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We at Hobby Sprout have gone through and done the work of sifting through loads of board games and reviews of the best party board games you can use to have fun with small or large groups of friends at any party. These games can help you relieve stress and have a hilarious and wonderful time.
In this article, we will provide you with a list of 11 party board games for adults you can use to have fun this year and beyond.
THE BEST PARTY BOARD GAMES
- Cards against humanity
- Scattergories
- Codenames
- Say Anything
- Concept
- Telestrations
- Happy Salmon
- Cash ‘n’ Guns
- Spontuneous
- Medium
- Pictionary
Cards against humanity
This game is fun but is not for the faint of heart. It has been tagged as a game for horrible people. It is not a children’s game nor a game for people who are very sensible. If you love having fun with crazy stuff and find humor in it, then this game is definitely for you.
In this game, there are two cards— a black card, which contains open-ended questions and statements, and a white card that contains funny and unusual words. Every round the judge serves a black card and the other players also select a white card from him to go with it. Once the cards with the answers are shuffled, the best is chosen and the winner is awarded points. It is fun and can really boom on the inside of a party.
Remember this game is not recommended for children.
Players: 4-30
Age: 17+
Playtime: 30 minutes
Best for: To have fun and cook up hilarious jokes.
Scattergories
Scattergories is a fun and creative game which can be played by a large number of people. The object of the game is to score more points than all the other players. In the game, a list of categories numbered one to six is provided and players are to provide answers matching those categories.
The list of categories includes concepts like Presidents, TV Shows, vegetables, and even fictional characters. During gameplay, the answers provided must match the key letters dictated by the die. For example, if a key letter F is provided, a correct answer to a category like the fictional character would be Fairy Godmother.
Check this article on how to play Scattergories.
Players: 4-8
Age: 13+
Play time: 30 minutes
Best for: Broadening the mind
Codenames
Codenames is a great guessing game with over five hundred code names, making it very suitable for large groups to play. There are spymasters for each team, with keycards in front of them showing code name agents on the table. They know the location of every team—red squares, blue squares, pear squares, and a black square.
The blue square represents the blue team, the red square is the red team, the pear square represents innocent bystanders and the black team represents the assassin.
This game is a competitive game so make sure not to help the other team by guessing carefully.
Looking at the picture, the team that chooses the black square loses the game. It is fun and will keep your parties lively and booming.
Players: 2-8
Age: 14+
Playtime: 15 minutes
Best for: teaching logic and finding clues
Check this article on how to play Codenames.
Say Anything
You can predict the idea behind this game by just the name alone. The nature of this game will bring all sorts of creative responses from your friends. Yes! Because the object of this game is to come up with an answer based on open-ended questions you are asked. So, imagine your friend asks you, what will you do if a lion asks for lunch when you are the only dinner in the room? All sorts of hilarious answers will flow, keeping the party vibrant and engaging. It will be a memorable day.
Also, there are more than 400 questions so pick this game and have fun.
Players: 3-8
Age: 13+
Playtime: 30 minutes
Best for: for inspiring creativity
Concept
This game is a creative medium for people of all ages, an avenue for logical thinking and pattern recognition. The complexity of this game does not compare with the fun it can inject into your evening or dinner parties.
In the game, there are tokens and blocks which represent core and sub-elements respectively. On those elements are icons or images players use to create a mental picture of their selected concept. For example, if you want people to guess a particular car, you might use the icon representing a vehicle.
Concept Board
Players: 4-12
Age: 10+
Playtime: 40 minutes
Best for: Early evening creative inspiration
Check this article on how to play Concept.
Telestrations
Ever heard of Pictionary? This is a beautiful variation of it.
If you are a fan of drawing even the messy ones, then telestrations is one of the best games you can ever play. First a word then a quick sketch of the image depicting the word. It is fun and engaging and will help bring out the artistic side of you and your friends at any party.
Players: 4-8
Age: 12+
Playtime: 30 minutes
Best for: Unearthing hidden artistic talents
Check this article on how to play Telestrations.
Happy Salmon
This game is a blast to play, small in size, really compact, and super cheap. It has only 25 decks of cards you can play with.
The objective of this game is to find matches for your cards from other players. In Happy Salmon, players shout out words on their cards with the sole purpose of finding another player with a matching card. If you find it, you discard it and the process continues until you exhaust your deck of cards. All the shouting involved makes it a perfect game for kids.
Despite its size and simplicity, it is very effective at creating a social atmosphere which is what every party needs.
Players: 3-6
Age: 6+
Playtime: 2 minutes
Best for: harnessing social interactions
Spontuneous
What better way to jam a party than to have party members test their musical skills and knowledge? The logic of this game is to use words you know from songs and use that to test your opponents.
In the beginning, players write down a list of trigger words from songs they know. Then the opponents would have to use those words to come up with songs that contain those words. Your opponents must sing at least five words containing those words and if they can’t within the said time, you have to sing those words.
Players: 4-10
Age: 13+
Playtime: 30 minutes
Best for: unearthing your musical abilities
Cash ‘n’ Guns
Cash “n” Guns is a great beginner-friendly board game, packed with thrills and seat-grabbing scenes from popular criminal movies.
The framing of this game is based on the idea of a group of criminals who have gone for the heist, successful in their attempt, but sharing it turns into a disagreement. We all know there is no honor among thieves and each and everyone wants to take the share of the other.
In the game, there are seven gangsters and one leader—the Godfather. The Godfather goes to the oldest in the group. During the game time, you only have eight chances to secure your loot and stay alive. However, be suspicious of others as they will shoot you if they get the chance and grab your loot.
If each turn goes right and the loot is divided, the player with the most spoils wins.
This is a fun, competitive, and bluffing game anyone can play. Make sure to grab one for your next party.
Players: 4-8
Age: 10+
Playtime: 30 minutes
Best for: Experiencing the hard life in your imagination.
Medium
Medium is also another simple, fun, and matching board game. It is a beginner-friendly game and is very identical to the Concept word game.
It is a deck of cards game with very simple basic rules. In the game, everybody gets their deck of cards and during playtime, you play your card and the other player also plays. The idea is to match the person with a particular concept.
The fun part of this game is when players shout all out once in synchronization with words, they think to match a particular concept. For example, given the word sand, one player might shout out the beach, another sea, and so on and so on. It works well with family, friends, and even complete strangers.
This game is great for parties because it creates an interactive social atmosphere.
Players: 2-8
Age: 14+
Playtime: 30-45 minutes
Best for: unearthing your musical abilities
Pictionary
The purpose of the game is to reach the finish square and guess the final sketch correctly. You think you can draw! Pictionary will dare you.
In the game, there are two teams, each team picks a player to be their artist. Members of each team take turns being the artist, trying to illustrate the word, or phrases being depicted. When the artist illustrates, members of the team will try to figure out what the image depicts and shout it out.
Pictionary is appropriate for all age levels—kids and adults alike.
Over To You
These party board games are sure to help you have fun and remember fond moments you had with your friends and family.
Also, check our post on the best words games you can play with your kids.
Other Party board games you might be interested in
- Monikers
- Mafia de Cuba
- Skull
- TEAM3 PINK
- Exploding Kittens
- Apples to Apples
- Wits and Wagers
- The Game of things
- Game of Phones
- What Do You Meme?
- Taboo
- Cranium Dark
- Balderdash
- Reverse Charades
- Catch Phrase
- Joking Hazard
- Mad Gab
