Left Right Party Game: 8 Occasions, Each Short and Long

Eight left right stories, each short and long, for parties that are not Christmas, with your guest of honor's name.

4 words needed. What you type stays in this browser.

Example, filled in with our words

Any party, short: The Treasure Map

Aunt Carol hid a prize somewhere in Maple Grove, drew a map, and lost the map. All that is LEFT is a list of directions on a napkin, and Cousin Ray is going to follow them while we listen.

Out the front door, turn LEFT. Ten paces to the mailbox. If you are standing in a hedge, you went RIGHT.

From the mailbox go RIGHT, then LEFT at the barking dog. Do not pet the dog. Cousin Ray petted the dog.

"Walk until you smell garlic bread," says the napkin. Cousin Ray sniffed LEFT, sniffed RIGHT, and followed the smell to a window, where somebody handed over a plate.

Next comes an arrow pointing LEFT, a smudge, and an arrow pointing RIGHT. Cousin Ray went LEFT, met a garden gnome, said sorry to it, and came back.

"Stop. Look down." There was nothing there but a shoe. "Other side," says the napkin. On the other side there was one line LEFT: "The prize is in the room with you RIGHT now."

So whatever you are holding is yours to keep. Thank Aunt Carol, and never ask Cousin Ray the way home.

Any party, short: The Treasure Map

Next step Full room? More party games for large groups

How it works

These left right party game stories are for every party that is not Christmas. Press Start: give me 4 words to put your host and town in the any-party story, or pick an occasion from the Story list.

How to play the left right game at a party

Seat everyone in a circle, each holding a small wrapped gift, or hand a single prize to anyone. Read the story aloud, slowly. At every LEFT or RIGHT in capitals, whatever people hold moves one seat that way. After the last line, everybody keeps what is in their hands.

Eight occasions, each in a short and a long cut

Birthday, baby shower, bridal shower, retirement, family reunion, Thanksgiving, Halloween and any party. A short cut takes about 2 minutes and 11 to 14 passes, enough for one table. The long cut tells the same story in about 4 minutes with 15 to 23 passes, better for a full room. The list under the tool gives every story's counts.

Tips

  • One gift for the guest of honor? With a story that ends one seat left, start it on their right.
  • Every story is clean: no jokes about the couple in the shower stories, and no drinking anywhere.
  • Both retirement cuts and the long Halloween story end to the right; the other thirteen end to the left.

Questions and answers

How does the left right party game work with one prize?

Hand the prize to anyone. It moves one seat at each LEFT or RIGHT, and whoever holds it at the end keeps it. With three or more players, every story ends one or two seats from its start, so the first holder never wins.

Is there a left right game for a baby shower or a bridal shower?

One story each, in two lengths. The Crib Instructions is about building a crib from pictures with no words. The Seating Chart is about a bride seating two relatives who disagree. Both ask for the guest of honor's name and the host's.

Which left right story fits Thanksgiving or Halloween?

Pass the Potatoes follows fourteen dishes around a table whose only rule is pass to the left. The Ghost Who Got Lost is about a ghost who cannot find the party downstairs. It is silly, not scary.

How many people do you need for a left right game?

Three or more. With two players, any story that ends two seats from its start hands both gifts straight back. There is no upper limit. In a big room, wait after each cue until the passing stops.

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All 16 stories

Show the list
  • Any party, short: The Treasure Map Any party, short, about 2 minutes. LEFT 7, RIGHT 5. A lost treasure map and a guest who never asks the way. Gifts end two seats left of where they started. Asks for 4 words: 2 × name, 1 × town, 1 × food.
  • Any party, long: The Treasure Map Any party, long, about 4 minutes. LEFT 12, RIGHT 11. A lost treasure map and a guest who never asks the way. Gifts end one seat left of where they started. Asks for 4 words: 2 × name, 1 × town, 1 × food.
  • Birthday, short: The Cake Pickup Birthday, short, about 2 minutes. LEFT 7, RIGHT 6. The surprise party where the cake said Gerald. Gifts end one seat left of where they started. Asks for 5 words: 3 × name, 1 × town, 1 × number.
  • Birthday, long: The Cake Pickup Birthday, long, about 4 minutes. LEFT 12, RIGHT 10. The surprise party where the cake said Gerald. Gifts end two seats left of where they started. Asks for 5 words: 3 × name, 1 × town, 1 × number.
  • Baby shower, short: The Crib Instructions Baby shower, short, about 2 minutes. LEFT 8, RIGHT 6. One flat-packed crib, and instructions with no words. Gifts end two seats left of where they started. Asks for 4 words: 3 × name, 1 × town.
  • Baby shower, long: The Crib Instructions Baby shower, long, about 4 minutes. LEFT 12, RIGHT 11. One flat-packed crib, and instructions with no words. Gifts end one seat left of where they started. Asks for 4 words: 3 × name, 1 × town.
  • Bridal shower, short: The Seating Chart Bridal shower, short, about 2 minutes. LEFT 6, RIGHT 5. The bride's seating chart will not sit still. Gifts end one seat left of where they started. Asks for 5 words: 4 × name, 1 × town.
  • Bridal shower, long: The Seating Chart Bridal shower, long, about 4 minutes. LEFT 9, RIGHT 8. The bride's seating chart will not sit still. Gifts end one seat left of where they started. Asks for 5 words: 4 × name, 1 × town.
  • Retirement, short: Clearing the Desk Retirement, short, about 2 minutes. LEFT 5, RIGHT 6. The last job of a career: emptying six desk drawers. Gifts end one seat right of where they started. Asks for 5 words: 2 × name, 1 × number, 1 × town, 1 × thing.
  • Retirement, long: Clearing the Desk Retirement, long, about 4 minutes. LEFT 7, RIGHT 8. The last job of a career: emptying six desk drawers. Gifts end one seat right of where they started. Asks for 5 words: 2 × name, 1 × number, 1 × town, 1 × thing.
  • Family reunion, short: The Group Photo Family reunion, short, about 2 minutes. LEFT 7, RIGHT 6. Getting the whole family into one photo. Gifts end one seat left of where they started. Asks for 6 words: 4 × name, 1 × family name, 1 × town.
  • Family reunion, long: The Group Photo Family reunion, long, about 4 minutes. LEFT 9, RIGHT 8. Getting the whole family into one photo. Gifts end one seat left of where they started. Asks for 6 words: 4 × name, 1 × family name, 1 × town.
  • Thanksgiving, short: Pass the Potatoes Thanksgiving, short, about 2 minutes. LEFT 6, RIGHT 5. Fourteen dishes and one rule about which way to pass. Gifts end one seat left of where they started. Asks for 5 words: 3 × name, 1 × town, 1 × food.
  • Thanksgiving, long: Pass the Potatoes Thanksgiving, long, about 4 minutes. LEFT 12, RIGHT 11. Fourteen dishes and one rule about which way to pass. Gifts end one seat left of where they started. Asks for 5 words: 3 × name, 1 × town, 1 × food.
  • Halloween, short: The Ghost Who Got Lost Halloween, short, about 2 minutes. LEFT 6, RIGHT 5. A ghost with no sense of direction. Silly, not scary. Gifts end one seat left of where they started. Asks for 5 words: 3 × name, 1 × town, 1 × food.
  • Halloween, long: The Ghost Who Got Lost Halloween, long, about 4 minutes. LEFT 8, RIGHT 9. A ghost with no sense of direction. Silly, not scary. Gifts end one seat right of where they started. Asks for 5 words: 3 × name, 1 × town, 1 × food.

The kinds of words the game asks for

  • Name a first name; a made-up one is fine. More examples: Sir Reginald, Professor Plum, Doctor Noodle.
  • Food something to eat, like porridge. More examples: pickles, custard, cheese.
  • Number any number, like 7 or 3,000. More examples: 3,000, 12, 99.

How these stories were written: All 16 texts were written for this site in September 2026: eight stories, one for each occasion, each told in a short cut and a long cut. None is adapted from a circulating left right story. The names are the ones you type, or samples; no real person appears. Pass counts are counted by script from the final text. Licence: own work