Last Updated on December 20, 2022
Are you planning to spend New Year’s Eve with friends and family? Then your program needs a little something to fill the atmosphere with good memories and entertainment! If you are stumped for ideas, no problem. You can check out our master list of the best party games and grab a couple to share with your loved ones.
1. Highlights of the Year
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
This game is a popular activity and with good reason. Even if the year sucked for everyone in the room, they will find things to appreciate and laugh about. The rules are simple. You can draw cards with questions or just make them up as you go along. All the questions must be geared towards positive and funny outcomes. Take care to avoid sensitive subjects.
Keep things simple and you will be surprised how fruitful this exercise can be. Ask about what made them laugh the hardest this year, the best gift they received and the most beautiful thing they saw. You get the idea!
2. Champagne Race
Appropriate for: Adults.
Don’t worry, this is not drinking Champagne as quickly as you can or hopping in a bag while holding onto a wine glass. The idea is to create “races” in different ways. You can get really creative with this one!
Need an example? Place a bowl of Champagne in the middle of a small table. Contestants sit around the table, each with an empty glass in front of them. They must transfer the bubbly brew to their own glass – using something ridiculous like a teaspoon or a baby spoon. Keep some paper towels handy because this game can get messy!
3. Two Resolutions and a Lie
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
This activity has two great benefits. Everyone will get to know each other better – especially in the hopes and dreams department. But since a bunch of good-natured lies are essential to the game, laughter is sure to follow!
You probably already have an idea of where this game is going. But let’s go over the rules anyway. Each person gets a chance to share three of their resolutions for the upcoming year. Two are real resolutions and one is a total fabrication. You have to decide which one is a lie!
4. Lost Resolutions
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
Don’t worry, this game is not as tragic as it sounds! It is somewhat similar to the previous game but this time, there are no tricky falsehoods and each person must share a single resolution instead of three.
However, instead of talking about their goal, everyone must write theirs down on a piece of paper before placing it inside of a jar. Once that is done, the papers are pulled out and read one by one. The group must guess who wrote which resolution, reuniting the “lost” dream with its owner!
Pro Tip: If your handwriting (or anyone else’s) is readily recognizable by friends or family, tell everyone to write in block letters or a different handwriting style. You can even hand out alphabet stencils to ensure that the writing looks identical.
5. Don’t Drop the Ball
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
In the US, New Year’s Eve celebrations peak when the countdown ball begins to drop. But this game is all about not letting the ball drop!
For this game, you need a ball and your guests must stand in a circle. The ball is always given to the person on their left – and they must pass on the ball as quickly as possible. But here is the catch – they cannot use their hands! They can use their elbows, upper arms and even chins! Whoever drops the ball is out of the game. Keep playing until only one person is left as the winner.
6. Treasure Hunt
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
Yes, you can certainly plan an elaborate scavenger hunt for New Year’s Eve. But if you want a long-lasting game guaranteed to keep the kids busy while you do something else, a simple Easter Egg type game will keep them occupied for most of the evening.
Before the hunt begins, hide the same thing all over the house. For example, a type of chocolate bar, small packets of sweets, gummy bears, you get the idea. Everyone can search whenever and wherever they like.
7. Curse of the Bell
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
Add a jingle to your evening and no, we don’t mean a catchy tune! When your guests arrive, give them bells to wear. Aim for small bells that jingle at the slightest move. While the tinkling certainly creates a festive atmosphere, that is not the aim of the game.
Tie a string or piece of washing line somewhere in your home. Guests must get rid of their bells by hanging them on this string but they cannot be seen doing so. If somebody catches them, they are given an extra set of bells.
8. Secret Santa
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
Christmas is over but you can still enjoy the excitement of gift-giving. Ask each guest to bring a gift-wrapped present of a certain value or theme (try not to make it too expensive or so wacky that people struggle to find a theme-related gift).
Place all the gifts on a table and number them. Next, place the same number of tickets in a bowl. Everyone gets a turn to draw a ticket from the bowl and collect the gift that has their number on it!
9. Disco Ball Piñata
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
If you don’t mind the effort that goes into making one of these sweet-filled wonders, then this is the game for you!
You can find excellent tutorials that explain how to make one from start to finish. This will save you time and effort – and give your party a professional-looking ball!
Pro Tip: Piñata bashing can get dangerous. Don’t let the other kids stand too close and risk getting smacked by the stick. Traditionally, kids must scramble to pick up the candy. However, some children might lose out because they are uncomfortable with grabbing and shoving. Keep extra treats on hand to make sure that everybody gets a fair amount.
10. Balloon Countdown
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
For this game, you need numbered balloons. The idea is to recreate the hours of a clock. Essentially, you are looking for 12 balloons (numbered 1 to 12 and arranged in a circle like the face of a clock). While the balloons are still deflated, add a piece of paper inside of each, blow them up and tie the balloons off securely.
Guests get a chance to pop a balloon as the hours pass. They can then read the piece of paper and see what they have won! Keep the gifts small, like a chocolate bar or stationary. If guests only arrive at 6 pm, they can pop the first 6 balloons to catch up in real time. When 7 pm hits, it’s time to pop another balloon. This game continues until midnight!
11. Photo Booth
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
Alright, alright, you caught us. We tried to slip something in that is not a game. But who cares, right? A photo booth is fun, entertaining and will definitely create great memories for years to come. You can make it a themed booth by adorning it with a disco ball, balloons, and other New Year’s decorations.
12. Tic Tac Challenge
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
This is a minute-to-win-it game. Give each person two paper plates. One plate contains a bunch of Tic Tacs and the other one is empty. The idea is to transfer the sweets from the full plate to the empty one, using only a tweezer. The winner is the person who transfers the most Tic Tacs within 60 seconds!
You can also try a variation of this game using M&Ms and straws. Contestants must move as many sweets as they can using only the force of suction.
13. New Year’s Countdown Bags
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
This requires some planning on your part. However, if you pull this off, your guests will stay entertained the whole night. Paper bags are perfect for this because they come in all sizes. After you have found your perfect size, get one bag for each hour until midnight and fill them with materials for activities. This game will ensure that your evening does not get boring as friends and family can look forward to fresh games and crafts every hour.
Pro Tip: Decorate the bags and display them. This way, they can serve as New Year’s decorations as well.
14. Catch The Poms
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
This game is for two teams. Both teams also have two players. For each team, give one person a pointy party hat full of small pom-poms or cotton balls and an empty hat to the other.
The person with the empty hat must stand with their back turned to their team member. The latter must throw the balls over the person’s head who must catch it with the hat. The catcher is not allowed to look back! The team that catches five balls first is the winner.
15. Ball Drop
Appropriate for: Adults.
This game is not for kids or tipsy adults! Two competitors must stand on a low table or chairs. Each person is given a bag of ping pong balls. Place two bowls, cups or other containers on the floor. In order to win, one of the contestants must drop three ping pong balls in the bowl – without the balls jumping out!
16. Hat Bowling
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
Don’t put away those ping pong balls just yet. First, place several pointy party hats on a table and arrange them however you like. To make things easier for kids, line them up next to each other.
The goal is to bounce – not roll or throw – the ping pong balls on the table. A good bounce might knock a hat off the table. Score! That’s one point. See who can gather the most points in this manner.
17. Bean Race
Appropriate for: Kids and adults.
For this, you will need a pack of New Year’s Eve noisemakers. You know, those ribbon-like things where you blow into a plastic mouthpiece and it unfurls with a tooting sound. The game also requires small, flat beans (black-eyed peas are actually perfect).
Contestants must move their pea from one side of the table to the other. They can only move their pea along by “tooting” it with the noisemaker.