When hosting a dinner party for a large group, it’s always a good idea to have some fun and engaging games to keep everyone entertained. You don’t want to be branded as a host who holds boring parties, don’t you? Don’t fret; this article will give you ideas for a splendidly fun party!
If you’re hosting a soiree, these dinner party games will get everyone talking and having fun. Play a game as an icebreaker while people nibble on appetizers, or save them after dessert when everyone has eaten their dinner. And when choosing a game to play, remember to consider the size of your space and your guests’ preferences when choosing a game. It’s also important to ensure that everyone feels included and has the opportunity to participate.
Here are a few dinner party game ideas that work well for large groups:
Murder Mystery Dinner
Hosting a murder mystery party is a fantastic idea for a dinner party with adults. Assign each guest a character, and everyone has to solve a fictional murder. Provide them with clues throughout the evening, and encourage them to interact and collaborate to solve the mystery.
You can easily host it by purchasing a complete murder mystery party kit. The kit provides characters that you’ll assign to your guests. On the night of the party, you’ll act out the story included in the kit. The identity of the murderer remains a mystery until the end of the game, adding suspense and intrigue. Before the big reveal, take a break so everyone can try to solve the whodunit and test their detective skills. Provide them with clues throughout the evening, and encourage them to interact and collaborate to solve the mystery and find out who the killer is.
Charades
Charades is a game everyone knows and loves – it’s a sure way to conjure some laughs and hilarious moments with your guests.
To play, divide the guests into teams and have them take turns acting out words, phrases, or movie titles without speaking. You can even build a theme out of it. The team members must guess what is being acted out within a time limit. The team with the most number of correct guesses wins. This classic game is always a hit and can be played with a large group.
Two Truths and a Lie
Two Truths and a Lie is a fantastic game for people of all ages. It’s perfect for parties where the guests may not know each other very well and need a fun icebreaker. In this game, one guest shares two true statements and one false statement about themselves to the group. The order of the statements can be mixed up. The challenge for the other guests is to figure out which of the three statements is a lie. It’s a great way to get to know each other better and test your detective skills.
You can use plenty of examples of truths and lies for this game. You can come up with statements about achievements, sports, childhood and family, food, relationships, and so much more. You can even employ some clever strategies to make it more interesting and keep everyone guessing.
Pictionary
Pictionary is a super fun drawing game that can be enjoyed by both adults and kids, making it perfect for parties with a mix of ages. The best part is that drawing skills don’t matter in this game. In fact, the worse someone’s drawing is, the more hilarious it becomes!
Prepare a drawing board and a list of words or phrases. Divide the guests into teams. One person from each team has to draw the word or phrase while their teammates try to guess what it is within a time limit. To make it easier, you can buy a Pictionary board game with pre-made clues to use. It’s a hilarious game that can create lots of laughter and friendly competition.
Who Am I?
Write the names of famous people or fictional characters on sticky notes and place one on each guest’s forehead or back without them seeing who they are. Guests have to ask yes-or-no questions to figure out their identity.
Once the game starts, guests will interact with each other as if they are the famous person whose name is on their sticky note. For example, if your sticky note says “Jennifer Aniston,” another guest might say something like, “I loved you as Rachel.” The goal is to correctly guess the name written on your own sticky note. To make it more exciting, you can offer a prize for the first person to guess correctly, or you can keep playing until everyone has figured out their identity, or even both!
Great Minds Think Alike
In this game, you’ll try to guess what everyone else is thinking. The more people with the same answer, the more points you’ll score. It’s easy to keep track of the scores, so you can quickly determine the winner.
To play, you’ll need some Post-It notes and pens. Give each person a stack of Post-It notes. Then, take turns asking questions. Everyone writes their answer on a Post-It note. The goal is to match your answer with others in the group, kind of like the opposite of the game Pointless. Each time you match someone’s answer, you earn a point. The person with the most points at the end is the winner.
You can create your own questions or use the free printable with ten questions provided. You can also make the questions themed to fit the season, holiday, occasion, or group of people you’re playing with. The more unique and unexpected the questions are, the more fun it will be!
Cards Against Humanity
Cards Against Humanity is a timeless and hilariously irreverent card game that is sure to bring out the politically incorrect side of even your most polite friends. If you know your audience enjoys some edgy humor, it can be an incredibly fun and memorable experience.
First, you’ll need the Cards Against Humanity game, which includes question and answer cards. Each player starts with ten answer cards in their hand. The goal of the game is to complete fill-in-the-blank statements on the question cards with words or phrases that will elicit the most gasps or laughter.
One person kicks off the game by selecting a question card and reading it aloud. Then, the other players choose an answer card from their hand and pass it to the person who asked the question. The person who asked the question then picks their favorite answer from the submissions, and the player who provided that answer wins the round. They will become the next question asker, and the game continues.
Bite the Bag
Bite the Bag is a simple and hilarious drinking game that will have your guests laughing and competing to pick up a paper bag using only their mouths. This game always makes an appearance after a few bottles of wine has been consumed. Gather a group of friends who are willing to embrace a bit of embarrassment for a good time.
To start the game, place the paper bag on the ground. Each player takes turns attempting to pick up the bag using only their mouth, without using their hands or any other body parts. Here’s the twist: cut a portion of the bag from the top after every turn, making it progressively shorter and more challenging.
When a player fails to pick up the bag, they must take a drink as a consequence. As the bag gets lower and lower to the ground, the game becomes even more funny.
Extreme Rock, Paper, Scissors
When was the last time you competed in a rock, paper, scissors showdown? It’s probably been a while! Well, get ready for some serious fun because this party game takes the classic game to the next level. Introducing Extreme Rock, Paper, Scissors!
In this game, we’re turning the friendly competition into an exciting tournament-style event for adults. Gather a group of your closest friends and prepare to determine who the ultimate rock, paper, scissors champion is!
The best part is this game can accommodate even large groups of 30 people or more. So, whether you’re having a small get-together or a big party, everyone can join in on the action.
Taboo
Taboo is a challenging and exciting card game. Each card has a phrase written on it, and your goal is to make the other players guess the phrase without saying any of the words on the card or certain off-limits words.
It’s not as easy as it sounds! If you accidentally say one of the off-limits words, you lose the round. Get creative with your descriptions, and try to keep everyone guessing. For example, you might have to describe “Statue of Liberty” without saying “statue,” “liberty,” “New York,” and other related words. It’s a game of quick thinking and clever hints.
Telestrations
For a modern twist on Pictionary, try the Telestrations board game. Gather around the dinner table and hand each guest a pen and paper. Everyone will choose different clues and sketch them out simultaneously. After a set time, pass your papers to the person on your left.
Now, everyone will write down what they think is happening in the drawing they received. Get ready for a lot of laughter as you share the drawings and guesses with everyone. It’s a hilarious way to play and is guaranteed to bring on some belly laughs!