Mafia (or Werewolf)
- Bluffing
- Free
- No prep
A narrator secretly assigns one or two hidden roles. The group debates and votes each round while the hidden players steer them wrong.
Best for: friends with shared history
PARTY GAMES FOR ADULTS
Party games for adults, organised by what you actually need
Bluffing, prediction, wagering, drawing, wordplay and background games, organised by mechanic and by the situation you're actually in.
- 6 mechanics
- Free + BanterBox
What's your situation?
Friends who know each other well
Bluffing or deduction games
A mixed group, some just met
Prediction games about one shared subject
10 or more people
Games that run the whole table at once
A seated dinner
Writing or guessing games
People who hate performing
Written, anonymous-answer games
More than a drinking game
Real scoring, betting or hidden roles
Short answer
If the group doesn't all know each other, start with simultaneous-answer or prediction games. Save confession-heavy bluffing games for later, once people have warmed up.
Top picks, free and easy
Guess the room
- Prediction
- Free
- No prep
Everyone writes one word answering a question with no single right answer, then reveals together. Matching the biggest group wins.
Best for: a mixed group who just met
Chip betting on guesses
- Wagering
- Free
- Needs chips or coins
Someone answers a personal question with a hidden number, the room guesses, and players bet chips on the closest guess before the reveal.
Best for: competitive groups
Games by mechanic
Bluffing
Someone doesn't know what everyone else knows, and has to fake it. Best with groups who already have shared history.
Two truths and a lie
- Free
Each player states three facts, one invented. The group votes on which is false.
BanterBox's bluffing game: see how it works →
Prediction
Everyone guesses what the room will say. Low pressure, fast to explain, works even when half the table just met.
Most likely to
- Free
Read a "most likely to..." prompt aloud. On a count of three, everyone points at who fits.
BanterBox's prediction game: see how it works →
Wagering
Real stakes, even if it's just chips or points. Betting rounds keep competitive groups locked in far longer than a quiz.
The nightly wager pool
- Free
Before the party, guests each predict one small outcome for the night and put in a token stake.
BanterBox's wagering game: see how it works →
Drawing
A shared, visual result the whole table built together, which makes for a funnier reveal than a spoken answer.
Telephone drawing
- Free
Write a phrase, the next player draws it, the next writes what they see, and so on. Unfold the chain at the end.
BanterBox's drawing game: see how it works →
Wordplay
Everyone writes something in secret and a judge picks a favourite. No performing required.
Fishbowl (or Celebrity)
- Free
Slips in a bowl, three rounds with the same slips: describe, act out, then say one word.
BanterBox's wordplay game: see how it works →
Background / whole-party games
No table, no fixed start. These run underneath the actual party rather than pausing it.
Secret task swap
- Free
Everyone draws a small, harmless task to complete naturally during the party without getting caught.
BanterBox's runs all event game: see how it works →
Why play a game at all?
A good game gives different friendship groups a reason to interact instead of circling back to people they already know. It removes the burden of inventing conversation. It gives the room a shared event, and something to bring up months later.
What separates a game from an activity
A proper party game has a clear objective, real decisions, some kind of stakes or scoring, genuine interaction, a mechanic that repeats round after round, and an actual ending. That's the structure people expect from a proper board or party game.
Don't want to build it yourself?
Personalisation is another layer, not the whole trick
What actually changes a game is real material: real habits, real stories, real inside jokes, not a stock question bank. That's what these six games do, built around your own group.
The Outsider
Bluffing built from your group's real inside jokes and trip stories.
4-14 players · 15-30 minutes
See how The Outsider works
The Pitch
Wordplay judged anonymously, so nobody has to perform.
3-12 players · 15-30 minutes
See how The Pitch works
Sketchy Business
A drawing game built from real habits and running jokes.
4-12 players · 10-20 minutes
See how Sketchy Business worksREADY TO PLAY?
Steal the free ideas, or start with games built for your group.
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