How to Choose the Perfect Party Game (From Someone Who’s Run Live Tournaments)

Choosing a party game sounds simple… until you’re 20 minutes into game night and everyone’s bored. People start checking their phones, conversations drift, and the game quietly dies in the background.

From designing my own party game and running live tournaments with complete strangers, I’ve seen exactly what separates a great game from one that completely flops.

If you want a game night people actually remember, here’s how to choose the perfect party game for your group.

1. Avoid Games That Take Too Long to Explain

One of the biggest mistakes people make is choosing games with long or confusing rules.

At a party, no one wants to stand around listening to instructions for five minutes while everyone else waits. The longer it takes to explain, the faster people lose interest.

It’s even worse when some players already know the game and others don’t.

I’ve seen this happen a lot with card games. A few players understand the strategy, while others are still trying to figure out what’s going on. That creates an instant imbalance -  and the people who feel behind mentally check out.

The best party games are:

• quick to explain

• easy to understand

• and let everyone compete immediately

  
  

If people can’t start playing within a minute or two, it’s probably the wrong game. When designing the Smashed It party game, we focused on making every game quick to learn, with short, simple instructions and a QR code on every card linking to a quick video demo.

2. Think About Group Size (And Waiting Time)

A great party game isn’t just about what you play, it’s about how many people can play at once.

One of the biggest things I consider is waiting time between turns. If players are standing around waiting too long, the energy drops fast.

The best games:

• Let players compete simultaneously, or

• Keep turn gaps to just a few seconds

  
  

Relays can work really well because they build anticipation but only if the wait is short. If it drags on, it becomes boring instead of exciting.

Most challenge party games make people compete one at a time in timed rounds. That might work for a quiet family night, but in a party setting it kills the momentum.

Fast-paced games = high energy. Slow games = people lose interest.

3. Choose Games That Balance Skill, Luck, and Chaos

A common mistake is picking games that are too skill-based.

If a game relies heavily on skill, it can feel unfair. Some players will dominate, and others will feel like they never had a chance.

The best party games balance:

• Skill (so players feel in control)

• Luck (so anyone can win)

• Chaos (so anything can happen)

  
  

A simple example is something like cup flipping.

It’s easy for anyone to try, but winning depends on speed, consistency, and sometimes pure luck. That balance keeps everyone engaged even if they’re not the “best” player.

When everyone feels like they have a chance, they stay invested.

4. Make Sure the Game Includes Everyone

Party games should bring people together not leave half the group watching. Games where only a few people can play at once (like beer pong) limit how much fun the group can have.

The best games are:

• Team-based

• Multiplayer

• Inclusive of different abilities

  
  

They should allow people of different ages, confidence levels, and skill levels to all join in. From my experience, the more people involved, the louder, more competitive, and more fun the atmosphere becomes.

5. Match the Game to the Type of Event

Not all parties are the same and your game choice shouldn’t be either.

For house parties or pre-drinks:

• Keep it casual and flexible

• Play game-to-game with no strict structure

• Use quick, simple, table-based challenges

  
  

People should be able to jump in and out without committing to a full session.

For big events or family nights:

• Add structure

• Create teams

• Set a number of rounds or challenges

• Consider a tournament-style format

  
  

This gives the night a sense of progression and builds excitement as people compete.

6. Choose Games That Create Energy (Not Just Entertainment)

One of the biggest things I’ve learned is this:

Movement = energy.

Physical, fast-paced games create an atmosphere that you just don’t get from sitting around a table.

I saw this first-hand during one of our tournaments.

We took complete strangers, put them into new teams, and gave them a simple relay challenge. Each player had to carry a ping pong ball between their knees and drop it into a cup across the room.

Sounds simple - but the result was incredible.

Within minutes:

• people were cheering for teammates they’d just met

• high fives were flying

• everyone was laughing and shouting

  
  

The energy was unreal.

Later on, people told us they’d seen each other in public and started chatting like old friends. That’s what the right game can do - it doesn’t just entertain people, it connects them.

7. Make Sure It Works With or Without Drinking

A lot of party games rely heavily on drinking and that can be limiting. Some people don’t drink. Others don’t want to drink constantly.

The best games work as:

• a non-drinking base game

• with optional drinking elements added in

  
  

For example, you can simply make the losing team take a drink each round. This keeps the game inclusive while still allowing it to fit different types of parties.

The Golden Rule: Choose Variety Over Everything

If there’s one thing you should prioritise when choosing a party game, it’s this: Variety.

A single card game will get repetitive quickly. But a game with lots of different challenges keeps party games fresh and exciting all night.

Variety means:

• If someone doesn’t like one game, they’ll enjoy the next

• The energy never drops

• Players stay engaged for longer

  
  

And ultimately, that’s what makes a party game successful.

For more tips on keeping your game night fun from start to finish, read our guide on how to keep party games fresh and exciting and if you’re looking for a game designed to do exactly that, explore the Smashed It game box.