How to host a great game night

A great game night isn't about having the best games. It's about having the right game at the right moment, and a host who keeps things moving. Here's how to be that host.

Before anyone arrives

Pick for the people, not the games

Think about who's coming before you think about what to play.

• People who don't know each other? Start with something everyone plays at once, so nobody's in the spotlight alone. Our icebreaker games guide has eight.
• Three or four close friends? You can be more competitive. See party games for small groups.
• Just two of you? Make it a tournament: see games for two.
• Some people joining from elsewhere? Plan for a call. See party games on a video call.
• A birthday? There's a running order in our birthday party games guide.

Have a plan, but a short one

Three or four games is plenty for an evening: an easy opener that works while people are still arriving, a main event everyone plays, a wind-down for when the energy drops, and a spare in case something falls flat.

Try them first

Play a quick round of each game on your own before the night. Explaining a game you've played is easy. Explaining one you've only read about takes ten minutes and loses the room.

Running the night

Explain in one sentence, then play

"Everyone gets the secret word except one person, and we have to catch them" is all anyone needs to start Imposter. The rest becomes clear in the first round. Long explanations kill the energy before the game begins.

Go first

The host takes the first turn, the first dare, the first silly voice. It shows everyone how the game works, and it gives them permission to be daft too.

Switch before it drags

Every game has a peak. Stop just after it, while people still want more, and move on to the next. Twenty minutes of the same game is usually enough.

Mix luck and skill

A night of pure skill games is won by the same person every time. Put a luck game in the mix, like Dice Duel or Rock-Paper-Scissors in an online room, so the person who's lost everything else still has a chance, and the competitive guests can't run away with it.

Making sure nobody sits out

The worst seat at a game night is the one where you're watching other people play. A few ways to avoid it:

• Prefer games where everyone plays at once. In Imposter, everyone gives a clue every round; in a Pair Rush race online, everyone plays at the same time.
• Keep turns quick. In turn-based games like Truth or Dare, a short dare keeps the turn coming round.
• Avoid long knockouts. Being out in the first round and waiting forty minutes is no fun. If a game knocks people out, keep it short or make the next round start fast.
• Make "pass" easy. In our games every dare has a Skip button. Shy guests will play more if they know they can say no.

Hosting an online room

If some of your guests are somewhere else, or everyone would rather play on their own phone, start a room and send the link. Whoever starts it is the room's host. A few things make running it easier:

• Suggesting a game asks everyone if they're in. You don't have to wait for the one person who's gone to make tea: once enough people are in, the one who suggested it can tap Start with however many are ready.
• Rematch (Play again, in Imposter) is one tap at the end of a game, for when the room wants another go straight away.
• Lock the room (host only) once everyone's arrived, and nobody new can join, even with the link.
• Remove someone (host only) if they're spoiling it for everyone. Anyone can report a player, which also takes the reporter out of the room.
• Add the room's own dares, or ten from our party mix, and the loser of any game that has a loser takes one.

Rooms hold up to eight people, need no sign-up, and close by themselves after half an hour with nobody playing, or after three hours at most.

Ending well

• End on a big game. Finish with whatever got the biggest laugh earlier, or a game everyone's in, like a final round of Imposter.
• Crown someone. A champion, the bravest dare of the night, the best bluff. A small title goes a long way.
• Don't drag it out. A game night that ends while people are having fun is the one they'll ask you to host again.

A host's checklist

1. Know who's coming.
2. Choose three or four games: an opener, a main event, a wind-down and a spare.
3. Play a round of each beforehand.
4. Charge your phone.
5. Go first.
6. Switch games while people still want more.
7. End on a high.