The best party games for a dinner celebration are short, seated and need almost no equipment: a few slips of paper, a pencil and a willing table. Choose games that suit your guests’ ages and moods, play them in the natural gaps between courses, and stop while people are still enjoying themselves. Many of the classics are old parlour games, designed for exactly this kind of evening. Here is how to pick, prepare and run them step by step.
Key takeaways
- Choose seated games that need little or no equipment.
- Play between courses, not while food is being served.
- Pick games that work for the quietest guest, not just the loudest.
- Keep each round short and stop before interest fades.
Step 1: know what makes a good table game
Parlour games were made for this. Wikipedia’s overview of parlour games describes them as indoor group games that were especially popular in Victorian Britain and America, and notes that they usually need little equipment, involve word-play, logic or a bit of acting, and have no fixed length. Those are exactly the qualities you want around a dinner table.
When choosing, check each game against four questions:
- Can everyone play it sitting down?
- Does it need anything more than paper and pencils?
- Can a round be finished in ten minutes or less?
- Will the shyest guest feel comfortable joining in?
Step 2: pick party games for a dinner that suit your guests
| Game | How it works | Best for | Kit needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twenty questions | One person thinks of something; the table asks up to twenty yes-or-no questions to guess it | All ages | None |
| Charades | Act out a title or phrase in silence while others guess | Lively groups | Slips of paper |
| Consequences | Each person adds a line to a story, folds the paper and passes it on | Mixed ages, gentle humour | Paper and pencils |
| I packed my bag | Each player repeats the list so far and adds one item | Families with children | None |
| Kim’s game | Show a tray of objects, cover it, and see who can list the most | Quiet observers | A tray and small items from the table |
| Wink murder | A secret “murderer” eliminates players with a wink; others try to spot them | Groups of eight or more | Folded slips |
For children waiting for food, our list of table games for kids while you wait has quieter options that suit restaurants.
Step 3: prepare before guests arrive
A little preparation keeps the games moving:
- Cut paper into slips and put pencils in a cup on the table.
- For charades, write a stack of titles or phrases suited to your group in advance.
- For Kim’s game, have a tray and a cloth ready.
- Decide the order of games, starting with the easiest.
If you are dining out, ask the restaurant whether games are fine, especially if you have a private or semi-private space. Games that involve acting or laughter are better suited to a room of your own.
Step 4: time the games around the meal
The meal sets the rhythm. A simple pattern:
- While drinks are served: a quick warm-up, such as twenty questions.
- Between starter and main: a word game such as consequences or I packed my bag.
- Between main and dessert: the liveliest game of the night, such as charades.
- Over coffee: something quiet, or simply conversation.
Avoid playing while plates are going down or being cleared. It makes life harder for the staff and pulls attention away from the food.
Step 5: run charades well
Charades is the most popular of the acted games, and it helps to agree the gestures before you start. Wikipedia’s article on charades traces the game from written riddles in eighteenth-century France to acted parlour games in nineteenth-century Britain, and lists the common signals:
- Hold up fingers at the start to show the number of words.
- Lay a number of fingers against the inside of your elbow to show how many syllables a word has.
- Tug your earlobe to mean “sounds like”.
- Make a “T” with your hands for the word “the”.
- Mime opening a book to show the answer is a book title.
Teams work well at a long table: split the table down the middle, or by ends.
Step 6: keep everyone included
The best host notices who is not playing. Offer roles that suit different personalities: scorekeeper, timekeeper or question-writer. Never pressure a guest to perform. And if a game falls flat, move on quickly and cheerfully.
Think about guests who may find some games harder. Someone with hearing loss may struggle with fast word games in a noisy room, so favour games with written answers or visual clues. Guests who are less confident in the language being used may prefer charades or Kim’s game, where words matter less. Small adjustments like these keep the whole table playing together.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best party games for a dinner with children and adults?
Games with simple rules and no reading, such as twenty questions or I packed my bag, work across ages. Pair younger children with an adult for team games.
How long should the games last?
Ten minutes a round is plenty. Two or three short games across the evening usually feel better than one long one.
Can I combine games with a theme night?
Yes. A murder mystery evening is essentially an extended game; our explainer on murder mystery dinners shows how the format fits around a meal.
Setting up your games night
Choose three games from the table above, cut your paper slips, and plan when each game will fit between courses. Keep them short and inclusive, and let the food and company do the rest. For more ideas, browse our Leisure & Games section.
