Best Games to Play on New Year’s Eve
Are you looking for some fun games to play on New Year’s Eve this year? I’ve compiled a list of the best games to play on New Year’s Eve with family and friends.
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Best Games for New Year’s Eve
Are you planning a night at home with family or friends on New Year’s Eve? While it came be fun to venture out on New Year’s, many people prefer to stick close to home. There are a lot fun activities you can do at home on New Year’s Eve. Some of our favorite things to do is to have a friend and family game night! We spend the holiday with another family. So we are always looking for both kid friendly and adult games to play.
Family Friendly Board Games for New Years Eve
If your celebration includes a mix of kids and adults, here are a few games to keep everyone entertained! Almost all of these games are high energy and funny! On New Year’s Eve it is all about staying up to midnight, so these games will keep you awake!! Also, be sure to read How to Plan a Family Friendly New Year’s Eve Celebration.
Cover Your Assets
This is our new family friendly favorite card game! We played Cover Your Assets at Thanksgiving with our entire family and everyone raved about it. It is a pretty easy strategy game to learn. The 5 star reviews on Amazon say it all about this fun game!
Ticket to Ride
If you are looking for a game that takes a little more time (30-60 minutes depending on how many players), Ticket to Ride is a great game! This is a really fun and strategic board game for ages 8 and older. We have played this game many times with friends and family. Everyone has a different strategy and winning is a bit of luck and skill.
Watch Ya Mouth
Watch Ya Mouth is a very hilarious game to play with kids and adults. You use a mouthpiece (don’t worry you don’t have to share) to say various phrases and your team has to guess what you are saying. It makes for a lot of laughs and also a lot of photo opportunities! Everyone looks pretty hilarious wearing the mouthpiece. It is a great game for kids to play with each other with minimal adult assistance.
Exploding Kittens
Our kids just got Exploding Kittens as an early Christmas present and we are loving it! It is a fast action strategy card game that is for kids and adults ages 7 and up. It took a few minutes to understand the rules of the game, but then it was very easy to execute. It’s a great portable game that you could pop in your purse and play anywhere. Also a fast moving game, so it can be perfect if you don’t have a lot of time. I will definitely bring this game with us on New Years Eve.
Yahtzee
When I asked my kids what games they like to play on New Years, my daughter mentioned Yahtzee. This is a totally classic game that we play year round. But it is a great one for New Years because it is fun for all ages. If you have little kids in the crowd, you can always pair them up with a bigger kid to make them feel included!
Hedbanz
There are many different version of Hedbanz including a lot of family versions. We have this Pokemon version but this Hedbanz Family Edition would be a crowd-pleaser! Everyone wears a headband and has to guess “What am I?” You must ask yes or no questions to figure out if the card on your head is an animal, food or man-made object. This game is great for even young players! It is great way to get everyone engaged and talking with each other!
Pie Face Cannon Game
If your crowd is willing to get a little messy, than Pie Face is very hilarious game!! Take turns trying to cannon a load of whipped cream into each other’s faces. You can corral the kids (and willing adults) and let them play this game on their own. As you can imagine, it can be a little messy. But the kids love getting a little whipped cream on their face (to lick clean!) Be sure to purchase whipped cream in advance!
Fun Adult Games to Play on New Year’s Eve with Friends
If you have a chance to play some grown up board games, I’ve got a few ideas for you!
Catch Phrase Uncensored
We have been playing Catch Phrase for YEARS. It is a great game for a big group of friends. I just saw the Latest Catch Phrase Version and I am sure it would be a lot of fun. This version is for ages 12 and up.
This game is a cross between hot potato and charades. To play, you divide the crowd into two teams. One person from each team goes up at the same time and the two representatives pass the Catch Phrase device back and forth. The captain is trying to get their team to guess the phrase on the device. Once the team guesses the phrase, the device is passed to the other team captain. Whoever is holding the device when the timer (that is inside the game) runs out loses. The device keeps track of the score making things even easier!
Cards Against Humanity
Cards Against Humanity came out several years ago and it seemed like it would be a fad. But this game has endured! With a 5 star rating on Amazon and over 32, 000 reviews, it is clearly a winner!! It’s a game that you have to be among good friends because it is pretty raunchy and NOT politically correct. But it can be hilarious and it is a game that will produce a lot of laughs! This game is easy to learn and has minimal set up and materials. Perfect if you just want to be able to hang out and talk! There are tons of themes and expansion packs if you need new material!
Evil Apples
Evil Apples is very similar to Cards Against Humanity but you play it on your phone. Everyone downloads the app to their phones and you play the game entirely on your phone. It is good if you don’t have Cards Against Humanity. The only downside is that you are staring at your phone. But it is nice that the app keeps track of your score and whose turn it is. Fun option if you do not want to purchase a board game!
What do you Meme?
Recently, we were out to dinner and the restaurant had board games including What do you Meme? , After playing a few rounds, we decided it would be fun to play on New Years Eve. We were with the kids so we only showed them “kid appropriate” cards. It is definitely another party game that is not suitable for kids. Compete to create the funniest meme by pairing caption cards with the photo card in play. Similar to Cards Against Humanity, there is a rotating judge who determines who has the best answer. In this case, it is who has created the best meme. This game also tons of themed expansion packs!
Hot Seat
This is another game that you would want to play with good friends! Everyone is in the hot seat as they have to answer questions like “What would a documentary about my life be titled up to this point?” and “What will my gravestone say”? There are a mix of funny and somewhat deep questions. Unlike Cards Against Humanity which is just about having funny answers, Hot Seat requires you to answer openly and honestly! Fun game if you want to get to know your friends even better!
New Phone, Who Dis
Another funny card game that can includes adult humor is New Phone, Who Dis?
Players take turns drawing a sent (or “inbox”) card while the rest of the group competes to play the funniest reply card. Once everyone in the group has played their chosen reply card, the judge decides which combo is the funniest. That person gets a point. The person with the most cards at the end, wins. This is a fun game when you have at least four players.
Best Board Games For New Year’s Eve
These games are not just for New Year’s Eve. So I guarantee once you play them on NYE, you will be playing them all year long!
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It is fun playing board games on New Years as it is a great way to add energy and pass the time until midnight! What are some of your favorite games to play with friends and family?
Great suggestions! I have an old version of Catchphrase too. I have been thinking we might like Exploding Kittens!
Our kiddos are still pretty small so a good game of Toss Across and Animal Match are our go to…. but as they get older, these will definitely be family-style games that will be a must-have!
We always got a new board game for our kids when they were at home. My daughter loves the something now. Love family time together.
Great ideas!!! We are staying in for NYE this year and some of these would be perfect. I’m intrigued by what do you meme
I have the Disney version of Hedbanz; it’s fun, but there are some tricky characters on there for sure!! I’ve played Cards Against Humanity before – def. for the adults, but it’s fun!
-Lauren
We just that Watch Ya Mouth game so I think that will be played at our family New Year’s Party. Hadn’t heard of the Exploding Kittens games but based upon the name, seems like something my kids would be into! 😉
I love cards against humanity. It’s always such a laugh! They just released a cards against muggles which is all Harry Potter which is super fun as well (especially if you’re a wee nerd such as myself)
Leave alone kids. i would love them. However they sound fun.