30 DIY Party Games Ideas for 2025

Planning a party can be a lot of fun, especially when you have some fantastic games to keep everyone entertained.

In this article, I’ll share 30 DIY party games that offer a mix of easy, creative, and hilarious options that will make your next gathering unforgettable.

Let’s dive in!

30 DIY Party Games Ideas

1. Camera Hot Potato

Camera Hot Potato is a fun party game that involves passing around a phone with a self-timer camera. 

You should set the phone’s camera to self-timer mode for about 10 seconds. The players pass the phone around the group, each holding it up as if posing for a selfie, but without knowing exactly when the photo will be taken. 

When the timer goes off, the phone captures a candid photo. After a few rounds, review the photos to enjoy some unexpected and hilarious moments. 

2. Pass the Orange

In this game you divide players into two teams and have them form lines facing each other. The first player in each line holds an orange under their chin.

Without using hands, they must pass the orange to the next person in line by transferring it from chin to chin. 

The first team to pass the orange all the way to the end of the line wins. It’s a simple game that requires no special equipment, just an orange. 

3. Glow in the Dark Ring Toss

To create this game, you need glow sticks and some sort of stake or bottle to act as the target. 

Activate the glow sticks and form them into rings. Place the stakes or bottles at various distances. 

Players take turns tossing the glowing rings, aiming to land them around the stakes. This game is easy to set up and brings a magical, glowing element to the party.

4. Straight Face

In the straight face game players keep a straight face while reading outrageous phrases. To prepare, write various funny and absurd statements on slips of paper and place them in a hat. 

Players sit in a circle and take turns drawing a slip and reading the phrase aloud. The goal is to read the phrase without laughing or smiling. If a player laughs or smiles, they are out. 

The game continues until only one person remains with a straight face. 

5. Mystery Word

Before the party starts, the host selects a word related to the party theme and keeps it a secret. 

Throughout the event, guests must guess the mystery word by incorporating potential guesses into their conversations. 

The catch is, they can’t directly ask if it’s the mystery word; they must be subtle. The host listens for the word and announces the winner when someone says it correctly. 

6. DIY Giant Jenga

DIY Giant Jenga is an oversized version of the classic stacking game that’s perfect for outdoor parties. To make it, you’ll need large wooden blocks, which can be cut from 2x4s. 

Sand the edges to make them smooth and safe to handle. Stack the blocks in a sturdy tower formation. 

Players take turns removing one block at a time from the middle or bottom and placing it on top without toppling the tower. The game continues until the tower collapses. 

7. Name That Tune

Name That Tune is a musical guessing game that brings out the inner music lover in everyone. One player is designated as the “singer” and hums or sings a few seconds of a song. 

The other players must guess the song title as quickly as possible. The singer continues with different songs until everyone has had a turn. 

The player who guesses the most songs correctly wins. This game can be played with any number of players and is perfect for parties.

8. Thumper

In the Thumper players sit or stand in a circle and start clapping or stomping a rhythm. One player begins by doing their motion followed by another player’s motion. 

The next player then does their own motion and another’s, and so on. The challenge is to keep the rhythm without hesitating or repeating motions. 

If a player messes up, they are out. This continues until one person remains. Thumper is great for engaging everyone in a fun and rhythmic activity.

9. DIY Pool Noodle Frisbee Target

You’ll need pool noodles and stakes to create targets. Bend the pool noodles into rings and secure them to the stakes, varying the height and distance to increase difficulty. 

Players then take turns throwing frisbees, trying to get them through the pool noodle targets. This game is easy to set up, inexpensive, and can be adapted to different skill levels.

10. Crossed, Uncrossed

Players sit in a circle, and one person, the host, starts by saying they are hosting a party. They invite guests based on a secret rule (e.g., only those with crossed legs). 

Players suggest what they will bring to the party, and the host indicates if they can come. 

The invited guests must match the hidden rule, and the game continues until everyone figures out the pattern. 

11. Spoons

Spoons is a fun and fast-paced card game similar to musical chairs but played with spoons and cards. 

To set up, you need a deck of cards and one less spoon than the number of players. Arrange the spoons in the center of the table. 

Players sit in a circle and are each dealt four cards. The dealer picks up one card from the deck, decides whether to keep it, and passes a card from their hand to the player on their left. 

The objective is to collect four cards of the same rank. Once a player achieves this, they grab a spoon from the center. 

Other players must quickly grab a spoon as well. The player who fails to get a spoon is out. This continues, removing one spoon each round until a single player remains.

12. Older or Younger

You don’t need special materials to make this game. Prepare a list of famous people, events, or objects and their ages. 

The game host reads out each item on the list, and guests have to guess if the birthday person is older or younger than that item. 

For example, “Is the birthday person older or younger than the first iPhone?” Players raise their hands or shout out their answers. 

13. DIY Backyard Giant Jenga

To create your own, you’ll need large wooden blocks, ideally 2x4s cut to the same length. Sand the edges to avoid splinters. 

Stack the wooden blocks in sets of three, alternating the direction with each layer to form a tower. 

Players take turns carefully removing one block from anywhere below the highest completed level and placing it on top. 

The game continues until the tower collapses. The player who causes the tower to fall loses. 

14. Two Truths and a Lie

To make Two Truths and a Lie game you don’t need materials, just gather your players in a circle.

Each player takes turns stating three statements about themselves—two truths and one lie. The rest of the group has to guess which statement is the lie. 

This game is excellent for getting to know each other better and often leads to surprising revelations and lots of laughs. 

15. DIY Dunk Bucket

To make this you need a large bucket, a sturdy frame to hold the bucket above participants’ heads, and a mechanism to release the bucket when hit. 

Fill the bucket with water and secure it above a target area. Players take turns throwing balls at the target. 

When the target is hit, the mechanism releases the bucket, dumping water onto the person sitting or standing below. 

This game is perfect for hot days and guarantees lots of laughter and excitement as participants get soaked.

16. Medusa

To play this game; players stand or sit in a circle with their heads down. On the count of three, everyone looks up and stares at someone else. 

If two players make eye contact, they shout “Medusa!” and are out of the game. The game continues until only one player remains. 

Medusa is great for breaking the ice and can be played multiple times in quick succession. It’s ideal for any gathering and requires no setup.

17. Mr. Freeze

In the Mr. Freeze game players must freeze in place when signaled by the designated “Mr. Freeze.”

One person is chosen to be Mr. Freeze. Throughout the party, Mr. Freeze can freeze in place at any time, and when they do, everyone else must also freeze. 

The last person to freeze is out. This continues for the duration of the party, adding an element of surprise and spontaneous fun. 

18. Plastic Wrap Ball Game

To make this you should gather small prizes like candy, toys, or gift cards. Wrap them in layers of plastic wrap to form a large ball. 

Players sit in a circle and take turns unwrapping the ball for a set amount of time (e.g., 30 seconds) before passing it to the next player. 

Any prizes that fall out during their turn are theirs to keep. The game continues until the ball is completely unwrapped.

19. DIY Wall Ring Toss Game

You can make this game by mounting hooks or pegs on a wooden board or directly on a sturdy wall. Making or buying rings that can be tossed onto the hooks. 

Players stand at a designated distance and take turns tossing rings onto the hooks. Each hook can have different point values, and the player with the highest score at the end wins. 

This game is easy to set up and can remain as a permanent fixture in your backyard, providing ongoing fun for parties and gatherings.

20. Musical Chairs

To play this game, you should arrange chairs in a circle with one less chair than the number of players. 

Players walk around the chairs while music plays. When the music stops, everyone must quickly find a chair to sit in. 

The player left standing is out, and one chair is removed. The game continues until only one player remains seated. 

Musical Chairs are simple to set up and always bring excitement and laughter to any party. 

21. Charades

To set it up, prepare slips of paper with different words or phrases, such as movie titles, famous people, or common activities. Players divide into two teams. 

One player from the first team draws a slip and acts out the word or phrase without speaking, while their team members guess what it is. 

They have a limited time, usually one minute. If the team guesses correctly, they earn a point. 

Then, it’s the other team’s turn. The game continues until all the slips are used. The team with the most points wins.

22. Punch Board Game

To make it, use a large piece of cardboard or foam board and cut out several holes. Cover each hole with tissue paper and secure it with a rubber band. 

Behind each tissue paper, place a small prize or treat. To play, guests take turns punching through the tissue paper to retrieve their prize. 

The suspense of not knowing what prize they’ll get makes it thrilling. This game is great for any age group and can be customized.

23. In a Perfect World

The host starts by announcing, “In my perfect world, there are doors but no windows,” or any other set of conditions. Players take turns guessing what might exist in this perfect world based on the pattern. 

For example, the perfect world might only include items with double letters (e.g., apples but not bananas). 

The host confirms whether each guess is correct or not. The game continues until all players figure out the pattern.

24. Outdoor Lawn Twister

Outdoor Lawn Twister is a larger-than-life version of the classic Twister game, perfect for backyard parties. 

To create it, you’ll need spray paint in multiple colors and a large grassy area. Spray paint circles in a grid pattern, mimicking the Twister mat’s layout, with each row a different color. 

To play, one person spins a homemade spinner indicating a color and a body part (e.g., right hand on red). 

Players must place the corresponding body part on the correct colored circle without falling. The last person standing wins.

25. Say Ahhh

To prepare, give each player a popsicle stick to hold in their mouth and a set of small, lightweight objects like sugar cubes.

 The goal is to stack as many sugar cubes as possible on the end of the popsicle stick without them falling off. 

Players must balance the stick in their mouth while carefully adding cubes. The person with the most cubes stacked wins.

26. Song Charades

Song Charades is a musical twist on the traditional charades game. To play, write down song titles or artists on slips of paper. 

Players divide into teams and one member from the first team picks a slip without revealing it. 

They must then act out the song’s title or perform gestures related to the song without singing or speaking. 

Their team tries to guess the song within a time limit. If they guess correctly, they earn a point. The game then passes to the other team. 

27. Tin Can Bowling

You should first collect empty tin cans, clean them, and decorate them with paint or stickers to make them festive. 

Arrange the cans in a pyramid shape on a flat surface. Players take turns throwing a small ball, like a tennis ball, to knock down as many cans as possible. 

Each player gets a set number of throws, and the one who knocks down the most cans wins. 

28. DIY Escape Room

Creating a DIY Escape Room at home is an exciting way to entertain guests with puzzles and clues. 

Design a series of challenges and riddles that lead to a final goal, such as finding a key to “escape” a room. 

You can use everyday items and creative scenarios to set up clues and locks. Split guests into small groups and set a time limit for solving all the puzzles. 

The group that escapes first or within the shortest time wins. This game requires some preparation but offers an immersive and thrilling experience.

29. Mafia

In this game; players are secretly assigned roles such as Mafia members, villagers, a doctor, and a detective. The game has two phases: night and day. 

During the night, the Mafia members secretly choose a villager to eliminate, while the doctor can save someone, and the detective can investigate a player’s role. 

During the day, the group discusses and votes to eliminate a suspected Mafia member. The game continues until either all Mafia members are eliminated or they outnumber the villagers. 

30. Psych

Psych is an app-based game where players answer funny questions and try to trick others with their answers. Each player needs to download the Psych app on their phone. 

The game presents questions, and players create fake answers to these questions, while one correct answer is also mixed in. Players then try to guess the correct answer among the fakes. 

Points are awarded for choosing the correct answer and for fooling others with your fake answer. The player with the most points at the end wins.