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New Year's Eve party games

Three hours to fill and a countdown at the end. These free New Year's Eve games run on one phone and carry the party from the first guests to midnight, whether it's friends, family or both.

  1. Three rounds, one bowl of wordsFishbowlThe long game for the middle of the night. Choose Write your own, let everyone add moments from the past year, and play three rounds with the same words.
  2. The phone is the narratorMafiaThe main event for 5 to 16 players. The phone narrates every night, so nobody sits out, and a full game fills the 30 to 40 minutes before things wind down.
  3. Act it outCharadesNo player limit, up to four teams and rounds of 60 to 120 seconds. Act out Actions, Movies or Animals while the snacks go around.
  4. Phone-on-your-forehead guessingForehead GuessFast, loud rounds of Forehead Guess for up to 20 players. The Throwback deck, with flip phones and fidget spinners, suits a night spent looking back.
  5. Secret word, one liarImposterA sit-down game for 3 to 12 when people need a break from standing. Everyone gets the same word except one bluffer, and each round takes a few minutes.
  6. Most Likely ToMost Likely To Questions for FriendsWho's most likely to rename the group chat every week, or keep everyone up to watch the sunrise? Everyone points on three, so it's an easy start while guests arrive.For example: Who’s most likely to plan the whole trip down to the minute? · Who’s most likely to turn a quick errand into an all-day adventure?
  7. Would You RatherFunny Would You Rather QuestionsWeird, awkward and painfully relatable questions, all of them clean, so teens and grandparents can argue over the same card.For example: Would you rather be followed everywhere by a tiny pony or be followed everywhere by a goldfish in a rolling bowl? · Would you rather have every door you open quack like a duck or have every light you turn on yell “surprise”?
  8. Secret numbers, one teamIn OrderEveryone gets a secret number, describes it on a scale, and the group lines up without saying the numbers. Nobody competes, so it's a good reset between louder games for 3 to 10 players.
  9. One letter, every categoryName, Place, Animal, ThingSpin a letter and race to fill every column before the timer ends. Everyone writes at once on their own paper, so a table with a wide range of ages can play together.
  10. Truth or DareFunny Truth or Dare Questions and DaresStrange what-ifs, small confessions and dares like starting a slow clap until the whole room joins in. Every dare works in a living room, for teens and grown-ups alike.For example: What's the worst possible name for a superhero? · What's the most useless thing you could bring to a deserted island?

A New Year's Eve game plan, 9 p.m. to midnight

Three hours is a long time to fill, and the energy in a room comes in waves. Start easy, get loud in the middle and leave room for something calm before the countdown.

  1. 19:00, as guests arrive: easy games people can join with a plate in hand, like the funny would you rather questions or Most Likely To for friends.
  2. 29:30, warm up in teams: charades or Forehead Guess for 20 to 30 minutes, with 60-second rounds.
  3. 310:15, the big game: Fishbowl takes about 45 minutes, or play Mafia if you have 5 to 16 people and a few good bluffers.
  4. 411:00, something calmer: Imposter, In Order or Name, Place, Animal, Thing at the table while people refill their plates.
  5. 511:40, wind down: short rounds only, so you can stop the moment someone says it's almost time.
  6. 611:55, put the phone down and get ready to count.

Don't stick to the clock too hard. If the room is loud at 11, let it stay loud.

Countdown ideas for midnight

The last few minutes of the year deserve a little ceremony. None of these need anything you'd have to buy.

  • Predictions in an envelope. Everyone writes three guesses about the year ahead. Seal them all in one envelope and open it next New Year's Eve.
  • Whose resolution is it? Everyone writes a resolution on a slip of paper without their name. Read them out one by one and guess who wrote each.
  • The last round of the year. Time a final round of charades to end at 11:59, and let the winning team lead the countdown.
  • Two countdowns. If friends or family live a time zone or two to the east, video call them at their midnight and count down together, then do it again at yours.
  • The year in review. Go around the room: one best moment from this year and one thing you're looking forward to in the next.
  • Noise at midnight. Hand out pots, wooden spoons and homemade paper hats, and make as much noise as you can for the first ten seconds of the new year.

New Year's Eve games for a big group

A New Year's party often mixes friend groups who have never met. Start with games where the whole room plays at once, like Most Likely To or Would You Rather, then move to teams once people have names for each other. Keep one person in charge of the phone, so the next game starts without a debate.

Charades has no player limit, Fishbowl and Forehead Guess take up to 20, and Mafia takes up to 16. Count off into 2 to 4 teams so friend groups get mixed, and put the game on a TV or turn the brightness all the way up so the whole room can read it.

Games with a 12-player cap, like Imposter, still work at a big party: play a round with whoever is at the table, then swap in the people who were watching. Our party games for large groups have more ideas.

A family-friendly New Year's Eve at home

With kids at home, the night has two midnights: the real one, and the one the kids can stay awake for. Hold an early countdown at 8 or 9 p.m. with a city where it's already midnight, and let the youngest throw paper confetti.

Some games mix ages well. Give little actors 120-second rounds in charades, play Name, Place, Animal, Thing with the Family set, and let kids read the Would You Rather cards out loud themselves. For the youngest, Simon Says reads every command out loud.

Once the kids are in bed, the teens and grown-ups can move on to Imposter, Mafia or the funny truth or dare questions. For more ideas that work across ages, see our family game night page.

Questions

What are good New Year's Eve games for adults?

Mafia and Fishbowl for the long middle of the night, and Imposter, Forehead Guess and charades for quicker rounds. Every deck is clean, so nobody has to check who's in the room first.

What games can a family play on New Year's Eve?

Charades, Would You Rather and Name, Place, Animal, Thing work for most ages. Simon Says reads every command out loud for kids who can't read yet.

How do I keep a party going until midnight?

Plan by energy: easy games as people arrive, team games from about 9:30, one long game like Fishbowl or Mafia around 10:15, and something calm before the countdown.

What can we do for the countdown?

Seal predictions in an envelope to open next year, guess whose resolution is whose, or time a last round of charades to end at 11:59. With young kids, hold an early countdown at 8 or 9 p.m.

How many people can play?

Charades, Most Likely To and Would You Rather have no real limit. Fishbowl and Forehead Guess take up to 20, Mafia up to 16 and Imposter up to 12.

Can friends in another city join in?

Yes. Charades, Forehead Guess and the question games work on a video call when one person shares their screen. Our video call games have the setup.

Do we need to download anything?

No. Every game runs free in your browser on one phone and is supported by ads. There's no app and no sign-up.

More game night ideas