19 Engaging Dinner Party Games That Will Make Your Adult Gathering
Hosting a Dinner Party? 🍽️ Add These Games for Extra Fun!
Planning a dinner party can be a delightful experience, but keeping guests entertained is just as important as serving a great meal. While delicious food brings people together, it’s the laughter, stories, and shared moments that turn a gathering into an unforgettable evening.
That’s where dinner party games come in! Whether you want to break the ice, spark engaging conversations, or encourage a bit of friendly competition, these games will help keep the energy high and the good times rolling.
Below is a list of 19 fun, adult-friendly games that are easy to set up, enjoyable to play, and guaranteed to get your guests talking, laughing, and bonding. Let’s dive into the first five:
1. Charades with a Twist 🎭
A timeless classic gets a fresh spin! Charades is always a hit, but you can make it even more exciting by using unique categories like movie scenes, celebrities, books, or personal inside jokes.
How to Play:
- Divide guests into two teams.
- Write prompts on slips of paper and place them in a bowl.
- One person from a team acts out a prompt without speaking, while their teammates guess.
- Set a time limit to keep the pace quick and lively.
💡 This game guarantees laughter and helps even shy guests feel involved.
2. Two Truths and a Lie 🤔
A perfect icebreaker—this game reveals fun and surprising facts while keeping things lighthearted.
How to Play:
- Each person shares three statements about themselves: two true, one false.
- The rest of the group guesses which statement is the lie.
💬 It’s a great way to spark conversation, learn quirky facts, and discover things you never knew about your friends.
3. Murder Mystery Dinner 🔍
For something more immersive and dramatic, try hosting a themed murder mystery dinner. It adds excitement, suspense, and role-playing to your evening.
How to Play:
- Choose a murder mystery kit or download a script online.
- Assign characters to guests ahead of time—they can even come in costume!
- During dinner, everyone follows their character’s storyline, asks questions, and uncovers clues to solve the crime.
🎭 Though it requires a bit of setup, the fun and mystery are well worth the effort.
4. Pictionary 🎨
Test your guests’ artistic (or not-so-artistic) skills with this fast-paced drawing game that always delivers laughs.
How to Play:
- Divide guests into teams.
- One person draws a word or phrase, and their teammates try to guess it before time runs out.
- Use a whiteboard, large notepad, or even a tablet.
😂 Watching someone try to draw “time travel” or “awkward hug” is half the fun!
5. Would You Rather…? 🧠
Simple yet thought-provoking, this game is great for generating laughs or deeper conversations—your choice!
How to Play:
- Prepare a list of “Would you rather” questions.
- Take turns asking each guest to choose between two quirky or challenging options.
- Encourage guests to explain their answers—it often leads to surprising (and funny) stories.
💡 This game works well around the dinner table and is easy to tailor to your group’s sense of humor or interests.
6. Heads Up! 📱
Fast, hilarious, and full of energy—Heads Up! is a modern twist on classic charades, using a phone app to generate prompts your friends help you guess.
How to Play:
- Download the Heads Up! app on a smartphone.
- The player holds the phone to their forehead so they can’t see the word on the screen.
- Everyone else gives clues until the timer runs out.
🎉 Expect lots of laughter as guests act out or describe crazy words in the race against time!
7. Never Have I Ever 🍷
A juicy game of confessions and surprises, Never Have I Ever is great for sparking fun stories and laughter—especially when your group is close and comfy.
How to Play:
- Players take turns saying something they’ve never done: “Never have I ever gone skydiving.”
- Anyone who has done it takes a sip of their drink.
😅 Get ready for some hilarious (and maybe scandalous) revelations!
8. Trivia Night 🧠
Challenge your guests with a fun and competitive Trivia Night that caters to their interests—from history and pop culture to favorite TV shows or local facts.
How to Play:
- Prepare trivia questions in advance.
- Split guests into teams.
- Ask questions and keep score for correct answers.
🏆 It’s smart, social, and super adaptable for any dinner theme.
9. Who Am I? ❓
This guessing game keeps the laughter going as guests try to figure out which famous name is stuck to their forehead.
How to Play:
- Write famous people or characters on sticky notes.
- Without looking, each guest sticks one to their forehead.
- Players ask yes/no questions to figure out who they are.
🤔 Perfect for mingling and loads of “aha!” moments.
10. Celebrity Name Game 🌟
Quick thinking meets pop culture knowledge in this high-speed game that’s perfect for groups who love movies, music, and media.
How to Play:
- Write celebrity names on slips of paper.
- Each team takes turns drawing names and giving clues.
- Try to guess as many names as possible before the timer runs out.
🎬 Fast-paced, competitive, and packed with pop culture fun!
11. Word Association 🗣️
A simple game that’s surprisingly addictive, Word Association keeps everyone thinking and laughing with unexpected word chains.
How to Play:
- One player starts with a word.
- The next player says the first word that comes to mind, and so on.
- No repeating words allowed—stay sharp!
🧩 It’s easy, spontaneous, and great for sparking creativity.
12. Sardines 🐟
A reverse hide-and-seek adventure, Sardines is best played in a house or large space—especially if your guests enjoy moving around and squeezing into hilarious hiding spots.
How to Play:
- One person hides while the rest count.
- Everyone searches for the hidden person.
- When someone finds them, they quietly hide with them.
- The last person to find the group becomes the next hider.
🤣 It’s silly, sneaky, and usually ends in a pile of giggles.
13. Cards Against Humanity 🃏
Bold, edgy, and definitely for adults, Cards Against Humanity brings out everyone’s darkest humor in a game that’s as outrageous as it is funny.
How to Play:
- One player reads a black card (a question or phrase).
- Everyone else submits their funniest white card as a response.
- The reader picks the best (or worst!) answer.
⚠️ This game is not for the faint of heart—perfect for a group that loves sarcasm and sass.
14. The Voting Game 🗳️
Get ready to laugh—and maybe blush—with The Voting Game, a playful way to see what your friends really think about you.
How to Play:
- Read a card like, “Who would survive the longest in a zombie apocalypse?”
- Everyone votes anonymously.
- Reveal and discuss the results.
😂 Best played with good friends who can handle a little fun teasing!
15. Scavenger Hunt 🔍
Bring out your guests’ adventurous side with a Scavenger Hunt that encourages teamwork, creativity, and movement.
How to Play:
- Create a list of items to find or challenges to complete.
- Divide guests into teams and set a time limit.
- Send them off and watch the chaos unfold!
🎁 You can tailor it to fit your party’s theme, setting, or even inside jokes.
16. Telephone Pictionary ✏️😂
A creative mashup of Telephone and Pictionary, this game is a rollercoaster of misinterpretation and artistic attempts that always ends in laughter.
How to Play:
- Everyone starts with a sheet of paper and writes a phrase or sentence.
- Pass the paper to the next person, who must draw what the phrase describes.
- Pass again, and the next person writes what they think the drawing is.
- Keep alternating writing and drawing until the paper makes a full round.
🎨 The final results are usually hilarious, and seeing how the original idea transformed is part of the fun!
17. Reverse Charades 🔄🎭
Flip the script on the classic game—Reverse Charades gets the whole team acting while one lucky person does all the guessing.
How to Play:
- One person is the guesser; the rest of the team acts out the word or phrase together.
- Use a timer to keep rounds short and snappy.
- Switch roles so everyone gets a turn to guess.
🤣 Expect chaotic teamwork, wild gestures, and lots of shared laughter.
18. Guess That Tune 🎶🕺
Perfect for music lovers, this fast-paced game gets everyone tapping their feet and testing their knowledge of popular songs.
How to Play:
- Prepare a playlist with short clips of songs (just a few seconds each).
- Play a snippet and have guests guess the song title and artist.
- Award points for correct answers—add bonus points for singing along!
🎤 Fun, nostalgic, and full of energy—this game can even turn into an impromptu karaoke night!
19. Name That Quote 🗣️🎬
For the movie buffs and bookworms, Name That Quote challenges your guests to flex their memory muscles.
How to Play:
- Create a list of famous quotes from movies, books, or TV shows.
- Read each quote aloud.
- Guests must guess where the quote is from and who said it.
📚 A great way to spark lively discussions—and maybe discover new favorite lines or shows.
🎉 Conclusion: Make Your Dinner Party Unforgettable
Dinner party games are the secret ingredient to turning a good evening into a great one. With these 19 engaging, laugh-out-loud, and easy-to-set-up games, your next gathering will be full of energy, connection, and unforgettable memories.
Whether your crowd loves mystery-solving, hilarious sketches, musical battles, or deep conversations, there’s something here for every group and mood.
✨ So pick a few, print your list, and get ready to host a dinner party your guests will be raving about long after dessert is served!
