Most lists of party games are twelve versions of the same one. This is ten that do different jobs: one to open with, a few for the loud middle of the night, one for a table that wants to think, and one to end on. All ten are free, and all ten are ours, so read it as a recommendation.
Category Rush leads because there is nothing to explain: one list, a board of names, tap the ones that belong and dodge the bombs. Color Clues and Imposter follow for the same reason. A turn is a word or two.
The middle is where a night gets loud. Quip Battle puts two answers head to head and the room votes; Spectrum has a team arguing over where one clue sits on a dial; Survey Showdown is three sixty-second boards. Whodunnit and Bad Drawings ask for longer and repay it.
Pick by the night you’re having
Category Rush
It plays from one person up, so the first two through the door can start.
Nobody wants the rules explained
Imposter
Everyone sees the secret word except one of you. Say one word each, then vote.
The group is funny and knows it
Quip Battle
You write the jokes, and the room votes on each pair with no names attached.
Two of you, or you on your own
Whodunnit
Computer detectives fill the empty chairs, so one or two people can play a whole case.Ten to open a room with, in order
Category Rush1–12 players · 5–10 minThe opener. One list, a board of names, a few bombs among them. It seats one to twelve, so you can start before everyone has arrived.
Color Clues3–10 players · 10–15 minOne word for one colour out of 480, then two words. Anyone can follow it and nobody finds it easy. Needs three.
Imposter3–12 players · 5–10 minSixteen words, one of them secret, and one player who cannot see which. One word each, then a vote. Five to ten minutes.
Quip Battle3–12 players · up to 100 with Teams · 10–15 minTwo answers to the same prompt and the room votes on every head-to-head. The funniest game here when the table writes well.
Spectrum1–12 players · up to 100 with Teams · 10–15 minOne clue, a hidden target on a dial, and a team arguing about where it sits. With two or three players it turns co-op.
Survey Showdown2–12 players · 5 minSix hidden survey answers and a board each. Three boards at sixty seconds apiece, so a whole game is five minutes.
Whodunnit2–6 players · 10–20 minA sealed case file and one theory a turn. The quiet one: two to six players, and computer detectives can take the empty chairs.
Bad Drawings3–8 players · 10–20 minDraw a secret prompt, then everyone invents a title for it and the room votes. Fooling the room beats drawing well.
Scribble Race2–12 players · up to 100 with Teams · 10–20 minOne player draws and everyone else races to type the word while letters appear as hints. Two to twelve.
Quiz Night1–12 players · 3–19 minFour options, one clock, everyone answering at once. The one to end on: a short run is about three minutes.Beside the games you already know
| What you may know | On Table Party | |
|---|---|---|
| Write and vote | Jackbox Party Packs: the host buys a pack and everyone plays along on their phones. | Quip Battle: free, in a browser, and a shared screen is optional. |
| Draw and guess | skribbl.io: one player draws and the rest type their guesses. | Scribble Race is the same shape. Bad Drawings adds fake titles and a vote. |
| Survey game show | Family Feud: two families take turns at one board. | Survey Showdown: everyone fills their own board at once, in five minutes. |
| Murder mystery | Clue (Cluedo): a board, pawns and dice on the table. | Whodunnit: the same deduction with no board or dice, for two to six. |
| Guess the colour | Hues and Cues: a printed board of 480 colours. | Color Clues: the 480 squares on every phone, for three to ten. |
| What you get | The original, by the people who made it. | Our own versions, with our own prompts and questions, all behind one room code. |
Further reading
Playing in under a minute
- 1One person opens tableparty.io on a phone or a laptop and picks a game.
- 2Everyone else types the four-letter room code on their own phone.
- 3Play. Anything secret stays on your own screen, so it works across a table or a video call.
Questions about Best online party games to play with friends
Which one should we play first?
Category Rush. There is one rule, tap the names that belong on the list, and it seats from one to twelve. Imposter is the second pick, for a group that would rather talk than tap.
What do we need to start?
A phone or laptop each, with a browser. One person opens a game and shares the room code or link, and everyone else joins from their own device. There is an iPhone app too, if you would rather.
Which of these seat a big group?
Category Rush, Imposter, Quip Battle, Spectrum, Survey Showdown, Scribble Race and Quiz Night all seat twelve. Color Clues stops at ten, Bad Drawings at eight and Whodunnit at six.
How was this list chosen?
By us, from our own games, so it is a recommendation and not a ranking of the internet. The order is the one we would play them in: quick and obvious first, longer games once the table is warm.