Drinking party crowd-pleasers: party and banquet games
A lot of people are probably thinking about simple games to play at banquets, right?
Whether it’s a wedding after-party, a New Year’s party, a year-end party, or a welcome/farewell party, having a game that helps everyone bond and adds a touch of flair to the event makes it more fun.
That said, it can be hard to choose a game for a banquet with multiple participants, since there are so many considerations, don’t you think?
So in this article, we’ll introduce banquet games you can enjoy in a variety of situations!
We’ve picked out a wide range—from timeless classics to slightly unique games—so please use this as a reference.
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- [Easy] Punishments that will get middle schoolers excited
- Games for two people to enjoy. A roundup of party games that liven up drinking gatherings.
- Punishment games that liven up company drinking parties and banquets
- Party-Pumping Games and Party Games for Banquets [2026]
- Roundup of easy party tricks. A collection of ideas that require no preparation.
Drinking-Party Hits: Banquet and Party Games (11–20)
Yamanote Line game where only one person doesn’t know the theme
The Yamanote Line Game is a game that’s often played at parties, but how about trying a variation called “The Yamanote Line Game Where Only One Person Doesn’t Know the Topic”? In this version, one person on the team isn’t told the topic, and they have to try to join in based on the answers given by the people before them.
The others should play as a team by giving answers that make the topic easy for the uninformed player to guess, indirectly conveying the theme to them.
It might be difficult if there aren’t many participants.
Word Wolf
Do you know the game Word Wolf? One person is the Wolf and everyone else is a Citizen, and only the Wolf receives a different prompt.
Since the Citizens all start talking about a shared topic, the person playing the Wolf has to keep talking while pretending to follow that topic.
At the end, everyone points to who they think the Wolf is; if they’re wrong, the Wolf has a chance to earn a high score.
Even if someone points to the Wolf, the Wolf can still earn a high score by correctly guessing the Citizens’ prompt.
Azuki Bean Carrying Race with Chopsticks
The more careful you try to be, the more your fingertips tremble—so turn it into a show with an Azuki Bean Chopstick Race! It’s a casual game anyone can join, regardless of age.
All you do is move azuki beans from one plate to another with chopsticks.
You can compete on how fast someone can empty a plate, or make it a relay team match to see which team can transport the most beans.
You can even add fun twists to the equipment, like using giant chopsticks.
If you’re confident in your chopstick skills, be sure to join and soak up everyone’s admiration!
Intro Quiz
Try the classic party game: the Intro Quiz! It’s that game where you listen only to the very beginning of a song and guess the title.
The best thing about this game is that you can tailor the questions to the age group of the people gathered.
Whether it’s a class reunion or an office party, you can check the attendees in advance, making it easy for everyone to join in.
You could also narrow it down by genre, like anime songs or movie themes.
Wishing you all a great time together!
Oolong Shotgun
Prepare oolong tea in shot glasses for everyone.
Put a bitter tea in just one of them, and whoever ends up drinking it loses.
It’s like a drink version of Russian roulette.
Besides using the kind of bitter tea you’d see as a punishment on variety shows, there are plenty of other ways to customize it.
Stand-up game
Say a number out loud and stand up at the same time.
For example, if you say “3” and exactly three people stand, you’re safe; if two or fewer stand, or more than three stand, you’re out.
Repeat this, and the last person remaining loses.
Think of it as a full-body version of the finger-counting game (Yubisuma).
It seems like the game gets harder with more people.
Drinking-Party Hits: Banquet and Party Games (21–30)
Smartphone Typing Competition
These days, it’s no exaggeration to say that almost everyone has a smartphone.
Let’s use those smartphones to try a quick and easy “typing race” you can do anytime, anywhere! It’s a game where you type a given passage perfectly, word for word, without any mistakes.
The difficulty changes depending on the length of the passage.
Everyone types the same passage and competes to see who can get the fastest time.