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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- 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 Icebreakers and Party Games (41–50)
Quiz: Let’s Aim for the Sweet Spot!
Challenge the popular board game “Quiz Ii-Sen Ikimashow!” Answer numbers for prompts like “What’s the probability you’ll confess to your crush?” or “How long do you simmer a slow-cooked curry?” The game’s key twist: the winner is the one closest to the middle—the average.
That means it turns into a mind game, reading what numbers others will put down.
Since it’s a table-vs-table match, you start by finding the middle number within your own group.
You’ll get a sense of the other team’s personalities, and it might spark conversation afterward!
Birthday line
It’s a game where players use gestures to express their birthdays and then line up in order of their birth dates.
By setting a time limit or having teams compete to form their lines the fastest, you can encourage smooth communication.
Once everyone gets used to expressing things with gestures, you can switch the prompt to something like “height” or “the most expensive recent purchase” to adjust the difficulty and keep the game lively.
Majority Game
It’s a game where you choose whether to press a button that causes something pleasant and something unpleasant to happen at the same time.
The idea is to spark discussion by seeing whether your decision aligns with the majority among the participants.
You draw a card with a prompt and simply decide what choice you would make for that scenario.
If a prompt doesn’t quite click, try tweaking the wording to turn it into a true “ultimate choice.”
Mobile Bingo Game
A regular bingo game can take a bit of time, right? How about trying a mobile phone bingo game instead? Beforehand, put slips of paper with the participants’ mobile numbers into a box.
Then draw one slip at a time and call that number—the person who gets the call is a winner.
That’s the bingo game.
Pedometer Game
An idea for turning a familiar health gadget—the pedometer—into a game.
Attach a pedometer to any part of your body you like, such as your hand, foot, or waist, and move like crazy for one minute! Rack up as many steps as you can! The person with the highest step count wins, of course.
The numbers will probably vary depending on where you attach it, right? You could also spice it up by giving a penalty to the person with the lowest step count.
If you don’t have enough pedometers, another option is to install a pedometer app on a smartphone and hold it in your hand while you move around.
Beef Tongue Game
A super simple yet strangely addictive “Gyutan” game.
With your palms together, extend your hands forward and go around in order to the rhythm of “gyu-tan gyu-tan gyu-tan-tan”: the “gyu” person says it out loud without clapping, and the “tan” person claps silently without saying anything.
From the next round on, the final “tan” increases by one each time.
If you miss the rhythm or go out of order, you’re out.
As the number of “tan”s grows and the tempo gradually speeds up, this seemingly simple game somehow gets tangled up—and it’s highly addictive.
No-English game
I also recommend the “no-English” game you can start right away.
The rule is simple: as long as you don’t speak any English, you’re fine.
It looks easy at first, but you end up saying English words more often than you think—especially ones we use in daily life like “game” or “OK.” You can deepen your bond by playing this while doing something else or chatting.
Have fun while checking each other to make sure no one slips into using English.
Balloon Tape Peeling Game
In this game, strips of tape are stuck to a large, fully inflated balloon, and players take turns slowly peeling the tape off without popping the balloon.
It’s typically played as an individual competition, but you can also make it a table-vs-table match by having each person peel one piece of tape and competing on the number of successful peels.
If you add a time limit for peeling the tape, the need to be both careful and quick adds an extra layer of excitement and makes the game even more intense.
Pop a balloon with your bellies in pairs
It’s a pretty nerve‑racking game where two people pop a balloon together.
In this video they use a giant balloon, but a smaller one might work too.
For people who dislike loud noises or bursts, popping a balloon takes a lot of courage.
It’s tough to do yourself, but fun to watch.
It’s a party game I hope you’ll try—use a large, sturdy balloon, cooperate, and make sure to avoid injuries.
NG word game
Prepare slips of paper with random taboo words written on them.
Draw a slip without seeing the word and stick it on your forehead.
Someone picks a topic and everyone has a free conversation, but whoever says their taboo word loses.
Since you can see the other person’s taboo word, the outcome depends on how well you can coax them into saying it.