Whether you’re hosting a huge NYE party or a low-key gathering with friends, there’s one thing you HAVE to plan: New Year’s Eve games. Games will make the party more memorable and ensure everyone has a great time. Not sure what to play? We have 17 fun games to try this year.
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17 Fun New Year’s Eve Games to Try This Year
1. A Game of Questions
Here’s a fun game that everyone can play, and it will help all of your guests get to know each other. Alice & Lois has a free printable that you can use to play this game at your NYE party, but you can also make up your own.
Go around the room and have each person pick a card. Everyone can give their response to each card’s topic or question.
2. Buzzed Blocks
Buzzed Blocks is basically Jenga for adults. This drinking game comes with 54 blocks with funny commands and games on 40 of them, like:
- Finish your drink
- Truth or dare
- Make a rule
If you have a smaller gathering, this game will be perfect.
Please play and drink responsibly!
3. Countdown Knock Down
Looking for minute-to-win-it New Years Eve games? This one is so much fun. Countdown Knockdown is simple.
- You’ll need 12 party cups
- Number the cups inside
- Arrange the cups in a circle around the player
- See how fast each player can knock down all 12 cups using just a ball on a string
- The cups must be knocked down in order
ShawnMHowell has a great tutorial on how to play this game and get it set up.
4. Drawing Without Dignity
Drawing Without Dignity is an adult party game where players have to draw and guess sketches that are absolutely absurd. This game is NOT for people without a sense of humor, but with the right group, it can be a blast.
New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to play a game like this. Try playing with a whiteboard so that everyone can see the drawings and you don’t have to waste paper.
This Pictionary-style game includes 670 things to draw and 150 premium playing cards.
While they recommend having at least four players, I could see this also being a game for couples or three people.
5. It’s Bananas
Here’s a hilarious game to play at your NYE party. It’s Bananas is a monkey tail game that forces you to strap on a monkey tail, spin the spinner, and win bananas.
It sounds easy, but the challenges are pretty tough – like having to pick up little paper monkeys with your tail.
If you’re looking for a game that will make everyone look ridiculous, It’s Bananas is perfect. It will be even more fun after a few glasses of wine.
6. Roast Master
Roast Master is a Cards Against Humanity-style card game with one objective: to roast your friends.
While everyone is counting down to the new year, you and your friends can roast each other – and enjoy some great laughs along the way.
The objective is to combine cards to insult other players. Each set comes with 600 cards, so you can keep the fun going for hours.
7. NYE Trivia Game
If your crowd is into trivia, this will be one of the best New Years Eve games for you to play. This free printable has 25 trivia questions specifically for New Year’s Eve.
Here’s how to play:
- Have someone read a question from the printable.
- The first person to guess the right answer gets a point.
- The person with the most points wins a prize.
Trivia games are so much fun to play, and if you’re not a fan of the questions on this printable, you can always make up your own.
8. Sticky Story Game
The Sticky Story Game requires three things: post-it notes (lots of them), Sharpies and imagination.
This a collaborative party game where everyone creates a story together, and that story can be as cool or ridiculous as you want.
Someone starts with the first sticky note: “Once upon a time, there was,” and the next person adds their own addition to the story with their sticky note. Each person continues the story until you run out of guests.
Then, the reader will read the entire story, starting with the first sticky note.
You’ll love this game because you can get as creative as you want with the story and even the rules. You don’t need to buy an expensive game, and you can play it anytime.
9. NYE Scattergories
If you love Scattergories, then you’ll love this NYE version. You can grab this free printable and play this game with friends and family at your party.
- Each person will need their own copy of the printable and a pen
- Each player will need to create an answer that begins with the letter on the die for each of the categories on their list
10. Scavenger Hunt
Start the year off with a scavenger hunt. This free printable comes with clue sheets and themes that you can download and use for the hunt. It’s a fun way to pass the time, especially if you have kids with you.
11. You Laugh You Drink
You laugh, you drink is one of the New Years Eve games on this list that you probably know how it works just by reading the name. If you’re a person who can’t keep a straight face, you’ll end up very tipsy after playing.
You’ll read the card and perform the action to try and make the person laugh.
12. Poetry for Neanderthals
When I first read the name of this game, I already started laughing. The game is a major hit on Amazon and is available with:
- Expansion pack
- NSFW edition
You’ll want to help your team guess the word on the card, but you can only use one sound. Players need to use a single syllable, which, more often than not, leads to the sounds of grunts and what can be described as “caveman talk.”
13. New Year’s Feud Party Game
FEUD! If you want to make everyone laugh and have an unforgettable year, you’ll love this game. You can simply print out the game using the free printable, and the rules are really simple:
- Choose someone to be the host of the game. I recommend someone who has a presence and can command the room.
- Divide everyone into two main groups
- Choose a time limit for answering questions.
- Read the question and both teams will need to provide their best answers before the clock runs out.
The host will read the best answer, and you’ll want to continue with the questions and answers until you’re done with all of the printouts.
14. NYE Outburst
New Year’s Eve outburst is a great opportunity for you to use your knowledge to win. You’ll have multiple cards with different information, such as the top television shows coming to an end this year.
Your team will try to guess all 10 of the shows that will no longer be on television.
Of course, television shows aren’t the only items on these lists. You can create a trivia card out of anything you like:
- Top actors
- Best music
- Celebrity deaths
- Etc.
If you have a lot of people who you’ll be spending time with while waiting for the clock to hit 12, you’ll definitely want to give this game a try.
15. Shot Roulette
New Years Eve games for adults don’t get much better than shots – if you drink. You’ll love this EZ DRINKER game because it’s a roulette wheel with a sixteen-piece shot set. The wheel works and there are two metallic balls included that you can use when playing.
If you love roulette and taking shots, this is a unique game that is always a major hit on New Years Eve.
16. NYE Mad Libs
Mad Libs is so popular, but it took until last year before I was able to play it myself. You can download and print the printable in the link. And it’s a game that can be played by both kids and adults, so it’s a great option that the entire family will love.
The idea is simple:
- Fill in the blanks
- Follow the rules underneath the blank
For example, it may say, “It’s almost ___” and underneath the line, it says “time,” so the person will jot down the time in this place (a made-up time) because you’re telling a story.
17. NYE Bingo
Bingo is one of the most beloved games in the world, and it’s a great option for larger groups of people because most of them will already know how to play. The concept is easy:
- Print out the cards in the link above
- Call out the cards on the card page
- Wait for someone to win
And what does the winner get? They get either a special treat, a shot of liquor, or maybe the option to light off fireworks. You can also make this kid-friendly and let the winner choose a prize.
