Dinner's done by nine and midnight is three hours away. Put a game on the TV and everyone plays from their own phone, so people can wander in and out with a drink without breaking anything. Nothing to download, and it works for a family night in or a full house.
One big game after dinner, a couple of quick ones as people come and go, and something short before the countdown.
The main event. Two teams, up to 16 players, and everyone adds names to the bowl. Make it a year-in-review round: each guest writes things from the past year, like a trip, a new job, a viral video or the thing that happened at the barbecue. Then describe them, say one word, and act them out.
Save this one for the hour before midnight. Make your own category about your year together in a few minutes and play it on the TV, buzzing in from phones. Kids can team up with an adult on one phone.
Fill in the blank with the funniest card in your hand. Start on the Family deck while the kids are up, then switch to After Dark once they're in bed.
A drop-in game for between the big ones. Someone draws on their phone, the room shouts guesses, and people can join between rounds with a drink in hand.
Everyone cracks the same five-letter word at once on their own phone while the TV shows colors only. A round takes a few minutes, which makes it a good last game before the countdown.
Setting up is the same for every game: open hangtime.games/host on the TV, then everyone goes to hangtime.games/play and types the code. 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 room can follow along.
Bowl Game in two teams is the big one, with a round of slips about the past year. Best Answer Wins has an adults-only After Dark deck for later in the night. Both run on the TV with everyone playing from their phone.
Trivia Board, Doodler and Wordy Birdy are free and work for mixed ages. Make a Trivia Board category about your family's year, and let younger kids team up with an adult on one phone.
Start with a long team game like Bowl Game after dinner, play quick rounds of Doodler or Wordy Birdy as people come and go, and finish with your own year-in-review trivia about an hour before the countdown.
Yes. Every game except Trivia Board has a remote mode, so friends can join from their own phones over a video call, even if their midnight already happened.
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.
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.
Want no-tech ideas too? Read New Year's Eve party games for adults and families, or the rules for Fishbowl if you're playing it with paper.
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 · Halloween party games · Thanksgiving games · Christmas party games · Diwali party games · Games to play on Zoom · Team building games · Classroom games · The blog
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