Are you looking for a game to up the stakes, raise some laughs and have people hollering for the win?
Then look no further! This is our collection of the most addictive, fun and popular party games and board games of the year 2021.
#1: Cards Against Humanity
The top-selling popular party game “Cards against Humanity” is called a party game for horrible people. In this game, a chosen “judge” must pair a black card with the white card statements of the participants, resulting in hilarious comparisons and situations. In the new version 2.0 there is 500 white cards and 100 black cards for maximum replay-ability and comes with a rule booklet. People love to play this game over and over and adore it for being absolutely funny and hilarious. It does contain adult content and is not recommended for children. It’s also the perfect gift idea.
#2: What Do You Meme?
The #1 top selling game on Amazon “What do you meme party game” is the adult game everyone is talking about. In the game, you compete with friends and family to create the funniest memes through given pictures. The game contains 360 caption cards and 75 photo cards. There is some adult content, but if you remove a few of the cards, you can play this game with kids as well. Users report getting “six pack abs” from laughing so hard!
#3: Exploding Kittens Card Game
The Exploding Kittens game is one of the most original and funny party games out there. It’s for people who are into explosions and kittens and laser beams and sometimes goats. In this 2-5 player family-friendly game, some cards will diffuse, some will explode – hard to explain, the rules are quite extensive, but once you get going, the game is absolutely hilarious. You can also buy different player versions and expansion packs.
#4: Codenames
The Codenames game is a spy-themed game with guessing words for ages 14 and up. It’s about picking the right words after being given clues by a so-called “spy-master”. Users of this game report excellent gameplay, excitement and how the game requires and teaches team-work. A lot of different types of people will enjoy the game, making it great for parties.
#5: Ticket To Ride
The Ticket To Ride game is a 2-5 player board games with a lot of replay value. It is one of the most popular board games right now. A typical game session takes 30-60 minutes where users move colored train cars in routes across the boards and draw cards for events. Users really love this game for its’ friendliness towards new players (it’s not overly complex) and the great replay-ability – the traits of a good game. Ticket To Ride can be purchased in a large variety of different city versions.
#6: Catan – Trade, Build, Settle
The Catan board game is focused on trade, build and settle. It works for 3-4 players and takes about 60-90 minutes to play. It is based more on tactics and witful playing and less on luck, such as Monopoly. It has great replay value and recently won the Game of the Century award. You can buy the base game and a set of expansions for the game. Users report that this game is highly addictive, and very satisfying to win! Make sure to buy the original game from Catan Studios and not the cheaper knock-offs.
#7: Disturbed Friends – This game should be banned
The Disturbed Friends party game contains 250 disturbing questions and 100 offensive cartoons + voting cards. It is the party game you wished you never played, where you vote on what you think your friends will do in horrible situations. If you love Cards Against Humanity, you will love this game too. Beware: You need to have a good sense of humour, and not be offended easily. Not kid friendly.
#8: Hearing Things Game
The Hearing Things game is a lip-reading challenge game where players take turn wearing an included speech-cancelling electronic headphone. The game then has 150 cards with 600 phrases that the headphone-wearing participants can be exposed to. Users report that the game is very fun to play, especially with lots of people. However many reviews mention that the headphones are a bit flimsy and don’t cancel the noise completely.
#9: Joking Hazard
The Joking Hazard card game is another quite popular not-for-kids 17+ party game. It comes from the minds of Cyanide & Happiness webcomic and can be played with 3 or more players to build funny and disturbing comics to form various awful situations. You need irony and good sense of humor to play, but users report that the game is absolutely hilarious. You can remove approx. 60 of the most offensive and cards with swearing out of the total of 360 cards – then you can play with more sensitive players on board.
#10: Classic Operation Skill Game
“Doctor – the patient is here to see you!” Be the doctor in the Classic Operation Skill Game and use your skills and coordination to remove sickness and problems with included tweezers, buzzer and light. The player with the most money after all pieces have been removed wins. It can be played with kids ages 4 and up and is an absolute blast – it also helps develop motor skills. This classic game has been around for ages and just won’t die.
#11: Pandemic Board Game
The Pandemic board game is a for ages 13 and up and is a cooperative game between players to find a cure for a pandemic disease threatening human kind. Player reviews tell that the game has highly addictive gameplay and will keep you on the edge of your seat, even so exciting that you will forget about your kids for a while. Users also like the unique team dynamic of the game, and the overall theme of saving the world.
What to look for in great party games or board games
Replay-ability: By reading reviews you learn a lot about whether a game is fun to play over and over. This makes a game much more worthwhile than soon feeling like “I tried this already”.
Adult Content: Check reviews to learn if and what type of adult content is in the game. Some of the popular party games are not suited for children because of language and explicit content. Other games are family friendly, and can even be played with kids alone.
Sensitive or not? Some games require you to not be sensitive to swearing or explicit content, even as an adult. Some games are made to offend!
Board or conversation? Some games are mainly board games focused on moving objects on a specific boards. Other games are more conversation based and gives you a job to do from a card you draw.
Party and drinking: If you are looking for a game that can be used at parties as a drinking game, read user reviews to find out if it can be used for that.
Rules and complexity: Some games have overly complex rules, others are quite simple to understand. Make sure you pick a kind of game that all participants will enjoy.
Quality: The quality of cards and pieces matter – it just makes you more prone to play again and makes you take the game more seriously.
Play time: Consider the time it takes to play one round. It should fit your evening or party schedule. Some games takes for ages and are quite immersive, others are done in 5-10 minutes.
Winning and losing: What happens when you win or lose? It’s the most important experience in the game. For instance, in the Classic Skills game, you are killed with a buzzer. This is fun!