Party games for small groups (3 or 4 people)

Most party game lists assume a crowd. But plenty of the best game nights are three or four people around a kitchen table, and with a small group some games get better, not worse: turns come round fast, everyone's always involved, and nobody drifts off to the kitchen for twenty minutes.

Here's what we'd play when it's just a few of you, and the small changes that make each game fit.

Imposter (it gets harder with fewer people)

Imposter needs at least three players, and three or four is where it's at its most intense. With a small group, everyone gives two clues instead of one, so the imposter has to bluff twice, and the second time round they've got a much better idea of the word, but so has everyone watching them. With only two or three suspects, every vote is a coin you can't afford to toss.

Two tweaks for a small group:

• Play several games in a row. The imposter is picked at random each time, so with three of you the same person can easily get it twice running. That's half the fun: nobody can relax.
• On one phone, you pick the category. Once you've got the hang of it, try one you haven't played yet: a fresh list of words keeps everyone guessing, the imposter included. Our guide explains how to play Imposter, with tips for clues and bluffing.

Dare Tower (more pulls each, more tension)

In a crowd, you spend most of a game of Dare Tower watching. With three of you, every third pull is yours, and the tower gets wobblier with every pull, so the pressure builds on the same few people. A dare can be hiding in any block, and whoever brings the tower down takes the forfeit, which in a small group means everyone's watching.

Tip Playing alone between games? The tower keeps your best score to beat.

Pair Rush (a race everyone's in)

Pair Rush on one phone is a memory race: each player takes one turn against the clock (you choose 30, 45 or 60 seconds), flipping cards to find pairs, and the best score wins. With three or four of you, a race takes a few minutes, which makes "best of five" easy. The lowest score takes a dare from Party Classics; choose No dare on the setup screen to play without one.

Truth or Dare (more turns each)

In a big group, you might get two turns at Truth or Dare all night. With three or four, your turn is never far away, so you can mix truths and dares freely without anyone feeling left out. The Deep Talk pack ("What's something you're proud of that nobody knows about?") suits a small group late in the evening, when the room's gone quiet and thoughtful. Keep a few silly dares in the mix so it stays a game. Our guide covers how to play Truth or Dare.

Playing online, each on your own phone? A small room plays three full rounds before the game ends (a bigger one plays two), so everyone gets three turns.

Guess the split

With three or four of you, guessing the split in Would You Rather or Never Have I Ever online is a real test, because you know each other well enough to guess. In a room, everyone answers in secret, then guesses how many will pick the first choice (or how many of you have), and the closest guesses score. Only the count is shown, never a name, though in a small group you can sometimes work out who said what, so keep it light. Both need at least three of you.

Head-to-heads, winner stays on

Some of the best games are for two: Connect 4, Rock-Paper-Scissors, Dice Duel and Battleships. With three or four people, play them winner stays on in an online room, a phone each:

1. Start a room and everyone joins.
2. Two of you play; the others watch on their own phones.
3. The winner taps Rematch, and the next challenger taps "I'm in". The first yes gets the seat, so the loser holds back and heckles.

Battleships has a one-phone mode against the computer, too: a good way to learn the game before you take on the others.

Dare Dice (fast rounds)

With fewer players, a game of Dare Dice flies by: everyone rolls once a round, does the dare the die lands on, and the next round gets a little bolder. With three of you, The Classic's four rounds are twelve rolls in all, from Warm-Up to Bold, which makes it a good last game of the night.

How to tweak big-group games

• Play to a score. With fewer people, a single game is over too fast. Play first to three wins, or best of five.
• Everyone writes a dare. Small groups know each other well. On one phone, everyone can add dares of their own; they stay on that phone, and every one-phone game here can use them.
• Rotate who's in charge. Let a different person pick the next game each time.

A small-group evening

1. Warm-up: Pair Rush, best of five.
2. The main event: Imposter, until everyone's had at least one turn as the imposter (it can take a while, which is fine).
3. The rivalry: head-to-heads in a room, winner stays on.
4. Wind down: Truth or Dare with the Deep Talk pack.
5. One more thing: a single Dare Tower, and the loser makes the tea.