The best adult party games to play at your next actual house party
With Coronavirus lockdown restrictions finally starting to ease in this country, you may well be looking ahead to when you can next have your best pals round for a good old fashioned knees up at home.
Yes, the humble house party may feel like a long forgotten dream (along with our beloved beauty salons, gyms/ leisure centres and, you know, our actual social lives) – but that doesn't mean you can't start planning your next small-group soirée. And you've come to the right place, because no one loves organised fun quite as much as the GLAMOUR UK crew.
You may have already stocked up your at-home bar with the best cocktail making kits, shopped your favourite summery floral dress or even got your baking equipment out to trial that 'first party since lockdown' celebration cake (just us?) But, party animals, have you considered the adult party games?
And we don't just mean a pack of cards thrown a cup for a throwback game of 'Ring Of Fire', or a few ripped up pieces of paper for a few rounds of 'Who Am I?' (you just know you're just going to end up smudging your foundation). We mean the very best in board games, card games, interactive games, and even a couple of phone games you can all download for free from the AppStore (because it's 2020 and we're tech-savvy like that).
Some are old classics that are absolute guaranteed LOLs (if you haven't had a house party playing Articulate and getting sloshed on prosecco, seriously, have you even lived in this decade?), while others are new releases that you probably haven't played before – especially for you adult party game aficionados that have already completed 'Cards Against Humanity' and 'Drunk, Stoned, Stupid'.
Happy organised fun!
Scroll down for the best adult party games...
What Do You Meme? UK Edition Game, £30, Urban Outfitters
This best-selling adult party game sees players match photo cards to caption cards, in an attempt to create the most hilarious meme of the round. Whoever has the most cards/ wins at the end of the game is crowned the meme king or queen.
Obama Llama 2 Rhyming Charades Game, £21.99, John Lewis
'Obama Llama' is like if old school charades had a millennial glow-up – you have to act out or describe 'rhyming charades' while your team tries to guess as many as they can, from 'King Kong playing ping pong' to 'a Pot Noodle marrying a poodle'.
Articulate: The Fast Talking Description Board Game, £25.97, Amazon
We all know the rules of 'Articulate' by now – moving round the board through categories 'Object', 'Person', 'World', 'Action', 'Random' and 'Nature', a player must describe as many card entries as possible in 30 seconds.
'I Should Have Known That!' Trivia Card Game, £18, Amazon
One for the trivia buffs, this new game is all about facts you should know, such as 'is a penguin a bird?', 'how long did Sleeping Beauty actually sleep?' and 'is starboard on the left or right side of a boat?'. Unlike traditional trivia formats, you don’t receive points for answering questions correctly, but are subtracted for every incorrect answer.
The Little Book of Drinking Games, £6.99, Urban Outfitters
Want to skip the trivia and card games, and get straight to the bevs? This is your bible of excellent drinking games for when the only one you can think of is 'um, Ring of Fire?'. There's everything from classic games to utterly bizarre and hilarious formats.
Bicycle Standard Pack of 2 Playing Cards, £6.54, Amazon
Chances are, if you're rolling out the adult party games, you're going to need a deck of cards or two. Best to grab a new pack because if you're anything like us, that pack you've had since school probably has a few cards missing and/ or is covered in gin.
Professor Puzzle Ladder Toss Outdoor Game, £35, John Lewis
If you want to take things outside, this game of aim is sure to provide the entertainment. You throw the brightly coloured bolas so that they wrap around the steps of the ladder – the higher the step, the more points up for grabs. The first player to score 21 points win.
Ridleys Texas Hold 'Em Poker Set, £29, John Lewis
Is there an adult party game more classic than a heated night of Texas Hold 'Em? Get your poker faces out, pour the wine and let the battle commence.
'Now That's What I Call Music' Board Game, £15.65, Amazon
One for the music fans. Ideal for 2-6 players, you'll find music triia questions from the 80’s, 90’s and 21st century, as well as covers to be sung and track titles to be mimed.
A couple of rounds of Jenga goes down a storm at a house party. Award the last player to remove a block without causing the stack to crash with some sort of award or glass of something fizzy.
Never Have I Ever: Party Games, Free, AppStore
Take to your phones and download the virtual version of everyone's favourite #awks game, with over thousands of fun questions in categories including 'Fun', 'Crazy', 'Spicy' and 'Couples'.
Heads Up! Phone Game, Free, AppStore
Another phone game that's seen us through countless get-togethers, 'Head's Up!' is the hilarious game from Ellen DeGeneres that she plays on her show. One player holds the phone to their foreheads while the others have to describe what's on screen – tilt the phone down if you get it correct; up to pass.
