Which party game should we play?
Everyone is here, the snacks are out and nobody wants to be the one who decides. Answer three questions and get one or two games that suit your group, with the reason for each. Every answer is also written out below, so you can read the whole thing at a glance.
Three questions, one answer
Tap one answer to each question. The pick updates as soon as all three are in, and you can change any answer to see what moves.
Answer all three and your game appears here.
The short answer
If you only have ten minutes, pick by mood. To get to know each other: Never Have I Ever, or Would You Rather once there are five or more of you. For chaos and laughs: What Are The Odds, or Most Likely To from nine. For deduction and bluffing: Imposter from three players, or What Are The Odds with two. For confessions: Never Have I Ever. With an hour or all night you get two games in the order to play them, and the opener can change: the tables below have every answer.
None of it needs equipment. One phone gets passed round the room, and every game here is in the Antics app, with most of them free to play in your browser on this site.
How the picker decides
The picks follow five rules, all taken from how the games actually play.
- Headcount comes first. Never Have I Ever, Truth or Dare and What Are The Odds all work with two, so the picker keeps two of you to those. The other games are listed for three or more: Would You Rather, Antics mode and The Four Kings can be adapted for two, but Most Likely To with two is just pointing at each other. Imposter needs three, and the app deals it for up to twelve.
- Small groups want cards that land on everyone. With three or four, games where every card asks something of each person get sharper, and pointing games need four or five before they find their feet. More on that in party games for small groups.
- Strangers get the gentle openers. Never Have I Ever has the lowest barrier to entry of any party game and works with strangers, and Would You Rather lets everyone answer at once, so nobody is put on the spot. Most Likely To is saved for groups with history, so it never comes up for getting to know each other.
- Ten minutes means one game. Something you can start in seconds and stop at any card. Never The Four Kings, which keeps going until the fourth King comes out.
- A long night is built, not picked. An hour gets two games back to back. All night gets two to build around, switching at the first lull. Spicy, the 18+ deck that comes with Premium, only ever comes in late, never as the opener.
Every game below links to its full rules, and the reasons in the tables are the same lines the picker shows.
Here is the whole picker written out. Find your group size, then your mood down the left and the time you have along the top. Games are listed in the order to play them. On a phone, swipe a table sideways to see all night.
If there are two of you
| You want | 10 minutes | An hour | All night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get to know each other | Never Have I Ever | Never Have I Ever, then Truth or Dare | Never Have I Ever, then Truth or Dare |
| Chaos and laughs | What Are The Odds | What Are The Odds, then Truth or Dare | What Are The Odds, then Truth or Dare |
| Deduction and bluffing | What Are The Odds | What Are The Odds, then Truth or Dare | What Are The Odds, then Truth or Dare |
| Confessions | Never Have I Ever | Truth or Dare, then Never Have I Ever | Truth or Dare, then Never Have I Ever |
Why these games for two
- Never Have I Ever: Works fine with two, as long as you do not mind there being only one person to judge you. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Truth or Dare: Swap turns card by card, so it is back to you before you have finished your last excuse. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- What Are The Odds: Built for two: every card is a duel, and if you both shout the same number, it has to happen. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
Deduction and bluffing: Imposter needs at least three players. With two, What Are The Odds is the nearest thing to a bluff: you are both trying to read the other person's number.
If there are three or four of you
| You want | 10 minutes | An hour | All night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get to know each other | Never Have I Ever | Would You Rather, then Never Have I Ever | Never Have I Ever, then Antics mode |
| Chaos and laughs | What Are The Odds | What Are The Odds, then Antics mode | Antics mode, then The Four Kings |
| Deduction and bluffing | Imposter | Imposter, then What Are The Odds | Imposter, then Antics mode |
| Confessions | Never Have I Ever | Never Have I Ever, then Truth or Dare | Truth or Dare, then Spicy |
Why these games for three or four
- Never Have I Ever: At three or four it is at its most honest, because nobody can hide behind a crowd of hands going up. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Truth or Dare: Better small: with three of you, your turn comes back every third card, and chickening out means a forfeit. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Would You Rather: Everyone votes at once, so nobody is put on the spot. With three the vote can never tie; with four, agree what a two-two split means first. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- What Are The Odds: The chaos engine: dare a mate, they name the odds, you both shout a number. Match, and it has to happen. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Imposter: Works from three and gets better from four. Keep the one-word hint on at this size. Free in the app.
- The Four Kings: Thirteen rules and one circle, and with three or four your draw comes round fast. Whoever draws the fourth King performs the whole routine. Free in the app.
- Antics mode: One phone deals dares, rules and callouts by name, so nobody has to host. With three, tap past the vote cards. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Spicy: The after dark deck: hotter questions and proper confessions, for late in the night once the group has earned it. 18+, comes with Premium.
Deduction and bluffing, 10 minutes: A few lightning rounds of Imposter fit: one circuit of clues, then straight to the vote.
Deduction and bluffing, an hour or all night: Imposter is good for about twenty minutes at a time. When the scheming runs dry, switch somewhere different rather than somewhere similar.
If there are five to eight of you
| You want | 10 minutes | An hour | All night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get to know each other | Would You Rather | Would You Rather, then Never Have I Ever | Never Have I Ever, then Antics mode |
| Chaos and laughs | What Are The Odds | Most Likely To, then What Are The Odds | Antics mode, then The Four Kings |
| Deduction and bluffing | Imposter | Imposter, then What Are The Odds | Imposter, then Antics mode |
| Confessions | Never Have I Ever | Never Have I Ever, then Truth or Dare | Truth or Dare, then Spicy |
Why these games for five to eight
- Never Have I Ever: Turns the first confessions into the shared history the rest of the night runs on, and it works with strangers. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Truth or Dare: Great once the group has warmed up. One hard veto each keeps the pressure theatrical rather than mean. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Most Likely To: At its best around this size: everyone points on three, and the defence speeches are the real content. Best with your actual mates. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Would You Rather: The best opener: everyone answers at once, so nobody is put on the spot while people are still arriving. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- What Are The Odds: The reliable peak: no other party game produces a "no way that just happened" moment as often. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Imposter: The sweet spot: Imposter is best from four to eight players, and from six the app can deal a second imposter. Free in the app.
- The Four Kings: One game with a proper finale: a rule for every card, and whoever draws the fourth King performs the whole routine. Free in the app.
- Antics mode: Let the phone run it: dares, rules that stay live for several cards, votes and callouts by name, so nobody has to host. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Spicy: The after dark deck: hotter questions and proper confessions, for late in the night once the group has earned it. 18+, comes with Premium.
Deduction and bluffing, 10 minutes: A few lightning rounds of Imposter fit: one circuit of clues, then straight to the vote.
Deduction and bluffing, an hour or all night: Imposter is good for about twenty minutes at a time. When the scheming runs dry, switch somewhere different rather than somewhere similar.
If there are nine or more of you
| You want | 10 minutes | An hour | All night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get to know each other | Would You Rather | Would You Rather, then Never Have I Ever | Never Have I Ever, then Antics mode |
| Chaos and laughs | Most Likely To | Most Likely To, then Would You Rather | Antics mode, then Most Likely To |
| Deduction and bluffing | Imposter | Imposter, then Most Likely To | Imposter, then Antics mode |
| Confessions | Never Have I Ever | Never Have I Ever, then Truth or Dare | Truth or Dare, then Spicy |
Why these games for nine or more
- Never Have I Ever: Works at any size: no setup, and it works with strangers. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Truth or Dare: Great once the group has warmed up. One hard veto each keeps the pressure theatrical rather than mean. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Most Likely To: Scales best for big groups because everyone points at once, and the defence speeches are the real content. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Would You Rather: Scales beautifully to a big group: everyone commits at once, then has to defend it. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Imposter: Antics deals up to 12 on one phone. Play with two imposters, and past ten, think about splitting into two circles. Free in the app.
- Antics mode: Let the phone run the whole night: a mixed feed of dares, rules, votes and callouts by name, so nobody has to host. Free cards in the app, full deck with Premium.
- Spicy: The after dark deck: hotter questions and proper confessions, for late in the night once the group has earned it. 18+, comes with Premium.
Deduction and bluffing, 10 minutes: A few lightning rounds of Imposter fit: one circuit of clues, then straight to the vote.
Deduction and bluffing, an hour or all night: Imposter is good for about twenty minutes at a time. When the scheming runs dry, switch somewhere different rather than somewhere similar.
More than twelve of you? Run two circles: past twelve, one circle turns into side conversations.
Which party game: questions
What party game should we play?
It depends on how many of you there are and what kind of night you want. With two, What Are The Odds, Truth or Dare and Never Have I Ever all work. With three or four, Never Have I Ever and Would You Rather land on everyone. With five to eight, Imposter and Most Likely To are at their best. With nine or more, Would You Rather and Most Likely To scale best because everyone votes at once.
What is the best party game for two people?
What Are The Odds, because every card is a duel between two people anyway: one asks, the other sets the odds, then you both shout a number. Truth or Dare and Never Have I Ever work with two as well. Imposter needs at least three players.
What is the best party game for three people?
Would You Rather is a natural fit, because a vote between three people always has a minority unless everyone agrees. Never Have I Ever, Truth or Dare and What Are The Odds all play well with three, and Imposter works from three if you keep the hint on.
What party game works for a big group?
Would You Rather and Most Likely To scale best for big groups because everyone votes at once. Imposter works too: the Antics app deals it for up to twelve players on one phone, with a second imposter from six, and past ten it is worth splitting into two circles. More than twelve of you? Run two circles for every game.
What party game is good for people who don't know each other?
Never Have I Ever has the lowest barrier to entry of any party game and works with strangers, and Would You Rather lets everyone answer at once so nobody is put on the spot. Save Most Likely To for your actual mates.
Do we need anything to play?
No. Every game here runs on one phone passed round the room. Most of them play free in your browser on this site, and all nine are in the Antics app, which is free to download on iPhone and Android, with no ads and no sign-up.
Every pick on this page, on one phone
Nine games and thousands of cards in the Antics app. Penalties are forfeits, so whoever is not drinking plays the same game as everyone else. No ads and nothing to sign up for.
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