60 New Year’s Eve Games To Zhoosh Up The Celebrations

Everyone, including youngsters, can participate in the search for festive words in this free, family-friendly printable game. Once the party’s over and the mellowing effects of that final glass of bubbly start to kick in, and things start to wind down, this pre-made activity will also be popular with grownups!

Realistically, a good poker game can go on for several hours, sometimes even throughout the entire course of your party. Even if the players' skills aren't particularly great, playing a poker match is a lot of fun and a terrific way to pass some time before midnight. However, to keep things lighthearted, don't gamble on money; do it for fun. You still want to stay on good terms with your friends after midnight, don't you?

In this conversation type of game, participants share the best things that have happened this year. Participants might ask questions such as "what's the greatest lesson you learnt this year," "who has made your year better," or finish-the-sentence-kind-of questions like "I wouldn't survive this year if it wasn't for..." etc. While this game may appear very honest and heartfelt, it really depends on how you play. Since open-ended questions leave an opportunity for interpretation, participants can add exactly the perfect amount of irony and humor to fit the occasion. For example, "I wouldn't survive this year if it wasn't for... Rodger Cleye on TikTok."

Hot chocolate with a dash of Amaretto or Irish coffee, anyone? This one is like any other pong toss, but with a warm beverage that fits the season and a marshmallow in place of a ball. Also, you can choose between two options: spice up the hot drinks for the adults or play the game dry. Whichever fits the party's mood! In either case, the reward is a delicious dessert that may be consumed while feeling warm and cozy.

Play a festive round of musical chairs while turning on your favorite Christmas tunes to get your metabolism running after eating a filling dinner. The best aspect is that the entire family can participate in this well-loved group game. Just make sure to give yourself enough space to move around without being constrained by moving the couches and tables out of the way. No one would like to enter a New Year with an injury!

All you need for this mini-game are a few handfuls of mints (hence the game’s name), some paper plates, and a pair of tweezers. This is how it goes: Using only the tweezers, participants attempt to move as many Tic Tacs or any other mints from one plate to another in only 60 seconds. The game is played one at a time (one Tic Tac at a time), and the person who moves the most mints wins. Child’s play!

This quick game with a festive twist will surely have everyone on the edge of their seats! Contestants must use just a straw and the power of suction to transfer candies to a paper plate by placing each candy in each of the clock's sections going around the clock, starting at 12 o'clock. The final result should be 12 candies, one piece of candy at each clock hour. This one offers a quick and easy challenge that is also fun. Just ensure that the candies you pick aren't small enough to be sucked up into the straw from any angle, as this could result in choking.

The classic college drinking game has been given a makeover that will amuse players of all ages while challenging hand-eye coordination. To play glow-in-the-dark pong toss, fill the cups with a non-alcoholic beverage to keep it kid-friendly or set up two stations (one with bubbly and the other with fruit punch) so players of all ages can participate in the game.

Why wait until the ball drops on television when you can do the same at your own New Year's Eve party? To get everyone up and moving before the clock strikes midnight, hang up a disco ball piñata! You can DIY one by looking up the tutorials online or purchase an already-made one at the store and fill it with candy, and voila!

This game is excellent as a meet-and-greet activity at the start of the party before guests have eaten or downed any bubbly. Hide a few items, preferably fitting the New Year’s theme, around the house or designated party area, then assign guests to teams to look for the hidden objects. Consider hiding items associated with the celebration, such as a themed napkin, balloon, party hat, greeting card, drink stirrer, or calendar.

A classic party game, charades are a safe bet, especially when it includes acting out the highs and lows of the year. Whether you are trying to act out global affairs or personal occurrences, pick the ones your pals would be familiar with. While playing this simple yet endlessly amusing classic, revelers will giggle, cry, and do both simultaneously.

Look back on recent events or research ridiculous or “good news” stories from the headlines of the previous year. Write those headlines on small scraps of paper, then fold and place them in a bowl. Inform your guests of the theme of news headlines. Then, get participants to act out the drawn headline using the charade rules until someone guesses it right!

Look up the various national “Happy New Year” greetings. Make a chart consisting of two columns with a list of countries on one side and randomly assorted answers on the other. Give each guest a printed chart. The game’s premise is that players must draw a line from each “Happy New Year” greeting to the country they guess it belongs to. Then, you announce the correct answers, and the person who got most of them right wins!

Put a big (but make sure it's clean!) trash can in the center of the room and ask your guests to form a circle around it. The goal is to pull one person into the trash can with the group's help. Okay, the explanation for the game might sound like it's the worst idea for a game ever but watch the tutorial. It's not as bad as it sounds!

If you want to add some fun to the traditional way of everyone voicing their New Year’s resolutions, try this phone/Pictionary game. In this party game, one player collects the resolutions, another player renders it as art, subjected to guessing by another, and then gives it back to its original “owner” as a ridiculous distortion of a resolution that is sure to make everyone laugh.

This countdown activity is sure to be a favorite among kids and adults alike! Some tools required to play this game are the college party staples — red solo cups, a pair of pantyhose, and a tennis ball. To play the game, place 12 cups in a circle to resemble a clock, each cup representing an hour of the day. A player will put pantyhose on their head with a tennis ball snuck inside one leg. In the time allotted, the selected player will need to knock the cup over each hour, starting with 11 and working backward around the clock. The last cup should be knocked over at 12 o'clock.

Play a jolly game of "Two resolutions and a lie" ("Two truths and a lie" but with a New Year's Eve twist to it) to see how well your pals actually know you. Each player has to name three New Year's resolutions, two of which will be their actual New Year's resolutions and one - a fake one. Then, the other guests try to figure out which is a lie.

Bingo is one of the more "chill" party games. However, when midnight approaches, time slows to a crawl, so this one is a helpful distraction to keep everyone's attention off the clock. While you can play a traditional Bingo game, plenty of printable NYE Bingo cards are also available that are easy and free to download. Everything left to do is print out game pieces, cut out boards, and have pieces to draw out of a bowl. Also, ensure you have some Bingo markers (candies will do just fine). And voila!

With the help of this game that sets you against your partner, try your hand at mind reading. Simply think of anything palpable related to New Year's Eve. This could be a balloon, a champagne flute, or sparklers. The next step is for your partner to try to figure it out by asking 20 questions, to which you can only give a "Yes" or "No" answer. A player wins if they accurately name the object before 20 questions are asked.

This one is similar to the classic “Truth or Dare” game but with some alcohol mixed in (literally). While you can always purchase a “Do or Drink,” whether online or a physical game, why not make your friends or family uncomfortable by giving them dares you are sure they won’t like? And if dares are not an option, we’ve also prepared a bunch of “Truth Or Drink” questions to get all honest and very, very tipsy. But be careful — you still want everyone to remember the clock hitting twelve!

Hide a certain amount of Hershey Kisses throughout the house or the designated party space before visitors arrive. As soon as your visitors come, tell them they have until midnight to collect as many kisses as possible. At midnight, give the person who has received the most kisses an exciting prize. A kiss, perhaps? With consent, of course.

This active game works perfectly for a party of eight or more people and if there are kids involved. The goal is to collect as many teeny plastic babies as possible, which the guests will gather by popping balloons! To prepare for the game, you will have to purchase mini plastic baby dolls (available on Amazon) or use printed cardstock babies and put them inside about 1/4 of the balloons. Let's say you have 40 balloons, meaning that around 10 of them should have "babies" inside. Then divide all the players into two groups. Players, taking turns one after another, should dash across the room, pick one balloon, and pop it by sitting on it. If there's a baby inside, they pick it up and run to the end of the queue, and the next player in the team takes over the baton. Once all the balloons are popped, the team with the most babies wins!

For this game, you will have to prepare questions for your guests to answer in front of everyone regarding the previous year. The aim is for the players to reflect on their past year and find their own answers. You might use the following questions as examples: “Name one moment you’d like to forget,” “Name one newsworthy event that has impacted you most,” or “Name one lesson you’ve learned this past year.” Lucky ones can share their sunny stories, while those star-crossed may share their not-so-pleasant experiences.

This game is meant to prompt your guests to think creatively rather than to be taken seriously. Ask the guests to write something visionary down on a scrap of paper to complete the following sentence: “In the coming year, I will...” At some point during the party (it doesn’t have to be straight after guests have finished their prepositions), read the results aloud for hearty laughter! The authors (only if they wish) can then disclose themselves.

In this game, players must find the letters to spell “Happy New Year” or “Auld Lang Syne” or any other New Year-themed preposition before time runs out. However, they must do so by looking for the letters in a big plastic bin or a bucket full of sand!

Set an alarm clock to ring in five minutes and then hide it within the specified area. Tell your guests to search for it before it rings. If your guests prefer more of a challenge or consist mainly of adults, you may hide the clock in a more difficult-to-find spot.

For this one, guests should lean back, and the host should place a cookie on each player's forehead. Once all the players are set, it's time to face the cookie. Players must transfer the cookie to their mouths only using their facial muscles. No hands are allowed! We can guarantee there will be a lot of laughter with this one.

Print out the free party hat templates on cardstock. Let the kids color and decorate them. Remember to include enjoyable extras like glitter and pompoms. You could even hold a party hat fashion show!

This one will literally be a blast for the little ones! Once each player has a balloon tied to their ankles, players go around and step on each other's balloons. The winner is the one who has the last balloon standing! You may want to fill those balloons with confetti for even more festive joy. But be ready to face the cleaning afterward!

Your guests will really have to rack their brains on this one. Ahead of the party, come up with many New Year-themed questions to prepare for the game. You are more than welcome to seek inspiration from our list featuring flirty "Would You Rather" questions!

“Who Made The Resolution” is the ideal game for those who have known each other forever but it will also work as an excellent icebreaker. Simply request that each guest write down one of their New Year’s resolutions on paper. It might be a resolution from a previous year or something they want to accomplish in the coming year. Each person should take one of the folded pieces of paper out of the jar and try to guess who made the resolution. The more mysterious and unpredictable the resolutions are, the better!

This classic game for road trips is also perfect for playing at parties. To play this NYE version of “Mad Libs,” each guest takes turns filling in the blanks to finish an odd and hilarious story. Also, you might want to put your drink down when it’s time to read the narrative aloud. You’ve been warned! Besides that, you may easily change this game to incorporate adult humor or keep it clean for family-friendly entertainment!

This countdown show will give every partygoer something to look forward to. To go from the beginning of the party to the stroke of midnight, the game requires preparation beforehand, specifically brainstorming a set number of game ideas. However, the preparation work is well worth it, and if you borrow the ideas from the rest of this list, your job is practically done. You are welcome. Oh, right, almost forgot. The premise of the game? Every hour, you pop a new balloon, revealing an idea for a fun activity!

Similar to the balloon-popping countdown game above, these countdown bags function similarly, except that activity ideas are waiting to be opened and read inside the bags. Pick up a new bag and snap it open every hour to keep partygoers entertained.

Make a matching game out of your and your friends' actual memories to honor the highs and lows of the previous year. And let's face it, Instagram is mainly for the highs of it. Unless it's your stories on "close friends." This is a fun and very personal party game that will surely appeal to the Instagrammers of the party. To prepare for the game, print two copies of selected Instagram photos, cut them in the same size and shape to create DIY IG memory cards, mix them all up, and lay the cards on a surface with a blank side facing the players.

While tossing a mirror ball around could be quite fun, we recommend playing this one with a balloon or a beach ball. We don't want to be collecting shards of glass throughout the night, right? Tell everyone at the party to form a circle. The person who is first to hold the ball should turn to face a participant on either side of them. The game's object is to pass the ball without using your hands around the circle. Once the first person successfully hands it off to their partner from either left or right, players continue passing the ball around the circle until it returns to the first player. If any player drops the ball, they are removed from the circle, and the game is resumed. The game continues until only two people remain, at which point they are both the winners!

To score points, see which team can answer the most questions related to the end of the year. For example, a team can be tasked to name a specific number of the year's top movies, the biggest celebrity scandals, or the celebrities who went on tours this year, etc. Just get creative!

This simple New Year's Eve party game is excellent for a big gathering of adults wishing to play something entertaining but still chill. No need to break a sweat with this one. To start the game, each player must add a few names to a bowl. It could be the names of famous people, fictional film or book characters, historical figures, or even guests at the party. Afterward, guests should split into teams and take turns trying to identify the names that teams drew from the bowl by providing hints to one another. You can keep the score of the points you receive for correct guesses or just have fun with it.

Loaded Questions is a funny New Year's Eve party game based on the well-known box game of the same name. Adult couples may find it especially intriguing! To start off, all the players must come up with some witty, loaded questions and put them in a bowl. If you decide to aim the questions at your special someone, the purpose of the question would be to learn what your partner really thinks and whether your opinions match. Or, if you want to make the game less couple-oriented, you can come up with more generic queries. However, if you decide to go with the first option, the inquiries could be: "What would you actually want your partner to wear for Halloween?", "Who made the first move?", "Who is a better kisser?" etc.

In this crafty game for kids, the youngsters will float their own tiny walnut boats to different islands to discover what the future holds for them. The best bit about this game is that kids can get involved in the game's preparation. Under supervision, the parents can let them decorate their boats with glitter, candles, or other knickknacks so that they can identify whose boat is whose. Then, each youngster can follow their boat around the islands, titled "fame," "riches," "love," or "success." The kid's New Year's prediction depends on which island the boat touches before the time runs out. If the game's premise sounds interesting, check out the full tutorial by Sara Mullett! 

For this one, think of and write down well-known couples from history (Bonnie & Clyde), pop culture (Tarzan & Jane), or the present (Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively). However, use separate sticky notes for each name. Then, place one sticky on each player's back. As players go about the party, they engage in yes-and-no conversations with each other to learn their identities and subsequently find their soulmates. For just this game, at least!

Note down the easily recognizable lyrics to the year’s top pop tunes, then cut them in half. You should have a bunch of different songs’ lyrics cut in half. Fold those notes in half, then put them inside a bowl. Let each player draw one. Players should then try to find the person who has the "missing half" of their song lyrics.

For this game, you will get to play your favorite tunes and hits of the year. Have people dance and randomly press the pause button. The game’s premise is that dancers must stop moving simultaneously as the music stops playing. The person with the slowest reaction gets eliminated. The last left standing on the dancefloor becomes the winner!

One is never too old to enjoy some sparklers during the holidays! Place a bucket full of sparklers on a balcony or terrace as a fun way to keep guests of all ages entertained. Sparklers are a much safer (and more dog-friendly) option than fireworks. Additionally, they make excellent photo props!

Hold a cluster of long, same-color ribbons so that the ends hang loosely. Tell each dancer to grab one ribbon end, then you should release them all at once. Dance partners will be the two people hanging on to the same ribbon. It’s a terrific game to get everyone involved and create the most unexpected dancing duos! Also, you may make it a rule that the couple should dance to at least one song together.

To play this game, you may want to start gathering empty soda cans before your party. Also, you will need a bag of party blowers. The goal of this game is to use a party blower only to overturn six drink cans without using your hands. The person who knocks over all the cans first wins!

An activity to ensure your guests have sung their hearts out before midnight and won't disturb your elderly neighbors during the early morning hours! To host a karaoke sing-off, look up the year's best songs, put their titles on slips of paper and ask your guests to pick one to perform.

Make a batch of transparent slime before the shindig. Divide equally among bowls, one for each kid joining the party (kids over the age of 20 also count). Once the guests arrive, let the children use food coloring, glitter, and confetti to create their own slime. Also, have plastic bags available for them to take it home!

The little guests of the party will undoubtedly be amazed by this fun scientific game! You'll need oil, water, food coloring, and clear glass jars for this one. First, fill the jars with water to about 3/4 full, then give it to each child. In each bowl, add a few tablespoons of oil. Then, after adding a few drops of different food coloring, children can gently stir the mixture with a fork. Each child can then pour this mixture into a glass jar to see the liquid fireworks ignite!

This fun dice game for the whole family is a lovely way to remember beautiful moments from the now-ending year. The game contains sweets, so the little ones will surely enjoy this one. A bag of candies, one dice, and the free printable that you can download from here is all you need to play. The game's premise is that you roll the dice and, depending on the outcome, you will have to take the appropriate amount of sweets and answer the question related to the previous year.

Get into the mood by listening to some festive bangers! Simply hum a part of a well-known New Year’s song (you are welcome to throw in some Christmas tunes), and let your family or friends guess the song within 20 seconds. Those who guess the tune, get the point and move to the next round. And you better include ABBA’s “Happy New Year” in this one!

Jeopardy is one game that really brings out everyone's inner foe and prizefighter! Clearing a category in this renowned trivia game shows intelligence and that you can perform brilliantly on the show — you just choose not to. Right? You can hold the competition at your own home during the New Year's Eve party with a free-to-download New Year's edition of the game!

Give each party guest a specific amount of bells as they arrive. Explain to your guests that the game's goal is to get rid of their bells by midnight. But there's a twist to it — without getting caught! The bells are hung on a clothesline you set up somewhere inside your house before the party. If someone witnesses another player trying to get rid of their bell, they must remove it from the clothesline. In addition, they must also take another bell currently hanging on the clothesline and add it to their collection as a punishment. By midnight, the person with the fewest (or zero) remaining bells wins!

To play this game, you will have to set up any upright object (a chair leg, broomstick, or kitchen roll holder) so players can have something to toss their tiaras around. Hand the first player three New Year-themed tiaras. The players play one after the other, so to make it fair, each must be given the exact same time to ring their tiaras. A player who rings all three tiaras the fastest or before the time is up wins.

Each player should be handed five balloons filled with confetti. The contestants must then pop each of the five balloons within the specified time while wearing thick winter gloves. You may want to divide your players into teams to encourage support for their teammates. But beware, things will get messy!

Create a list of 20 questions about recent events and popular culture ahead of the party. Here are some examples: "Who won the Grammy for best song?", "What movie won an Oscar for best picture?", "In which country did Eurovision take place this year?" and so on. Just make sure you know the answers!

While not exactly a game, a very fun activity for New Year’s Eve nonetheless. You may want to rent out a photo booth or set up a designated photo station for the big night. This is an excellent way to keep guests occupied; you better believe they will be! For an effective photo background, you may equip your red curtains or purchase tinsel foil fringe curtains which look great in flash pictures! Before the party, you may also want to purchase some photo booth props or DIY them.

For the purpose of this game, you may pop the champagne a little earlier than you are supposed to. In this festive game, players compete in teams to fill a champagne flute with bubbly as quickly as possible. But there's a twist to it — only using a teaspoon! Just don't use the expensive branded champagne for this one. The sparkling wine will do just fine, and you won't have to be so upset about the spillage! You may relay the bubbly straight from the bottle (more challenging) or any other container.

Pay attention since this one can be challenging. As the game is played, all the players sit in a circle. The first person to pick a celebrity will then have to be followed by the next person to name another famous person whose first name begins with the first letter of the prior celebrity’s last name. Surely, we could have worded this better but have an example: the first player names Alex Turner, the second one names Tim Burton, the third one names Beyoncé, etc. You may also use celebrities better known for their stage names rather than full names (like Pink, Beyoncé, or Madonna) to boost the stakes!

To play this silly yet hilarious game, place ping-pong balls inside a tissue box or any small box with a small opening (yet big enough for a ball to easily fit through), then tie the box around the player’s waist using a belt or rope. Make sure to turn the box’s opening outward. The player must then shake their bum to release every ping-pong ball before the time runs out. Believe us when we say you better have your camera ready for this one.