Your Ultimate Guide To The Absolute Best Board Games For Parties

How To Play: To get your party started playing Czech Games' Codenames, split into two teams. Choose one member from each team to be the spymaster; everyone else is a field operative. Randomly pick 25 code name cards and place them in a 5-by-5 grid pattern on the table. Then pick a key card — only the spymasters can look at this. The key card corresponds to the grid, so the spymaster knows which code names refer to the blue agents, the red agents, the bystanders, and the assassin. The spymaster then gives one-word clues to help the teams determine where their agents are located on the board. The first team to make contact with all of their agents wins, but if you accidentally pick the assassin, you're done. Check out this video for a visual explanation. But generally, reviewers absolutely love how simple it is to play, so even newcomers can join in on the fun.

Target Audience: Anyone who's 14 years or older. Though some reviewers say little ones can join in on the fun too.

Amount Of Players: It's recommended for groups bigger than four and up to eight, but reviewers say they've played with as many as 12 people without an issue.

What Reviewers Are Saying: Those who have tried this game say it's "really genius" in its simplicity. "It's a fantastic party game because it can be taught in under 5 minutes and provides a ton of fun. It has definitely been a hit in my gaming group and with my family over the holidays."

How To Play: Every player gets a dry-erase notebook and a marker for Telestrations: The Telephone Game Sketched Out. They write their name on the front and open to the first page. Everyone draws a card, and someone rolls the dice. The number on the dice then corresponds to words on the cards, and everyone needs to draw their particular word. Once the timer is out, everyone passes their book to the player on the left. That player has to guess what the drawing means, translating it back into word-form. The next player on their left has to draw the new word, and it continues around the circle like this. Once it gets back to the initial player, the whole group gets to see how far their initial word has evolved — and how bizarre the drawings and interpretations got. It's basically a game of telephone with a drawing component that really helps people get acquainted.

Target Audience: Any age, though older than 8 is recommended.

Amount Of Players: Four or more is ideal, and you can play with up to eight players.

What Reviewers Are Saying: "It's honestly a great game that works well with a wide variety of people," one buyer says. "The instructions are fairly easy and the fun is looking to see how people interpret your original drawing. It's best played with a large group of people, as the more drawings and interpretations you have, the wilder and crazier the guesses can get."

How To Play: Technically, it's a card game — but since it's fast-moving, easy to get the hang of, and any amount of people can play, That's What She Said is ideal for a party setting. Pick a judge at random and have that person flip over and read a red set-up card. Everyone else chooses the most inappropriate white phrase card they have. The judge picks their favorite and awards that player the red card. Each white card is a hilarious double entendre that's designed to work alongside any red card, and you're allowed to discard one per round to avoid getting stuck with phrases you dislike. What's great about this game is when you play it with different groups of people the game changes too, so it honestly won't get old.

Target Audience: Adults with an inappropriate sense of humor. Some of the cards are definitely NSFW.

Amount Of Players: Four or more people — there's really no maximum cap for this one.

What Reviewers Are Saying: "Bought this game for a game night party. My friends and I were laughing the entire time. Very similar to [Cards Against Humanity] but the cards are all dirty and funny rather than just some of them," says one reviewer. "It's a great game for a big or small group."

How To Play: For Spontuneous: The Song Game, you give each individual player a pawn or split into teams. All players write down a few popular song words on their Hit Lists, like city, rain, mountain, or rock. The first "Tunesmith" turns the timer and announces a word from their Hit List. The winner of the round is the first player to sing five words or more from any song that contains the keyword; then they roll the dice and advance that many moves. The first player to reach the end of the board wins the game. And honestly this game can help break the ice at any get together really quickly.

Target Audience: Ages 8 and up.

Amount Of Players: Four to ten players, but you can play with teams if you have more than that.

What Reviewers Are Saying: "This game was hilarious. We played it at a Thanksgiving gathering with 20 family members [and] we never laughed so hard," says one reviewer, while another raves, "Basically, this game is a thematic abridgment of karaoke night. It's the most amusing game ever, even if you don't win. And for those of you who aren't gifted in the musical arts, it's hilariously good fun anyway. Just sing as lousily as you can as loud as you can."

How To Play: With The Game Of Things, the answers are open-ended and there's no player cap. The judge picks up a card and reads it out loud. (The prompts say things like, "things you shouldn't do in an elevator," and "things you would do with a million dollars.") Everyone else takes the first thing that comes to mind and writes it on one of the given sheets. The judge collects them, reads them all aloud, and has to figure out who said what.

Target Audience: Anyone who's old enough to write.

Amount Of Players: Four or more players — and as long as you have enough pencils and paper, there's really no maximum cap. But reviewers do say that the more people the better.

What Reviewers Are Saying: "We spent hours playing this game over the summer with more people than the game suggests. I think we had 15 people playing it at one point during the family reunion," says one buyer. "It was a great hit with everyone. I plan on giving it as a gift to fellow game lovers... It's a great way to get to know people better while having a lot of fun."

How To Play: Think charades, but without having to brainstorm ideas first. In this new, fast-paced game, players split into two teams. Each team chooses one actor and competes head-to-head at the same time. If an actor can get their team to guess four out of five words on their given card, they score a point and the round ends. After ten rounds, the team with the most points wins.

Target Audience: Players can be any age — but heads up, because it's going to get loud.

Amount Of Players: Teams can be as big as you want, so there's no cap. And reviewers say that this game is honestly better with a crowd, so it's great for larger parties.

What Reviewers Are Saying: "I recently bought this for a holiday family party and it was a blast... Because both teams are acting at the same time, it removes the attention that some people don't like about charades. As teams got closer to guessing their [four] words, the louder and more frantic both teams became," says one reviewer. "I like that the game can be played with a large group and the words are challenging, but not to the point where [the teams were totally stuck.]"

How To Play: If beer pong and flip cup are getting a little old, but you're still looking to keep the alcohol flowing, Drink-A-Palooza is the board game for you. Give everyone a pawn or split into teams. Determine house rules (like how many sips per challenge), and spin the bottle spinner to determine who goes first. Each player or team rolls the dice and completes the mini-game on their landing space — like pong, quarters, high low, kings cup, or waterfall. When you win, you collect a mini bottle, and the first to fill out a six pack is the champion. It has all the nostalgia of classic drinking games while changing things up for a new twist on those classics.

Target Audience: 21 or older — and preferably those with a sizable alcohol tolerance.

Amount Of Players: The board game has up to six pawns, but you can also split into teams.

What Reviewers Are Saying: "Yes! This game is a lot of fun," one reviewer raves. "When I first bought it, I was concerned my friends would find it "cheesy," as they do many of the games I coerce them into trying... But we have played it a few times and EVERYONE has really enjoyed it and called it "cool" with complete sincerity." But a piece of advice from buyers? "Play this game at the beginning of the night."

How To Play: Cranium Three-In-One Board Game is a classic, and makes for an awesome ice-breaker if your guests don't know each other too well. Pick a pawn or split up into teams. Team A rolls the dice and lands on a colored space. The team to their right (Team B) picks a card with the corresponding color and reads it to Team A. If Team A successfully completes the challenge, they get to move. If not, they stay there, and the next team goes. The challenges involve sketching, charades, humming, puzzle-solving, and molding keywords out of clay — so it's a great way to get people out of their shells. The first team to reach the end wins the game. Thanks to this genius folding board, you can adjust the size of it to lengthen or shorten the game.

Target Audience: While the package says 16 and older, many reviewers claim players can be younger than that.

Amount Of Players: Four or more, but with teams there really isn't a cap.

What Reviewers Are Saying: "This game is so much fun!" says one reviewer. "Played it with friends and enjoyed it so much that I bought one for our family. Plays to everyone's strengths, so we all loved it — those who are great with words/language, art, trivia, and charades. Highly recommend."

How To Play: If all the aforementioned board games seem a little too complex, Hasbro's Taboo Buzzd is an awesome way to simplify your entertainment. Just split into two teams, choose a player to start, and give them the electronic tablet. When they press start, the "taboo" word appears on the screen. They then have to describe their taboo word to their team without saying it — or any of the four descriptive words underneath. Their team guesses as many as they can before the timer runs out, and the device automatically keeps track of the points for you. The device

Target Audience: The game claims players should be 12 years and older, but reviewers report playing this with players of all ages.

Amount Of Players: This game requires a minimum of four, but has no cap; the more people you have, the more fun it is.

What Reviewers Are Saying: "I love, love, LOVE Taboo. I use to have the game with the cards and enjoyed that but this takes all the hassle out. Actually, I didn't realize there was hassle until I got this electronic version. It tracks your score and you don't have to fumble with the cards or worry about pulling the same card twice. Many of my guests hadn't seen or played this version and said they will be getting it!"

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