Two Truths and a Lie, Cross-ExaminedEach player makes three statements about themselves: two true and one invented. The group gets one minute of questions before voting on the lie. Score a point for every person you fool. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: none.
Most Likely To, Point on ThreeRead out a kind or funny prompt, such as most likely to become famous by accident. On the count of three, everyone points at the person they would pick. The player with the most fingers pointed at them takes a bow and reads the next prompt. Players: 5 to 20. Time: 12 min. Props: a list of kind prompts.
Secret Word ImposterEveryone is shown the same secret word except one player, who gets a blank. Go around the circle twice giving one-word clues, vague enough to hide the word and clear enough to prove you know it. Then vote on who was bluffing. An imposter who guesses the word wins anyway. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 12 min. Props: one phone or paper slips.
Teens walk away from anything that feels like a kids' game. So these party games for teens lean on bluffing, music, teams and phones used on purpose, and all 66 are clean. Press New games to deal three, or tap a chip such as Sleepover and late night first.
Build a line-up nobody rolls their eyes at
Open with Guess the Song Intro while people are still arriving. Bring out a bluffing game once everyone is there: Mafia With a Narrator fills half an hour for six or more. Press Lock on a keeper and New games to swap the others. For indoor party games for teens, tap Indoor games, which holds 59 of the 66. Copy all drops the plan into the group chat.
Birthday party games for teenagers turning 16
The 16th birthday games chip holds 11 party games for 16 year olds built around the number or the guest of honor, such as Sixteen Photos in Order, Sweet Sixteen Song Bracket and Blindfold Driving Test. Most other birthday party games for teens work at any age from 13 up. Party games for 17 year olds can skip the theme: older teens tend to prefer Bluffing and secret roles, where nobody has to perform.
Tips
Let a teen run the games. Party games for teenagers land better when the rules come from a friend and not from a parent.
Good party games for teens give shy guests a way in: a team to hide in, or a job such as judge, DJ or scorekeeper.
Agree a photo rule before any phone game: only players appear, and nothing is posted without a yes from everyone in it.
Questions and answers
What are fun party games for teens who say they are too old for games?
Skip anything with a circle and a song. Choose games that look like hanging out: Playlist Detective, Caption This Photo Contest and Movie Night Bingo run in the background. Once the room warms up, Secret Word Imposter pulls in the doubters.
Are these party games for teen girls, teen boys or mixed groups?
All 66 work for any mix, so sort by mood instead. A group that likes to perform will enjoy Lip Sync Showdown in Pairs and Karaoke Roulette. A competitive group will want Glow Stick Capture the Flag or Trivia With Point Wagers. For a sleepover, Sleepover and late night holds 33 quieter games.
Which party games for high schoolers need no props?
Nine games under No props need nothing, including Green Glass Door, Whose Story Is It, Freeze and Swap Improv Scenes and Team Manhunt With a Home Base. They are fun party games for teenagers at a bonfire or on a bus ride.
Party Games for Toddlers Aged 2 and 364 games for ages 2 and 3 with no losers and no waiting: circle songs, hunts, toss games and calm-down games, most over in five minutes.
Tea Party Games for Adults and Ladies' Teas52 games for a seated afternoon tea: quiz sheets with answer keys, table talk, hat and teacup contests, tasting games and a church ladies' set.
Cowboy Party Games for Adults, Plus 11 More Party Themes120 games for adult theme parties: cowboy, football game day, slumber party, barbecue, race day, housewarming, retirement, 1990s, 50th birthday, color party, masquerade and spring.
Black Magic Mind ReadingTwo players secretly agree a code: the right object is always the one pointed to straight after something black. One leaves, the group picks an object, and the partner returns and points around the room. Everyone else tries to crack the trick, and anyone who thinks they have it takes a turn as the mind reader. Players: 5 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Green Glass DoorThe host says what can pass through the green glass door: a kitten can, a cat cannot, a balloon can, a party cannot. Players offer their own items and the host answers yes or no. The secret is a double letter in the word. Anyone who works it out keeps quiet and joins the hosting. Players: 3 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
I Doubt It (Card Bluff)Deal out the whole deck. Players take turns laying cards face down and naming them in order: aces, then twos, then threes. The cards do not have to match the claim. Anyone may call I doubt it, and whoever turns out to be wrong picks up the pile. The first player with no cards wins. Players: 3 to 10. Time: 15 min. Props: one deck of cards, or two decks for five or more players.
Mafia With a NarratorA narrator deals secret roles: a few mafia, the rest townspeople. At night, with all eyes closed, the mafia silently pick a player to remove. By day, the whole town argues and votes someone out. The town wins by finding every mafia member. It needs at least six players. Players: 6 to 16. Time: 25 min. Props: role slips or playing cards.
One Line Each, Spot the FakerEveryone is shown the same word to draw except one faker, who is shown nothing. Pass one sheet of paper around twice, with each player adding a single line in their own color. Vote on the faker. A faker who is caught can still win by naming the word. Players: 5 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and a different colored pen each.
Pass the SignEveryone in the circle picks a small hand sign and shows it once. One player stands in the middle with eyes shut while the sign is handed to someone. To pass it on, make your own sign and then another player's, and they must catch it unseen. The middle player gets three guesses at who holds it. Players: 6 to 16. Time: 12 min. Props: none.
Secret Word ImposterEveryone is shown the same secret word except one player, who gets a blank. Go around the circle twice giving one-word clues, vague enough to hide the word and clear enough to prove you know it. Then vote on who was bluffing. An imposter who guesses the word wins anyway. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 12 min. Props: one phone or paper slips.
Spot the Pattern (Psychiatrist)One player leaves the room while the group agrees a secret pattern, such as everyone answers as if they were the person on their left. The guesser returns and asks simple questions around the circle until they work out the pattern. Players: 6 to 15. Time: 12 min. Props: none.
Two Truths and a Lie, Cross-ExaminedEach player makes three statements about themselves: two true and one invented. The group gets one minute of questions before voting on the lie. Score a point for every person you fool. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: none.
Who Wrote ThatThe host asks one question, such as the strangest food you have ever eaten. Everyone writes an answer on a slip with no name. The host reads the slips aloud, and players take turns matching an answer to its author. A right guess earns another turn. Players: 5 to 15. Time: 12 min. Props: paper slips and pens.
Whose Story Is ItThree players step out and choose one true and unusual story that happened to just one of them. All three come back and tell it as their own. The group asks each of them two questions, then votes on who really lived it. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 12 min. Props: none.
Wink, You're OutDeal slips so that one secret winker and one detective are chosen. Players mill around the room making eye contact, and anyone winked at counts to five and sits down with some drama. The detective gets three guesses to name the winker. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: paper slips.
Team showdowns 24
Beach Ball Volleyball, Everyone TouchesPlay volleyball with a beach ball and one extra rule: three different players have to touch the ball before it goes back over the net. Games go to eleven points, and teams rotate positions after every point. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 20 min. Props: a beach ball and a net or rope.
Blanket Name DropTwo teams sit on opposite sides of a blanket held up by two helpers. Each team silently sends one player up to face the blanket. When the blanket drops, the first of the two to say the other's name wins that player for their team. Players: 10 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a large blanket.
Blind Snack Taste TestBlindfold one taster per team and hand them five snacks in turn, such as three chip flavors and two kinds of gummy candy. Each correct flavor scores a point for the team. Ask every guest about allergies before you open a bag. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: blindfolds and five snacks.
Checkpoint Challenge RaceSet up five checkpoints around the yard, each with a task card: finish a twelve-piece puzzle, build a ten-cup tower, or land three bag tosses. A team earns a stamp at each checkpoint before it moves to the next. The first team back with five stamps wins. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 30 min. Props: five task stations, task cards and stamp sheets.
Cup Target Toss for PrizesSet ten cups in a triangle at each end of a table, with a folded prize slip under each cup. Teams take turns bouncing a table tennis ball toward the far triangle. Land a ball in a cup and you win the slip under it: a candy bar, first pick of the pizza, or control of the playlist. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: twenty plastic cups, table tennis balls and prize slips.
Emoji Title DecodeThe host shows a string of emoji that spells out a movie, a song or a book title. The first team to shout the title scores, and the winners write the next puzzle for their rivals. Prepare ten puzzles to get things moving. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 12 min. Props: a phone or a whiteboard.
Finish the Lyric, Then Sing ItThe host plays a song and cuts the sound in the middle of a line. The team whose turn it is has to sing the next line, in tune or not. Exact words score two points and close enough scores one. Players: 4 to 24. Time: 15 min. Props: a playlist and a speaker.
Fishbowl, Three RoundsEveryone writes three names or things on slips and drops them in a bowl. Teams take one-minute turns getting through as many slips as they can. In round one you describe the slip, in round two you give a single word, and in round three you act it out in silence. All the slips go back in the bowl before each round. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 30 min. Props: paper slips, pens, a bowl and a timer.
Forbidden Word Face-OffDescribe the word at the top of the card to your team without saying any of the five words listed below it. A player from the other team watches over your shoulder with a squeaky toy. Teams get one minute a turn, and a squeak hands the card to the other side. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: forbidden word cards, a timer and a squeaky toy.
Friends Against Family QuizFriends form one team, and parents, siblings and cousins form the other. The host asks questions about the birthday teen, and the guest of honor judges each answer on the spot. The family team usually knows the early years, and the friends know everything since. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: a list of questions.
Guess the Song IntroPlay the first three seconds of a song and pause it. The first team to hit its buzzer names the title for one point and the artist for another. A wrong answer lets the other team hear five more seconds. Players: 4 to 24. Time: 15 min. Props: a playlist, a speaker and two buzzers or bells.
Human Tic-Tac-Toe RelayLay nine plastic hoops in a three-by-three grid and give each team three beanbags in its own color. Runners sprint out one at a time to place a beanbag in a hoop. Once all three are down, the next runner has to move one instead. Three in a row wins the round. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: nine plastic hoops and six beanbags in two colors.
Loud Headphones Lip ReadingOne player wears headphones playing music at a moderate volume. Their partner reads a phrase from a card, and the listener has to repeat it from lip reading alone. Each pair gets one minute to clear as many phrases as it can. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 12 min. Props: headphones, a phone and phrase cards.
Movie Night BingoBefore the film starts, everyone fills a three-by-three grid with things they expect to see, such as a chase, a bad disguise or someone saying we need to talk. Cross them off as they happen. The first full row wins the last slice of pizza. Players: 3 to 15. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and pens.
Movie Trailer in Ten MinutesEach team draws a genre and a title from two hats, then films a thirty-second trailer on one phone. Only team members may appear in it. Hold a screening at the end and hand out awards for acting, stunts and special effects. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 25 min. Props: one phone per team and a screen.
One-Minute Game GauntletSet up five one-minute stations, such as stacking cups, bouncing table tennis balls into a mug, and moving cotton balls with a straw. Teams rotate every two minutes and send a new player up at each station. Add up the station scores at the end. Players: 6 to 25. Time: 20 min. Props: five stations of household props and a timer.
Photo Scavenger Hunt, Teams OnlyTeams get a list of fifteen photos to stage in thirty minutes, such as the whole team off the ground at once or a human pyramid. Only team members may appear in a photo. Show the pictures on a screen at the end and award bonus points for style. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 35 min. Props: a photo list and one phone per team.
Pillow Fort Build-OffSplit the cushions, blankets, chairs and clothespins into two equal piles. Teams get ten minutes to build a fort that the whole team can sit inside. A neutral judge scores each fort for size, style and whether it survives a gentle shake. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: cushions, blankets, chairs and clothespins.
Sixteen-Second ListsDraw a category card, such as pizza toppings or things in a school bag. One player has sixteen seconds to name five things that fit. Their team scores a point for each one, and the other team can steal a point by adding one more. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 12 min. Props: category cards and a timer.
Tongue Twister TournamentTwo players face off and draw the same tongue twister card. Each says it three times fast, and the room votes for the cleaner attempt. Winners move up a bracket until one champion is left. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: tongue twister cards.
Top Five Answers Face-OffTwo teams take turns guessing the five most popular answers to a survey question, such as name something you grab before leaving the house. The top answer scores five points and the fifth scores one. Three misses hand the board to the other team. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 20 min. Props: survey questions with ranked answers.
Towel Launch Water Balloon VolleyballPairs hold a beach towel by its corners and use it to fling a water balloon over the net. The pair on the other side has to catch it in their towel and send it back. A balloon that bursts on your side is a point for the other team. Players: 8 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: beach towels, water balloons and a net or rope.
Trivia With Point WagersTeams hear the category first, then wager one, three or five points before the question is read. A right answer adds the wager and a wrong answer subtracts it. Each wager size can be used only four times, so teams have to pick their moments. Players: 4 to 24. Time: 25 min. Props: trivia questions, paper and pens.
Whole-Team Charades, One GuesserFlip charades around: one teammate guesses while the rest of the team acts out the card together, in silence. Each team gets ninety seconds to clear as many cards as it can. A pass costs one point. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 15 min. Props: charades cards and a timer.
Music, drawing and improv 9
Caption This Photo ContestThe host shows a funny animal or stock photo on the screen. Everyone writes a caption on a slip, the host reads them all out with no names, and the room votes. Play five photos, then let the overall winner choose the next game. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: a screen, five photos, paper slips and pens.
Dance Move Pass-AlongLine up facing away from the first dancer. The first dancer taps the second on the shoulder and shows an eight-count dance move once. The second shows it to the third, and so on down the line. The last dancer performs next to the first, and the room sees how far the move has drifted. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: music.
Drawing Telephone BookletsEveryone starts a small booklet by writing a phrase on the first page and passing it on. The next player draws the phrase, and the player after that writes what they think the drawing shows. Keep alternating until the booklets come home, then read each one aloud from the start. Players: 5 to 12. Time: 20 min. Props: a small paper booklet and a pen each.
Freeze and Swap Improv ScenesTwo players start an improvised scene from a suggestion. At any moment, someone in the audience shouts freeze, taps one actor out, copies their exact pose and starts a completely new scene from it. Nobody should stay in for more than a minute. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: none.
Karaoke RouletteEveryone adds two well-known songs to a hat. On your turn you draw a song and sing at least the first chorus, and you may call up one backup singer. Put the lyrics on a screen and keep the songs short. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 30 min. Props: a karaoke app or lyric videos and a speaker.
Lip Sync Showdown in PairsPairs draw a song from a hat and get five minutes to plan a lip sync, with props and backup dancers allowed. Each act performs one verse and one chorus. The audience scores every act out of ten on paper plates. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 25 min. Props: a playlist, a speaker, a box of props and paper plates.
Playlist DetectiveBefore the party, every guest sends the host one song that nobody would expect from them. The host plays the songs in random order, and after each one everybody writes down who they think picked it. The best detective wins, and you end up with a playlist for the night. Players: 5 to 20. Time: 20 min. Props: a shared playlist, a speaker, paper and pens.
Sell It in Thirty SecondsPull a random household object from a bag, such as a whisk or a single sock. You have thirty seconds to pitch it to the room as a brilliant new invention with a new name and a price. The room votes on which product it would buy. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 12 min. Props: a bag of household objects and a timer.
Sweet Sixteen Song BracketDraw a bracket with sixteen songs chosen by the birthday teen. Play twenty seconds of each pair, and the room votes by moving to one side or the other. It takes eight, then four, then two match-ups to crown the song of the party. Players: 5 to 30. Time: 25 min. Props: a bracket poster, a playlist and a speaker.
Active and outdoor 9
Balloon Stomp ArenaEach player ties a balloon to one ankle with string. Inside a marked square, try to pop everyone else's balloon while protecting your own, and keep your hands to yourself. The last balloon still bouncing wins. Closed shoes only. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: one balloon and a length of string per player.
Blindfold Driving TestLay out a course of cones and cushions. The driver wears a blindfold and holds a paper plate steering wheel, and a partner walks behind calling left, right and brake. Each cone touched adds five seconds to the time. The fastest clean run earns a homemade license. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: cones or cushions, a blindfold, a paper plate and a timer.
Clothespin TagEveryone clips three clothespins to the back hem of their shirt. For three minutes, players try to take pins from other players and clip them onto their own hem, and no guarding with your hands is allowed. When time is up, the most pins wins. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: three clothespins per player.
Flying Disc End Zone GameMark two end zones about thirty big steps apart. You may not run while holding the disc, and you have ten seconds to throw it. A dropped or blocked pass gives the disc to the other team, and a catch in the end zone scores. It is a non-contact game, and players call their own fouls. Players: 6 to 14. Time: 25 min. Props: a flying disc and four cones.
Frozen T-Shirt RaceThe day before, soak old T-shirts in water, fold them flat and freeze them solid. At the party, each player or team races to thaw, unfold and put on their shirt using only their hands, the pavement and the sunshine. The first shirt fully on wins. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 12 min. Props: one frozen T-shirt per player or team.
Glow Ring Toss at NightDrop a glow stick into each of six water bottles and line them up on the grass after dark. Players toss glow necklaces from a line five steps back. A near bottle scores one point and a far bottle scores three. Play three rounds and keep a running total. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 12 min. Props: six bottles, glow sticks and glow necklaces.
Glow Stick Capture the FlagPlay capture the flag after sunset. Each team wears glow bracelets in its own color and guards a glow stick flag on its half of the yard. A player tagged on enemy ground goes to jail until a teammate tags them free. Walk the boundaries together before you start. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 30 min. Props: glow bracelets in two colors and two large glow sticks.
Sixteen-Item Scavenger HuntTeams race to collect sixteen items linked to the birthday teen, such as something in their favorite color, a snack they love and a photo of the team copying their signature pose. Set a twenty-minute limit and check the items off together. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 25 min. Props: a list of sixteen items and a bag per team.
Team Manhunt With a Home BaseSplit into hiders and seekers and agree the boundaries and a home base. The hiders get two minutes to scatter. A hider tagged by a seeker joins the seekers, and a hider who reaches home base untagged is safe. Swap the teams when everyone is either caught or home. Players: 8 to 24. Time: 25 min. Props: none.
Question and talk games 9
Hot Seat, Sixty SecondsOne player sits in the hot seat, and the group fires quick, friendly questions at them for sixty seconds: favorite cereal, dream job, most overplayed song. The player may pass twice. Count the answers, and the highest count of the night wins. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: a timer.
Memory Jar Read-AloudAs guests arrive, each one writes a favorite memory of the birthday teen on a slip and drops it in a jar, with no name. Later, the guest of honor reads the slips aloud and guesses who wrote each one. The teen keeps the jar. Players: 5 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: a jar, paper slips and pens.
Most Likely To, Point on ThreeRead out a kind or funny prompt, such as most likely to become famous by accident. On the count of three, everyone points at the person they would pick. The player with the most fingers pointed at them takes a bow and reads the next prompt. Players: 5 to 20. Time: 12 min. Props: a list of kind prompts.
Never Have I Ever With Candy CountersEveryone starts with ten small candies. Players take turns saying something clean that they have never done, such as never have I ever been on a boat. Anyone who has done it drops a candy in the bowl. The last player with candy left wins the bowl. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: ten small candies per player and a bowl.
Sixteen Questions About the Birthday TeenThe birthday teen answers sixteen questions in advance, from first pet to dream car. Guests write down their guesses as the host reads each question, and then the birthday teen reveals the real answers. The best score wins a prize chosen by the guest of honor. Players: 5 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: a question sheet, paper and pens.
This or That, Find Your MatchPairs face each other. The host reads ten this or that choices quickly, such as sunrise or sunset, and both players answer at the same moment. Score one point for each match, then swap partners and see who finds their closest match in the room. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: a this or that list.
Time Capsule PredictionsEach guest writes one prediction about the birthday teen at twenty-one, and one about themselves. Seal all the cards in an envelope with the date on it for the birthday teen to keep. Reading a few aloud first is optional. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: cards, pens and an envelope.
Truth or Dare, Clean DeckUse a prepared deck so that nobody has to invent a dare on the spot. Players choose truth or dare and draw a card, and every dare in the deck can be done in the room in under a minute. Anyone may swap a card once with no questions asked. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 20 min. Props: a clean truth or dare deck.
Would You Rather, Defend Your AnswerRead a would you rather question and have everyone choose a side of the room. Each side gets thirty seconds to argue its case, and then anyone who has been persuaded may cross over. The side that gains the most people wins the round. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 12 min. Props: none.
16th birthday games 3
Baby Photo Line-UpAsk every guest to send the host a baby photo before the party. Number the photos on a board or a slideshow. Everyone writes a name next to each number, and the most matches wins. Expect the biggest reaction of the night at the reveal. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: baby photos from the guests, paper and pens.
Sixteen Photos in OrderPrint one photo of the birthday teen from each year of their life and shuffle the stack. Teams get three minutes to peg the photos on a string in order, from baby to now. Score one point for every photo in the right place. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: sixteen printed photos, string and pegs.
Sixteen-Layer Parcel, a Challenge in EachWrap a prize in sixteen layers of paper with a challenge slip inside each layer, such as speak in a movie trailer voice until your next turn. Pass the parcel while the music plays. When it stops, the holder unwraps one layer and does what the slip says. Players: 6 to 16. Time: 20 min. Props: a parcel with sixteen layers, challenge slips and music.