The best party games for adults, groups and couples

1. Truth or Dare

Players: 2 to 10.

The classic. Each player picks truth (answer a question honestly) or dare (do a challenge). It works with any group as long as you match the questions to the room.

Need questions? See our Truth or Dare lists for friends, couples and family.

2. Would You Rather

Players: 2 or more.

Read out two options, everyone picks a side, and the minority has to defend themselves. Zero setup and perfect for the first ten minutes of a party.

3. Hot Seat

Players: 3 to 10.

One player sits in the hot seat and answers rapid-fire questions from the group for 60 seconds. Hesitate too long and it counts as a pass.

4. Spin the Wheel

Players: 2 to 10.

Fill a wheel with challenges, questions and forfeits, then take turns spinning. It takes the decision out of everyone's hands, which makes people braver. PlaySpark has a ready-made party wheel you can flick on your phone.

5. Party trivia

Players: 2 to 20, in teams.

Split into teams, appoint a quizmaster, and play rounds of ten questions. General knowledge works best for mixed groups.

6. Never Have I Ever

Players: 3 or more.

Everyone holds up ten fingers. Players take turns saying something they have never done, like 'Never have I ever missed a flight'. Anyone who has done it puts a finger down. The last person with fingers up wins.

7. Two Truths and a Lie

Players: 3 to 12.

Each player says three statements about themselves: two true, one false. The group votes on which is the lie. A great icebreaker when not everyone knows each other.

8. Most Likely To

Players: 4 or more.

Read a prompt like 'Who is most likely to become famous?' and on the count of three everyone points at a player. Whoever gets the most fingers has to explain why the group is wrong.

9. Charades

Players: 4 or more, in two teams.

One player acts out a film, book or song title without speaking while their team guesses against a one-minute timer. Write titles on slips of paper and pull them from a bowl.

10. Celebrity (the hat game)

Players: 6 or more, in two teams.

Everyone writes five famous names on slips of paper. Round one, describe the name without saying it. Round two, use only one word. Round three, act it out. The same names come back each round, so the jokes build.

11. Mafia (or Werewolf)

Players: 7 or more.

A secret few players are the mafia, and everyone else is a villager. Each night the mafia quietly pick someone to eliminate. Each day the village debates and votes on who they think is mafia. A moderator runs the game. Expect accusations and betrayals.

12. Paranoia

Players: 4 or more.

Whisper a question to the person on your left, like 'Who here is the worst driver?'. They answer out loud with a name only. The named player can flip a coin to find out what the question was, or stay paranoid forever.

13. Twenty Questions

Players: 2 or more.

One player thinks of a person, place or thing. Everyone else gets twenty yes-or-no questions to work out what it is. Ideal for road trips and small groups.

14. Categories

Players: 3 or more.

Pick a category like 'breakfast cereals' or 'things in a bathroom'. Players take turns naming something in the category, with a clap rhythm to keep the pace. Repeat an answer or freeze and you're out.

15. Wink Murder

Players: 6 or more.

One player is secretly the murderer and kills people by winking at them. Victims wait a few seconds, then dramatically 'die'. Everyone else tries to spot the murderer before they run out of players.

Which party game should you play?

For couples: Truth or Dare in couple mode, Would You Rather and Hot Seat all work with two players.

For a group that doesn't know each other: start with Two Truths and a Lie or Would You Rather. They are low-pressure and get people talking.

For big groups of eight or more: Mafia, Celebrity and Charades scale well and split naturally into teams.

For family game night: Charades, Twenty Questions, trivia and family-friendly Truth or Dare keep it clean and fun for every age.