New Year's Eve Games for Adults and Families: A Countdown-Friendly Lineup From 9 PM to Midnight
Plan the night backwards from the countdown. Leave the last 10 minutes clear, put short games that can stop at any moment after 11:30, and play the long ones early. Below are two timetables: one for adults that uses all three of PartyDeck's one-phone games, and one for families with an earlier countdown that uses two.
The rule that shapes the night
A countdown cannot wait for a game to finish. So the closer it gets to midnight, the shorter and easier to stop each game should be. Imposter rounds include a discussion and a vote, so they go early. Charades stops cleanly at the end of any turn. Most likely to stops after any question. The last 10 minutes have no game at all, so everyone is in one room for the countdown.
Adults: 9 PM to midnight
Times are a plan, not a measurement. Groups vary, so move the blocks, not the countdown.
| Time | Game | Settings | Why here |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00–9:30 | Who's most likely to | Friends set (81 questions), 10 questions | Late arrivals join at the next question |
| 9:30–10:30 | Imposter | Holidays & Celebrations (50 words), 3-minute discussion | The longest game, while everyone is fresh |
| 10:30–11:15 | Charades, two teams | Party Time (48 words), 90-second turns | Gets people on their feet |
| 11:15–11:40 | Resolution charades | Your list from My words, 60-second turns | Short turns, and it stops at any turn |
| 11:40–11:50 | Most likely to, New Year edition | Your list from My words, 5 questions | Five questions, then stop |
| 11:50–12:00 | Nothing | Countdown on the TV | Glasses filled, everyone in the room |
The blocks are ceilings, not targets. The 45-minute charades block holds at most thirty 90-second turns (45 × 60 ÷ 90), and the 25-minute resolution block at most twenty-five 60-second turns. Hand-overs and checking the word list after each turn take time too, so plan on fewer.
Families: the same plan, with an earlier countdown
If your family counts down before midnight, keep the same shape and count back from your countdown time, written here as T:
| Time | Game | Settings |
|---|---|---|
| T − 2:00 to T − 1:15 | Charades, two teams | Kids' Classics (48 words) or Animals (50), 60-second turns |
| T − 1:15 to T − 0:40 | Who's most likely to | Family set (82 questions), 10 questions |
| T − 0:40 to T − 0:10 | Resolution charades | Your list, 60-second turns |
| T − 0:10 to T | Nothing | Countdown |
Imposter is left out of this plan because each player reads their own secret card. If everyone at your table reads, or non-readers play in pairs with a reader (see Christmas games for family), add a round after Most likely to. In charades, a child who cannot read yet can still guess while someone who can read gives the clues.
Two lists to paste into My words
Open My words, make a new list, and paste one of these. Your lists appear as an extra category in Charades and Imposter (classic mode), and as an extra set in Who's most likely to. They stay on your device. Length matters for charades: the game leaves out words already shown during your visit until fewer than 20 unseen ones remain, then brings the whole list back. The 40 resolutions give about 20 turns' worth of words before any can repeat.
Resolution charades (40 lines)
Going to the gym Learning to juggle Running a marathon Drinking more water Reading more books Learning to cook Waking up early Learning a language Doing yoga Saving money Cleaning out the closet Learning to dance Growing vegetables Taking the stairs Going to bed on time Learning the guitar Painting a picture Writing a diary Riding a bike to work Cooking a new recipe every week Phone-free dinners Calling grandma every week Taking a dance class Planning a big trip Walking the dog every morning Learning to swim Baking bread Doing a puzzle every day Making the bed Packing a healthy lunch Learning to skateboard Writing thank-you notes Fixing the leaky faucet Joining a choir Running a 5K Planting a tree Learning magic tricks Volunteering at the shelter Hiking a big trail Taking more photos
Most likely to: New Year edition (20 lines)
actually keep their New Year's resolution run a marathon this year learn a new language this year book a last-minute trip this year start a new hobby and quit by February still be awake at 12:01 fall asleep before midnight text "Happy New Year" to everyone at exactly midnight write the wrong year on something in January have the best story by next New Year's Eve take up running and talk about nothing else organize next year's party try every new restaurant in town this year adopt a pet this year finally clean out the garage learn to cook something impressive this year take the most photos tonight be first on the dance floor make a resolution and forget it by tomorrow call their family right after midnight
Each line of a Most likely to list finishes the question, so "actually keep their New Year's resolution" becomes "Who's most likely to actually keep their New Year's resolution?".
If you are running late
- Cut from the middle, not the end. Drop the Imposter block before you shorten the last 20 minutes.
- Turn the discussion timer down. Imposter's timer can be 1, 2, 3 or 5 minutes, or off. Two minutes speeds up each round.
- Pause, don't abandon. A charades turn can be paused, and so can Imposter's discussion when its timer is on, for when the doorbell goes or the food arrives.
Next steps
- Played Imposter before? The rules cover clues, voting and scoring.
- More questions for the warm-up: the full most likely to question list.
- Earlier in the season: Christmas games for the whole family.