New Year party games that get everyone excited: a fun collection of ideas from classics to DIY
When it comes to New Year’s, it’s a special time spent with family and relatives.
Osechi dishes and New Year’s money are exciting, but having games everyone can play instantly livens up the gathering.
In this article, we’ll introduce game ideas perfect for the New Year.
From classic New Year’s games and easy DIY activities to popular board games and active play, these are all things people of all ages can enjoy! As the new year begins, why not put down your phones and spend some fun time laughing together?
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New Year’s Games to Get Everyone Excited: A Fun Collection of Ideas from Classics to DIY (61–70)
Sushi Go Party
Perfect for New Year’s! Let me introduce the board game “Sushi Go Party!” that lets you get into the mood of a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant.
The rules are simple: you create a sushi course and deal menu cards that match the course, then pass your hand around the table.
The menus include nigiri, rolls, side dishes, desserts, and more.
Everyone takes the cards they want, and when your hand runs out, the round ends.
After three rounds, the player with the highest total score from their collected cards wins.
The feeling of passing hands between players is just like sushi on a conveyor belt.
Give it a try!
Mario Party
How about enjoying a board game session on Nintendo Switch this New Year? Here’s an introduction to Mario Party Superstars.
It’s the second entry in the Mario Party series on Switch, and this one features five fully remade boards from the Nintendo 64 Mario Party titles.
With more mini-games and a richer board game experience than the previous installment, it’s perfect for getting into the New Year’s board game spirit.
Both the mini-games and the board game mode support online play, so you can compete with players around the world.
Wishing you a fun and festive New Year!
Tōsenkyō (a traditional Japanese fan-tossing game)
Let me introduce tōsenkyō, a game the whole family can enjoy at New Year! Tōsenkyō is known as one of the games that began in Kyoto in the mid-Edo period.
It’s an elegant, uniquely Kyoto traditional game in which you throw a folding fan at a target called the “chō,” and the score changes based on the beauty of how it lands.
Even if you don’t have a folding fan, you could substitute a round fan or make one yourself.
It’s also fun to make the target with the kids and add your own twists.
Come up with original rules and give it a try this New Year!
Funny Face Match
A funny-face game that everyone can enjoy by making their silliest faces at full power! There are two sets of cards with different funny faces.
Lay one set out on the table and keep the other stacked, then draw one card from the stack.
The person who draws holds the card to their forehead to show the others.
By looking at the faces everyone makes to imitate the card, the drawer tries to guess which funny-face card it is.
The person whose face is closest to the card also earns points, so both the guesser and the performers can’t help but get fired up! You might even discover a surprising side of a family member who’s “actually great at making funny faces.”
Riddle Karuta
When it comes to New Year’s, it’s karuta time! Let me introduce “Riddle Karuta,” a game that excites both adults and kids.
In this version, the reading cards are riddles, and the picture cards are the answers to those riddles.
For example, the riddle card says, “What kind of neck comes out of your mouth?” and the picture card shows a yawn (in Japanese, ‘akubi’—a play on words with ‘kubi’ meaning neck).
You might end up memorizing the answers after playing many times, but since it’s karuta, the fun is in grabbing the cards.
It’s also great fun to think up riddles together and make your own original karuta set.
Argo
The game known as “Algo,” which is said to make you smarter, actually originated in Japan! It’s a game where you check your own cards while trying to guess what cards your opponent has, and I remember loudly shouting “Attack!” when making a guess.
This one also gets really exciting when you play with a large group.
Werewolf game
The Werewolf game, a party classic that’s hugely popular with people getting hooked one after another.
It’s more fun with a larger group, so it’s perfect for New Year’s gatherings, isn’t it? In Werewolf, one or more werewolves—wolves in human form—are hidden among the villagers, and the goal is to find them.
It’s a logical game where you need to play your role, deceive others, and maneuver skillfully.
Once you get into it, you’ll want to play again and again.