Running low on time but high on the fun factor? The below selection of dinner party games are perfect for busy hosts like you. All you need? Your fabulous guests (obviously), a sprinkle of excitement, and a healthy dose of humor! No props, no materials—just good old-fashioned fun!”
The Fish Bowl Game
-
Works best with big groups 6+ (as you can divide into teams)
-
Very fun and highly entertaining
-
Good after dinner game
Fishbowl is a party game that seamlessly combines elements of charades, Taboo, and Password. It’s a pretty solid choice for a dinner party game, it’s easy to play fun, gets funnier each round (and potentially more challenging with some wine in hand) and in terms of materials all you’ll need is some pens, paper and hat / jar /bowl or vessel of some kids to ruffle up some scraps of paper in.
Mafia
Best with groups 6+ players.
Good after dinner game or midway as it’s short, fun with some detective skills needed!
Mafia is a classic social deduction game that’s perfect for spicing up your dinner party. In this game, players are assigned roles as either members of the mafia or innocent townsfolk. The objective for the mafia is to secretly eliminate townsfolk, while the townsfolk must identify and eliminate the mafia members. The game proceeds through alternating day and night phases, with players debating, accusing, and defending one another. Mafia is an excellent choice for a dinner party because it encourages lively discussion, strategy, and suspense, making it an engaging and memorable addition to your gathering. Check out our post below with the full low down on how to play.
Guess the Song!
(The Hilarious Finish Band Edition)
Very fun and highly entertaining
Works best with 4+ people
Great game to kick things off with!The game need almost no explanation and is fun to play.
The Finish take on these well known songs makes this most fun. *Not a good game choice for Finish speakers as they’ll know the words to the songs being sung
In short you play the a snippet (20 seconds or so) of some well known songs that have been covered by a Finish Band, people try and guess the song. The first one to guess wins a point. The person with the most points at the end of the playlist wins!
We’ve chosen this Playlist as it’s upbeat fun and easy entertainment. If you can play this will lost of different playlists or themed playlist if your hosting a themed dinner party.
Charades
(Best with 4+ players)
Divide players into 2 teams of 3 or more players as best you can. (It’s okay if one team has an uneven amount of players)
Charades is a timeless classic that’s perfect for dinner parties. Players take turns acting out titles of well known movies and songs without speaking while the rest of the group tries to guess what they’re miming. With larger groups it can be played in teams which ads an element of competitiveness and fun. It’s a game that encourages plenty of laughter, plus, it’s an nice icebreaker for guests who might not know each other well, as it gets everyone involved and engaged.
*Tip If you’re lacking some inspiration on what ideas to write down, we found this free to use Charades Ideas Generator tool online. Select categories and it spits back ideas on movies, places famous people – pretty nifty.
Pictionary
(Best with 4+ players)
Pictionary is the king of drawing games. Whether your party is intimate or grand, it’ll add a splash of creativity and laughter to your evening.
20 Questions
(Best with 3+ players)
20 Questions is a game of deductive reasoning and critical thinking. One player thinks of an object, and the rest of the group has 20 questions to guess what it is. The questions can only be answered with “yes” or “no,” making it a challenging and engaging game that’s perfect for stimulating the mind and encouraging group participation.
The Word Association Game
Best played with groups 5+
Each game is relatively short to play so you could play between courses or play multiple games together after dinner.
There are lots of word association games out there – but we think this particular version works great around a dinner table.
How it works? one person (let’s call them the “Guesser”) is not aware of the secret word chosen by the group, while everyone else at the table (the “Associators”) know the secret word. The goal of the game is for the Associators to give clues and make word associations related to the secret word without the Guesser figuring out what the secret word is.
Guess Who?
(Best with 4+ people and good for larger groups)
*This one is best played with Post-It Notes!
Aptly named “Guess Who’s Who?” each participant secretly wears a name of a person, famous or not, on their forehead. The goal? To unravel the mystery of your own identity through a series of cleverly crafted ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions. As the game unfolds, players take turns inquiring about their identity, each query bringing them closer to the thrilling revelation.
