from the audience for two minutes, answering every one with complete confidence. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 12 min. Props: none.
Word, bluff and quiz games 22
Awkward Categories by LetterRoll a letter and hand out a sheet of ten awkward categories, such as things you should not say at a wedding or bad names for a boat. Players get three minutes to write one answer per category. Only answers that nobody else wrote score a point. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: a printed category sheet, pens and a timer.
Bad Advice ColumnRead out an everyday problem, such as my neighbor mows the lawn at dawn. Everyone writes the worst advice they can think of on a slip. The host reads the slips in an advice column voice, and the room votes for the most spectacularly unhelpful answer. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: paper slips and pens.
Consequences, the Fold-and-Pass StoryEveryone writes a name at the top of a sheet, folds it over and passes it on. Then come a second name, where they met, what each one said, and the consequence, with a fold and a pass after every line. Unfold the sheets and read the stories aloud. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: paper and pens.
Dictionary Bluff, Read in a Serious VoiceOne player finds a word in the dictionary that nobody knows and writes down the real meaning. Everyone else writes a fake definition. The picker reads them all out in the same serious voice, and players vote for the one they believe. Score a point for voting right and a point for every vote your fake collects. Players: 4 to 10. Time: 25 min. Props: a dictionary, paper and pens.
Fancy-Worded Nursery Rhymes SheetRewrite ten nursery rhyme titles in the most pompous language you can manage, such as a trio of sightless rodents. Print the list, and pairs race to decode all ten. Ask the winners to read their answers in a suitably grand voice. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a printed sheet and pens.
Fill-in-the-Blank Party SpeechWrite a short speech about the host with twenty blanks in it. Without showing it, ask the room for the words you need: an adjective, a vegetable, a job, a noise. Then stand up and deliver the finished speech with a straight face. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a speech with blanks and a pen.
Find Someone Who, Silly SquaresHand out a grid of squares such as can wiggle their ears, has the same shoe size as you, or knows all the words to a cartoon theme. Guests mingle and collect a different signature for each square. The first full row wins, and the ear wiggler has to prove it. Players: 10 to 40. Time: 15 min. Props: a printed grid and a pen each.
Finish the Proverb BluffThe host reads the first half of an obscure proverb from another country. Everyone writes an ending that sounds wise. The host mixes in the real ending and reads them all out. Score a point for spotting the real one and a point for every guest your ending fools. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 20 min. Props: a list of obscure proverbs, paper and pens.
Guest Fact Match-Up SheetBefore the party, collect one odd and harmless fact from each guest, such as once won a pie contest. Print the facts down one side of a sheet and the names down the other. Guests draw lines to match them, and then each person owns up to their fact. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: a printed match-up sheet and pens.
Guest Survey ShowdownA week before the party, text your guests five survey questions, such as name a food that is better cold. Rank the answers. On the night, two teams take turns guessing the top answers given by their own friends. Three misses pass the board to the other team. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 20 min. Props: survey results from your guests.
Know the Host QuizThe host writes fifteen questions about themselves, from their first job to the food they refuse to eat, with three silly multiple-choice answers for each. Guests fill in the sheet, and the host reads out the truth. The lowest score has to make the host a cup of tea. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: a printed quiz and pens.
Left and Right Story, Pass the PrizeSit in a circle with one wrapped prize. The host reads a story stuffed with the words left and right, and the prize moves one seat in that direction every time. Read it fast. Whoever is holding the prize at the last word keeps it. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: a printed left-right story and a wrapped prize.
Minister's Cat, Speed RoundGo around the circle describing the minister's cat with an adjective for each letter: an awkward cat, a bashful cat, a caffeinated cat. Clap a steady beat, and anyone who misses the beat or repeats a word is out. The sillier the adjective, the better. Players: 3 to 15. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Movie Plot, Badly ExplainedDescribe a famous movie as unhelpfully as you can while staying accurate, such as a girl drops a house on a stranger and takes her shoes. The first person to name the movie goes next. No titles, no character names and no actors. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Picture Rebus Quiz SheetDraw or print a sheet of twelve picture puzzles that sound out everyday phrases, such as an eye, a heart and a ewe. Pairs get five minutes to solve as many as they can. Read the answers aloud and wait for the groans. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a printed rebus sheet and pens.
Silly Superlatives BallotPrint a ballot of kind and silly awards, such as most likely to befriend a stranger's dog or most likely to narrate their own cooking. Everyone votes in secret. The host announces each winner, who has to give a ten-second acceptance speech. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: printed ballots and pens.
Song Word Sing-OffThe host calls a word, such as blue, night or baby. Teams take turns singing a line from any song that contains it. A team is out of the round if it repeats a song or cannot start singing within ten seconds. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 12 min. Props: none.
Sounds-Like Phrase CardsWrite cards of nonsense words that sound like a well-known phrase when you say them aloud, such as ice cream sand witch. One player reads the card over and over while their team listens for the real phrase. One minute per turn. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: phrase cards and a timer.
Trivia With a Funniest Wrong Answer PrizeRun an ordinary team quiz with one extra rule: after each round, the host reads out the wrong answers and gives a bonus point for the funniest. Teams that know nothing can still win on style. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 30 min. Props: quiz questions, paper and pens.
What's on Your Phone Points SheetPrint a list of things that might be on a phone, each worth points: a photo of a sunset, an alarm set before 6 a.m., more than fifty unread emails, a contact saved under a nickname. Guests score their own phones. Nobody has to show anything they would rather not. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: a printed points sheet and pens.
Why I Was Late, the Excuse ContestEach guest has thirty seconds to explain why they were late to the party, and every excuse has to be bigger than the one before. Excuses may include wildlife, royalty and weather but not traffic. The room votes for the most convincing nonsense. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Would You Rather, Both Are AwfulAsk questions where both choices are harmlessly terrible, such as hiccup for a year or sneeze glitter. On the count of three everyone votes with a thumb up or down. The smaller side has to defend its choice in one sentence each. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Drawing and making 9
Draw It From Memory: a BicycleGive everyone two minutes to draw a bicycle from memory, with the frame, the chain and the pedals in the right places. Hold the drawings up together. Expect some very odd bicycles. Follow up with a can opener and a grand piano. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: paper and pens.
Eyes-Shut Draw and GuessThe artist draws a card, shuts their eyes and sketches the word on a big pad while their team shouts guesses. One minute per turn. Things go wrong quickly once the artist lifts the pen and loses their place. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: a big pad, markers, word cards and a timer.
Foil Sculpture ContestHand each guest an arm's length of kitchen foil and a theme, such as famous landmarks or the host's pet. Sculptors get three minutes. Display the results on the table with title cards and vote for a winner. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a roll of kitchen foil.
Lights-Out DrawingTurn off the lights. The host describes a scene one piece at a time: a house, a tree next to it, a dog in the yard, a bird on the roof, a sun in the corner. Everyone draws in the dark. Lights on, and score a point for every piece that ended up in the right place. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: paper and pens.
Modeling Clay Sculpt and GuessThe sculptor draws a word card and has one minute to model it in clay while their team guesses. No letters, no numbers and no pointing at things in the room. Flatten the clay and pass it on. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: modeling clay, word cards and a timer.
Pass-Along SketchbookEveryone writes a sentence at the top of a sheet and passes it on. The next player draws the sentence and folds the words out of sight. The player after that writes what the drawing seems to show. Keep going around the table, then unfold the sheets and read them aloud. Players: 5 to 12. Time: 20 min. Props: paper and pens.
Two Artists, One PenPairs hold a single marker together and draw whatever the host calls, such as a horse or a lighthouse, without speaking. They then sign it together in one joint signature. The room votes for the most convincing horse. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and markers.
Worst Invention BlueprintEveryone gets four minutes to design a truly useless invention on paper, such as an umbrella with a skylight. Each inventor then pitches it to the room in twenty seconds. The room votes to fund the worst one. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: paper and pens.
Wrong-Hand PortraitsDraw the person on your left using the hand you do not write with. You have two minutes, and you may not apologize. Pin the portraits up with no names, and let the room guess who is who. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and pens.
Silly stunts and straight faces 27
Are You There, Moriarty?Two blindfolded players lie face down, head to head, each holding a rolled-up newspaper. One asks are you there, Moriarty? The other answers yes and rolls away, and the first takes one gentle swing at where the voice came from. A hit wins the round. Swap roles after each swing. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: two blindfolds and two rolled-up newspapers.
Crab Walk SoccerPlay five-a-side soccer with a beach ball, with everyone in crab-walk position: hands and feet on the grass, tummy up. Play two halves of three minutes each, which will feel like plenty. Players: 6 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a beach ball and four markers for goals.
Elephant, Toaster, Palm TreeStand in a circle with one player in the middle. They point at someone and call elephant, toaster or palm tree. That player and both neighbors have three seconds to build it together: a trunk and two ears, toast popping up between two sides, or a swaying trunk with two fronds. The slowest of the three goes into the middle. Players: 7 to 25. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Fetch-It Musical ChairsPlay musical chairs with no chair taken away. When the music stops, the host calls for an object, such as a spoon, a left shoe or something purple. Everyone has to fetch one and sit back down, and the last player seated is out. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 12 min. Props: chairs and music.
Giants, Wizards and ElvesTwo teams huddle and secretly choose to be giants, wizards or elves. Giants beat wizards, wizards beat elves, and elves beat giants. On three, both teams strike their pose. The winning side chases the losers back to their safe line, and anyone tagged swaps teams. Players: 10 to 40. Time: 15 min. Props: none.
Ha Ha Ha CircleThe first player says ha with a completely straight face. The second says ha ha, the third says ha ha ha, and so on around the circle. Anyone who laughs for real or loses count is out. See if the circle can get past ten. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
Kazoo Tune GuessingA player draws a song title and performs it on a kazoo while their team guesses. One minute per turn and as many songs as they can manage. Nobody sounds good on a kazoo, which keeps things fair. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 12 min. Props: a kazoo each and song title cards.
Last Hoop SpinningEveryone spins a plastic hoop around their waist at the same moment. The last hoop still turning wins the round. In round two, contestants also have to answer quiz questions while they spin. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: a plastic hoop each, or play in heats.
Lawn Chair VolleyballTie a string between two trees at head height and set out two rows of lawn chairs facing it. Everyone has to stay seated at all times. Bat a beach ball over the string, and score a point whenever it lands on the other side. Play to eleven. Players: 6 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: lawn chairs, a string and a beach ball.
Leaky Cup Overhead RelayTeams sit in a line, one behind the other. The front player fills a cup that has holes poked in it and passes it backward over their head. The last player in the line empties whatever is left into a bucket. The fullest bucket after three minutes wins. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 8 min. Props: plastic cups with holes, buckets and water.
Museum Night GuardOne player is the night guard, and everyone else is a statue in the museum. Statues may move only when the guard is not looking at them. A statue caught moving, or laughing, becomes a guard too. The last statue standing wins. Players: 5 to 25. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Oversize Clothes RelayEach team has a bag holding a huge shirt, enormous shorts, a hat and rubber boots. The first runner puts everything on over their clothes, runs to the marker and back, and strips it all off for the next runner. The first team to finish wins. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 12 min. Props: two bags of oversize clothes.
Paper Bag Pick-Up, No HandsStand a paper grocery bag on the floor. Each player has to pick it up with their teeth while only their feet touch the ground. After every round, cut a strip off the top of the bag. Players tear off the part they bit, and the last one still able to reach the bag wins. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: a paper grocery bag and scissors.
Party Hat Ring TossOne partner wears a cone party hat and stands three steps away. The other tosses glow necklaces or paper plate rings and tries to land them on the hat. The partner in the hat may duck and lean but may not move their feet. Most rings in one minute wins. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: cone party hats and rings.
Pool Noodle JavelinHang a plastic hoop from a branch. Players throw a pool noodle like a javelin from five steps away and score a point for each noodle that goes through. Move the line back one step after every round. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: pool noodles and a plastic hoop on a string.
Pool Noodle Pony DerbyEvery jockey rides a pool noodle pony around a short course with two jumps made of garden canes. A commentator calls the race. Give each pony a race name before the start, and award a rosette for the best turned-out pony. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 12 min. Props: pool noodles and low jumps.
Poor Kitty, Keep a Straight FaceOne player is the kitty. They crawl up to a seated guest and meow as pitifully as they can. The guest has to pat the kitty on the head and say poor kitty three times without smiling. If they crack, they become the kitty. Players: 5 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Pterodactyl, No Teeth ShowingCover your teeth with your lips and keep them covered. Go around the circle, each player saying pterodactyl to the next. A player may screech like a dinosaur instead, which reverses the direction. Anyone who shows teeth, by laughing or otherwise, is out. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Rubber Boot Toss for DistanceEach player gets one throw of a rubber boot, in any style, from behind the line. Mark each landing spot with a stick. Keep spectators well behind the thrower, because a rubber boot does not fly straight. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: one rubber boot and marker sticks.
Self-Timer Hot PotatoSet a phone to selfie mode with a ten-second timer and pass it around the circle, with each player holding it at arm's length. Nobody knows whose face it will catch. Play five rounds and show the gallery on the TV. Only the players are in the photos. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 8 min. Props: one phone.
Slow-Motion Race, Last Place WinsRace twenty steps in the slowest slow motion you can manage. You have to keep moving forward the whole time, with no stopping and no going backward. The last racer to cross the line wins. Appoint a commentator. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
Spoon on the Nose Hang TimeEveryone breathes on a teaspoon, hangs it from the end of their nose and lets go. No holding it and no tilting your head back past the ceiling line. The host times it, and the last spoon still hanging wins. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: a teaspoon each.
Stocking Trunk Bottle BowlingDrop a tennis ball into one leg of a pair of tights and pull the waistband over your head like a hat, so that the ball hangs down as a trunk. With your hands behind your back, swing the trunk to knock over six empty plastic bottles. The fastest time wins. Players: 2 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: tights, a tennis ball and six empty plastic bottles.
Straight Face ComplimentsTwo players sit knee to knee and trade increasingly absurd compliments, such as your elbows are the pride of this county. The first to laugh is out, and a challenger takes their seat. The winner stays on. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Thumb War BracketDraw a knockout bracket and announce every match like a title fight. One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war. A pin has to hold for a count of three. The finalists get entrance music. Players: 4 to 32. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
What Changed About MeThe host stands in front of the group for thirty seconds, then leaves the room and changes five small things: a watch on the other wrist, one sleeve rolled up, a sock inside out. Back in the room, guests write down every change they spot. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
Wrong-Hand Disc GolfPick five targets around the yard, such as a tree, a chair and a bucket. Players throw a flying disc with the hand they do not normally use and count their throws to hit each target. The lowest total wins. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 20 min. Props: a flying disc per player or pair.