Many adult games often feature mature themes, so be sure to know your audience before playing. “A bit of silly humor can be great fun, but avoid going too risqué if you’re not confident all of your visitors will be in on it,” says Amanda Gummer, board game collector and toy expert at The Genius of Play. We researched and tested top-rated brands, classic best-sellers, and new, trendier games, based on the playtime, set up, and intended audience of each. Our testing revealed the Quickwits Party Card Game as our top pick. The fast-paced card game is great for big groups, excitingly challenging, and highly entertaining. For a competitive crew, Quickwits is going to be your go-to game for your next game night. This fast-paced card game is suitable for large groups but works for groups as small as three players. It’s strongly suggested that players be teenagers and older, as the topics can quickly get raunchy. The objective of the game is to name items within certain categories. Each card has one of six different symbols and when two players have the same symbol on the card on the top of their pile, they both race to give as many examples of their opponent’s category as they can without repeating a phrase. The fastest player takes his opponent’s card and places it face down in his score pile. After testing, this game proved great for big groups during house parties because it’s fine to leave off when players want to pause for a chat or a refill. Each round is only about 20 to 30 minutes long, so you can play again and again without getting bored. It has a high replay value and will prove a different game with every group you play with. “QuickWits truly delivers on its promise to make you think faster and yell louder than your friends. Our group of seven loved this game and it was far and away our game night favorite,” they shared. However, we took some points off for setup since instructions were tricky to understand, plus the fact that it could be difficult to follow in the hustle. Luckily, there are helpful video instructions available for anyone who needs a refresher. Price at time of publish: $15 Play time: 20-30 minutes | Age Range: 17 years and up | Number of Players: 3 or more The premise of the game is for the spymasters to try and get their teammates to guess the cards that correspond to their spies’ codenames using just one-word clues. Guess right, and your team gets a point—or more if you can find a word that encompasses more than just one spy’s codename. In road testing the game, it took even the youngest players about two minutes to understand and set up themselves, earning Codenames a perfect score for setup. Some players weren’t exactly hyped at the educational aspect, and some of the one-word clues are tricky to play out, so this left some players feeling defeated from time to time. But overall, this is a fun game for anyone who loves a good word challenge. Price at time of publish: $16 Play time: 15 minutes | Age Range: 10 years and up | Number of Players: 2 or more This game comes in six different versions, all in various stages of appropriateness. So depending on who is attending your get-together, you can choose the right one. Both the kid-friendly (ages 7 and up) and adult-friendly (ages 17 and up) versions can accommodate the same number of players Our testers gave the game high scores on design, thanks to the cards’ hilarious graphics and sturdy and glossy finish. Because it’s not really action-packed and there’s quite a bit of downtime as you wait for each player to make his or her choices, the actual play duration can make the game feel long. Price at time of publish: $12 Play time: 15 minutes | Age Range: 7 years and up | Number of Players: 2-5 Price at time of publish: $29 Play time: Not listed | Age Range: 17 years and up | Number of Players: 4-20 To play, each player receives seven red apple cards face down to start. In each round, the judge picks a green apple card with descriptive adjectives and reads it aloud to the group. To win, players must win a certain amount of rounds designated by however many people are playing. This game of comparison is very similar to games like Cards Against Humanity and What Do You Meme?. However, unlike those games, Apples to Apples relies on more wholesome humor, making it a good pick for coworkers, new friends, or parties with family in attendance. Price at time of publish: $25 Play time: 30-75 minutes | Age Range: 12 years and up | Number of Players: 4-10 This game is a better bet for large groups because it still covers funny, pop-culture references, as well as raunchy, sexual, and explicit phrases that make a game like Cards Against Humanity so fun, without some of the more offensive jokes. “If you’re not comfortable sharing an extremely dirty, insensitive joke with any of those people, you should refrain from playing,” says our tester. It scored well overall, but our testers noted that as time went on, the plays became more predictable. Price at time of publish: $30 Play time: Not listed | Age Range: 17 years and up | Number of Players: 3-20 To play, a question card is drawn, for example, “Who would you ask for help if you needed to leave the country?” or as awkward as, “Who snoops through their significant other’s phone on a regular basis?” Players then vote anonymously for the person they think best fits the question. Results are then tallied, and points are earned by guessing who voted for you. In testing, we found that this game is best suited for a close group of friends or family members around the same age. “The Voting Game offers a fun platform to reminisce and poke fun at one another so I’d highly recommend it for a reunion of old friends,” they said. They noticed, however, that after a couple of rounds, the game became more and more predictable. Price at time of publish: $24 Play time: 30-90 minutes | Age Range: 15 years and up | Number of Players: 4-10 There are 400 phrase cards and 58 setup cards, so there are endless combinations for hilarious fun. You’ll need at least four people to play this game, but the more players the better. All senses of humor are welcome and even the toughest friends are bound to break with this game. Every round, each player discards one card that just doesn’t hit the mark for them to ensure every round is funnier than the last. There’s also an expansion pack available for more players, more games, and more laughs. Price at time of publish: $17 Play time: 30-60 minutes | Age Range: 17 years and up | Number of Players: 4+ The thought-provoking questions spark hours of debate, conversation, and fun for any group of people from families to friends to complete strangers. Every group of friends will play the game differently, so the replay value is extremely high. It’s also a great pick to take on road trips or other travels to pass the time in a fun and meaningful way. There’s also an original pack for ages 12 and up, and a junior version for younger kids. Price at time of publish: $25 Play time: Not Listed | Age Range: 17 years and up | Number of Players: No Limit The first, funniest, or best answers win the round and the card. The player with the most cards at the end of the game win, but no one will be paying attention to the score with all the fun being had. Definitely play this pick with a group you don’t mind embarrassing yourself in front of. Price at time of publish: $18 Play time: Not Listed | Age Range: 17 years and up | Number of Players: 3+ If you’re ever in doubt, Amanda Gummer, board game collector and toy expert at The Genius of Play suggests opting for luck and chance-based games, as they’re fast-paced and work for larger groups with a variety of interests. “Most people enjoy even the simplest of games, so you don’t risk some players losing interest,” she says.
Setup
The initial first minute of the game matters, because this is the time that players get a sense of whether a game is engaging and most importantly, easy to follow. “Classic favorites like charades are great choices because most people roughly know the rules, so it’s simple to get playing,” says Gummer. She adds that newer and trendier options are game too, but stick to those with simple rules and instructions so you don’t lose actual playtime.
Play Time
Longer games are an excellent option for older kids and adults if you have the time. On the other hand, Gummer says that shorter games that last around 15 minutes are likely to work best for house parties because you can play multiple rounds or easily switch to another game on hand.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Shanon Maglente has been editing and writing for The Spruce since September 2021, covering toys, holiday content, and gift guides. Even before The Spruce, she has worked on hundreds of best-of product roundups across multiple categories, including kids’ products and gear, beauty, home appliances, decor, and more. Shanon’s also a huge fan of board and card games herself and plays them regularly with her sisters and friends. She also consulted toy expert Amanda Gummer of The Genius of Play, and who comes from a family who invented their own board game for their get-togethers. Additional reporting and research was done by Stacy Fisher, a writer with nearly two decades of experience covering crafting, freebies, and other fun pastimes.
