Last Updated on November 14, 2023 by Project Party

Whether you’re hosting an intimate dinner at home or orchestrating a virtual hangout with your circle of friends, incorporating a dinner party game can be the secret ingredient to liven up the evening. Not only do these games stimulate engaging conversations, but they also ensure a steady stream of laughter and camaraderie throughout the gathering. They serve as great icebreakers, drawing in everyone present — from your fiercely competitive pals to the more reserved ones who claim they aren’t fond of games (that is until the fun begins!).

Our goal is to make your game night as seamless and enjoyable as possible, so we’ve curated a list of dinner party games that require minimal equipment. Forget about rummaging through your attic or basement in search of old board games. All you’ll need for our suggestions are some everyday household items: a notepad, a handful of spare paper, a few pens, and a timer.

So without further ado, here are 9 exciting dinner party games that promise loads of fun without the need for a traditional board game setup:

1. Unmasking the Mystery – A Spin on ‘Who Am I?’

What You’ll Need:

• Pens
• Post-it notes

How to Play:

This game is all about guessing your own identity based on clues from others. Each guest at the dinner party writes down a famous personality on a Post-it note. This can be anyone famous – a movie star, historical figure, or even a cartoon character. Once written, guests stick their Post-it note on the forehead of the person sitting to their right. The twist? Everyone knows who you are except for you!

The game begins with one player asking yes/no questions to figure out their identity. These questions could be anything from “Am I a real person?” to “Am I still alive?” If the answer to the question is “yes,” they continue asking. If it’s “no,” the turn passes to the next player.

Declaring the Winner:

The first person to correctly guess their secret identity wins! This could be determined by a set number of rounds, or when someone guesses correctly within a certain time limit.

2. Classic Mimicry – A Twist on Charades

What You’ll Need:

• Pens
• Paper
• Containers
• Timer

How to Play:

Charades is a classic game that needs no introduction. Divide your dinner party guests into teams of about three players each. Each team comes up with common phrases, movie titles, song titles, etc., and writes them down on pieces of paper. These papers are then folded and placed in a container.

Teams take turns picking a piece of paper from the opposing team’s container. One member of the team acts out the phrase without speaking while their teammates try to guess what it is.

Declaring the Winner:

The team that guesses the most phrases correctly within a set time limit wins. If there’s a tie, have a sudden death round where each team sends up their best performer for one final act-out.

3. Word Whizz – The Dictionary Game

What You’ll Need

• Pens
• Paper
• A dictionary (online versions work too)

How to Play:

In the Dictionary Game, a player picks a word from the dictionary that they think no one will know. They write down the word and its correct definition on a piece of paper. Meanwhile, the other players write down the same word and a made-up definition on their pieces of paper.

The player who picked the word then collects all the definitions, mixes them up, and reads them out loud. Everyone votes on which definition they think is the correct one.

Declaring the Winner:

Points are awarded based on how many people chose your definition as the correct one. If no one picks the correct definition, the player who picked the word earns three points. After a predetermined number of rounds, the player with the most points at the dinner party wins!

4. Sketch and Guess: A Take on Pictionary

What You’ll Need:

• Markers
• A sketch pad or whiteboard
• Containers
• Timer

How to Play:

Pictionary is a game that tests both your drawing skills and your ability to guess what others are drawing. Start by dividing your guests into even teams. Each team will brainstorm words related to the assigned categories and write them on separate pieces of paper. These papers are then folded and placed in a container.

When it’s a team’s turn, they select one member to be their ‘doodler.’ The doodler then chooses a word from the opposing team’s container and tries to draw it on the sketchpad. The doodler’s team must guess the word from the drawing within a set time limit. Remember, the doodler cannot use words, numbers, or symbols in their drawing – only pure artwork!

Declaring the Winner:

The game continues for a predetermined number of rounds, or until all the words have been guessed. The team that correctly guesses the most doodles within the set time limit wins!

5. Connect and Concur: Great Minds Think Alike

What You’ll Need:

• Pens
• Pre-prepared list of categories

How to Play:

Great Minds Think Alike is a game that encourages players to think similarly to their teammates. The host should prepare a list of creative categories that match the theme of the dinner party. These categories could range from ‘the best show on Netflix’ to ‘worst pizza toppings’ or even ‘best afternoon cocktail mix.’

Split your guests into teams. For each round, the host announces a category, and each team has a set time limit to write down their top three responses related to the category.

Declaring the Winner:

After each round, teams reveal their answers. Points are awarded based on how many people on each team wrote the same responses. The team with the most points at the end of all the rounds wins!

6. Words and Letters: Categories

What You’ll Need:

• Pens
• Timer
• Pre-prepared templates

How to Play:

Categories is a game that tests your knowledge across different topics during a dinner party. To prepare, create a 5×5 grid on a piece of paper for each player. Write categories down on the left side of the grid and assign a letter to each column at the top of the grid.

When the game starts, players fill in their grid with words that match both the category and the letter. For example, if the category is ‘mammals’ and the letter is ‘B,’ a player could write ‘Bat.’ If a player writes a word where both words start with the assigned letter, like ‘Banana Bat,’ they score double points!

Declaring the Winner:

Once the time is up, players share their answers. If multiple players have the same word, no points are awarded for that word. If there’s a dispute over a word, everyone votes on its validity. The player with the highest total of correct and unique words at the end of the game wins!

7. Rapid Fire: Heads Up!

What You’ll Need:

• A smartphone
• The Heads Up! app

How to Play:

Heads Up! is a fun and fast-paced guessing game that you can play on your smartphone. One person holds the phone on their forehead with the screen facing out. The phone will display a word or phrase from a category chosen by the player. Everyone else in the room must then help the person guess what the word on the screen is.

They can do this by giving clues, acting it out, or even singing a song – anything goes as long as they don’t say the actual word or phrase. When the person holding the phone guesses correctly, they tilt the phone down to score a point and continue with the next word or phrase. If they’re stumped, they can pass by tilting the phone up.

Declaring the Winner:

The game continues with each player taking turns holding the phone and guessing as many words or phrases as they can within a set time limit. The person who guesses the most words correctly within the time limit wins the game!

8. Story Spinning: Fortunately, Unfortunately

What You’ll Need:

Nothing but your imagination!

How to Play:

Fortunately, Unfortunately, is a creative storytelling game that requires no equipment. One person starts the story with a sentence that begins with ‘fortunately.’ For example, “Fortunately, I won a trip to Hawaii.” The next person must follow up with a sentence that begins with ‘unfortunately,’ such as “Unfortunately, I’m terrified of flying.”

The game continues with players taking turns adding to the story, alternating between ‘fortunately’ and ‘unfortunately’ sentences. This game encourages quick thinking and creativity, and can lead to some hilarious and unexpected twists in the story!

Declaring the Winner:

While this game is typically played for fun and doesn’t have a standard scoring system, you could add an element of competition by voting at the end. Once the story has reached a satisfying conclusion, players can vote on who made the funniest or most creative contribution to the story, and that person is declared the winner!

9. Two Truths and a Lie

What You’ll Need:

Just your guests!

How to Play:

Two Truths and a Lie is a classic ice-breaker game that’s perfect for getting to know each other at the start of the party. Each guest takes turns sharing three statements about themselves – two that are true, and one that is a lie. The statements should be something not widely known about them, and the lie should be plausible enough to make it difficult to guess.

The other guests at the dinner party must then try to figure out which statement is the lie. They can ask follow-up questions to try and catch the speaker in their lie, but the speaker can only respond with “yes” or “no.”

Declaring the Winner:

After everyone has had a turn, the person who managed to trick the most people into believing their lie is declared the winner of the game! This game is a great way to spark interesting conversations and learn surprising facts about your friends.

Discovering Your Group’s Preferred Dinner Party Game

The beauty of a well-chosen dinner party game lies in its ability to transform the atmosphere, helping your guests shed their inhibitions and dive into an evening of fun and laughter. These games aren’t just about winning or losing; they serve as platforms for sharing amusing anecdotes, creating fresh memories, and forging stronger bonds among friends.

A thrilling dinner party game can be the catalyst that sparks lively banter and friendly rivalry among guests. There’s something uniquely satisfying about emerging victorious at the end of the night, basking in the glory of triumph, and playfully boasting about your superior gaming skills.

So whether you’re a novice host or a seasoned entertainer, remember that the right dinner party game can make all the difference. It can turn a good gathering into a memorable one, leaving your guests eagerly anticipating your next invitation. So go ahead, explore these games, and find the one that best fits your group’s dynamic. Here’s to many nights of laughter, competition, and unforgettable moments!