Round Up the StraysScatter twenty balloon cattle over the lawn and lay a rope ring for the pen. Two teams of wranglers herd them in with pool noodles, and no hand may touch a balloon. Count each team's color in the pen after two minutes. A popped balloon is a stray that got away. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: twenty balloons in two colors, pool noodles and a rope.
Chuck Wagon Pack-Up RelayEach team has a crate for a wagon and a pile of camp kit: tin plates, a bedroll, a coffee pot, a lantern, a rope. The cook calls the items in any order and one runner at a time packs the one that was called. The first wagon packed with the lid shut rolls out. Then unpack for a rematch. Players: 6 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: two crates and two matching sets of camp kit.
Wanted Poster Sketch-OffEach guest draws the player on their left as a wanted poster in three minutes, with an outlaw name and a harmless crime, such as taking the last biscuit. Pin the posters up and let the room guess who is who. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: paper, markers, tape.
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All 177 games
Cowboy and western 26
Add-a-Step Line DanceStand in two lines. The first dancer shows one step, such as a heel dig or a boot slap. Everyone repeats it, and the next dancer adds one more to the end. The dance grows a step a turn. Whoever drops a step becomes the caller and shouts the order for the rest. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Backyard Horseshoes to 21Drive two stakes into the lawn and pitch two shoes each per inning. A ringer that circles the stake scores 3, a shoe within 6 inches scores 1, and a ringer from each side cancels out. Backyard games run to 21, and you have to win by 2. Tradition sets the stakes 40 feet apart; pace out less in a small yard and use rubber shoes near guests. Players: 2 or 4. Time: 20 min. Props: a horseshoe set with two stakes.
Beans in the BootFill a clean boot with dried beans, counting as you pour, and stand it by the door with slips and a pencil. Guests write a guess as they arrive. Read the count aloud after supper. The closest guess wins, and an exact guess wins the boot of beans. Players: 4 to 40. Time: 5 min. Props: a boot, dried beans, slips and a pencil.
Show all 177 games (174 more)
Cowboy and western, continued
Boot Toss at the Hay BaleOne thrower at a time swings an old boot underhand toward a hay bale 20 feet away, and everyone else stands behind the line. The closest boot scores 1 and a boot that lands on top scores 3. Play three rounds. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: an old boot, a hay bale or a laundry basket.
Brand Reading PairsDraw twelve ranch brands twice on cards, using the old vocabulary: a letter on its side is lazy, a letter on a curve is rocking, and a short line is a bar. Lay the cards face down. Turn two a go, and keep a pair only if you read the brand aloud correctly, such as Lazy S or Rocking K. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 15 min. Props: 24 cards with twelve brands drawn twice.
Bucket Brigade to the TroughTeams stand in a line from a full bucket to an empty trough, which is a storage tub. Pass water down the line in tin cups, hand to hand, and pass the empty cups back. The first team to float the cork in its tub to a marked line wins. Play it on grass. Players: 8 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: two buckets, two tubs, tin cups and two corks.
Bunkhouse Wake-Up RelayThe cook bangs a pan and the first hand in each team runs to the bunk, pulls on the big boots, the hat and the bandana, shouts that they are up, takes it all off again and runs back to tag the next. The first bunkhouse with every hand awake wins breakfast first. Players: 6 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: two pairs of big boots, two hats, two bandanas and a pan.
Campfire Kazoo Tune GuessOne guest at a time hums a campfire song everyone knows into a kazoo, and the first team to name it scores. The hummer picks the tune, so nobody has to know a list. Pass the kazoo round the circle and give each player a clean one. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a kazoo each.
Campfire Tall Tale ChainGo around the circle telling one trail story a sentence at a time, and make each sentence a bigger stretch than the one before. A teller who laughs at their own line drops out. The last straight face wins. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Cattle Drive Dice TrailDraw a trail of twelve squares from ranch to railhead and give each player ten dried beans for a herd. Roll one die a turn and move that far. A 1 is a river crossing and a 6 is a dust storm: both cost one bean. Whoever reaches the railhead with the most beans wins, not whoever gets there first. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 15 min. Props: paper, a die, a counter each and dried beans.
Chuck Wagon Pack-Up RelayEach team has a crate for a wagon and a pile of camp kit: tin plates, a bedroll, a coffee pot, a lantern, a rope. The cook calls the items in any order and one runner at a time packs the one that was called. The first wagon packed with the lid shut rolls out. Then unpack for a rematch. Players: 6 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: two crates and two matching sets of camp kit.
Design Your Ranch BrandEach guest turns their initials into a cattle brand on a card, using the real vocabulary: a letter on its side is lazy, a letter sitting on a curve is rocking, a short line is a bar. Shuffle the cards, then have the room call each brand and guess its owner. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: index cards, markers.
Gold-Panning TubBury gold-painted pebbles in a tub of play sand. Each prospector gets a pie tin and 60 seconds to pan out as many nuggets as they can, with no hands in the sand. Count up at the end, then the sand and pebbles go back in the tub for the next claim. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: a tub of play sand, gold-painted pebbles, pie tins.
Hat Toss at the Fence PostThrow a cowboy hat from ten feet so it lands on a fence post, a coat rack or the back of a chair. Three throws a turn. A hat that hangs scores 3 and one that touches the post scores 1. Move the line back a pace after every round. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a cowboy hat and a post, coat rack or chair.
Lasso the Hobby HorseStand a hobby horse in a bucket of sand and throw a soft rope loop over its head from eight feet. Three throws a turn and one point a catch. The line moves back a pace each round until one roper is left. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a soft rope tied in a loop, a hobby horse, a bucket of sand.
Mail Rider RelaySet three town boxes down the yard, each with a name on it. Riders on stick ponies carry a satchel of ten addressed letters, drop the right letters at each town and hand the pony and the satchel to the next rider. A letter in the wrong town adds five seconds. Players: 6 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: stick ponies, a satchel, addressed envelopes and three boxes.
Milk the Glove RaceHang a vinyl glove full of water from a rail over a cup for each team, with one pinhole in every fingertip. Milkers take turns of ten seconds each. The first team to fill its cup to the line wins. Use vinyl gloves, not latex, and play it outdoors. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: vinyl gloves, a pin, cups and a rail or clothesline.
Round Up the StraysScatter twenty balloon cattle over the lawn and lay a rope ring for the pen. Two teams of wranglers herd them in with pool noodles, and no hand may touch a balloon. Count each team's color in the pen after two minutes. A popped balloon is a stray that got away. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: twenty balloons in two colors, pool noodles and a rope.
Silent Western in Three ScenesTeams of three draw a title card, such as The Stagecoach Is Late or The New Deputy Cannot Ride, and get two minutes to plan a silent film in three scenes. One player from another team holds up hand-written caption cards. The room votes for the best film by stamping boots. Players: 6 to 18. Time: 20 min. Props: title cards, paper and a marker.
Squirt the Cans CleanLine six empty cans along a fence rail with a table tennis ball on top of each. From ten feet, each player gets one full water squirter to knock off as many balls as they can. The fastest clean rail breaks a tie. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: water squirters, six empty cans, table tennis balls.
Stagecoach Seat SwapGive every guest a part of the stagecoach: a wheel, a horse, the driver, the mail sack, a passenger. A narrator makes up a journey, and whenever a part is named, its player stands, turns round and sits. When the narrator says stagecoach, everyone changes seats and the narrator takes one. Whoever is left standing tells the next mile. Players: 8 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a circle of chairs, one fewer than the players.
Stick-Pony Barrel RelaySet three buckets in a triangle, the way rodeo barrels stand. Riders gallop a cloverleaf around all three on a stick pony and hand it to the next rider. A knocked bucket adds five seconds, as it does in the arena. Brooms stand in for ponies. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: two stick ponies or brooms, three buckets, a timer.
Three Paces Bandana GrabTwo players stand back to back with a bandana on a stool between them, walk three paces on the count and turn on the word bandana. First hand on it wins the round. Run it as a knockout until one player is left. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a bandana, a stool.
Tin Star Hunt for the Strongbox WordHide ten cardboard stars around the yard with one letter on the back of each. Deputies hunt in pairs and bring every star to the porch, where the letters rearrange into a word such as BUNKHOUSES. The word opens the strongbox, which is the prize box by the door. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: ten cardboard stars with letters and a prize box.
Tumbleweed Hat RaceCrumple brown paper into a tumbleweed the size of a melon. Racers fan it along the ground with a hat, never touching it, down the yard, round a boot and back. Run heats of two. A tumbleweed that blows into the other lane is fair, and that racer has to go and fetch it. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: brown paper, two hats and a boot.
Wanted Poster Sketch-OffEach guest draws the player on their left as a wanted poster in three minutes, with an outlaw name and a harmless crime, such as taking the last biscuit. Pin the posters up and let the room guess who is who. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: paper, markers, tape.
Football game day 25
Armchair Referee CardsGive every guest two cards, one reading stands and one reading overturned. Whenever a play goes to review, everyone raises a card before the ruling comes back. A correct call scores a point, and the game costs nobody a minute of the broadcast. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 60 min, alongside the game. Props: two cards a guest.
Coach's Clipboard SketchA player draws a slip naming an everyday job, such as taking out the trash or parallel parking, and draws it as a play: circles, crosses and arrows only, no words. The team has one minute to name the job. Award a bonus point for the most serious face while drawing. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: a clipboard, paper, a marker and slips.
Commercial Break BingoCards list what turns up between plays: a talking animal, a truck on a mountain, a famous face selling snacks, a jingle you already know. Mark squares only during the breaks, and the first full line wins. It keeps the guests who came for the dip in the room. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 60 min, alongside the first half. Props: printed bingo cards, pens.
Fan Chant Write-OffEach sofa gets five minutes to write a four-line chant for an invented team named after something in the room, such as the Fighting Ottomans. Perform it with claps and stamps at the next break in play. The host judges on volume and on whether the neighbors could join in. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and pens.
First-and-Ten Trivia DriveDraw a field on a long sheet of paper and put a coin on your own 20-yard line. Each right answer moves your team's coin ten yards. Three wrong answers in a row hand the questions to the other team, who start from their own 20. Reaching the far end zone scores 6. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 20 min. Props: a paper field, two coins and a set of quiz questions.
Foam Football Hoop TossHang a plastic hoop from a branch and mark throwing lines at 10, 15 and 20 feet, worth 1, 2 and 3 points. Each passer gets five throws with a foam football. Set the hoop swinging gently for the final round. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a foam football, a plastic hoop, rope.
Halftime Trivia HuddleSplit into huddles of three or four when the half ends. Ten questions on the rules and history of the sport and two on the host's own game day traditions, with answers on paper, then swap and mark. It fits inside the break with time left to refill plates. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 12 min. Props: a question list, paper, pens.
Mascot From a HatFill one hat with describing words and another with animals and objects. Each guest draws one slip from each, such as Sleepy and Raccoon, and has five minutes to draw that mascot on a paper plate. Hold the plates up at halftime and have the room pick the one it would follow anywhere. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: two hats of slips, paper plates and markers.
Mute the Booth CommentaryTurn the sound off for one drive and hand two guests a wooden spoon each as a microphone. One calls the plays and one adds the color. Swap pairs every drive, and the room votes for the best booth at the end of the quarter. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: two wooden spoons.
Pace Out Ten YardsA team has four downs to gain ten yards, so how far is that? Each guest walks from the back door and drops a marker where they think ten yards ends. Then run a tape measure out to 30 feet. The closest marker wins, and most guesses fall short. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: a tape measure and a marker each.
Paper Football Flick-OffFold a sheet of paper into a triangle and slide it across the table in turns. It is a touchdown when the ball stops hanging over the far edge, and the scorer then flicks it through the other player's finger goalposts for one extra point. We count a touchdown as 6. Run a bracket before kickoff. Players: 2 at a time, up to 16 in a bracket. Time: 15 min. Props: a sheet of paper, a table.
Penalty Flag CharadesWrite referee signals on slips: holding, false start, offside, timeout, touchdown. A player draws one and makes the signal with no words while the room names the call. Keep a yellow napkin handy to flag party fouls, such as standing in front of the screen. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: slips of paper, a yellow napkin.
Play Call Down the CouchThe player at one end makes up a play call, such as Blue Pineapple 42, left on two, and whispers it once to the next. It goes down the couch in whispers. The last player says it aloud and then has to run it, however it arrived. Players: 5 to 12. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
Play-by-Play BingoA card for the guests who watch every snap: a flag on the play, a fumble, a coach's challenge, a kick off the upright, a sideline interview, a fourth-down try. Mark a square only when the broadcast shows it. First line wins, then play for a full card after the half. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 60 min, alongside the game. Props: printed bingo cards, pens.
Pool Noodle Uprights KickPush two pool noodles over garden stakes for uprights and tie a string between them at knee height. Kick a foam football through from five, ten and fifteen paces. Each kicker gets three kicks, and a good kick scores 3, as a field goal does. A miss from five paces ends your turn. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: two pool noodles, two stakes, string and a foam football.
Post-Game Interview About the DipOne guest holds a wooden spoon as a microphone and interviews another about something that just happened in the room, such as making the dip. The answers must be in sports-interview style: one play at a time, credit to the whole kitchen. Thirty seconds, then pass the spoon. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a wooden spoon.
Prediction Cards for PointsBefore kickoff every guest fills in a card: first team to score, total points at the half, longest field goal, final margin. One point for each correct call, and the closest total breaks a tie. Nothing is staked, and the winner picks their seat for the next game. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 5 min before kickoff, scored at the final whistle. Props: printed prediction cards, pens.
Scoreboard Math RaceThe host calls a list of scores and teams shout the total. A touchdown is 6, the kick after it is 1, a field goal is 3 and a safety is 2. So two touchdowns with their kicks and a field goal make 17. Start slow and speed up; first to five right answers wins. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
Sixty-Second Halftime ShowAt the end of the first quarter, teams draw an everyday object to build a show around: a laundry basket, a broom, a flashlight. They rehearse during the second quarter and perform for sixty seconds at halftime. The quietest guest in the room names the winner. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: a few household objects.
Snack Stadium Build-OffBefore kickoff, teams get ten minutes and the same supplies to build a stadium that holds the snacks: boxes for stands, a tray for the field, crackers for the crowd. Guests who arrive late are the judges. The winning stadium goes on the coffee table. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: boxes, trays, foil, tape and the snacks.
Sock Flag Tag at HalftimeEveryone tucks a long sock into a back pocket or waistband so most of it hangs out. On the whistle, pull other players' socks and guard your own, with no holding and no tackling. A player with no sock cheers from the sideline. Last sock flying wins. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a long sock each.
Tabletop Yard-Line SlideMark a table with tape as a field, with an end zone at the far edge. Slide a coin from your own goal line with one push. In the end zone scores 6, between the last two lines scores 3, and off the table scores nothing. Four slides a turn, like four downs. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: a table, tape and a coin.
Team Colors DashName two colors, your team's or any pair. Guests have two minutes to bring back five things from around the house in each color, nothing breakable and nothing from a closed drawer. Lay them out on the rug. The first full set of ten wins, and everything goes back before kickoff. Players: 3 to 16. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
Touchdown Dance-OffDraw the dancing order before kickoff. Each time the real game produces a touchdown, the next guest up performs a ten-second end zone celebration. The room scores each dance from 1 to 5 on cards, and the high score takes the trophy at the final whistle. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 60 min, alongside the game. Props: numbered slips, score cards.
Whistle FreezeIt runs beside the broadcast. Whenever the referee's whistle sounds on the television, everyone freezes where they are, chip in mid-air, until play starts again. Whoever moves first refills one bowl. Call it off during any break longer than a replay. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 60 min. Props: none.
Slumber party for adults 25
Blind MakeoverPlay in pairs. The stylist wears a sleep mask and has three minutes to style the model with hair clips, scrunchies, a big brush of blush and the model's own lipstick. Nothing goes near the eyes. The models walk the hallway, the room votes, then the pairs swap. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: sleep masks, hair clips, blush, each model's own lipstick, wipes.
Breakfast Ballot AwardsBefore lights out, guests fill in a secret ballot of kind awards: best pajamas, best snack brought, first asleep, loudest laugh. The host counts overnight and announces the winners over breakfast, with a paper crown for each. Players: 5 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: ballot slips, pens, paper crowns.
Catch the YawnSit in a circle in low light. One player gives the most convincing fake yawn they can. Anyone who yawns for real in the next minute lies down, caught. The yawner changes each round. The last guest still upright wins, and gets to choose the breakfast. Players: 4 to 14. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Dear Diary Fill-InThe host writes a short diary entry about tonight and leaves twelve blanks. Without hearing the story, guests supply the words: a snack, a place, a describing word, a sound. Read the finished entry aloud by flashlight, in a very serious voice. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a prepared diary page and a pen.
Find the Alarm Before It RingsOne guest sets a kitchen timer for three minutes and hides it somewhere in the room while the others wait in the hall. The seekers come in and listen for the ticking. Find it before it rings and the seekers win; if it rings, the hider does. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a ticking kitchen timer.
Five-Minute Friendship BraidEach guest gets three strands of embroidery thread taped to the table and five minutes to braid a bracelet for the person on their left. Measure at the bell. The longest neat braid wins, and every bracelet is tied on before lights out. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: embroidery thread, tape and scissors.
Flashlight Story ChainLights off, one flashlight. Whoever holds it under their chin adds two sentences to the story, then clicks it off and passes it on in the dark. The host names the genre before the start; spooky is fine, gory is not. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: a flashlight.
Invent a ConstellationEach pair stretches foil over the end of a flashlight and pricks a pattern of stars in it with a pencil point. Turn the lights off, shine each one on the ceiling and tell the room its name and its story in three sentences. Vote for the constellation you would look for. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: flashlights, foil, rubber bands and a pencil.
Midnight Quiz in Sleeping BagsWhen the clock says twelve, or ten on a work night, everyone gets into a sleeping bag and the host reads 15 questions about the group's own history: trips, old apartments, who said what. Pairs whisper their answers. The winners skip breakfast cleanup. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 20 min. Props: a question list, paper, pens.
Midnight Snack Board Build-OffTeams get the same tray of snacks and a board each, and ten minutes to lay out the best-looking midnight snack board. Fruit, crackers, cheese and something sweet. The judge is whoever said they were not hungry. Both boards are eaten. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: two boards and two matching trays of snacks.
Next Sleepover EnvelopeEveryone writes one line to the whole group: a hope, a prediction or a private joke from tonight. Seal the slips in one envelope and write the date on it. Whoever hosts next keeps it and reads it aloud before the first game. Players: 3 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: slips, pens and an envelope.
Pajama BingoEach square names something a guest might be wearing or have packed: a matching set, fuzzy socks, a robe, a sleep mask, their own pillow, a cartoon print. Find a different guest for every square and collect their initials. First full line wins the good couch. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: printed bingo cards, pens.
Pajama Runway With CommentaryPlay in pairs. One walks the hallway in their pajamas and robe while the other describes the outfit like a fashion show host: the fabric, the season, the inspiration. Swap over. Applause decides the best-described pajamas of the night. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Pillowcase AutographsThe host lays out a plain pillowcase and fabric pens. During the evening each guest writes one memory of the group on it and does not sign it. At breakfast the host reads each line aloud and guesses the writer. The pillowcase goes on the guest bed for good. Players: 3 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a plain pillowcase and fabric pens.
Polish Bottle SpinStand eight nail polish bottles in a ring and spin one on its side in the middle. Whichever color it points at goes on one of your nails, painted by the guest on your right. The game ends when somebody has ten nails and no two match. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 20 min. Props: eight bottles of nail polish, remover, a tray.
Popcorn Bowl TossOne of each pair sits on the floor holding a bowl on top of their head. The other stands six feet away and tosses popcorn into it, one piece at a time, for one minute. Count what is in the bowl, swap places and add the two scores. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: popcorn and a bowl for each pair.
Secret Pillow PalAs guests arrive, each draws another guest's name and tells nobody. Before breakfast, do one small kind thing for that person without being caught: fill their glass, fold their blanket, save them the good pillow. At breakfast, everyone guesses who their pal was. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: name slips.
Sleep Mask PortraitsSit in two rows facing each other. Everyone puts on a sleep mask and has two minutes to draw the person opposite, without lifting the pen more than three times. Collect the portraits, mix them and have the group guess who each one is. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: sleep masks, paper and pens.
Sleep Mask Snack TestMasked tasters get five snacks in turn, such as three chip flavors and two kinds of popcorn, and name each one. One point for the snack and a bonus for the exact flavor. Ask about allergies first, and the bowls go straight onto the movie table afterward. Players: 3 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: sleep masks, five snacks in bowls.
Sleeping Bag Caterpillar RaceRacers zip into sleeping bags up to the shoulders and wriggle down a cleared hallway on their fronts to a pillow finish line. Run heats of two. Move the furniture and loose rugs first, and race on carpet if you have it. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: sleeping bags, two pillows.
Sleeping Lions for Grown-UpsEveryone but one lies down in a sleeping bag and stays perfectly still. The one left walks round telling the worst jokes they know, never touching anyone. A lion who laughs or moves gets up and joins the joke teller. The last lion still lying down wins. Players: 4 to 14. Time: 10 min. Props: sleeping bags or blankets.
Slipper Kick Into the Laundry BasketStand behind a line with one slipper loose on your foot and kick it into a laundry basket six feet away. Three kicks a turn. In the basket scores 3 and touching it scores 1. Clear the shelf behind the basket first. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: a slipper each and a laundry basket.
Sock Puppet Late ShowEveryone gets a spare sock, two stick-on eyes and five minutes to make a puppet with a name and one opinion. Then the puppets go on in pairs behind the sofa: one is the host of a late-night talk show and the other is tonight's guest. Thirty seconds an interview. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: spare socks, stick-on eyes and markers.
Who Is Under the DuvetOne guest leaves the room. Another hides under a duvet in the middle of the floor and the rest swap places. The guest comes back and has fifteen seconds to name who is missing. A right answer picks the next person to leave. Players: 6 to 14. Time: 10 min. Props: a duvet.
Whose Dream Was ItEveryone writes one real dream they remember on a slip, in a single line, and keeps it suitable for the room. The host reads each aloud, and the room votes on the dreamer before the owner confesses. Score a point for every guest you fool. Players: 5 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: slips of paper, pens, a bowl.
Barbecue and cookout 25
Backyard Disc Golf, Five HolesPick five targets around the yard: a tree, a lawn chair, a bucket, the fence post, the cooler. Count throws of a flying disc from each tee to each target, and the lowest total wins. Route the course away from the grill and the food table. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 20 min. Props: a flying disc for each player.
Badminton Rally RecordNo net and no sides. Pairs stand five paces apart and count how many times they can hit the shuttlecock back and forth before it touches the grass. Three tries each pair, best count stands. Write the record on the cooler lid for the next cookout to beat. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: badminton rackets and a shuttlecock.
Bag Toss to 21, Cancellation ScoringTwo boards face each other, 27 or 33 feet apart on a full court and closer in a small yard. Each side throws four bags: one point for a bag on the board, three for one in the hole. Only the difference scores each round, and the first side to 21 wins. Players: 2 or 4. Time: 20 min. Props: two bag toss boards, eight bags.
Blind Sauce TastingPour four barbecue sauces into numbered cups: a sweet one, a smoky one, a mustard one, a vinegar one. Tasters dip bread cubes, match each number to its style and vote for a favorite. The winning sauce goes on the next rack. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: four sauces, numbered cups, bread cubes, answer slips.
Bocce on the LawnOne side rolls the small target ball, the jack, down the lawn and bowls first. Each side has four balls. After that, whichever side is not closest to the jack bowls next, until all eight are down. Only the side with the closest ball scores: one point for every ball nearer than the other side's best. Games usually run to between 7 and 13 points. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 20 min. Props: a bocce set.
Burger Topping DraftTeams take turns choosing one topping at a time from the list on the board, and a topping chosen is gone. After five rounds each team describes its burger to the cook in one breath. The cook names the burger they would rather eat. No tasting needed. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a board or large sheet and a marker.
Call the Dinner BellWhen the coals are lit, every guest writes the time they think the cook will shout that the food is ready. The cook does not look. The closest time, early or late, takes the first plate. The cook's own guess does not count. Players: 4 to 40. Time: 5 min. Props: a sheet of paper and a pen.
Chip Into the HoopLay a plastic hoop on the grass ten paces away. Each golfer chips five plastic practice balls with a wedge. A ball that stops inside the hoop scores 3 and one that bounces through scores 1. Everyone else stands behind the line of the swing. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: a wedge, plastic practice golf balls and a plastic hoop.
Flip the Bean Bag Burger RelayRunners wear the apron and one oven mitt, carry a bean bag burger on a spatula to a paper plate across the yard, flip it once in the air on the way and catch it on the spatula. Drop it and start again from the line. Hand over the apron, the mitt and the spatula. Players: 6 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: two aprons, two oven mitts, two spatulas and two bean bags.
Foil Potato Tongs RelayTeams carry foil-wrapped potatoes from the cooler to a tray across the yard using barbecue tongs only, one potato a runner. A dropped potato goes back to the start. When the relay ends the tray goes onto the coals, so the game is also the prep. Players: 6 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: foil-wrapped potatoes, two pairs of tongs, two trays.
Giant Dice, One to SixRoll five big dice across the lawn. You need a 1 before anything else counts, then a 2, then a 3, in order up to 6, and one roll can give you several steps at once. Pass the dice after every roll. The first player to finish the run wins. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 15 min. Props: five large dice.
Giant Tumbling Tower With Block QuestionsPencil a question on each block of a giant stacking tower before the party. Pull a block one-handed, answer its question and place it on top. Build on a paving slab or a board, since a lawn leans, and the guest who topples the tower restacks it. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 20 min. Props: a giant set of stacking blocks, a pencil.
Kebab Memory OrderThe cook threads one skewer in a set order, such as pepper, onion, tomato, mushroom, pepper, and shows it for ten seconds. Teams rebuild it from memory with their own bowl of pieces. A point for every piece in the right place, and every skewer is grilled. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: skewers and bowls of cut vegetables.
Ladder Toss to 21Throw bolas, two balls on a cord, at a three-rung ladder from five paces. The common scoring is 3 for the top rung, 2 for the middle and 1 for the bottom, with three bolas each a round and the first to 21 winning. Agree before you start whether going over 21 busts the round. Players: 2 or 4. Time: 20 min. Props: a ladder toss set.
Name the Rub SpiceSet out six numbered jars of spices that go into a rub, such as paprika, cumin, garlic powder, mustard powder, oregano and chili. Guests sniff, never taste, and write down each name. Most correct wins the first plate. Players: 3 to 15. Time: 10 min. Props: six spice jars, answer slips.
Nine-Wicket Garden CroquetThe backyard game uses nine wickets in a double diamond with a stake at each end, and up to six players with a ball each. Play down one side, hit the turning stake, come back up the other and hit the starting stake. Whoever stakes out first wins. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 40 min. Props: a nine-wicket croquet set.
Oven Mitt Hot PotatoStand in a circle wearing oven mitts on both hands and throw a foil-wrapped potato, cold, round the ring while someone plays music with their back turned. Whoever is holding it when the music stops, or drops it, takes off one mitt. Lose both mitts and you are the next one on the music. Players: 5 to 14. Time: 10 min. Props: oven mitts, a potato in foil and music.
Paper Plate Disc ThrowEveryone decorates a paper plate and writes their name on it. Throw for distance from one line, three throws each, and mark the best with a clothespin in the grass. Then throw for accuracy at a lawn chair. Light plates curve, which is the fun of it. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: paper plates, markers and clothespins.
Rest the Meat MinuteThe cook says the meat has to rest, and everyone shuts their eyes. Raise a hand when you think exactly one minute has passed, and keep it up. The cook watches a clock and names the closest hand. Most people are early, and hungry people are earlier. Players: 3 to 40. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
Ring and Hook SwingHang a metal ring on a string from a branch and screw a cup hook into a post an arm's length in front of it, at the height where the ring swings. Stand behind the line, let the ring go and try to land it on the hook. Ten swings a turn; first to five catches wins. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: a metal ring, string and a cup hook on a post.
Ring Toss Over the Sauce BottlesStand nine sealed sauce and relish bottles in three rows on the grass. Throw rope rings from eight feet: the front row scores 1, the middle 2 and the back 3, with five rings a turn. The bottles go back on the table unharmed. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: nine sealed bottles, five rope rings.
Short-Order MemorySix guests each order a burger aloud with three toppings. The short-order cook listens once, walks to the far table and builds all six from paper buns and paper toppings, with no notes. A point for every burger that matches its order. Change cooks and change the orders. Players: 7 to 14. Time: 10 min. Props: paper buns and paper toppings cut from colored paper.
Side Dish Cook-Off With Score CardsEvery household brings a side. Dishes get a number, not a name, and each guest scores taste, looks and second-helping appeal from 1 to 5. Total the cards while the meat rests. Everything entered gets eaten. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 30 min. Props: numbered cards, score cards, pens.
Squeeze Bottle PortraitsEach artist gets a paper plate and two squeeze bottles, ketchup and mustard, and three minutes to draw the cook at the grill. The cook picks the best likeness without knowing who drew it. Wipe-clean table, well away from white shirts. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: paper plates and squeeze bottles of ketchup and mustard.
Washer Pitching, Box to BoxSet two washer boxes about 20 feet apart, which is ten paces. Pitch 2-inch metal washers underhand: 3 points for one in the center cup and 1 for one in the box. The other side's washers cancel yours, as in horseshoes, and games run to 21. Players: 2 or 4. Time: 20 min. Props: two washer boxes, metal washers.
Horse racing day 25
Call the RaceOne guest at a time becomes the track announcer for a heat of the dice or card race and calls it flat out, from the break to the wire, invented drama included. The room rates each call from 1 to 5, and the best caller gets a rosette. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: a tabletop race in progress, a wooden spoon as a microphone.
Carriage Driving PairsOne of each pair is the horse and keeps their eyes shut. The driver walks behind holding two ribbon reins tied loosely to the horse's elbows and steers by gentle pulls, with no talking, round a course of four cones. Walking pace only. Fastest clean round wins. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: ribbons and four cones.
Design the SilksPairs color a blank jacket-and-cap outline as racing silks for one of the tabletop horses, numbered 2 to 12. Tape the designs over the lanes before the dice race. A point goes to the pair whose horse wins and a point to the best design. Players: 4 to 22. Time: 10 min. Props: printed jacket-and-cap outlines, markers, tape.
Five-Minute FascinatorEach guest gets a plain headband, tissue paper, feathers, ribbon and tape, and five minutes to build a fascinator. Keep it on until the party ends. The judges of the hat contest add a class for it: best made at the table. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: headbands, tissue paper, feathers, ribbon and tape.
Four Aces Card RaceLay the four aces in a row as horses, with six cards face down beside them as the track. Each guest or table draws a suit to own. Flip the rest of the deck one card at a time, and the ace of that suit moves up one length. When the first ace crosses the line, score 3, 2 and 1 by position. Run five heats. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: a deck of cards.
Guess the Guest From the Form GuideEvery guest writes three lines about themselves as if they were a runner in the program: stays well over a long lunch, dislikes early starts, always finishes strongly at dessert. The host reads each entry and the room names the runner. Kind lines only. Players: 5 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: slips and pens.
Hidden Horseshoe HuntCut twenty horseshoes from card, write 1, 2 or 3 on the back of each and hide them round the house and garden. Pairs hunt for five minutes. Add up the numbers, not the horseshoes, so a pair with four can beat a pair with six. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: twenty card horseshoes.
Hobby Horse Dressage TestRead out a short test: enter at a walk, halt and salute, trot a circle, change the rein across the diagonal, halt. Riders on stick horses perform it one at a time with complete seriousness. Three judges hold up marks out of 10, and a giggle costs a mark. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: a stick horse and score cards.
Hoofbeat EchoSit round a table with two paper cups each. The first player claps a short hoofbeat rhythm on the table with the cups. The next repeats it and adds one beat. The rhythm grows round the table until someone stumbles, and they start a new one. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: two paper cups each.
Measure It in HandsHorses are measured in hands, and a hand is four inches. Teams guess the height in hands of five things in the room: the doorway, the fridge, the lamp, the host. Check each with a tape measure and divide the inches by four. The closest total wins. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a tape measure, paper and pens.
Name the FoalThe host reads out two invented parent horses, say Midnight Biscuit and Tax Refund. Everyone writes a name for the foal that nods to both. Read them all in an announcer's voice and vote, with no voting for your own. Play five rounds, a point a win. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: paper, pens.
Paper Horse String RaceCut a horse from card for each racer, punch a hole near the top and thread it on six feet of string tied to a chair leg. Hold the other end. Lift and drop the string to make the horse hop toward the chair. The first horse to touch the leg wins the heat. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: card horses, string and a chair.
Pin the Rosette on the WinnerTape up a poster of a horse. Blindfolded players are turned three times and try to stick a paper rosette on the bridle, and the closest wins. For adults, start from six steps back with a partner calling directions. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a horse poster, paper rosettes, tape, a blindfold.
Race Broadcast BingoFor a party with a race on the television. Squares list what the coverage shows: a gray horse, a photo finish, a jockey in pink, a hat wider than its owner, a horse that will not load. Mark squares as you see them. No square mentions odds or money. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 30 min. Props: printed bingo cards, pens.
Race Day Hat Contest With Judging CardsEvery hat that walks in is entered. Three judges hold up cards from 1 to 10 in four classes: tallest, most handmade, best flowers and best made from things found in the kitchen. Parade once around the lawn and hand out ribbons on the spot. Players: 6 to 40. Time: 15 min. Props: judging cards, ribbons.
Racing Terms BluffThe host reads a racing word, and teams write a fake definition to sit beside the real one. Two true ones to start: a furlong is an eighth of a mile, and a hand, the unit for a horse's height, is four inches. Score a point for picking the truth and a point for every team you fool. Players: 6 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: paper, pens, a list of terms.
Rosette-Making RaceEach guest has five minutes to build a winner's rosette from a paper plate, ribbon, tape and a marker. The room votes by standing next to a favorite. Every rosette then becomes a prize for the rest of the day's races. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: paper plates, ribbon, tape, markers.
Sit-Down SteeplechaseEveryone sits in a circle and slaps their knees for hoofbeats. The leader calls the course: a fence means hands up, the water jump means a splash sound, the grandstand means a cheer, the turn means everyone leans. The last to do each action collects a fault. Fewest faults wins. Players: 5 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Slow-Motion Photo FinishTwo racers set off for a ribbon ten feet away in slow motion. The last to reach it wins, but anyone who stops moving forward is out. A guest takes a photo at the ribbon for the album. Run heats of two and a final. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a ribbon and a phone camera.
Starting Gate BreakRacers stand behind a ribbon held by two guests. The starter drops a flag at a moment of their choosing, the ribbon falls and the racers go five paces to a line. Anyone who moves before the flag starts the next heat one pace back. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a ribbon and a flag or scarf.
Stewards' InquiryAfter a tabletop race, any owner may lodge an objection, the sillier the better: my horse was distracted by the cheese board. They get twenty seconds to argue it. Three stewards rule with thumbs up or down. An objection upheld earns a point and changes nothing else. Players: 5 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Stick-Horse SteeplechaseLay a course of low jumps from pool noodles resting on paper cups. Riders on stick horses run it against the clock, with five seconds added for every jump knocked down. The fastest clean round wins, and a jump-off settles a tie. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: stick horses or brooms, pool noodles, paper cups, a timer.
Tabletop Dice Horse RaceNumber eleven lanes 2 to 12 and deal each guest a horse at random. Roll two dice, and the horse matching the total moves one square. Middle totals come up more often, so lanes 2 and 12 are 2 squares long, 3 and 11 are 4, and so on up to 12 squares for horse 7. Score 5, 3 and 1 for the first three home. Players: 2 to 11. Time: 15 min. Props: two dice, a drawn track, eleven counters.
Tack Up the Sawhorse RelayEach team has a sawhorse or a chair for a horse, and a pile of tack: a blanket, a cushion for a saddle, a ribbon bridle and a number cloth. Runners put on one piece each, in that order. The last runner pins on the rosette and shouts for the judge. Players: 6 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: two sawhorses or chairs and two sets of blanket, cushion, ribbon and number.
Winner's Circle SpeechAfter each tabletop race, the owner of the winning horse draws three words from a bowl, such as porridge, grandmother and helicopter, and gives a thirty-second victory speech that uses all three. The room scores it out of 10 by a show of fingers. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a bowl of word slips.
Housewarming 26
Cutlery Drawer Sort RaceTip the box of kitchen cutlery onto a towel, with the sharp knives taken out first. Two guests at a time race to sort it into the drawer tray: forks, spoons, teaspoons, table knives. Time each pair. The fastest pair has also done a job the hosts were dreading. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: the cutlery box, a towel and the drawer tray.
Design the DoormatEvery guest gets a sheet of paper the shape of a doormat and five minutes to design one for this home, with a greeting in six words or fewer. Lay them all at the front door. The hosts step on the one they would buy. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and markers.
Find-It House Tour HuntA list of twelve things to find with no touching: the light switch that does nothing, the squeakiest stair, the best view, the smallest closet. Pairs tick them off, and the host answers one question a pair. Shut the door of any room that is off the tour. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: printed hunt lists, pens.
Five Questions for the Wrapped GiftBefore each housewarming gift is opened, the hosts may ask the giver five yes or no questions and then name what is inside. Givers answer truthfully. The hosts score a point for each right guess, and the room scores one each time they are wrong. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: none.
Flat-Pack Build RaceTwo teams each get an identical small flat-pack item the host needed built anyway, such as a stool or a shoe rack. The instructions stay in the box for the first five minutes. The first piece that stands level with no screws left over wins. Players: 4 to 10. Time: 25 min. Props: two identical flat-pack items, screwdrivers.
Floor Plan From MemoryAfter the tour, teams get one sheet and five minutes to draw the floor plan from memory, with doors, windows and the odd corner. The host marks them against the real plan. A bonus point goes to the team that remembers which way the front door swings. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: paper, pencils.
Guess the Room Close-UpBefore the party, the host takes ten extreme close-ups around the home: a cabinet knob, a tile pattern, a lamp switch. Guests get the pictures on a sheet and write the room for each. Walking around to check is allowed, which is the tour. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: ten printed close-up photos, answer slips.
House by the NumbersBefore the party the hosts count six things: stairs, windows, light switches, doors, boxes still packed, steps from the front door to the kettle. Guests write a guess for each during the tour. One point for the closest on each line. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: guess sheets and pens.
House Rules Fill-InHand out cards with unfinished rules: In this house we never ___ before ___. Shoes come off unless ___. Guests fill the blanks, the host reads them cold and the room votes. The winning rule gets framed by the door. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: printed rule cards, pens.
Level by EyeHang a frame on one nail and tilt it. Each guest in turn straightens it by eye alone, and the host lays a spirit level on top and reads how far the bubble sits from the middle. Closest to level wins. The winner gets to hang the next three pictures. Players: 3 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a framed picture on a nail and a spirit level.
Moving Box Label CharadesWrite the labels from real moving boxes on slips: kitchen fragile, books heavy, cables we might need, misc. A player draws one and acts out unpacking that box while their team guesses the label. One minute a turn. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 15 min. Props: slips of paper, a timer.
Moving Box TowerTeams get the same number of empty moving boxes, all sizes, and three minutes to build the tallest tower that stands by itself for ten seconds. No tape. Measure with the tape measure that is certainly lying about somewhere. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: empty moving boxes and a tape measure.
Mystery Moving BoxCut a hand hole in a moving box and put eight household objects inside: a whisk, a doorstop, a tape measure, a spare drawer knob. Each guest gets 30 seconds of feeling around, then writes down everything they identified. Players: 3 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: a moving box, eight household objects, answer slips.
Name That House SoundGuests wait in one room with their eyes shut while a host makes six sounds elsewhere in the home: the creaky door, the extractor fan, the doorbell, the third stair. Teams write down what and where. Half a point for the sound, half for the room. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: slips and pens.
Name the New PlaceEvery guest proposes a name for the home on a slip, the grander the better for a one-bedroom. The host reads them out, the room votes by applause, and the winner gets chalked on a sign by the door until the next party. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: slips of paper, pens, a chalkboard sign.
New Address Memory TestShow the new address, with the zip code, on a card for ten seconds. Then play another game. Ten minutes later, everyone writes the address from memory. Every part right scores a point. The hosts collect the best slips: those guests will send the first cards. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: an address card, slips and pens.
Note for the Next OwnersEach guest writes one line on a card for whoever lives here after the hosts: a wish, or a tip about the house. The hosts add the date and their names, seal the cards in a jar and put it at the back of the highest cupboard. It is a game with no winner until someone finds it. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: cards, pens and a jar.
Paint Chip Name GuessCollect the paint chips left over from choosing the walls and cover the names. The host reads one name aloud, and teams point to the chip they think it belongs to out of four. Then show a chip and have teams invent the name; the hosts pick the one they wish it had. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: paint chips and tape.
Pin the Nearest MailboxDraw a rough map of the streets round the new home on a big sheet. Guests stick a dot where they think the nearest mailbox is, then the nearest park bench, then the nearest place to buy milk. The hosts mark the real spots, which they have had to learn already. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a hand-drawn street map and sticker dots.
Price Guess for Household ObjectsThe host lines up eight things bought for the move, such as the doormat, the plunger and the shower curtain, with the real prices from their own receipts sealed in an envelope. Guests write a guess for each, and the closest guess on each object scores a point. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 15 min. Props: eight household objects, the host's receipts, answer slips.
Silent Packing Wrap WalkLay a path of air-bubble packing wrap down the hallway. Each guest walks its length in socks, trying not to pop a single bubble, while the others listen. Count the pops. The quietest crossing wins, and then everyone gets to stamp on it. Players: 3 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: a strip of air-bubble packing wrap.
Spare Key Hot and ColdOne guest steps out while the room hides an old key. The seeker returns and hunts while everyone hums, louder when the seeker is warm and softer when cold. Time each seeker, and the fastest find wins. Use a key that opens nothing. Players: 4 to 15. Time: 15 min. Props: an old key, a timer.
Style the ShelfTwo teams get the same empty shelf in turn, the same twelve objects from a box, and five minutes to arrange them. Photograph each try. The hosts choose the one they like and it stays that way, so one job on the list is done. Players: 4 to 12. Time: 15 min. Props: an empty shelf and a box of twelve books and ornaments.
Which Switch Does WhatNumber five light switches with paper tags. Guests write which light, fan or socket each one works. Then walk round and flip them one at a time. Most right wins. Any switch that turns out to do nothing gets a round of applause. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 10 min. Props: paper tags, slips and pens.
Which Way Is NorthEveryone stands in the living room and points to where they think north is. Hold the pose. The host checks with a compass and names whoever is closest. Then try the direction of the old home, which the hosts can point to without thinking. Players: 3 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: a compass.
Will It Fit?The host names a thing and a gap: the armchair through the study door, the bookcase under the stairs. Guests vote yes or no with a thumb. Then measure both with a tape. A point for every right vote, and the hosts learn something they needed to know. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: a tape measure.
Retirement party 25
Bucket List or BluffBefore the party the retiree writes five things they really plan to do. Each table adds one that they did not write but might have. Read them all out. Tables vote on each: the retiree's own, or a bluff. A point for each right vote and a bonus for a bluff that fools the room. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: cards and pens.
Caption the Career PhotoShow five photos from the working years on the wall. Tables write one caption for each, in ten words or fewer and kind enough to print. The retiree reads them all and picks a favorite for each photo. The winning captions go in the leaving card. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: five printed photos, slips and pens.
Career by the NumbersThe host and the retiree work out six numbers beforehand: years served, desks occupied, managers outlasted, miles commuted. Guests write a guess for each, and the closest guess on each number scores. Read out the working behind every estimate, which is half the fun. Players: 6 to 40. Time: 15 min. Props: six prepared numbers, answer slips.
Career Timeline QuizThe host writes ten moments from the retiree's working life on cards with no dates: the first day, the office move, the big project, the promotion. Teams race to put them in order. The retiree settles disputes and tells the story behind any card the room gets wrong. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: a set of ten milestone cards for each team.
Desk Drawer Memory TrayFill a tray with 20 objects from the retiree's desk: the stapler, the mug, the badge lanyard, the mystery cable. Show it for one minute, cover it, and give guests two minutes to list what they saw. The retiree tells the story of the oddest object. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a tray, 20 desk objects, a cloth, paper, pens.
Did They Really Say ThatThe host collects five things the retiree truly said at work and writes five more that sound like them. Read all ten in a mixed order. Teams vote real or invented by standing or sitting. The retiree gives the ruling, and may claim one of the invented ones as their own. Players: 6 to 40. Time: 10 min. Props: a list of ten lines.
Fill Their CalendarPin up a calendar for the coming year. Each guest writes their name on one date and what they will do with the retiree that day: a walk, a lunch, a match. No two guests may take the same month until every month has one. The retiree takes the calendar home. Players: 6 to 40. Time: 15 min. Props: a wall calendar and pens.
First Day, Last DayThe host and the retiree list six things as they were on the first day: how a message was sent, where lunch came from, what stood on the desk. Read the last-day version of each and have tables guess the first-day one. The retiree tells the story behind the closest answer. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: a list of six pairs.
First Monday Off Advice CardsEach guest finishes one sentence on a card: On your first Monday off, you should ___. The retiree reads them aloud, guesses who wrote each and keeps the stack. A writer scores a point when the retiree guesses wrong. Players: 6 to 40. Time: 15 min. Props: printed advice cards, pens.
Guess the Year of the PhotoShow eight photos from the career one at a time, and have every guest write the year. The exact year scores 2 and one year either side scores 1. The photos come from the retiree and the colleagues, and the hair tells you more than the office does. Players: 6 to 40. Time: 15 min. Props: eight career photos, answer slips.
Hobby Table ForecastLay out six objects, each standing for something the retiree might take up: a trowel, a paintbrush, a fishing float, a map, a ball of yarn, a recipe card. Guests put a token by the one they expect first. The retiree puts the six in their own order. Players: 6 to 40. Time: 10 min. Props: six objects and a token for each guest.
Know Their Lunch OrderEveryone writes what the retiree ordered for lunch most often, in as much detail as they dare. The retiree reads the true order. A point for the dish and a bonus for the exact extras. It is over in five minutes and settles years of guessing. Players: 4 to 40. Time: 5 min. Props: slips and pens.
Milestone Trail to the Leaving GiftHide the leaving gift and lay five clues, each pointing to a place that mattered in the working years: the first desk, the door that sticks, the good meeting room. Colleagues read each clue aloud and walk the retiree along the trail to the gift. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: five clue cards and the gift.
One Thing You Taught MePass the retiree's stapler round the room. Whoever holds it finishes one sentence, in one breath: one thing you taught me is. Nobody comments and nobody claps until the stapler is back with the retiree, who gets the last word. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: the retiree's stapler.
Plan the Perfect TuesdayTeams fill in an hour-by-hour schedule for the retiree's ideal free Tuesday, from the alarm, which is none, to bedtime. The retiree reads them all and picks the one they would really live. A bonus point goes to any team that schedules a nap. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: printed day planners, pens.
Retiree Catchphrase SurveyBefore the party, ask ten colleagues to name the phrase the retiree says most. At the party, teams guess the top answers and score the number of colleagues who gave each one. The top phrase goes on next year's cake. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: survey answers collected beforehand, a scoreboard.
The Retiree's Own AwardsThe retiree prepares six small, kind awards for people in the room, such as Always Had a Spare Charger. The host reads each title and the room calls out who it must be for. The retiree hands it over with one sentence about why. Players: 8 to 40. Time: 15 min. Props: six award cards.
Three Kind WordsAhead of the day, the retiree describes ten colleagues in the room in three kind words each: calm, exact, biscuits. The host reads each set and the room names the colleague. Whoever is named stands for a round of applause. Players: 8 to 40. Time: 10 min. Props: the list of descriptions.
Twenty Questions: The First TripThe retiree thinks of the first place they plan to go, near or far. The room has twenty yes or no questions between them to find it: is it by the sea, do you need a passport, have you been before. If the room fails, the retiree says where, and why there. Players: 4 to 40. Time: 10 min. Props: none.
Two Truths and a Lie From ColleaguesEach colleague tells three short stories about working with the retiree, two true and one invented. The room votes on the lie while the retiree keeps a straight face. Then the retiree names it and tells what really happened. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 20 min. Props: none.
Unofficial DutiesEach guest writes one job the retiree did that was in no job description: knew where the good pens were, fixed the printer by talking to it. The retiree reads each aloud and guesses who wrote it. Keep the cards for whoever takes over the desk. Players: 6 to 40. Time: 15 min. Props: cards and pens.
Voices From Down the HallAsk six former colleagues who cannot come to record a short greeting without saying their name. Play them one at a time. The retiree guesses each voice, and the room may give one hint. Play the whole set again afterward, with names. Players: 4 to 40. Time: 10 min. Props: six recorded greetings and a speaker.
Weekday Freedom CharadesWrite things a person can now do on a weekday on slips: a matinee, a long breakfast, the garden at eleven, the empty swimming lane. A player acts one with no words and the tables guess. The retiree keeps the slips as a to-do list. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 15 min. Props: slips.
Write the Last Out-of-OfficeTeams draft the automatic reply the retiree leaves behind forever, in 50 words or fewer. The retiree reads each aloud in a work voice and picks the winner, which the host prints on a card for the memory book. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 15 min. Props: paper, pens.
Year One BingoGuests fill a blank bingo card with guesses at what the retiree does in the first year: buys a boat, gets a dog, comes back as a consultant. The retiree then reads out their real plans one at a time, and guests mark any match. First line wins. Players: 6 to 40. Time: 15 min. Props: blank bingo cards, pens.
How this list was compiled: Written for this site for seven kinds of themed party for adults, in our own words; each game belongs to one theme and uses that theme's props, and player counts and times are our estimates. No game stakes anything, play money included, none involves alcohol, and no league, team, race, track or event is named. Rules stated as fact were checked on English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by the name). Read on 2026-09-18: Horseshoes_(game), Barrel_racing, Livestock_branding, Paper_football, Cornhole, Ladder_toss, Ring_toss, Washer_pitching, Furlong, Pin_the_tail_on_the_donkey, Two_Truths_and_a_Lie, Croquet. Read on 2026-10-01: American_football (four downs to gain ten yards; touchdown 6, the kick after it 1, field goal 3, safety 2), Bocce (the jack, four balls a side, only the closest side scores, games usually to between 7 and 13 points) and Hand_(unit) (four inches). Licence: own work
How it works
These cowboy party games for adults use what a ranch party has: horseshoes, stick ponies, bandanas, a dinner bell. Six more themes have a set of their own, each built on that party's props. No game involves alcohol or betting.
Read the full guide
Pick the party first
The page opens on Cowboy and western. Choose another set in the menu under the button: football party games for adults sit under Football game day, and bbq party games for adults under Barbecue and cookout. The horse racing party games for adults score points only, with no stakes and no play money.
Parties with a guest of honor
Retirement party games for adults need a list from the host, such as ten things the retiree really said. Housewarming party games for adults use the home itself, so walk the rooms before guests arrive.
Slumber party games for adults start late: pick three before anyone arrives, and Print them with their steps.
At a barbecue, keep every throwing game well away from the grill.
Questions and answers
How do you play horseshoes at a party?
Drive two stakes into the lawn, traditionally 40 feet apart, and pitch two shoes each an inning. A ringer scores 3, a shoe within 6 inches scores 1, and backyard games run to 21. Pace out less in a small yard.
What can guests do at a game day party besides watch?
Play beside the broadcast: two bingo cards, Whistle Freeze and Armchair Referee Cards. At halftime, try First-and-Ten Trivia Drive or Pool Noodle Uprights Kick. No league or team is named, and nothing is staked.
Which themed party games work indoors?
Most of them. Every slumber, housewarming and retirement game runs inside. For the other sets, open More filters under the menu and press Works indoors.