23 Best New Year’s Eve Games That Guarantee a Memorable Evening

For the clever wordsmiths who love a good Choose Your Own Adventure-type game, this New Year’s Eve Mad Libs is a must-have. The reader will ask each writer (/party guest) to call out a word to fill in the blank, and when completed, you'll end up having written a funny, ridiculous, or even shocking story. Enjoy the nearly 48 pages of cheeky stories to create and laugh along to before the ball drops. 

Distribute all of these cards at once or hand them out throughout the night. Each party guest scratches off the backside of the card to reveal their dare. Some dares are silly (photo bomb three pictures) and some are more sentimental (tell everyone who you kisses LAST NYE) and some can go either way (give a New Year's toast)!

This tower game is a classic party activity that you can play with as few as two people, and even if you get distracted with host/hostess duties for a moment, you can hop right back in. We love this adults-only version to help really get your New Year's Eve party started. 

Have some little ones on the guest list? Opt for the original Jenga for a more kid-friendly game night.

Another great word-themed, mind-twisting game is Off Topic that gives each player a topic and a letter to come up with a list of words. This can easily be played with the board or simply with the cards so long as each player comes up with the longest list of words they can. Perfect for the amateur linguists out there! 

What better way to ring in the New Year than with a piñata? We can all agree that 2021 was a doozy (sniff), so take it all out on this party decoration. Perhaps this isn’t technically a New Year’s Eve game, but everyone will definitely have fun with it.

Who doesn't love a good game of beer pong? On New Year's Eve, though, you've got the perfect opportunity to make a treasured classic drinking game just a little fancier. With this set of twelve gold foil champagne glasses and eight gold ping pong balls, you'll be proud to set your table up for champagne pong. 

These 2022 scratch-off cards are a perfect New Year’s Eve (and Chinese New Year) activity that will get everyone excited for what’s to come. This set includes 24 festive cards designed around the 2022 Chinese zodiac sign, the tiger, which is the sign said to govern the year starting on the first day of the lunar calendar, aka Chinese or Lunar New Year, which for 2022 is on Feb. 1.

Scratch off the sticker to reveal a sweet message of good wishes around health, fortune, love, success, and more.

The things you’ll say when you’re under pressure while playing this game will make your New Year’s Eve unforgettably hilarious. With just 5 seconds on the timer, players will try to name things like three dog breeds or three types of finger foods. Great for smaller groups.

Who doesn’t love an interactive game of charades? This fast-paced New Year’s Eve game will give you and your friends and family a little boost of adrenaline before ringing in the new year. Although this game is probably better suited for in-person parties, you can definitely get a little creative and make it work for a virtual NYE if needed.

If you're looking for an ice-breaker that pairs well with adult beverages, this New Year’s Eve card game is ideal. Some of these cards will encourage a bit of storytelling and follow-up questions, so be prepared. For instance, if someone reveals they have a tattoo that you’ve never seen, you might want to request a few more details!

This seemingly simple game from the makers of What Do You Meme? will be sure to get your party guests chatting and cracking up. One player flips the timer and reads the gibberish printed on a card aloud. The rest of the players try to decode the phrase, and whoever gets it correct wins that card. You keep playing until time runs out and the player with the most cards becomes the new judge.

For a fast-paced New Year's Eve game that's entertaining and a bit cheeky, Quick and Dirty checks all the boxes. You can play this game with larger groups for more laughs, but we suggest sticking to adults-only. 

Flip a black topic card and a white letter card and the first player to shout out an answer that starts with the letter and fits the topic wins that round. Who knows what will come out of your mouth!

Get your party guests mingling with these cute New Year’s Eve game cards. “Find the Guest” encourages guests to chat with other people to find out things like who is left-handed and who has a January birthday. The “2022 New Year Predictions” card is a great conversation starter and will get all your guests chatting.

When was the last time you set up a limbo bar? This limbo set is an energetic party game for adults and kids of all ages. Crank up your New Year's Eve playlist and start the fun! 

Plus, the little ones will probably be exhausted after a few rounds of dancing and limbo-ing, so the adults can enjoy themselves way past midnight.

Opt for straightforward gameplay with this hilarious New Year’s Eve party game. With 440 cards, you'll have endless options to watch your friends and family spew out their thoughts. Each player must choose a card and immediately say the first three answers that come to their mind. You can even play in teams for added fun!

Hand out these scratch-off cards to each of your New Year's Eve party guests and watch the fun unfold before you ring in 2022. The dares that will be revealed range from making a NYE toast to starting a socially-distanced dance train.

We love Catch Phrase because it requires no setup and no cleanup. Simply create your teams, then one person describes the word or phrase that appears on the screen and another starts guessing. Pass the device as fast as you can — the person caught holding it when the buzzer goes off does not earn a point!

This printable Bingo set is a super chic New Year’s Eve game that's also super affordable. With a set of 30 all-unique Bingo cards, each player in your quaranteam gets their own to play on. Choose your own icon and be the first to get 'em all!

We love this printable Scattegories game for either an in-person game night or a virtual celebration! You’ll want to have a timer handy for each round, making this New Year’s Eve game ideal for a Zoom party.

You can choose from a number of engravings for this wheel, or opt for a blank wood-and-acrylic finish which allows you to use the wheel like a dry-erase board. This allows you to customize your tasks or questions depending on your guests and change them up whenever you'd like. This is a great New Year’s Eve game, but can also be used for future festivities like wedding receptions or showers!

For the ultimate virtual New Year’s Eve, download this JeoParody! PowerPoint game and prepare for a competitive evening of trivia. This game comes with six categories, customizable questions, and an automatic scoreboard that works on both Mac and PC systems.

This is a family-friendly New Year’s Eve game that the whole crew will love. Try to figure out all of the festive New Year’s Eve phrases that are written in emojis. We suggest having a couple of prizes ready for the winners to get everyone really invested.

You can download and print this New Year’s Eve Party Feud game or send it digitally and play virtually. From questions like, “name a popular resolution” to “name something you bring to a party,” this NYE-themed game is playful and light-hearted. 

With 15 question cards and three different quick-fire rounds, you’ll have plenty of entertainment before the clock strikes 12!