10 Party Board Games Guaranteed to Keep Everyone Off Their Phones

10. Crossfire

Designer: Emerson Matsuuchi
Publisher: Plaid Hat Games
Player Count: 5-10 players

When it comes to pure social deduction games, Secret Hitler has always been my top pick, but I have to be honest: I’ve never fully fallen in love with the genre.

I’m just not a big fan of the emotional manipulation that sometimes happens. You know, when you hit those stalemates where two people start shouting at each other while everyone else is awkwardly wondering if this is part of the game, or there’s something more to this argument.

Crossfire side steps these issues completely, which is why it feels tailor-made for me.

It takes that core social deduction hook but gives everyone just enough information to actually piece things together. You aren’t just flailing around in the dark here. You have something solid to work with, even if that info is incomplete or a little bit shuffled up.

Also, a round plays out in about three minutes. Making it incredibly easy to get to the table, and even if you absolutely hate being the villain, you can stomach it for 3 minutes. Then you can just reset and jump straight back in.

Plus, the final moment where everyone points finger guns at each other never gets old. It is slightly ridiculous, but because of that it always brings grin to everyone’s face. Which is exactly the kind of energy you want from a fast party game.

If you want to see the full breakdown of how these roles work (and why it’s my go-to for a quick social deduction fix) jump over to my in-depth Crossfire review.

9. Dixit

Designer: Jean-Louis Roubira
Publisher: Libellud
Player Count: 3-6 players

Dixit has well and truly earned its place as a modern classic. It has been around for years and still hits the table thanks to its beautiful and surreal artwork and the kind of gameplay that creates instant, memorable moments.

Each round, one player becomes the storyteller. They choose a card from their hand and give a clue using words, sounds, or even a bit of interpretive dance if your group leans that way. Everyone else then picks a card from their own hand that they think could pass as the storyteller’s card. All the cards are shuffled together, laid out, and the group votes on which one they think is the original.

The catch is that if everyone guesses correctly, the storyteller scores nothing. So their goal is to land somewhere in that sweet spot where your clue is clever, but not too obvious.

That balance brings out the creativity of the table. While the clues themselves are great, it is the way people interpret them that will have the whole table howling. You will get answers that make perfect sense in one person’s head but look like total nonsense to everyone else, and that is usually where the biggest laughs come from.

With so many versions on the shelves, check out my Dixit buyer’s guide and review to make sure you’re starting with the right box for your group.

8. Wavelength

Designers: Alex Hague, Justin Vickers, Wolfgang Warsch
Publisher: CMYK
Player Count: 2-12 players

Spin. That. Wheel.

Wavelength looks like a game show straight out of the 90s, but there is a surprisingly clever party game hiding behind its large, colourful dial. It is a team-based challenge built entirely around scales and the kind of subjective judgement calls that reveal exactly how weirdly your mates’ brains actually work.

Each round, a clue giver spins a hidden wheel to set a target scoring zone somewhere along a spectrum. They might draw a card with two extremes like “Quiet to Loud” or “Useless to Useful”. Using just a single clue, they have to guide their team to that secret spot on the dial.

That is when things start to fall apart… And it is glorious.

Conversations spiral quickly once people realise they do not agree on where those extremes even sit. If the scale is “Hot vs Cold” and the target is leaning toward the middle, do you say “Coffee” or “A Brisbane Summer”? Suddenly, everyone has an opinion, and none of them line up. You will find yourself questioning long-term friendships over whether a “Pizza Pocket fresh out of the microwave” is hotter than the sun, while the other team happily stirs the pot from the sidelines.

It is not about being objectively correct; it is about how your team interprets your specific brand of logic. And If you’ve got a talkative group, this is one of the best party games you can put on the table.

There is actually a fair bit of strategy in these “vibes” based games; I break down how to give the perfect clue in my Wavelength review.

7. Codenames

Designer: Vlaada Chvátil
Publisher: Czech Games Edition (CGE)
Player Count: 2-8 players

Codenames is one of the few games on this list that barely needs an introduction. When it released in 2015 it absolutely took over the hobby. At conventions you would see table after table covered in those familiar grids of word cards.

The reason is pretty simple. This is a party game that also scratches the gamer itch.

Yes, you still get those big party game moments where someone throws out a weird or ambitious clue and everyone starts debating what it could possibly mean. But Codenames also asks a bit more from players, both when giving clues and when trying to interpret them.

Each round the clue giver provides a single word that connects to multiple cards on the table, along with a number that tells the team how many cards are connected to the word.

Big clues are what I enjoy the most, as they feel especially great if your team gets all the words. However, it’s also where things fall apart. It is very easy to overthink them or convince yourself a word fits when it really doesn’t. One bad guess can hand over points or end the game immediately.

Codenames may have lost a bit of its novelty over the years, but it is still one of the best party board games for mixed groups of gamers and non gamers. It scales well, it is easy to explain, and it always gets people leaning over the table arguing about words.

Even a decade later, this is still a heavyweight in the genre. You can see how it holds up against the newer competition in my Codenames review.

6. Deception: Murder in Hong Kong

Designer: Tobey Ho
Publisher: Grey Fox Games
Player Count: 4-12 players

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong starts with a simple premise. Someone has been murdered, and the killer is sitting right there at your table.

One player secretly takes on the role of the murderer, another becomes the Forensic Scientist, and everyone else steps in as a team of detectives trying to figure out what happened. After a quick “eyes closed” phase, the Forensic Scientist learns exactly who the killer is, along with the specific weapon and key evidence used.

The catch is that they cannot say a word. All they can do is place markers on scene tiles that give vague clues, such as the time of death or the relationship between the victim and the killer.

From there, the table dives into a proper social deduction meltdown. Players start piecing together theories, throwing out accusations, and trying to connect the dots. There are a couple of structured rounds where everyone gets a chance to argue their case, including the murderer who is doing their absolute best to blend in.

For me, what elevates Deception: Murder in Hong Kong is the badge system. At any point, players can hand in their badge to make a formal accusation, naming both the killer, the weapon and their evidence. You only get one shot, though. Get it wrong and you are effectively out of the investigation for the rest of the game.

It plays on that ‘take my badge’ genre trope and adds massive tension without dragging things out. Even if lying to your friends is not usually your thing, this leans much more on logic than pure bluffing, which makes it far easier to get to the table.

If you want the full investigation into why the ‘Forensic Scientist’ role is the best seat at the table, head over to my Deception: Murder in Hong Kong review.

5. Detective Club

Designer: Oleksandr Nevskiy
Publisher: Blue Orange
Player Count: 4-8 players

If you take the best parts of Dixit and Deception: Murder in Hong Kong, you end up with Detective Club. A party game all about figuring out who is telling the truth, and who is just completely bluffing their way through the game.

One player acts as the clue giver, sharing a clue via notebook (or mobile app) with everyone at the table except for one unlucky player. From there, everyone plays cards from their hand that match the clue.

The cards have that same surreal, open-to-interpretation style of artwork, so sometimes you will have the perfect card, and other times you pulling out the thinnest of connections.

Once the cards are down, each player has a chance explain their choices. Unless, of course, they are the imposter, in which case they are scrambling to come up with something that sounds even remotely convincing.

That reveal and discussion phase is where this party game really comes alive. People start poking holes in each other’s logic, calling out weak explanations, and somehow justifying the most ridiculous card choices.

Because most of the links to the clue are already a bit questionable, the imposter rarely stands out as much as they should. It makes for some genuinely hilarious moments, and it is a game I will happily bring out any time.

Curious about why this surreal imposter game consistently beats out the big names at my table? I’ve got the full breakdown in my Detective Club review.

4. Ready Set Bet

Designer: John D. Clair
Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG)
Player Count: 4-9 players

If you are looking for a loud, energetic board game that absolutely anyone can play, then look no further than Ready Set Bet. It is the closest you will get to the atmosphere of the horse races without actually losing a dime.

The setup is simple. One player acts as the race announcer, rolling dice and moving horses up the track while shouting out the commentary as fast as they can. Everyone else at the table is hovering over the board, clutching their betting chips until they are ready to make a move.

The beauty of this one is that it plays out in real-time. You can place a bet at any point until the horses hit the home stretch and the “no more bets” call is made. However, the earlier you commit, the better the potential payout. This turns every race into a high-speed psychological battle of chicken to see who will cave and place their bets first.

Of course, because we are dealing with dice instead of well-trained horses, anything can happen between the gates and the finish line. This keeps the entire table on their feet, cheering for their favourite horse to pull ahead. It is pure, frantic fun that works just as well with “non-gamers” as it does with your hardcore Saturday night group.

If you want to see more info on how this party game captures the vibe of the race track, you can read all about it in my Ready Set Bet review.

3. Word Slam

Designer: Inka Brand, Markus Brand
Publisher: KOSMOS
Player Count: 3-99 players (But good luck finding that many people!)

Like a few other games on this list, it is played in two teams with one clue giver on each side. Both clue givers are given the same word, and it becomes a race to see which team can guess it first.

However, as the clue giver, you cannot say a single word. Instead, you need to rifle through decks of physical word cards, trying to pick out the right terms to point your team in the right direction.

That is where the game gets clever. You might try to describe the answer directly, start broad and narrow it down, or just throw out whatever words you can find and hope your team connects the dots. How you break down the word in a way to get people to guess is a fascinating problem to solve.

But it is a problem you never get to savour, as both teams are constantly yelling out guesses. It creates this great mix of pressure and energy because you can hear the other team getting closer and closer to the answer.

It is messy, loud, and a total logistical puzzle. You can see the full breakdown of how it all comes together in my Word Slam review.

2. Monikers

Designers: Alex Hague, Justin Vickers
Publisher: CMYK
Player Count: 4-16 players

Many a game night at our place has completely broken down into hysterics thanks to Monikers. On paper, this is a game I really shouldn’t like. If you tell me I am going to have to mime out cards in front of a room full of people, I am usually going to tell you I’ll see you later.

However, what Monikers does so smartly is ease you into the acting. It starts with an initial round of Taboo-style gameplay where you can say almost anything. That is followed by a second round of one-word clues, before finally forcing everyone to give their best Oscar-winning silent performance in the third.

Because you use the same set of cards for every round, those clues stay fresh in your memory. By the time you hit the final act, a single word or a weird face is often enough to trigger a correct guess.

As such, you end up creating your own “inside language” by the end of the game. You will reach a point where someone covering their head with both hands somehow clearly means “Hillary Clinton” to everyone else. When that connection clicks, it is easily one of the funniest party games out there.

With a brand-new look hitting shelves, there has never been a better time to jump in, but if you still need convincing, you can read my full Monikers review.

1. Telestrations

Designer: Uncredited
Publisher: The Op Games
Player Count: 4-8 players

No matter how you slice it, when it comes to party board games, Telestrations is the GOAT.

It is a simple premise: get a word, draw it, and pass it on to the next player. They then try to guess what you’ve drawn by writing it down, and the next person has to draw their guess, and so on. If that sounds familiar, you have likely played the classic game of Telephone before. Only, in Telestrations, you get some fancy dry-erase notebooks, dice, markers, and a load of interesting prompts to keep things moving.

It has never, not once, failed to completely break our friend group with laughter. From the outrageous guesses people come up with to the incredibly rushed, “what on earth is that?” drawings, the group just crumbles in hysterics every single time.

That is because no other game gets you from “doughnut” to “hairy butthole” quite so quickly.

So, if you are looking for the next great party game to introduce to your group, this is the one. It is pure, unadulterated chaos that works with literally anyone who can hold a marker.

If you’re still not sold on why this is the undisputed king of game nights, head over to my in-depth Telestrations review for a look at why it keep the laughs coming.