8 Best Board Games for Parties 2025: Top Picks
Looking for the best board games for parties? We’ve played lots! Here are our top picks for laughter, chaos, and easy fun.
8 Best Board Games for Parties: Our Top Picks for Unforgettable Fun
Finding the perfect board games for parties can be as tricky as herding cats after a sugar rush. We have played enough of them to know which ones bring the most laughs, spark the weirdest stories, and get everybody talking (or guessing, or wildly gesturing). When we picked these games, we looked for ones you can explain fast, play in a big group, and—most important—don’t get boring after just one round. These games bring out the best in any crowd. Get ready for loud cheers, wild guesses, and some unforgettable moments!
On this list:
8 Codenames
We once played Codenames at a barbecue and laughter kept coming in waves. It’s the classic guessing game that lets teams stretch their brains and flex their funny bones. Spymasters give single word clues, and teammates try to guess all the right words without blowing their cover. It’s fast, easy to learn, and you don’t need to be a genius—just clever enough to not pick the word ‘moose’ when the clue was ‘animal’. This one’s a top pick for board games for parties, since it scales well and gets everyone talking and thinking… or at least trying to. No two games ever feel the same, and no one ever minds losing because we’re all busy laughing.
7 Telestrations
Telestrations is the telephone game with drawings, and we have not survived a session with dry eyes. The more artistically challenged your group, the better, as stick figures spiral into chaos. With board games for parties, you want fast, funny, and easy to play—Telestrations nails all three. We once watched ‘dog on skateboard’ turn into ‘spaghetti circus’, and nobody had any regrets. If you want a game where people remember the laughs more than the scores, you can’t go wrong.
6 Just One
Some party games give everyone stage fright, but not Just One. You only write one word as a hint, so it’s perfect for shy folks. We played this at a family get together—turns out, our grandma is a secret wordsmith. The fun here is in the creative clues and the surprise when two people write the exact same thing (canceling each other out). It’s one of the most accessible board games for parties, and nobody feels left out. Plus, it’s cooperative, which means the only thing you’ll be fighting over is who has the best handwriting.
5 Wavelength
We’ve played Wavelength at parties where we didn’t know half the guests, and by the end, everyone acted like old friends. You secretly turn a dial (it’s way more exciting than it sounds) to match your idea of the clue. Guessing how your pals think is hilarious and sometimes shocking. It’s a perfect board game for parties because everyone gets to shout opinions and debate the fine line between ‘tacky’ and ‘stylish.’ Trust us, it’s a crowd-pleaser and way better than debating pineapple on pizza.
4 Decrypto
Decrypto made our heads spin, but in the best way. It’s Codenames for people who want a little more challenge. You work in teams, sending coded messages to your allies while trying to intercept the other team’s codes. There’s a lot of frantic note-scribbling and whispered strategy, but it’s always fun and super tense. Board games for parties can sometimes fizzle when rules get too complex, but Decrypto strikes a good balance. If your group enjoys word games but wants more meat, this is dessert.
3 Wits & Wagers
Wits & Wagers is trivia for people who think ‘knowing stuff’ is overrated. Our group never gets factual answers right, but wild guessing and clever betting make it anyone’s game. You write down a guess to a random question, then bet on which you think is closest. One round, someone guessed the Eiffel Tower was 12 feet tall, and somehow that got a bet! It’s quick, silly, and perfect for board games for parties, especially if you want to include trivia buffs and total goofballs.
2 Spyfall
Spyfall is all about bluffing, and we love it because we all turn into suspicious detectives or flustered spies. In our last game, someone thought the spy was the cat. (It was, in fact, my brother.) One player is the spy who doesn’t know the location, and everyone else asks strange questions to smoke them out. As far as board games for parties go, Spyfall brings tons of laughs and usually some very weird conversations. The rounds are short, so you can always fit in another game before the pizza arrives.
1 Monikers
Monikers takes every party game you love and squashes it into one box. We always end up crying with laughter by round three. The goal is to get your team to guess names of celebrities, fictional characters, or just wild concepts, and each round gets harder—first, you can say anything, then one word, then just mime. It’s chaotic and ridiculous, and after three rounds, we can’t remember who won, just that Aunt Lisa got stuck acting out ‘Sasquatch doing taxes.’ Monikers wins the board games for parties crown because anyone can play, rules are simple, and it delivers guaranteed memories every. single. time.
