5 Holiday Party Games That Aren't Charades

Best for: Injecting some energy back into a group.
Players: At least two.

Ages: 8 and up
How to play: Simply download the app on your phone and get people to clue you into what’s on the screen. It’s pretty self-explanatory from there—once you get the hang of holding your phone to your head.

Best for: Attentive players ready and willing to forge alliances (and, OK, mislead each other).
Players: At least nine.

Ages: 11 and up
How to play: You’ll need one moderator to lead the game. From there, you secretly divide the other players into townspeople, a sheriff and a doctor. But no one knows who is who, so the game becomes a quest to figure out who the mafia are before the town goes to dust. For complete rules, go here.

Best for: Breaking the ice…and mostly an excuse to buy some adorable stickers.
Players: No limit.

Ages: 5 and up
How to play: Give every guest ten stickers to covertly stick to other guests without them noticing. If your target catches you, he or she gets to stick a sticker on you. First one to get rid of all their stickers wins. It’s like spy games, but the stakes are waaaay lower.

Best for: Making everyone smile.
Players: As many as you want.

Ages: 5 and up
How to play: Ask everyone at your party to write down a creative superlative (“punniest,” “coolest dog owner,” “always has the freshest mani,” etc.) and drop them in a bowl. Then everyone takes one out and gifts it to somebody at the party.

Best for: A competitive group.
Players: The more, the merrier.

Ages: 13 and up
How to play: OK, it’s basically charades but on steroids and involves guessing only celebrities (so no more obscure old movies your dad picks). Plus, two extra rounds—one-word descriptions and silent descriptions—make things waaaay more fun. For complete rules, go here.