Whether at a dinner party with friends or a weekend get-together with your family, there’s no denying that board games are a great way to bring people together. A little bit of friendly competition never hurt anyone, right? In this list, we’re highlighting a fantastic selection of party board games for adults that are easy to learn and sure to be a hit the next time you’re hosting.
1. Skull
Skull is an exciting game of bluffing, poker-faced plays, and predicting what’s going on in your opponents’ heads. Everyone takes turns secretly placing either a rose or skull token facedown in a pile at the center of the table. Then, one of the players will guess how many tokens they can turn over from the pile without hitting a skull, while the others can bid to flip over a higher number of tokens- if they dare. When you accidentally flip a skull token, you lose the round and one of your tokens, which makes bluffing more challenging.
2. Bang!
The classic card game Bang! takes your gaming group on a trip to the Wild West, where you’ll each secretly take on the role of an outlaw, renegade, deputy, or sheriff. Saddle up your steed, grab your Remington, and dodge bullets in a bid to be one of the last players standing. In my experience, the game works best with either six or seven people at the table, though you can also play with as few as four and still have a great time.
3. Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
Murder in Hong Kong is the perfect party game for fans of the mystery genre. As a detective, you’ll need to listen to the witness, analyze a wide body of evidence, and piece together clues to find out which of the other players at the table is secretly a killer. If you’re the murderer or their accomplice, you’ll need to divert suspicion from yourself, but without making it obvious that you’re doing so. Murder in Hong Kong is also one of the best board games for big groups, supporting up to 12 players.
4. 7 Wonders
As the leader of an ancient civilization, you’ll need to gather resources, establish trade routes, build monuments, and fight wars, all in the name of development and progress. The engine-building mechanics of the game depend not just on your cards but on the players to your immediate left and right. Though 7 Wonders is a longer game than others on this list, it’s a great pick if you’re looking for something with a little more strategic depth.
5. The Resistance: Avalon
Avalon pits a team of good and evil characters from classic Arthurian legends against one another in a game of social deduction and voting. If you’re allied with Arthur and his loyal knights, you’ll need to successfully complete three quests without inviting the hidden evil characters at the table to accompany you. If you’re playing as a villain, you and your allies must work to sabotage the quests without being discovered.
6. Codenames
Codenames is a classic guessing game where all players except the two opposing spymasters attempt to interpret their team’s one-word clues to figure out which of the 25 words on the table belong to their side. If you’re playing as the spymaster, your role is to choose these clues, and so guide your team towards the right words and away from the dreaded assassin tile. Should you or your teammates accidentally touch this codename, you’ll immediately lose the game.
7. Telestrations
Telestrations is somewhat similar to Pictionary, but with an extra twist that makes it an even more comedic experience. Each player will receive a random word that they’ll need to draw, and once the timer is up, they’ll pass their drawing to the next player over. That player will attempt to guess what the drawing represents and pass their guess to the next player over, who will, in the next round, illustrate that guess. If you’re looking for something that’s more specifically tailored towards adults, you can also try Telestrations After Dark, in which the words you’ll be drawing are strangely reminiscent of Cards Against Humanity.
8. Wavelength
Think you can read the minds of the people at your party or game night? Wavelength focuses on trying to figure out exactly what they’re thinking. You’ll need to guess where on a spectrum the hidden bullseye is based on the clues you’re getting from your team’s psychic. The psychic knows where the bullseye is and will draw a card with a set of binaries on it and then say a word that leads their team towards finding the exact point they’re aiming to hit. For example, if the psychic draws a card that says “hot/cold” and the bullseye is on the hottest end of the spectrum, they might give the word “lava” as a clue.
9. One Night Ultimate Werewolf
In One Night Ultimate Werewolf, it’s your goal to figure out which of the other players at the table are werewolves- unless, of course, you’re the werewolf. In that case, you’ll be secretly directing the villagers to squabble amongst themselves and accuse each of other being werewolves. It’s a quick, social, and endlessly replayable game for up to ten players.
10. Sushi Go Party!
Sushi Go Party! is a straightforward drafting game in which the objective is to create the most delectable dinner possible based on card scores and set bonuses. The game’s artwork is adorable, with many unique designs for the nigiri, uramaki, edamame, tofu, and various other Japanese food-themed cards. By the end of three rounds, your mix of appetizers, rolls, specials, and desserts might just be the best meal at the table.
