Planning a party for your teenager? Look no further!
You’ll find a list of 36 fun party games for teens and tweens below that will keep them entertained at your next birthday party.
Keep these tips in mind when organizing a teen party:
- Involve your teen in pre-planning the party games. Read through the list of party game ideas together and let them decide which games they would like to play.
- Have all the equipment ready for the party games. You might need a pen and paper, balloons or string. Also, remember to print out the rules of the games so that everyone knows how to play them.
- Try not to get too involved. Set up the games and then stay on the sidelines. Let them enjoy the party games and have fun on their own.
Most of the games listed below are practically free and require little-to-no preparation time before the event begins.
Plus, they’ll help to get the social ball rolling so that everyone can relax and have a great time!
Games For Tweens
1. Taste the Rainbow
How To Play:
- The aim of the game is to pick up as many Skittles (or M&M’s) as you can using only a straw.
- You will need a handful of skittles for each partygoer as well as a straw & a cup per player.
- Pour all the skittles into a big bowl and arm all your friends with drinking straws.
- Place a cup to collect their skittles on a table behind them.
- When the game starts, they must try to collect as many skittles as they can into their cups, but they CAN’T touch them with their hands.
- They must suck them onto their straws and transport the skittles to their cups without dropping them.
- When all the Skittles have been moved from the bowl to the cups, everyone can eat their winnings!
2. The Mummy
This is a favorite party game for younger teens.
How To Play:
- Split the kids into groups of two or three.
- Each group gets a roll of toilet paper or bandage roll gauze and chooses one person from their team to be the mummy.
- When the game starts, all the teams have to wrap their mummies using the whole roll of toilet paper.
- The team that rolls up their mummy the fastest wins.
- You could also have a second prize for the team with the most creative mummy.
3. Blind Food Guessing
This is a fun teen game for all ages but definitely suited to younger teens as well.
You should probably prep this game beforehand so that you have some interesting yet safe foods available for the kids to try and guess.
How To Play:
- One person is blindfolded, and the others pick a food item for him to taste and guess without looking.
- If a player guesses correctly, then they hand the blindfold to the next player, who then has to guess the next food item.
- Remember to always keep food allergies in mind!
4. Stone Face
How To Play:
- Put two players on opposite sides of the table.
- You are instructed to keep a straight face while looking at your partner without laughing or smiling.
- First, one to smile loses. To make it even funnier, the loser could get a plate of whipped cream shoved in their face!
5. Chubby Bunny
The aim of the game is to see how many marshmallows contestants can fit in their mouths while still being able to say the words “chubby bunny.”
Whoever can fit the most in a minute and still talk wins!
6. Candy Hands
How To Play:
- Each child will have pieces of candy in front of them.
- The goal of the game is to unwrap as many pieces of candy as possible with one of your hands behind your back.
- Whoever has the most unwrapped pieces of candy when time is up wins!
7. Gummy Bear Contest
This teen party game is super funny.
How To Play:
- Place 10 gummy bears in the bottom of each pie tin and cover with whip cream.
- Your friends need to retrieve the gummy bears with their hands tied behind their backs.
- On ‘Go!’ everyone puts their face into the tin of whip cream to get their gummy bears out as fast as possible.
- The first person to retrieve all their gummy bears wins!
- Don’t forget to take lots of pictures as they’ll be hilarious.
8. Chocolate Game
The Chocolate Game is a fun and exciting twist on the classic kid’s party game. It is sure to bring lots of laughter and joy to any gathering!
How To Play:
- Have your guests sit in a circle and place a block of chocolate, a knife and fork, a dice, and some dress-up clothes in the middle.
- Each guest takes turns rolling the dice, and when someone rolls a 6, they must put on the dress-up clothes before picking up the knife and fork to start eating the chocolate one piece at a time.
- They can keep eating until somebody else rolls a 6, at which point they must quickly put down their utensils and pass over the dress-up clothes.
This game is fun and fast-paced with lots of shouting, and of course, everyone gets to eat some yummy chocolate.
🎉 You might also enjoy reading Fun Birthday Party Ideas for 11 & 12 Year Olds for more inspiration.
Watch the video below to see how some of the games are played:
Indoor Teen Party Games
1. Never Have I Ever
‘Never Have I Ever’ is a favorite game for teen parties.
Perhaps the best way to play this game is in small groups where everyone knows each other quite well.
How To Play:
- Everyone gets 20 pieces of candy and sits in a circle.
- Taking turns, everyone names something they have never done.
- For example “I’ve never been camping” or “I’ve never stayed up all night” or “I’ve never been to Africa”.
- Every time you make a statement, anyone who has done that thing mentioned eats a piece of their candy.
- The first one to finish eating their candy is the winner.
2. Pass The ‘Peanut’
How To Play:
- Have your party-goers stand in two lines.
- Each person gets a plastic spoon which they need to hold in their mouths.
- The person at the start of the line puts a peanut or piece of candy (something light & small) on their spoon. It might be better to use candy in case someone is allergic to peanuts.
- Without using their hands, they have to pass the item down the line.
- The first group to get their ‘peanut’ down the line (without dropping it) wins.
3. Wink Assassin
Wink Assassin is a really fun party game.
The game has an assassin who can kill the other players by secretly winking at them.
How To Play:
- Players must pick a piece of paper from a hat to determine who the murderer is.
- Get everyone to move around the room, mingling with each other.
- All players have to make eye contact with one another while observing the rest to identify the killer.
- The assassin must secretly wink at someone.
- The person who was winked at should count to five and then die dramatically and leave the game.
- If a player guesses who the murderer is, he or she must say, “I accuse.”
- If they choose correctly, the game ends.
- Otherwise, the accuser is eliminated, and the game continues until the murderer is identified or all players are eliminated.
4. Sock Wrestling
Here is one of the teenage party games that will have them in stitches.
You should clear a large space in the center of a room (or play outside).
How To Play:
- Two players kneel facing each other, wearing only socks (no shoes).
- The aim of the game is to remove both of your opponent’s socks.
- The game involves some hilarious wrestling and rolling around on the floor while they try to get each other’s socks off.
- Just be sure to establish some rules that prevent serious injury or property damage.
5. ABC Scavenger Hunt
This is one of our favorite birthday games for teens.
No need for a list!
How To Play:
- Put everyone into groups and give them time limits, 30 minutes to one hour.
- Each team should be given a large bag (garbage bags or pillowcases work best).
- Their goal is to find things that start with each letter of the alphabet.
- The item must also fit into the bag.
- There can only be one item per letter, and the same item cannot be used for multiple letters.
- For example, a spoon can be either used for the letter S as in spoon or the letter U as in utensil –not both.
- The team that has collected the most items by the end of the time frame is the winner.
- Have an impartial individual ready to decide if a given object should be counted or not.
🎉 We’ve created a list of the best indoor games for teens, and tweens for sleepovers and parties that you might like to read.
Outdoor Teenage Party Games
1. Capture the Flag
Another classic game for teens that’s tons of fun is Capture the Flag.
You will need a large space to play. A large field, a park, or a wooded area would work great for this game.
How To Play:
- Divide the area that you’re going to be playing in into two sides.
- Then divide the players into two teams and give each a flag. Flags can be made of anything. Any piece of material on a stick will work great.
- Each team must hide its flag somewhere in the area that they’re playing in.
- At least an inch of the flag must be visible.
- The aim of the game is to sneak onto the other team’s side and steal their flag. However, they can catch and tag you while you’re in their space.
- If you get tagged while in their space, you must go to their prison cell.
- You can only get out if one of your team members manages to get to their prison cell and tags you free.
- The team that captures the other team’s flag first and makes it back to its own side is the winner.
If your tween or teen has a few friends staying over, then this glow-in-the-dark Capture The Flag game is a great gift and fun addition to keep the party going.
2. Yard Twister
This is a spin on the classic family game Twister.
This is the perfect option if you have great weather or a tiny house or want your teens to rather play outside.
Get some yard paint and paint a giant Twister board out on the grass.
Teens always love the chance to be in close proximity to one another.
This game allows them this opportunity but in a pretty harmless way.
3. Selfie Scavenger Hunt
We’re all familiar with a scavenger hunt as one of those classic party games for teenagers.
However, this version is coupled with the activity teens love most of all, taking selfies.
How To Play:
- Let them split up into even groups. Perhaps 3 or 4 per group, depending on the number of teens at the party.
- Create a list of places or objects that they need to find in the neighborhood, and have them take a selfie of themselves with these items.
- Give them 30 min to an hour to complete these tasks.
- The person back within the set timeframe with the most completed selfies wins.
4. Wrecking Ball
Wrecking Ball is a minute-to-win party game that all teens will enjoy playing.
You will need a pair of pantyhose or tights (large enough to fit a teen’s head) as well as water bottles and tennis balls.
How To Play:
- You can split the players into two single opponents or members of two teams.
- Push the tennis ball all the way to the bottom of the stocking.
- Put the other end of the stocking on your head. The ball should hang in front of you like a wrecking ball.
- Put some water bottles in two rows. You will need at least 5 bottles in each row, but you can use more if you have any.
- On the count of three, the players should use their stocking as a wrecking ball and tumble all the bottles before their opponents do.
- Either the fastest player to knock over all the bottles wins. Or the player with the highest number of fallen bottles within a minute wins.
🎉 For a complete list of the best outdoor games for teenagers, have a look at our ultimate guide here.
Balloon Party Games For Teenagers
We’ve created a list of party games for teens that use balloons. Most parties will have balloons, so these are always quick and easy additions to any teenage party if you’re suddenly at a loss for what to do
1. Knees and Elbows
Depending on whether you use water balloons or air-filled balloons, this can be either an inside or an outside game.
How To Play:
- Have everyone stand in a circle and give one person something to hold between their knees.
- It can be anything from water or air-filled balloons, ball, etc.
- They have to pass it around the circle using only their knees and elbows.
- To make it more competitive (or if you’re playing with a bigger group), split into two teams, working together to get the item around the circle first!
2. Balloon Stomp
Balloon Stomp is an outdoor party game that your teens can play individually or in teams, depending on how big your group is.
You will need lots of balloons and some string.
The aim of the game is simple –burst the opposing team’s balloons without losing yours.
How To Play:
- Everyone gets a balloon and ties the balloon to their leg with a long string so that the balloon is not too close to them.
- If you’ve chosen to split the group into teams, then use strings of different colors for each team.
- The players must move around quickly and step the other team’s balloons only with their feet.
- The last person left with an intact balloon or the team that successfully bursts all the other team’s balloons first wins.
3. Balloon Blow
The simple game Balloon Blow will entertain your teens no matter their age.
How To Play:
- Divide people into pairs.
- Every pair has just one simple objective, namely to keep their balloon in the air only by blowing at it.
- Make sure there is enough space for pairs to play without bumping into the others. You can also play this outside, but remember that balloons easily pop when they touch the grass.
- The pair that can keep their balloon in the air the longest is the winner.
4. Baby In The Air
Baby In The Air is a competitive game to see how alert you are.
How To Play:
- Fill about 10 balloons with water before the game begins.
- Everyone then stands in a circle, with one person in the middle.
- Every person gets a number.
- The person in the middle calls out, “Baby In the Air, I call number ___.” and throws up the water balloon at the same time.
- The person whose number has been called out has to be quick enough to move to the middle and catch the “baby” from falling to the ground.
- Whoever drops the balloon is out.
- Remember to play this game outdoors, as dropping a water balloon is messy (yet fun!)
5. Balloon Toss
Nothing beats classic fun with water balloons on a hot day!
How To Play:
- Fill up balloons with water and put them in a bucket.
- Split all the children into pairs and give each pair one balloon.
- Take turns tossing the water balloon back and forth, with a person stepping back for each toss, increasing the distance between partners.
- The pair that has gone the farthest in one minute while keeping the balloon intact wins!
- You can also play this game with eggs. It’s a bit messier but as much fun.
🎉 Here is a complete list of all water balloon games for your teen’s next birthday.
Games For Older Teen Parties (And Some Flirty Games)
1. Blindfold Obstacle Course
How To Play:
- Everyone has to pair up in teams.
- Each team has one person wear a blindfold while the other person gives instructions to him or her to cross a room filled with obstacles (a coffee table, chairs, a vacuum cleaner).
- The team that gets to the other end of the obstacle course the fastest, wins.
- If you’re playing in a small space, you can have one team go at a time and use a timer to track how long it takes each team.
2. Musical Chairs – the older teen version 😉
This is based on the same classic party game from when you were a kid, but with a flirty twist making it even more fun now that they’re older.
How To Play:
- Create a song playlist and have one person control the music’s starting and stopping.
- Place one less chair, then there are people in a circle, and have them walk around the chairs while the music is playing.
- As soon as the music stops, they need to sit on a chair.
- For the flirty twist, add a rule: As long as you’re on a chair with your feet off the ground when the music stops, you’re safe. This will encourage a whole lot of lap-sitting.
- The last two teens sitting/sharing a chair win.
3. Lap Chain
This circle game is another fun, flirty teenage party game they’ll love to play.
How To Play:
- Stand up in a circle and have everyone turn to face the same direction.
- Then move closer, making the circle smaller and smaller.
- When everyone is close enough, they must slowly start sitting on each other’s laps.
- The goal is to have everyone sitting down without the chain collapsing and everyone falling.
- It’s a lot of fun and actually quite impressive when done correctly. Getting back up again is another story.
4. Text Message Telephone
This is the modern spin on the old-fashioned game of telephone.
Instead of one person whispering a phrase to the next down a line, they use modern technology.
How To Play:
- Everyone sits in a line or a circle.
- The first person writes a two or three-sentence message on a piece of paper and shows it to the next person in line.
- This person has fifteen seconds to memorize the message.
- S/he then writes a text message, trying to make an exact copy of the message they just read.
- The first player then shows the second player the message on their phone for 15 seconds and then takes it away.
- The second player now writes a text message, trying to make an exact copy of the message they just read, and shows it to the next person in line.
- The last person looks at the text message and reads the message out loud.
- Then the group compares their texts with the original message.
5. Wacky Duck
The game brings out the silliness in teens while allowing them to become closer to one another (and, let’s be honest, to their crushes).
How To Play:
- Everyone sits in a circle, with one person blindfolded in the middle.
- Everyone swaps seats while the blindfolded person gets spun around a few times.
- When everyone has moved, the blindfolded player feels the other players using a wooden spoon or something similar.
- When they stop at someone, they have to sit on the person’s lap.
- S/he then has to quack like a duck or say something in a wacky voice.
- The blindfolded player tries to guess who the quacker is.
- If they are correct, they get to take a seat. Otherwise, play continues.
6. Suck and Blow
Suck and Blow is a classic game that has been around for generations. It’s a great way to get teens interacting with each other in a fun and lighthearted way.
How To Play:
- Have your teens stand in a circle and give one person a playing card to hold on to using only their mouths.
- They’ll need to suck in to keep it up and then pass the card to the next person until it reaches the other end.
- If anyone drops it, they’re out, and the card starts back at the beginning.
This game is not only fun and a little bit flirty but also encourages teamwork, as everyone must work together to ensure that the card makes its way around the circle without being dropped.
Plus, it’s an easy game that can be played anywhere with minimal setup required – all you need are some playing cards!
So if you’re looking for an entertaining activity for your teens, Suck and Blow might just be what you’re looking for!
7. Medusa
Medusa is an incredibly fun game that can be enjoyed by large groups of people. It requires at least 10 players and a large enough space for them to stand in a circle with their arms around each other’s shoulders.
How To Play:
- To begin the game, all players must keep their heads bowed.
- On the count of three, everyone looks up.
- If two players look at each other, they are ‘turned to stone’ and must remain still until another player looks at them.
- The game continues until there are only one or two players left.
8. Speed Stacker or Stack Attack
How To Play:
- Speed Stacker is a stacking game where players get to stack as many cups as they can in under a minute.
- If the pyramid tower falls at any point, they must start over.
- The player with the highest number of cups stacked is the winner.
Another version of Speed Stacker is Stack Attack.
Here players have a minute to stack 36 cups in a pyramid, take them down, and stack them back to the starting position (stacked on top of each together).
🎉 You might also like to discover more fun Minute To Win It Games For Teens.
9. How’s It Hangin
This is another great free teen party game that can be played at home.
This is a minute-to-win game played by one player at a time.
How To Play:
- You will need a hula hoop, a long piece of string, a banana, and an orange.
- Tie the string to the banana – it has to be at least 12 inches long.
- Tie the string with the banana to the front of the trousers of the person. If they don’t have belt loops on their trousers, then make the string longer and tie it around their waist.
- Adjust the string’s length so that the banana touches the ground.
- Put the orange at one end of the room and the hula hoop at the other.
- The player has to move the orange into the hula hoop with the help of the banana within a minute.
- The player who manages to get the fruit into the circle wins a prize.
Party Games For Teen Girls Sleepovers
1. Blind Portraits
How To Play:
- Divide into pairs and have each pair sit across from each other.
- Each person will need a piece of paper and a pencil.
- Everyone will have one minute to draw the best portrait of their partner without looking at the paper.
- The drawing that represents their partner the most accurately wins!
2. Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping beauty is a fun game where you have to stay as still as possible and not react to your friends trying to make you laugh.
How To Play:
- During this game, each player will take turns being sleeping beauty – lying still on the bed as if in deep slumber, they must not speak or move.
- Everyone else must try to “wake them” by making them laugh or smile. No touching!
- This game is so much fun because players say all kinds of silly stuff to get the beauty to wake up!
3. Truth, Truth, and Lie
This is a game for smaller groups and great for slumber parties.
How To Play:
- Each teen takes a turn making three statements about themselves. Two statements should be true, and one should be a lie.
- The other members have to guess which statement is the lie.
- It’s a fun way to get to know each other better.
4. Blind Makeup Artist
This can be a hilarious game where teens can show off their makeup skills.
Ensure that you have some lipstick, eyeshadow, powder, blush, hair accessories, etc, for the teens to use. Avoid mascara or perfume, as these might sting the eyes if used incorrectly.
How To Play:
- Divide the teens into two teams. Each player from each team gets a turn to be the make-up artist or the model.
- Every team has a designated makeup artist who is blindfolded.
- Their job is to apply makeup to one of the players while the rest of the team guides them.
- The team with the model with the best makeup wins.
5. Fortune Teller Game
Fortune Teller is a fun slumber party game.
How To Play:
- You will need to cut up some slips of paper so that each child gets four pieces of paper to write on. These should ideally all be the same size.
- You will also need four different bags to put these pieces of paper in.
- Each participant gets four pieces of paper and a pen.
- Ask the kids to write down a name, a place, a number, and a profession. To make the game more fun, have them write just about anything they want.
- You will need four different bags.
- Then ask the players to fold their pieces of paper and place each piece into the corresponding bag.
- Next, each player will take turns picking one slip of paper from each bag.
- One of them will read the fortune. For example, Anna will be a professor, date Jake, live in Chicago (or a basement, the airport, etc.), and have (number) of children.
- The stranger the sentence, the funnier the game will be.
We hope you enjoyed reading about all the wonderful game ideas that we put together for you.
If you have smaller groups of teens over or planning a family game night, then you might also be interested in reading our Best Board Games For Teenagers that every teen will love to play.