The 27 Most Fun Games to Play With Friends In Person and Online

Getting together to enjoy fun games with friends is one of the best ways to form lasting memories you’re sure to savor. In-person games like card or board games have been shown to improve mental health through strengthening social connections, lowering anxiety and depression rates, and reducing screen time. You still gain many of the same benefits through online games with friends as well. The internet makes it easier than ever to maintain close connections with people, no matter where life takes you. And our favorite way of staying close is finding fun games to play with friends. 

Games can be enjoyed as one activity among several at special events like a baby shower or family reunion. Or you can make a game night a standalone activity all on its own. That’s where we come in! As curators of special event venues, Peerspace is the place to look if you’re planning a game night for friends in your city. Whether you’re looking for a reception hall, pool party loft, or kitchen for a cooking class, think about the right venue as you explore some of our favorite game ideas for friends in 2024, both online and in person!

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• In-Person Fun Games to Play With Friends
• Outdoor Fun Games to Play with Friends 
• Indoor Fun Games to Play with Friends
• Outdoor Fun Games to Play with Friends

In-Person Fun Games to Play with Friends

1. Cards Against Humanity

Cards Against Humanity is a simple game that gets everyone laughing right from the start. The possibilities range from horrifying to hilarious, depending on the cards people respond with. Being so hugely popular there have been multiple expansions that focus on nerdy, nasty, and pop culture answers. Cards Against Humanity is a fun game to play with friends in person but there is also an online version that’s free and equally hilarious!

2. Take a Cooking Class

Games and other activities can be educational as well as fun! Not to mention creative and edible…Have you considered taking a cooking class with a private instructor? Cooking classes help you upgrade your talents in the kitchen, learn about new cuisines, and enjoy the fruits of your labors with friends. Classes cover topics like Baking 101, Indian curries, pasta making, and more!

What if you don’t want to bump elbows with the general public during your cooking class party? Think about reserving a private kitchen or cooking classroom instead! As lovers of special events, we at Peerspace have curated thousands of venues across the world where you can bring a cooking instructor over for an educational – and delicious – class! For example, check out this kitchen studio loft in Brooklyn, NY! The professionally equipped kitchen has everything from a prep area to seats for up to 32 friends to enjoy the dishes you made together!

RELATED: 8 Unique Cooking Class Ideas

3. Truth or Drink

We’ve all played Truth or Dare before but why not make a drinking game out of it? The folks over at Cut had the same idea and came up with Truth or Drink, a daring card game that gets 2 or more people sharing their deepest secrets with each other. Parents can get to know their adult kids, partners can ask deep (or hilarious) questions, and even total strangers can have fun sharing. Or you can drink to avoid embarrassing yourself. Truth or Drink is based on Cut’s hit YouTube channel and has the expressed aim of bringing people together through awkward conversations.

4. We’re Not Really Strangers

We’re Not Really Strangers is similar to Truth or Drink in bringing people together through intimate questions. It’s a bit more intimate from the get-go, however, plus there’s no drinking involved. That makes We’re Not Really Strangers better for couples, friends, and family, rather than actual strangers. You’ll also be able to take notes, ensuring you walk away from the game feeling more connected to the people across from you than ever before. Each expansion pack includes cards that have targeted material for friends, couples, and families as well, so you can craft the perfect game night for each social circle.

5. Break Out a Classic Board Game

Board games were around long before online games were ever a thing. Monopoly, Life, Scrabble, and Risk are still fun games to play with friends in person. Since most board games take anywhere from 30 minutes to hours to play, you’ll need to make ample time for them. Board game nights can be events unto themselves or something you bring out during a barbecue, birthday, or Friendsgiving! Board games can involve moving pieces around a cardboard gaming board – or they might be more involved, like Jenga, Connect Four, or Battleship. You can find classic board games for sale almost anywhere. But we’ve no doubt someone in your family or friends circle will have a game or three waiting for a rainy day!

6. Poetry for Neanderthals

Exploding Kittens has created several bestselling games and Poetry for Neanderthals might be one of our favorites. The game is similar to Taboo; one person draws a card and the other members of their team have to guess the word based on the description. Except that the person who drew it can only use single syllable words. If they mess up with a big word, the other team gets to bop them with an inflatable 2-foot long club! It’s even fun for all ages and just challenging enough without being hard to learn. Seniors bring the game along for game nights on a cruise and kids can play it during a birthday. That’s some incredible versatility for a fun game to play with friends in person! 

7. Snake Oil

Lovers of improv games should take a look at Snake Oil. It’s one of the more challenging games on this list but loads of fun if you can think on your feet. Each person gets six word cards at a time. One person becomes the “customer” each round and listens to a 30-second pitch from the other players on a product they have for sale using any two of their word cards. After each snake oil pitch, the customer chooses the winner for the round, buying their product and giving them their customer card. It gets goofy when you have to try selling someone “burp bread” or a “danger blanket!” 

RELATED: 15 Creative Group Activities For Adults

Online Fun Games to Play with Friends 

8. Sports Games

PC, Xbox, and other console gamers have dozens of sports games to choose from. In-person basketball, tennis, or football may not be an option during a rainy day. Friends that have shipped off to college in another state can still play sports games like Fight Night, FIFA, or Rocket League! You won’t get as much of a workout – but you won’t be as dirty after a game, either. Online sports games can be played from home, at a video game arcade, or anywhere else there’s a solid internet connection. 

You can even make online gaming part of a bachelor vacation party by booking one of our venues with a solid internet connection. Check out this beach house in the Florida Keys! When you come indoors after a day of kayaking and beach barbecues your party group can enjoy a solid wifi connection for some evening online gaming! 

9. MMORPGs

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) have taken the world by storm in the past two decades. Where there were once just a few options you now have dozens. People still tend to play a standout few. League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, and Final Fantasy bring groups of people together online to create custom characters. The group works together to defeat monsters (or other players), solve puzzles, and explore immersive online worlds that take thousands of hours to get through.

10. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Fighting games have only become more diverse over time. One of the most popular series of all time is Super Smash Bros., bringing characters from multiple video game universes together into a single combat game. This fun game to play with friends online is so popular there are even national and worldwide tournaments held. But you don’t have to be serious about it to have a good time with friends!

11. Codenames

Codenames is a fun game you can play with a small group that involves espionage and clues to identify a deadly assassin among friendly agents. You’ll need a deck of cards for the game and an audio or video chat platform like Zoom. The group is broken up into two teams and the “spymaster” from each team gives one-word clues to help you figure out who the secret agents are! 

12. Skribbl

If you like Pictionary but want to play with friends online, try a game of Skribbl! Each round, a person gets to draw out their chosen word and everyone else has to guess what’s being drawn. The person with the most points at the end wins. Drawing ability isn’t the goal of the game, by the way! Some of the most hilarious games happen when bad drawings make words hard to figure out.

RELATED: 11 Fun Game Night Party Ideas

13. RISK: Global Domination

RISK is a classic board game that almost everyone has played at some point. Did you know that there is also an online version of the game? RISK: Global Domination lets you play with up to 6 people or AI players. You’ll battle each other with soldiers for control of the map and eventual global domination. Unlike the RISK board game, there is even a single-player mode to the online version!

14. Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection

Lovers of iconic 90’s arcade and console games will remember the original Street Fighter games. Did you know that you no longer have to bring friends plus a bag of quarters to the arcade to enjoy it? The Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection not only includes 12 of the games from the series; you can also play against people from all over the world online. Something you could never do with the originals!

Indoor Fun Games to Play with Friends

15. Break Out of an Escape Room

If you have 30-90 minutes to kill and want a creative challenge, bring a group of friends together and try to break out of an escape room! You’ll find escape rooms in most cities; each one has a story and theme to go along with it. Some are murder mystery-themed while others are comedic or historic. Find clues, solve puzzles, and get free before the timer runs out! Escape rooms are fun for friend outings, date nights, company ice-breaker events, bachelorette parties, and more! 

16. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

Have you ever defused a bomb before? If not, you’ll have help with Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes! Only a single person needs to have the game on their device. That person can see the bomb – but everyone else has an instruction sheet on how to defuse it. The bomb-holder has to be talked through it by everyone else. It’s a fun game to play with friends indoors that takes little time to learn for birthdays, bachelor parties, and other events.

17. Billiards

Billiards or pool is a game of skill you can play with 2 or more people. Pool halls have multiple tables so no one has to wait during a busy night. If you don’t have a pool table of your own but want to keep the party feeling private, consider booking a party space with us. We have hundreds of event venues near you with billiards, bars, and other amenities for a casual game night with friends.

18. Video Game Arcades

Arcade games have been around for decades; who doesn’t love retro classics like Mrs. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, or the Simpsons? Many retro arcades still take quarters while others have entry passes that get you unlimited gaming. Arcade bars are also very popular; why not enjoy beer and snacks along with fun games to play with friends indoors? 

19. Table Tennis

Bars, schools, public parks, and home backyards all have a spot for table tennis or ping pong. You might need to bring your own paddles and a ball if you want to have a few games at a public park. Bars and other activity venues will have both, however. Ping ping gets competitive quickly with skilled players and you can play in 1 or 2-person teams. Many of the party venues we have on Peerspace like restaurants, gastropubs, and reception halls have a table tennis spot or three. 

20. Air Hockey

Air hockey is a fun game to play with friends indoors at a bar, arcade, or even a friend’s basement that has a table set up. Quick reflexes win this game and there are few rules to know beyond getting the puck into your opponent’s goal – and keeping the puck out of your own goal. The first person to reach seven points wins the game!

21. Dungeons & Dragons

D&D is a dice-based tabletop roleplaying game that generations of friends have enjoyed. You create a character to fulfill a role and work with a small group of other players in a fantasy land run by the dungeon master. You’re basically playing a character from Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. Sometimes it’s combat, other times acting, and always plenty of laughter!

RELATED: 13 Creative Couples Game Night Ideas To Have Fun With The Gang

Outdoor Fun Games to Play with Friends

22. Paintball + Airsoft

Lovers of combat and tactical sports will enjoy a game of paintball or airsoft. Both games involve using guns loaded with paintballs or airsoft pellets. The games are about more than just shooting your friends, however. You’ll need to duck behind cover, take obstacles, and work together to win! Airsoft is the game you’ll want to play if you want to leave your skin and clothes clean. The beads also don’t sting when they hit you. That said, many people prefer Paintball since it’s very obvious when and where you’ve been shot by someone.

23. Obstacle Courses

Obstacle courses are fitness-testing games that involve racing through a course loaded with barriers. You might end up ducking under barbed wire, swimming, jumping through tires, and grabbing onto monkey bars to be the first one across the finish line! Even if you aren’t a Spartan athlete an obstacle course is a fun way to enjoy the outdoors with friends.

24. Ring Toss

From carnivals to birthday parties, ring toss is instantly familiar. Maybe because it’s so simple to set up and takes no explaining. Yet it is deceptively challenging, especially if you have bottles and rings of varying sizes. Change the distance and add obstacles for an even greater challenge!

25. Geocaching

Geocaching is like modern treasure hunting and is perfect for people who love hiking, bouldering, and other outdoor pursuits. People have hidden geocaches all over the world; little treasure chests that you find using geographic coordinates and a device with GPS, such as a smartphone. Geocaching apps let you hone in on a cache, where you can leave your name, enjoy a scenic spot, or even pick up a prize left by other hunters.

RELATED: 18 Creative Star Wars Birthday Party Games

26. Snake Pit

Snake Pit is a fun game to play with friends that went viral on TikTok as a super easy way to get people laughing during an outdoor party! The rules are simple: first, you gather a bunch of pool noodles and place them into one loose pile. Next, you get a group of friends together and hold hands in a circle around the pool noodles. You all then try and pull each other into the snakes – er, pool noodles! The first person to get touched by a pool noodle was bitten by a snake! You’ll end up yanking each other around, dancing about, and having a great time. It’s a quick and easy game to set up for backyard barbecues, birthdays, family reunions, and other outings.

27. Balloon Snatch

Are you looking for a party game that’s fun for all ages and can include prizes? Balloon Snatch is an easy game that can fit into any special event, including a birthday to a wedding party! All you need are a handful of uninflated balloons and a yard or other spacious spot for the game. Attach a card with the number of points written to each one or paper prizes like cash or lottery tickets. One person starts by blowing up the balloon – and then letting it loose! People race to grab that balloon as it darts about. Whoever grabs it gets the prize and becomes the next person to let a balloon loose.

With the ideas for fun games to play with friends we’ve collected here, you’re guaranteed to have a great time! Peerspace specializes in helping people make fun memories with friends. Our venue rentals provide spaces for backyard barbecues, birthdays, movie screenings, and video game nights. Check out some of our party venues near you and explore what’s right for your upcoming event!

Find unique party venues to enjoy with friends on Peerspace