A never-ending game of Dungeons & Dragons may make for a wild Friday night for some, but not everyone is cut out for 100-page instruction manuals. Sometimes, we just want a good laugh. So gather ‘round, everybody: We selected the best party games for an evening full of debauchery, hilarity, and hard-fought victories. These games will bring out the best and worst in your friends.
I Dissent | Buffalo Games | $19.99 | Target
Pay homage to the incomparable and ever-fierce Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with this voting and deliberation card game. Players argue and vote on a series of issues in an attempt to gain the majority vote or, in honor of RBG, play a dissent card to clear the round.
Bob Ross: Happy Little Accidents Party Game | Big G Creative | $19.99 | Target
Get your chill on! Transform your abstract squiggles and shapes into works of art with this party game inspired by painter Bob Ross. Reuse and recycle your drawn accidents into creative masterpieces as other players vote on the best sketches.
Tip of the Tongue | University Games | $19.99 | Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kroger (Aug. 1)
Just spit it out already! It pays to think on your feet in this fast-paced trivia game. There are more than 1,000 generic trivia questions that may seem easy — until you only have two seconds to speak up. Just blurt out your answers and you’ll be victorious.
Pictionary Air | Mattel | $19.99 | Target
Bring your Pictionary game to life with this interactive, augmented reality version of the classic. Players use the light-up Air Pen to draw out their clues in the air, and thanks to an in-app camera, teammates can watch the illustration appear on a phone, tablet, or TV. Get guessing!
The Lie Detector Game | Hasbro | $29.99 | Target, Walmart
It’s time to find out the truth as you put your friends in the hot seat. Ask players original, and sometimes uncomfortable, “yes” or “no” questions. The machine’s voice analysis is designed to detect subtleties in a person’s voice to figure out if they are telling the truth or not, and each truthful answer earns players a point. It seems that Mom was right all along: Honesty really is the best policy.
Would You Rather…? Prove It! | Spin Master | $14.99 | Walmart, Gamestop, Barnes & Noble, Kohls (Sept. 1)
Time to choose! With this social voting game, players must choose between a duo of demented dilemmas, such as whether they’d prefer playing the game with smelly socks on their hands or eating snacks out of a shoe. But, be careful what you wish for. See how your friends’ minds work as they discuss the merits of each scenario, then put them on the spot and have them prove their final choice. This new edition takes the classic “Would You Rather” game to a new level with concrete reasoning and evidence.
Sip It | Games Adults Play | $14.63 | Amazon
No gathering is complete without the perfect cocktail to sip. The name of the game is crafting the perfect drink by building up the most points based on your actions. Players draw task cards and must perform ridiculous actions to score. Just can’t do that blush-worthy task? Drink up or risk losing your points! There you go, cocktail in hand: easy peasy lemon squeezy
Pencil Nose | Fat Brain Toy Co. | $24.95 | fatbraintoys.com, Kohls, Amazon, Walmart
Can you win by a nose? Players will attach a dry erase markers to the bridge of their geek-chic glasses as they begin to silently sketch out a chosen word with their shnoz. If your teammates can correctly guess what you draw in this amusing take on Pictionary, you’ll earn a point. Things get nosy as you attempt to completely illustrate a complex phrase and will elicit more laughs than anything.
EXIT: The Game | Thames & Kosmos | $14.95 | Amazon, Target
Bring the fun of an escape room into your own home as you attempt to solve the mysterious puzzles before time runs out. Players will tear up, rip, and fold the game materials in a quest to make their triumphant escape. New versions take players on a quest for sunken treasure and to a locked museum. What could possibly go wrong?
Wicked Big Sports Flip Cup | Little Kids | $24.99 | Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target
Add a supersized twist to your summer beach bash or tailgate with this massive game of Flip Cup. Set out the eight giant cups by color, split up into two teams, and it’s game on! Just drink responsibly, it’s a giant cup after all.
Silicon Valley Startups | Mattel | $14.99 | Amazon, Target
Take your next game night to the board room. By luck of the draw, players get the chance to pitch a random company to a group of investors (aka their peers). Draw a card in each of the four categories: company name, target user, industry, and hot trend. It’s your task to seriously pitch the random idea to the world and get your investors’ approval to earn a point. Bonus points for taking the seemingly odd categories and melding them together for creative solutions!
This article was originally published in the Pop Insider’s Summer 2019 Issue No. 4, click here to read more!
