Looking for some fun group games for adults to liven up your next big gathering? You’re in the right place! I’m sharing four of my absolute favorite games that are guaranteed to bring the fun. Every summer, my family hosts a Sister’s Retreat where my mom, sisters, sister-in-laws, and grown-up nieces come together for a weekend filled with great food and quality time. And, of course, we dive into some awesome group games. These games are all squeaky clean, super easy to jump into, and perfect for all ages—from your Gen Z niece to your Grandma.
Left Center Right
This game can be played with as few as three players, but it’s one of the best and most fun group games for adults, especially when you play with money. It adds an extra layer of excitement and entices grown-ups to get competitive.
You can purchase the marked Left Center Right dice, or play with regular dice. While it’s a bit easier with the actual Left Center Right dice, I’ll explain how to play with either option.
How to Play
Everyone starts with three $1 bills. For those who like higher stakes, you could make it three $5 bills, or whatever you prefer, as long as everyone agrees. A $3 buy-in is affordable for everyone, while still creating a nice pot for the winner.
Round One
The first player rolls three dice. The dice determine what the player does with their three $1 bills. If you’re using Left Center Right dice, the sides are marked with L, C, R, or a Dot. If you’re using regular dice, substitute numbers for those markings:
- Rolling L (or a 4) – pass $1 to the player on your Left.
- Rolling C (or a 5) – place $1 in the Center pot.
- Rolling R (or a 6) – pass $1 to the player on your Right.
- Rolling a Dot (or a 1, 2, 3) – keep your money.
Example: If the player rolls a C (6), a Dot (3), and an L (4), they would put $1 in the center, keep $1, and pass $1 to the left.
It’s entirely possible to lose all your money in the first round, but don’t lose hope—someone could pass some money your way at any time.
After passing or keeping their money, the player hands the dice to the next player clockwise. They then roll all three dice, follow the instructions, and pass the dice on. This continues around the circle.
Pro Tip: If you’re not playing at a table, but rather around a room, it’s easier to pass a cereal bowl along with the dice for everyone to roll into. After a while, it’s also easier to pass the whole center pot at the same time too.
Round Two and Beyond
For round two and beyond, how many dice you roll depends on how many $1 bills you have in hand:
- Three or more $1 bills – Roll all three dice
- Two $1 bills – Roll two dice
- One $1 bill – Roll one dice
If you don’t have any money when it’s your turn, pass the dice to the next player without rolling.
How to Win
After everyone passes their money left, center, and right, one player will be the last person holding any money. That player keeps their remaining money and wins the entire center pot too.
In large groups, it might take a bit to get through the first round, but once people start losing money, the rounds speed up.
This game takes no skill or strategy—it’s all chance, and you never know what might happen. You can go from having no money to winning it all in just a few seconds. Left, Center, Right is one of the most exciting and fun group games for adults.
Bowl Game
The Bowl Game is a “get to know each other” activity among my favorite fun group games for adults. Even in a group made up entirely of family members like at our Sister’s Retreat, we still managed to surprise each other with fun facts.
How to Play
All you need for this game is a bowl, slips of paper, and pens or pencils. Each person writes a fact about themselves on a slip of paper, folds it, and puts it in the bowl. It could be a secret talent, a funny childhood story, something that happened recently, a weird quirk, or a pet peeve—the goal is to write something down that no one else in the room knows about you.
The moderator reads the facts out loud one at a time. After each fact, there’s a brief discussion, then the moderator counts, “1, 2, 3,” and everyone points to who they think wrote it. The real person who wrote the fact then reveals themselves.
It’s amazing what you can learn about people you’ve known for a LONG TIME. This game is also an excellent way to get to know anyone new in the group. There are no winners or losers, just a good time, making it one of the best fun group games for adults.
Animal Noise
This game is an absolute riot and a must-play if you’re looking for active and fun group games for adults. I can guarantee that no one at your gathering will have played a game like this before, and no other fun group games for adults will cause as much laughter as this one.
How to Play
One person is blindfolded and placed in the center of the room. Everyone else moves around to different seats. When everyone is seated and ready, they clap to signal the blindfolded person that it’s time to choose a seat.
The blindfolded person must find a seat in someone’s lap. We use a pillow to cushion between the blindfolded person and the lap they choose, making it more comfortable for everyone and more challenging for the blindfolded person to identify whose lap they’re in.
Once seated, the blindfolded person asks the lap’s owner to make an animal noise—for example, “Make the noise of a dog” or “Make the noise of a gorilla.” The person makes the requested animal noise, and the blindfolded person has to guess whose lap they’re on.
If they guess wrong, everyone snaps, and the blindfolded person moves to another lap to try again. After four tries, if they still haven’t guessed correctly, their turn ends.
If they guess right, they remove the blindfold, and the person whose lap they were on takes the center spot, and the game starts again.
You might feel a bit ridiculous playing this game, but that’s part of the fun. Give it a try—it’s such a good time, and definitely one of the most unexpected and fun group games for adults to play together.
Mafia
Last on my list of super fun group games for adults is Mafia. There are a million different versions and variations of this game. You may have played it in school as a kid, but I promise it’s just as much fun for adults. Here’s how my family plays it.
Roles
First, everyone who’s playing needs to be secretly assigned a role. You can have everyone draw their roles out of a hat, or with all eyes closed, the narrator could silently assign roles.
In a group of 15-20 players, you’ll have:
1 Narrator: The narrator doesn’t play the game but instead acts as the moderator, keeping the game going. Their role is not secret; everyone knows who the narrator is.
- 1 Angel: The Angel can save one person from “death” each round.
- 3 Mafia Members: The Mafia will “kill” one person each round.
- 2 Detectives: The Detectives try to figure out which players are Mafia.
- Townspeople: Everyone else is labeled as Townspeople.
Adjust the number of roles based on your group size. For smaller groups, you might have one Angel, one Detective, and just one or two Mafia.
How to play
Each round consists of a Night Phase, followed by a Day Phase.
Nighttime
The narrator kicks things off with, “It’s nighttime, so everyone must close their eyes and go to sleep.” All players must stay quiet, keep their eyes closed, and heads down unless it’s their turn.
Mafia’s Turn
Once everyone’s eyes are closed, the narrator says, “Mafia, wake up.” The Mafia members open their eyes, identify each other, and silently agree on a player to “kill.” After deciding and informing the narrator, the narrator says, “Mafia, heads down,” and they go back to sleep.
Detective’s Turn
Next, the narrator wakes up the Detectives. They open their eyes and silently choose one player to investigate, asking the narrator if that person is Mafia. The narrator responds with a thumbs up for yes or a thumbs down for no. Then the Detectives go back to sleep.
Angel’s Turn
Finally, the narrator wakes up the Angel. The Angel chooses one person to save by pointing at them, then goes back to sleep.
Daytime
The narrator announces, “It’s daytime! Wake up, everyone.” Everyone opens their eyes, and the narrator reveals who the Mafia “killed” last night. If the Angel saved that person, the narrator adds, “But the Angel saved them.” If not, the “killed” player is out of the game.
Discussion and Nominations
Now, players can discuss and accuse each other of being Mafia. Make wild accusations, ask questions, and observe who’s acting suspiciously. If a player receives two nominations, they’re on the chopping block. We will put two players up on the chopping block and they each get a chance to defend themselves. The group votes, and whichever one receives the most votes is killed and they’re out of the game, regardless of their role.
Mafia is a thrilling and fun group game for adults that requires strategy, bluffing, and teamwork. It’s great for large groups and will keep everyone engaged and entertained for hours.
Eliminated Players
Once “killed,” players must remain completely silent, though they can keep their eyes open to observe the rest of the game.
Repeat Nighttime and Daytime Phases
The Narrator instructs everyone to go to sleep, then cycles through the turns for Mafia, Detectives, and Angel. Afterward, everyone wakes up for the Daytime discussions. These phases continue until the game reaches its conclusion.
Game Objective
There are various ways to end a game of Mafia, depending on how you want to play. Here are two popular options:
- Option One: The game concludes when either all Mafia members or all Detectives are eliminated.
- Option Two: The game ends when the Townspeople successfully eliminate all Mafia members or when the Mafia outnumber the remaining players.
Bonus Roles
Wild Card
This player takes their turn last during the Night Phase and can choose to act as an Angel, Detective, or Mafia each night. They signal their choice to the Narrator by making a halo (Angel), holding an imaginary magnifying glass (Detective), or sliding a finger across their throat (Mafia). The Wild Card then selects one player to save, investigate, or kill. If all the Mafia are eliminated and a Wild Card is still in play, the Narrator can offer them the option to become a permanent Mafia member, allowing the game to continue.
Sniper
Occasionally, we add the Sniper role. The Sniper is a regular Townsperson, but if they’re killed by the Mafia or voted out, they get to choose another player to be eliminated with them.
If you have your own fun variations on Mafia, I’d love to hear them in the comments! This game is easy to learn but endlessly entertaining—definitely one of the best fun group games for adults. It’s not just great for a girls’ weekend but also a hit with older kids, teenagers, and couples. Unlike some of the other fun group games for adults that I’ve shared, this one requires a bit more strategy and can get delightfully competitive!
Add Fun Group Games for Adults to Your Next Gathering
One of our favorite things to do at Sister’s Retreat or any adult gathering really, is just to sit and eat and talk. But adding in some fun group games for adults makes the whole atmosphere more fun. It gets everyone moving and talking and out of their comfort zones. The games help break the ice if anyone in the group is newer. I can’t tell you enough how much everyone loves it when I incorporate fun group games for adults into the festivities.
If you try any of these fun group games for adults at your own parties, I would love to hear how they go! Let me know in the comments or feel free to message me on Instagram!
In addition to fun group games for adults, the other thing adult gatherings need is good food! I have so many recipes that are great for general parties or themed events like Friendsgiving and Galentines. Check out the recipes section of my blog for inspiration.
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