Want to celebrate your (or someone special’s) birthday coming up soon? Birthday parties for adults are completely underrated. They can be so much fun and a great way to get all your friends together to celebrate another year and another trip around the sun. But if you want to ensure all of your guests have the most fun possible, you’ve got to prepare some games to play. Here are 35 birthday party games for adults, including classic games, board games, and more unique games that’ll have everyone talking about the game for weeks to come.
CLASSIC BIRTHDAY PARTY GAMES FOR ADULTS
Here are some classic birthday party games for adults that you absolutely cannot go wrong with. You should already be familiar with many of the below games, making them super easy to implement into any party setting.
1. CHARADES
Charades is a super classic parlor game that you can play anywhere and with anyone. If you need a refresher, in this game, players take turns standing in front of the group and acting out a word or phrase that everyone else must guess. You can play this as an individual or team game — up to you. The first person to guess correctly wins and is the next person to act out a word or phrase.
2. TRIVIA
A great game you can play at an adult’s birthday party is some kind of trivia. Test everyone’s general knowledge and knowledge of the birthday person by asking themed questions. See who knows the birthday person best!
If you want to do a more general trivia game or a mix of both, here are some trivia questions and answers you’ve got to use.
3. TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
Two Truths and a Lie is one of our favorite games to play with friends, particularly if you are not super close to everyone in the group. In this simple icebreaker game, players take turns making three statements about themselves, one of which needs to be a lie. Everyone else must try to guess which one is the “lie.”
Here are some Two Truths and a Lie examples to get you started.
4. KARAOKE CONTEST
If you and your friends love some karaoke, why not turn on the music and turn it into a competition? Have the birthday person act as judge as you each perform a song!
5. WHO AM I?
Who Am I is one of our favorite parlor games. In this game, players must secretly write a real or fictional character on a Post-it note. Then, they must stick this note on the forehead of the player on their left. Each player must now try to guess who is on their forehead by asking yes or no questions. Keep playing until everyone guesses who they are!
If you want, you can play the Who Am I drinking game instead of the classic game.
6. NEVER HAVE I EVER
Never Have I Ever is one of the most popular drinking games for a reason. Players start with 5 or 10 fingers up. Then, players take turns stating something they have never done, and if someone has done it, they must clap, take a drink, and put a finger down to announce that they have. Keep playing until someone runs out of fingers. Here are some Never Have I Ever questions to get you started.
7. BEER PONG
You’ve likely played beer pong at a college party setting before, but why not play it for a birthday party as well? To play, you’ll need 20 plastic cups, 2 ping pong balls, and a long table. Set up 10 cups on either end of the long table in a pyramid formation. Then, teams take turns throwing the 2 balls, aiming to get the balls into the cups on the other end of the table. If a ball lands in a cup, the other team must drink the contents of the cup before removing it from formation. The first team to get rid of all 10 of the opposing team’s cups wins.
8. WINK MURDER
If you are hosting a large gathering of adults for a birthday party, one of the best games to play is Wink Murder.
In this game, everyone sits in a circle. Everyone will close their eyes, and the moderator will choose a murderer and detective. Then, when everyone opens their eyes, the detective must stand in the middle of the circle. Now, the murderer will start killing by winking at other players. But when winked at, players must count to 5 before they die. Feel free to die as dramatically as you want! The murderer wins if they manage to kill everyone before the detective catches them.
9. CELEBRITY
Celebrity is a game similar to charades but with a few extra rounds that can make it more challenging and interesting. As you might be able to guess from the name of the game, everyone starts by writing down 5 celebrity names on slips of paper. Then, divide the group into two teams.
A player from team one starts by choosing a random slip and getting their team to guess who they have on their slip of paper. They must guess as many celebrities as they can within a minute. After the minute is up, the other team gets to do the same. When all the slips are guessed, the next round begins. And again, when the slips are guessed again, the third round begins.
The types of clues the clue-giver can give depend on the round:
- Round 1: As many words as needed to describe the celebrity.
- Round 2: Only one word.
- Round 3: Mime.
The team to guess the most in all three rounds wins.
10. PAPER TELEPHONE
If you want to ensure everyone laughs out loud at the birthday party, you’ve got to play Paper Telephone.
In this game, everyone must write a random phrase at the very top of a piece of paper. Then, everyone passes their paper down to the player on their left. Now, everyone must draw the sentence that is on the top. Before the players pass their paper once again, they must fold over the phrase so that the next player can only see the drawing, for which they must write a phrase. Keep passing the paper down until each of the papers goes back to the person who wrote the original phrase, though you may not recognize it by the time it gets back to you!
This is an absolutely hilarious game that will have you rolling around in laughter.
Did you know you can also play an online version of this game? So, if you don’t have any paper, here are the rules for Gartic Phone.
11. TRUTH OR DARE
Want something easy to play that is just as fun? Try Truth or Dare. In this game, players simply choose truth or dare. If they choose truth, they must answer a question. And if they choose dare, they must do a dare — simple as that!
12. MINUTE TO WIN IT GAMES
Minute to win it games are a huge hit at any party. These types of games are mini-games and challenges that players must complete within a minute in order to win points. Here are some of our favorite minute to win it games for adults.
- Cookie Face: Players must move a cookie down their face from their forehead to their mouth by using their facial muscles. No hands allowed.
- Thread the Needle: Players must thread as many needles as they can.
- Shoe Flick: Players must flick their shoe off their foot and onto a target.
- Shot Glass Slide: Players must slide 5 shot glasses to a target area on a table.
BOARD GAMES TO PLAY AT AN ADULT’S BIRTHDAY PARTY
Parlor games and drinking games are great and all, but what are some of the best board games and card games you can play at an adult’s birthday party? Here are our favorite birthday party board games for adults.
13. CODENAMES
- Work together to contact all of your agents before the other team
- A perfect party game experience for game nights
- 2-8+ player (in two teams)
Codenames is an awesome team game to play with as many people as you please. Divide the group into two teams. The two teams must play against each other to uncover their codewords before the other team. In order to find the codewords, a spymaster from each team must give their team a one-word clue that will help them find each of the codewords. This game requires a lot of thinking and can be frustrating but plenty of fun!
If you don’t have the physical game, you can also play Codenames online.
14. MONOPOLY
- FAST-DEALING PROPERTY TRADING GAME: It’s a Family Game Night staple! Players...
- BUY, SELL, AND TRADE TO WIN: Players compete to buy out neighborhoods, sell...
- BUILD HOUSES AND HOTELS: Love that feeling when an opponent lands on an owned...
Monopoly is one of the most famous board games of all time. It’s a long-time favorite for a reason, and a great game to play for a low-key birthday party for an adult with a few friends. In this game, players take turns rolling dice, buying properties, paying rent, and, of course, getting bankrupted or bankrupting other players! Get ready to get all riled up.
15. CLUE
- Features a card-revealing mirror
- Who committed the murder in the mansion.
- Eliminate the suspects and discover whodunit, with what and where
Another board game we highly recommend as a birthday party game is Clue, which is perfect for mystery lovers. Players race to solve the mystery before all the other players by discovering the place of murder, the murder weapon, and the murderer.
16. UNO
- UNO is the classic family card game that's easy to learn and so much fun to...
- In a race to deplete your hand, match one of your cards with the current card...
- Strategize to defeat your competition with special action cards like Skips,...
If you’re more of a card game person, we’ve got you covered. Let’s start off with an absolute classic: Uno. Players start with a hand of 7 cards, with the goal of getting rid of all of their cards before the other players. You remove cards from your hand by playing them on the discard pile by matching color or number. But be careful, as there are also special cards that may screw with you and your cards!
17. SCATTERGORIES
- A FAMILY FAVORITE: Bring back the joy of families and friends getting together...
- FAITHFUL REPLICA: This is a reproduction of the cherished 1989 edition including...
- THE PLAY: Choose a category card, slide it in your folio, roll the die to see...
One of the best word games to play at a birthday party for adults is Scattergories. In each round, players write a word for each category given that starts with a specific letter of the alphabet. Players win points according to how many unique words they have written. This is a game that will surely test your creativity!
18. PICTIONARY
- Celebrate 40 years of the original classic family drawing game Pictionary!
- Sketch and guess your way to the finish line with this board game for family...
- Features 3 levels of clues, including Learn to Draw clues for younger players...
Want to put your drawing skills to the test? Pictionary is one of the best deduction board games to play at a birthday party for adults. To play this game, you’ll first need to divide the group into two teams. The two teams then play against each other taking turns drawing and guessing the drawing before the timer is up. Every time a team manages to guess the drawing correctly, they can roll the dice and move the token on the board. The first team to get to the finish square wins.
You can also play a drinking game version of this popular board game, here are the rules for Drunk Pictionary!
19. CATAN
- EXPLORE CATAN: Set sail to the uncharted island of Catan and compete with other...
- RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: Strategically gather and trade resources like ore, brick,...
- BUILD AND UPGRADE: Use your resources to build roads, settlements, and cities to...
Catan is one of our favorite board games for up to 4 players. If you have more people playing, you can divide everyone into teams or get an expansion pack! When playing this game, get ready to break up some friendships over territory as arguments will undoubtedly arise during gameplay. Have you never played this game before? In Catan, players expand their territory and get resources in a race to win 10 Victory Points before the other players.
20. CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY
- A party game for horrible people.
- Comes with 500 white cards and 100 black cards for eternal replayability.
- Includes a booklet of sensible game rules and preposterous alternate rules.
Of course, no list of the best birthday party games for adults is complete without a mention of the crowd-favorite adult card game, Cards Against Humanity. Players take turns acting as judge. The judge must read out a black card and all other players must pick a white card from their hand that best matches the black card. The judge then picks their favorite! Simple as that.
Want to play more funny card games like this? Check out our full list of games like Cards Against Humanity!
21. TABOO
- CLASSIC GAME OF UNSPEAKABLE FUN: Want a great party game that makes people...
- FOOD AND DRINK CARDS: This exclusive edition of the Taboo board game includes...
- TABOO GAME WITH ELECTRONIC BUZZER: If a player says a forbidden word on the...
Taboo is a classic game that can be very frustrating to play. While the gameplay may seem simple at first glance, you’ll find it’s actually very difficult to explain words without using the taboo words on the card! Players simply take turns trying to get their team to guess a word without using ANY of the taboo words written on the card.
22. EXPLODING KITTENS
- THE LEGENDARY ORIGINAL MADE FOR TWO TO FIVE PLAYERS: The card game that gave...
- HOURS OF HILARITY: There’ll be lots of chuckling. Rib-cracking outbursts. More...
- EXPAND THE SMILES: The Original edition is a recipe for hours of fun. But those...
One of our favorite funny card games is Exploding Kittens. The objective of this card game is to be the last player standing by not drawing an exploding kitten card. Your hand will be made up of various cards that allow you to do certain tasks, such as looking at the top 3 cards, defusing an exploding kitten, and stopping an action by another player. Sabotage your friends and be the last player remaining!
23. COUP
- FUN FOR ADULTS, TEENS AND FAMILIES: An extremely fast-paced card game that is...
- BLUFF? CHALLENGE? COUP?: Every turn you take an action, and you can take an...
- EASY TO LEARN: Like all great family card games, it takes only minutes to learn...
One of our favorite social deduction or hidden role games is Coup. Each player in Coup holds two political influences, but they must keep their influences hidden so you never know who is telling the truth and who is lying. Play carefully, as you don’t want to lose your political influences. You can lose them when correctly accused of lying, assassinated, or when another player incites a coup.
24. ONE NIGHT WEREWOLF
- Engaging and Deceptive: Immerse yourself in the strategic world of hidden...
- App-Guided Gameplay: Enjoy a free app that seamlessly guides each game, ensuring...
- Thrilling and Inclusive: Play with 3-10 players, as you unravel the mystery of...
Werewolf is another super fun hidden role game with a completely different premise. In this game, players either play a secret werewolf role or village role. Werewolves have a goal of taking over the village while trying not to get caught and killed, whilst villagers and others on the village team must protect the village! You’ll never know who is winning until the end. Get ready to point fingers with this game.
25. CARD GAMES
Who doesn’t love to play some good old card games? Here are some of our favorite card games (+ their rules) that you can play with a standard deck:
UNIQUE BIRTHDAY PARTY GAMES AND ACTIVITIES FOR ADULTS
What about some unique birthday party games and activities for adults? We’ve got you!
26. MURDER MYSTERY DINNER
There’s a reason murder mystery dinners are so fun, making them a perfect activity to do for adults during a birthday party! There are a few different ways to host a murder mystery dinner, but traditionally, every player is given a character with a backstory. Everyone acts out their character throughout the dinner until they can solve the murder.
27. BLIND WINE TASTING
Are you and your friends wine connoisseurs? Prepare a few different types of wine and have everyone taste each one blindly and guess their type. The player to guess the most wines correctly wins!
28. GIANT DRUNK JENGA
You might be familiar with giant Jenga and drunk Jenga, but put them together, and you get an awesome birthday party game for adults to play! Write some challenges on each block of a giant Jenga tower that players must complete whenever they remove a block from the tower to place on top. Examples of challenges include:
- Take a drink
- Give a drink
- Take a shot
- Girls drink
- Boys drink
- Do 5 pushups
29. PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT
Divide everyone into small groups, and hand each group a list of scavenger items they must take photos of. Examples include:
- Someone jumping
- A human pyramid
- A selfie with the birthday person
- Someone wearing a pink shirt
The first team to take pictures of everything listed wins the game!
30. GUESS THAT BABY PHOTO
Before the birthday party, have every player send through their baby photos. Then, show these baby photos one by one to have all players match the baby photo to the guest.
31. GUESS THE AGE
This activity is similar to the above. But instead of getting pictures from every guest, you need photos of the birthday person at various ages. Then, every player must try to match the age to the photo of the birthday person. This game can be more difficult than it looks!
32. BIRTHDAY ROAST
Want to do a roast? Why not do a roast of the birthday person? Each guest can share a funny or lighthearted roast to make everyone laugh out loud. But only do this roast if the birthday person has thick skin!
33. HOT SHOT
If you want to play a drinking game that’ll get everyone involved, you’ve got to play Hot Shot. In this game, players pass a shot glass around a circle as the music plays. But when the music stops, the person holding the shot must drink it!
34. COCKTAIL COMPETITION
A cocktail competition is a great way for everyone to show off their creativity and cocktail-making skills. Provide some ingredients for everyone to use to create their own cocktails. Of course, the birthday person will be the final judge to decide the winner!
35. GUESS THE MEMORY
This is a super cute activity that might bring some tears to the birthday person’s eyes. Every guest must write a memory that they have with the birthday person. The birthday person must then try to guess who the memory belongs to!
- 30 Awesome Dinner Party Games - January 6, 2025
- 35 BIRTHDAY PARTY GAMES FOR ADULTS - December 10, 2024
- 30 Top New Year’s Eve Party Games - December 3, 2024