Party games for big groups: what to play with 6, 8 or 10

With six, eight or ten people at the table, most games collapse: your turn comes round every ten minutes, the rules are too long, and half the group is chatting about something else. Party games are made for this. You just have to pick the right ones.

What makes a good big-group game

• Rules in two minutes. A big group always includes someone who never plays games: they have to follow along effortlessly.
• Simultaneous or team play. If everyone waits for their turn, downtime grows with every player. The best games get everyone playing at once.
• Laughs rather than maths. The aim is a good time together, not silent calculation.
• Short games. Fifteen to thirty minutes, so you can play again or switch.

Our safe bets

Codenames

Vlaada Chvátil (2015), Spiel des Jahres 2016. Two teams, one spymaster each, giving a single clue to point teammates to several words. Tense, funny and easy to follow even for people who do not like games.

Just One

Spiel des Jahres 2019, and fully cooperative: one player guesses a word, the others each write a clue, and identical clues are removed. Learned in a minute, and everyone laughs at the duplicates.

Time's Up

Three rounds with the same cards: describe famous people freely, then with one word, then by miming. Memories from earlier rounds guarantee fits of laughter.

Skull

A minimalist bluffing game: flower cards, one skull card, and bets on how many flowers you can reveal without hitting a skull. A few minutes to teach, and surprising tension.

Wavelength

Two teams try to place a dial between two ideas (“hot” and “cold”, “overrated” and “underrated”) based on a clue. Perfect for sparking endless debates.

Werewolf

A village, werewolves hidden among the players, and votes to unmask them. The classic of big tables, easily handling more than ten players, with many versions available (the French Les Loups-Garous de Thiercelieux, from 2001, is one of the best known).

Match the evening to the group

• Mix of gamers and non-gamers: Just One or Codenames.
• A group that loves debating: Wavelength.
• A group that loves bluffing: Skull, Werewolf.
• End of the night, low energy: Time's Up, to finish on a laugh.

And if the group is really too big, two tables beat one endless game. For the rest of the planning, see our guide to hosting a game night.

Remembering the big nights

Team games have a result per team, not per player. In MeepleThèque you log the play in a few taps: game, players present, winners. Over time, you see which party games your group actually brings back.