The costumes are on, the candy bowl is half gone, and people are standing around the snacks. Put a game on the TV and everyone plays from their own phone. Nothing to download, nothing to set up, and it works whether it's a house full of kids or a grown-up costume party.
These hold up with a loud room, a mixed crowd and people wandering in halfway through.
Someone draws on their phone and the room shouts guesses at the TV. The word list already has a few seasonal ones (ghost, pumpkin, vampire), and arguing over whether a drawing is a bat or a burnt pancake is half the fun. Kid mode gives younger players multiple choice.
A whodunnit for the costume crowd. Everyone knows the secret except the Liar, who has to bluff their way through each round of clues. Works well when the room is already in character.
The pick for a big party. Two teams, up to 16 players, and everyone adds names to the bowl. Try a Halloween round where every name is a costume, a monster or a scary movie, then describe it, say one word, and act it out.
Jeopardy-style trivia on the TV, buzzing in from phones. Free for up to 8 players, and kids can team up with an adult on one phone.
Fill in the blank with the funniest card in your hand. The Family deck is the default; for an adults-only party, the host can switch to After Dark.
Not sure how to get it on the TV? Here's how to cast, AirPlay or plug in a laptop.
Every game except Trivia Board has a remote mode that runs on phones. Start the game at hangtime.games/play, send the code, and they play over a video call. Open hangtime.games/host on your TV and type the same code under “Already started a game on a phone?” so the party can follow along.
Who's Lying? and Best Answer Wins are the crowd favorites for a grown-up Halloween party. Who's Lying? is a whodunnit where one player bluffs, and Best Answer Wins has an After Dark deck for adults only. Bowl Game is the pick for groups bigger than 10.
Doodler is free and has a kid mode with multiple-choice guesses, so little ones can play alongside teenagers. Its word list already has a few seasonal ones like ghost, pumpkin and vampire. Trivia Board is free too, and kids can team up with an adult on one phone.
No. Any screen with a web browser works: a smart TV, a laptop plugged into the TV, or a projector. Everyone else uses their own phone, with nothing to download.
Yes. Every game except Trivia Board has a remote mode, so friends can join from their own phones over a video call.
Trivia Board, Doodler and Wordy Birdy are free, with full rooms and no account. Who's Lying?, Best Answer Wins, Rummy, Bowl Game and Hostile Cakeover are in the Launch Pack, a one-time $5 (founder price, $10 later). Only the host buys it; players always join free.
Planning the whole night, not just the TV part? Read Halloween party games for adults, families and kids, with no-tech games and a simple plan for the evening.
New to Hangtime? See how it works, or how it compares in Looking for a Jackbox alternative?
More game night ideas: Free game night games · A cheaper Jackbox alternative · Party games for large groups · Thanksgiving games · Christmas party games · Diwali party games · Games to play on Zoom · Team building games · Classroom games · The blog
Hangtime is an independent party game site; all other trademarks belong to their owners.
