Games to Play With 5 People

Games chosen because five is one too many for pairs: press Pick 3 new games.

Games to Play With 5 People

  1. Four Witnesses, One Sketch ArtistThe sketch artist turns away while the other four study a busy picture from a magazine for ten seconds. The picture is hidden. The witnesses then describe it from memory while the artist draws, asking anything they like. Stop after three minutes and lay the sketch beside the picture. Score a point for every object the artist got in the right place. At five: four memories disagree in useful ways, and the artist has to decide whom to believe. Players: 5, or up to 6. Time: 8 min. Props: a magazine picture, paper and a pencil.
  2. Crazy Eights With a Five-Card DealDeal five cards each and turn one card up to start the pile. On your turn, play a card that matches the top card in suit or rank, or play any eight and name a new suit. If you cannot play, draw from the stock until you can. First to play their last card wins. At five: five hands of five leave a deep stock, so a player who is stuck can draw for a long time. Players: 5, or up to 7. Time: 10 min. Props: a standard deck.
  3. Ten Duels in Five RoundsPick any quick duel: thumb wrestling, a coin spin, rock paper scissors to three. Write the five names in a ring. In each round two duels run side by side and the fifth player referees both; then everyone moves one place around the ring. After five rounds every player has met every other player once and refereed once. Most wins takes it; a tie is settled by one more duel. At five: five is the number where a full round robin gives everyone exactly four duels and one turn with the whistle. Players: 5. Time: 12 min. Props: paper, a pen and whatever the duel needs.

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How it works

Games to play with 5 people have to deal with the odd one, because two pairs leave somebody over. Here the fifth player is a secret role, a judge or a referee, and each entry ends with what five adds.

Read the full guide

Give the fifth player a job

One secret player among four hides one bluffer in the group, as Odd One Out of Five: The Missing Word does. Four play, the fifth judges or keeps score rotates the spare seat, and Two pairs against the clock, with a referee hands it a whistle.

Cards for five

Five-handed card games, with the deal gives each deal for five: ten cards each in Five-Handed Hearts, Two Cards Out, six in Rummy for Five and five in Crazy Eights With a Five-Card Deal.

Tips
  • In a game with a rotating seat, play five rounds, so that everyone sits in the odd seat once.
  • Puss in the Corner is a traditional game for exactly five players: four corners and one in the middle.

Questions and answers

What game can you play with 5 people?

Any game that gives the fifth player a job. In One Liar in Five, four tell the truth and one bluffs. In Ten Duels in Five Rounds, every player meets every other once and referees once. Puss in the Corner needs exactly five.

What card games work for 5 players?

Hearts, Knock-Out Whist, Contract Whist, Rummy, Crazy Eights, Go Fish, President, Old Maid and Ranter-Go-Round all take five, and each entry gives the five-player deal. I Doubt It With Two Packs uses two decks shuffled together.

Can 5 people play team games?

Yes: two pairs and a referee. In Doubles Charades, Same Card at Once, both pairs race through one list while the fifth holds the clock. Swap the referee after each match, and five matches give everyone a turn.

Which games for five need nothing at all?

Choose No props in the All games menu. Four Senses Describe It, the Fifth Guesses, Back to Back, the Spare One Calls and Five-Beat Bar, One Beat Each need only the five of you.

More tools

Browse Acting and Drawing

All 36 games

One secret player among four 7

  • The Fifth Builder Has a Secret Mission All five build one card house or block tower together for four minutes. Before the start, everyone draws a slip; four are blank and one names a harmless mission, such as get a red card on the very top or make the tower lean left. When time is up, the builders vote on who had the mission. The secret builder wins only if the mission was done and the vote missed. At five: four honest builders keep the tower standing while one steers it, so the vote is a real puzzle. Players: 5, or up to 6. Time: 8 min. Props: a deck of cards or a box of blocks, and slips.
  • Four Senses Describe It, the Fifth Guesses The guesser leaves the room. The other four agree on something everyone knows, such as a campfire, and each takes one sense: how it looks, sounds, smells or feels. The guesser comes back and hears one sentence from each, in any order they ask for. A right guess after two senses scores three, after three scores two, after four scores one. At five: one sense each leaves nobody without a clue to give. Players: 5. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
  • Four True Facts and the Reader's Fake Four players each write one odd, true fact about themselves on a slip and hand it to the reader. The reader invents a fifth fact about any one of the four and adds it to the pile. All five are read aloud without names. The four confer and pick the fake. They score if they find it; the reader scores if they pick a true one. Pass the reader's seat to the left. At five: the fifth player is the forger, and everyone gets one turn in that seat in five rounds. Players: 5, or up to 6. Time: 10 min. Props: paper slips and pens.
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One secret player among four, continued

  • The Mole Among the Quiz Team One player reads ten quiz questions from any quiz book or card set, and the other four answer as a team, agreeing each answer aloud. The reader has secretly told one of the four, by a marked slip, to steer the team to at least two wrong answers. At the end the team names its mole. Rotate the reader, so that five rounds make the whole game. At five: the reader runs the round and the mole hides among only three others. Players: 5. Time: 10 min. Props: ten quiz questions and slips.
  • Odd One Out of Five: The Missing Word Deal five slips face down: four carry the same secret word, such as lighthouse, and one is blank. Going around twice, everyone says one clue word that proves they know the secret without giving it away. Then all point at once at the player they think held the blank. If the blank is caught, that player gets one guess at the word to steal the round. At five: one bluffer among four is the smallest table where the game works, and two rounds of clues give exactly ten words to read. Players: 5, or up to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: paper slips and a pen.
  • One Liar in Five Deal five slips: four say truth and one says lie. The dealer reads a question that has a personal answer, such as the first thing you ever cooked. Everyone answers in a sentence or two; the liar invents theirs. After one follow-up question each, everybody votes. The liar scores a point for each player fooled, and each player who spots the liar scores one. At five: four true stories give the liar real cover, and a vote of five rarely ties. Players: 5, or up to 7. Time: 10 min. Props: paper slips and a pen.
  • Two Secret Partners, Three Detectives Deal five slips; two carry a star. The starred players are partners and do not know who the other is. Play five rounds of this or that, such as mountains or beach, with everyone answering aloud in turn. Partners try to find each other and end up answering alike without being noticed. After the fifth round, each of the three detectives names the pair. At five: five players can form ten different pairs, enough to hide in and few enough to solve. Players: 5. Time: 8 min. Props: paper slips and a pen.

Four play, the fifth judges or keeps score 7

  • The Fifth Sets Four Tasks The task-setter writes four different one-minute tasks on slips, each using things in the room: stack six coins on a pencil, fold a paper boat, list ten green things. The four players draw one each and all start at once. The setter judges which task was done best, not fastest. The winner sets the next four. At five: four tasks at once mean nobody watches and nobody waits. Players: 5. Time: 8 min. Props: slips, a pen, a timer and things in the room.
  • Five by Five Quiz, Everyone Hosts a Round Each player writes five questions they know the answers to, on any subject they like. The first host reads theirs to the other four, who answer by slapping the table first. A right answer scores one; a wrong one freezes that player for the next question. Then the next player hosts. After five rounds of five, every player has hosted once and answered twenty questions. At five: the host's chair goes all the way around in one evening, and no one hosts twice. Players: 5. Time: 15 min. Props: paper and pens.
  • Four Witnesses, One Sketch Artist The sketch artist turns away while the other four study a busy picture from a magazine for ten seconds. The picture is hidden. The witnesses then describe it from memory while the artist draws, asking anything they like. Stop after three minutes and lay the sketch beside the picture. Score a point for every object the artist got in the right place. At five: four memories disagree in useful ways, and the artist has to decide whom to believe. Players: 5, or up to 6. Time: 8 min. Props: a magazine picture, paper and a pencil.
  • Four-Part Kitchen Orchestra, One Conductor Four players each pick a kitchen sound: a wooden spoon on a pan, a whisk in a bowl, a jar of rice, two lids. The fifth conducts with a spatula: point to bring a player in, palm down for quiet, both arms for everyone. The conductor's aim is a thirty-second piece with a clear start and finish; the players' aim is not to laugh first. Swap the baton. At five: a quartet is enough to make a tune, and the conductor has a hand for each pair. Players: 5, or up to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: pans, spoons, lids, a whisk and a jar of rice.
  • Guess the Fifth's Ranking of Four The player in the ranking seat is given four things by the table, such as four breakfasts or four chores, and secretly writes them in order from first choice to last. The other four each write their guess at the order. One point for every thing in the right place, and a bonus for all four. The ranking seat moves left. At five: four guessers can compare notes afterward, and the ranker learns who knows them. Players: 5, or up to 6. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and pens.
  • Predict the Split: Four Vote, One Forecasts The forecaster reads an either-or question, such as window seat or aisle, and writes down how the other four will split: four to nothing, three to one, or two each, and which way. On a count of three the four point left or right. A forecast that is exactly right scores two; the right majority alone scores one. Pass the forecast on. At five: four voters can split only five ways, so the forecast is a fair guess and never a coin flip. Players: 5. Time: 8 min. Props: paper and a pen.
  • Ten Duels in Five Rounds Pick any quick duel: thumb wrestling, a coin spin, rock paper scissors to three. Write the five names in a ring. In each round two duels run side by side and the fifth player referees both; then everyone moves one place around the ring. After five rounds every player has met every other player once and refereed once. Most wins takes it; a tie is settled by one more duel. At five: five is the number where a full round robin gives everyone exactly four duels and one turn with the whistle. Players: 5. Time: 12 min. Props: paper, a pen and whatever the duel needs.

Two pairs against the clock, with a referee 6

  • Alternate-Letter Spelling in Pairs The referee gives a word to one pair. The partners spell it aloud one letter each, back and forth, with no pause longer than two seconds and no going back. A clean word scores its number of letters; a slip hands the same word to the other pair for double. The referee picks longer words as the pairs warm up. At five: two pairs keep each other honest and one referee holds the dictionary. Players: 5. Time: 8 min. Props: a dictionary or a phone to check spellings.
  • Coin Curling for Two Pairs Mark a target the size of a saucer at the far end of a smooth table. Pairs take turns to slide a coin from the near edge with one push of a finger; partners alternate shots, four coins a pair. Coins may knock each other. After eight shots the referee measures: the pair with the coin nearest the center scores a point for every coin closer than the other pair's best. At five: the fifth player measures and sets the table again, and takes a place when a pair loses. Players: 5. Time: 10 min. Props: eight coins in two kinds, a smooth table and a ruler.
  • Doubles Charades, Same Card at Once The referee writes a list of five things to act and shows it to one actor from each pair. Both actors perform at the same time for their own partners, who call guesses. The referee points at a pair when it gets one right and stops the clock when either pair has all five. The referee also calls out any actor who makes a sound. Rotate so that each player referees once. At five: two pairs racing on the same card is a fair contest, and the fifth holds the list and the clock. Players: 5. Time: 10 min. Props: paper, a pen and a timer.
  • Draw-Off in Doubles The referee whispers the same word to one drawer from each pair. Both draw at once on their own sheets while their partners guess aloud. No letters, numbers or talking from the drawers. The first right guess scores; the referee picks the next word and the drawers swap with their partners. First pair to five. At five: with five, the plain draw-and-guess race becomes pair against pair with a referee choosing the words. Players: 5. Time: 10 min. Props: paper, two pencils and a list of words.
  • One-Word Clues, Pair Against Pair The referee shows a secret word to one clue-giver from each pair. The clue-givers take turns to say a single word as a clue, and after each clue that giver's partner gets one guess. A guess on the first clue scores five, on the second four, and so on down. The referee rules out clues that are part of the word and keeps score. At five: each clue helps both pairs, so the referee is needed and the fifth seat is the best one in the room. Players: 5. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and a pen.
  • Robot Fetch Race, Two Programmers In each pair one player is a robot and one a programmer. The referee puts two matching objects at the far end of the room. Programmers stay behind a line and speak commands: two steps, turn left, reach down. Robots keep their eyes open and do exactly and only what they hear. First robot back over the line with its object wins. The referee watches for robots that think for themselves. At five: two robots crossing one room get in each other's way, which is the game. Players: 5. Time: 8 min. Props: two matching objects.

Five-handed card games, with the deal 10

  • Crazy Eights With a Five-Card Deal Deal five cards each and turn one card up to start the pile. On your turn, play a card that matches the top card in suit or rank, or play any eight and name a new suit. If you cannot play, draw from the stock until you can. First to play their last card wins. At five: five hands of five leave a deep stock, so a player who is stuck can draw for a long time. Players: 5, or up to 7. Time: 10 min. Props: a standard deck.
  • Five-Handed Hearts, Two Cards Out Take out the two of clubs and the two of diamonds, and deal the other fifty cards, ten to each player. Follow suit if you can; the highest card of the suit led takes the trick. Every heart you take is a point against you. Play to an agreed total; the lowest score wins. At five: there are no partners, so all four of the others are trying to hand you hearts. Players: 5. Time: 20 min. Props: a standard deck, paper and a pen.
  • Go Fish Among Five, Five Cards Each Deal five cards each and spread the rest face down as the pond. On your turn, ask one player for every card of a rank you already hold. If they have none, they say go fish and you draw from the pond. Lay down four of a kind as a book. Most books when the cards run out wins. At five: four people to ask means remembering who asked whom for what. Players: 5, or up to 6. Time: 10 min. Props: a standard deck.
  • I Doubt It With Two Packs Shuffle two decks together and deal them all out. The first player lays one to four cards face down and says aces; the next says twos, and so on up. You may lie about what you laid. Anyone may say I doubt it: if the cards were not as called, the player takes the whole pile; if they were, the doubter does. First to empty their hand wins. At five: five or more players usually play with two packs, so there are eight of every rank to bluff with. Players: 5, or up to 8. Time: 15 min. Props: two standard decks.
  • Knock-Out Whist for Five Deal seven cards each and turn up one more to set trumps. Play seven tricks, following suit when you can. Anyone who takes no trick is knocked out. For the next hand deal six cards each, then five, and so on down; whoever took the most tricks chooses trumps. The last player left wins. At five: thirty-five cards go out in the first hand, so most of the deck is in play and five players can all take a trick. Players: 5, or up to 7. Time: 15 min. Props: a standard deck.
  • Name Your Tricks: Contract Whist for Five Deal seven cards each for the first hand, six for the next, and on down to one. Before play, each player says exactly how many tricks they will take. Follow suit when you can. Everyone scores one point a trick, and a player who takes exactly the number they said adds a bonus of ten. Highest total after the one-card hand wins. At five: five bids rarely add up to the tricks on offer, so somebody is always going to be wrong. Players: 5, or up to 7. Time: 20 min. Props: a standard deck, paper and a pen.
  • Old Maid for Five Take one queen out of the deck and deal the other fifty-one cards: one player gets eleven and four get ten. Everyone lays down any pairs. In turn, each player fans their cards face down and the next player draws one, laying down a pair if it makes one. The player left holding the odd queen at the end loses the hand. At five: the queen has four other hands to travel through before she comes home. Players: 5, or up to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: a standard deck.
  • President for Five Deal out the whole deck: two players get eleven cards and three get ten. The first player leads one card or a set of the same rank; each player after must beat it with a higher card or set of the same size, or pass. Whoever plays last leads again. First to run out of cards is president for the next hand, and the last gives their best card to the president. At five: five ranks, from president down to the last seat, give every finishing place a name. Players: 5, or up to 8. Time: 12 min. Props: a standard deck.
  • Ranter-Go-Round for Five Everyone starts with three counters as lives and is dealt one card. In turn, you may keep your card or swap it with the player on your left, who must swap unless they hold a king. The dealer swaps with the top of the deck. Turn the cards up: the lowest loses a life. Deal again. The last player with a life left wins. The counters are only a tally; nothing is staked. At five: with five in the ring, a low card can be passed along four times before it lands. Players: 5, or up to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: a standard deck and fifteen counters.
  • Rummy for Five Deal six cards each, put the rest face down as the stock and turn one card up beside it. On your turn, draw from the stock or the face-up pile, lay down any set of three or four of a rank or run of three or more in one suit, and discard one card. The first player to get rid of every card wins the hand. At five: with five players the hand is six cards, one fewer than the three- or four-player deal. Players: 5, or up to 6. Time: 15 min. Props: a standard deck.

Circle games that want an odd number 6

  • Back to Back, the Spare One Calls Four players pair up and the fifth is the caller. The caller names two things, such as elbow to knee or palm to palm, and each pair touches them together. On the call back to back, everyone including the caller must find a new partner and stand back to back. Whoever is left over calls next. At five: an odd number always leaves one player spare, and that player is the caller. Players: 5, or up to 9. Time: 6 min. Props: none.
  • Five-Beat Bar, One Beat Each Sit in a ring and count one to five around it, one number each, until the count is steady. Now each player claps on their own number only. Then the leader calls a number to go silent: that player misses their clap and the ring has to keep time through the gap. Call a second silent number. Last, change the order by having players swap seats without losing the beat. At five: each player owns one beat of a five-beat bar, so nobody can hide in the rhythm. Players: 5. Time: 6 min. Props: none.
  • Keep the Slow Walker Out of the Empty Chair Scatter five chairs about the room, facing any way. Four players sit and the fifth stands at the far side from the empty chair. The walker walks toward it at a slow, steady pace that never changes. A seated player may get up to fill the empty chair, but that leaves their own chair free. Once you stand you must move. Time how long the four can keep the walker standing. At five: four sitters and five chairs make one gap, and the gap keeps moving. Players: 5, or up to 9. Time: 8 min. Props: five chairs.
  • One Limerick, Five Lines, Five Writers A limerick has five lines, and lines one, two and five rhyme with each other while the shorter lines three and four rhyme together. The first player writes line one about someone at the table and passes the sheet on. Each player adds one line, keeping to the rhyme. The fifth player has to land the ending and reads the poem aloud. Start the next sheet one seat around. At five: five lines and five writers: everyone writes each line of the form once in five poems. Players: 5. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and a pen.
  • Puss in the Corner A traditional game for exactly five. Mark four corners of a square with cushions or trees. Four players take a corner each and the fifth stands in the middle. The corner players swap places with each other whenever they dare, by a nod or a wave. The player in the middle tries to reach an empty corner first. Whoever is left without a corner goes into the middle. At five: four corners and one player over is the whole game; with any other number it is a different game. Players: 5. Time: 8 min. Props: four cushions or markers.
  • Star Pass: Skip Your Neighbor Stand in a ring of five. Throw a beanbag or a rolled sock to the second person on your left, never to a neighbor. That player does the same. Count the catches aloud. When the ring reaches twenty, add a second beanbag going the same way, then a third. At five: skipping one place in a ring of five draws a five-pointed star and reaches everyone; in a ring of four or six it leaves players out. Players: 5. Time: 6 min. Props: one to three beanbags or rolled socks.

How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors for a group of exactly five, in our own words. Every game ends with a line that says what the number five does to it; player ranges and times are our estimates. The secret-player, judge and pair games are the editors' own party versions. Nothing here involves alcohol, betting or dares, and counters in a card game are a tally only. Deals and rules of the traditional games were checked on 2026-10-03 against English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by the name): Hearts_(card_game), Knock-out_whist, Oh_hell, Rummy, Crazy_Eights, Go_Fish, President_(card_game), Cheat_(game), Old_maid_(card_game), Ranter-Go-Round, Limerick_(poetry); and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puss_in_the_corner_%28children%27s_game%29. The ten cards each in Hearts and the uneven deals in President and Old Maid are our arithmetic from the size of the pack. Licence: own work