Whether you’re celebrating your 21st or the 20th anniversary of your 21st, each birthday deserves a special and fun celebration. One great way to liven up a party is by playing some fun games! Party games aren’t just reserved for kids though. If you’re bored with the board games, here are some fun adult birthday party games for you to try at your next birthday bash.
Word Games and Ice Breakers:
These adult birthday party games don’t require any props. They’re great for an outgoing crowd or a creative bunch, and all you need is brain power, a sense of humor, and maybe some prizes to make things a little more competitive.
The Two Truths and a Lie Game
This game can be played on the fly or with a little advance planning, and works best with groups of people who don’t know each other too well. Here’s how to play: everyone gathers together and players take turns telling two facts and one lie about themselves. The listeners vote on which of the three statements they believe is the lie. If they correctly identify the lie, the liar wins nothing. If the liar successfully fools everyone, they can claim one of the small prizes if you have some. To switch things up a bit, the host can have everyone submit their truths and lies in advance. Then they can read each person’s statements aloud to the crowd with the same end goal: to fool everyone.
The Press Conference Guessing Game
In this game, one player (the speaker at the press conference) is sent to another room while the remaining guests pick a person for the player to embody. Don’t be afraid to get creative – the person can be a real public figure or can be something outrageous like a man being tackled by kittens. Once the player returns, he or she holds a press conference in which the guests take turns asking strategic questions that give the player clues to their identity. After a set time period, the player must guess their identity. This is a great game to put the spotlight on the birthday boy or girl. Once their turn is up, everyone else can take a turn!
If you like the idea of your guests playing some ice breakers to get to know one another, we have several ideas that are a lot of fun!
Prop Games:
These adult birthday party games can be played with common household items, or with a few simple and easy-to-find items from your local grocery or party planning store.
The Pick Out the Safety Pins Game
What you’ll need:
- Bag of long-grained rice
- Large mixing bowl
- A package of 50 (or more) small- to medium-size safety pins
- Blindfolds
- Timer
- Prizes (optional)
Fill the mixing bowl about halfway with rice, and then add 50 or more safety pins. Mix it all up, blindfold a guest, and give them 30 seconds to see how many safety pins they can retrieve from the rice. This game is sure to get competitive as each player tries to outdo the others!
The “No” Game
What you’ll need:
- One lei or Mardi Gras bead necklace for each guest
- A prize for the winner (optional)
At the start of the party, give each guest a lei or bead necklace to wear. Then explain to everyone that the goal is to amass as many leis and necklaces as they can, and the rule is that a player has to surrender their neckwear if they’re made to say the word “no.” Players who have lost their necklaces can continue to play and try to earn one off another player. At the end of a set time period, the player with the most necklaces is the winner. Let the fun and trickery begin!
Drinking Games:
These two games offer a simple way to liven up an adult party. Everyone will be feeling loose and happy as they try to trick others into taking a drink.
The Pinning Game
What you’ll need:
- Lightweight clothespins
- Your favorite adult beverage
This game can be played throughout the party, even while other games are in progress! All you really need is a couple of lightweight clothespins (plastic is recommended) and some drinks. One person (the pinner) gets a clothespin with the goal of secretly pinning it to someone else without them noticing. The pinner then steps away and counts to 10 out loud as each of the players frantically searches to see whether they’ve been pinned. If the pinned player finds the clothespin before the countdown is complete, the pinner must drink. If the pinned player can’t find the pin before the countdown is over, he or she must drink. Then the pinned player becomes the pinner and the game continues.
The Name Game
What you’ll need:
- An adult beverage for each player to have at hand
- Pop-culture knowledge
This game starts with someone saying the first and last name of a celebrity. The next person must use the first letter of the last name to come up with another celebrity name, and so on.
Here’s an example of how the game could start: The first player could say Bob Dylan. The next player could say Charlize Theron, and the game would continue on in this fashion as people continue to mention new celebrities. All it really requires is basic spelling capabilities and, hopefully, an abundance of pop culture knowledge. If someone names someone with the same letter at the beginning of their first and last names (example: Marilyn Monroe), the direction of play reverses. If a player can’t immediately think of a name, he or she must drink until they think of one. As you can probably imagine, quick thinking tends to get much more difficult as the party progresses!
These fun adult birthday party games are a great way to get everyone actively involved, plus they don’t require a lot of time or money to set up. Let us know in the comments which games you’ve had the most fun playing! If you’re looking to plan a party, don’t miss out on our expansive selection of birthday party supplies that will help take your bash to the next level.
