Party games without props: 7 games for a group with just one phone

The seven games at a glance

Player counts and durations are the ranges HowlNight uses for each game. Durations are rough guides – a lively group can easily turn ten minutes into an hour.

Werewolf Night

Werewolf is the classic social deduction game. Everyone secretly gets a role: most are villagers, a few are werewolves. At night the werewolves quietly pick a victim; during the day the whole village discusses who might be a werewolf and votes someone out. The village wins when all werewolves are gone, the werewolves win once they are as many as the villagers.

Traditionally one person has to sit out as the game master. In HowlNight the app can take that job: a narrator voice calls the roles, the device lies in the middle and each role makes its choice on it, so everyone plays. If you prefer, a person can lead the night instead with guided announcements. With 16 roles, presets for Beginner, Classic and Chaos and a discussion timer, it's the game to save for when the whole group has arrived.

Impostor

Everyone sees the same secret word – except the impostor, who only sees the category (or gets no hint at all, if you switch that option off). Going around the circle, each player says one word that relates to the secret word. Too obvious and the impostor catches on; too vague and you look suspicious yourself. Then you discuss and vote.

The twist: a caught impostor can still win by naming the secret word. In HowlNight you can play with two impostors from seven players and set an optional discussion timer. Rounds are short, so Impostor works well when not everyone has time for a full game of Werewolf.

Ticking Bomb

A category appears – for example something you find in a fridge. Name something that fits, then pass the phone on as fast as you can. Nobody knows when the bomb goes off; whoever holds it at that moment gets a strike. No repeats allowed. After all rounds, the player with the fewest strikes wins.

The ticking gets faster as time runs out, which makes people blank on words they know perfectly well.

Say It Differently

Split into teams. One player explains the word on the card without using the forbidden words listed below it or any part of the word itself. The team guesses as many words as possible before the time runs out, then the next team takes over.

HowlNight lets you play with two to four teams, choose 30 to 120 seconds per turn and play to 20, 30 or 50 points. There is also a pantomime mode, where words are acted out instead of explained, and a mixed mode. It's the best choice when you want team spirit rather than everyone against everyone.

Who Am I?

The classic forehead game: everyone gets a secret identity that only the others can see, then asks yes-or-no questions to find out who or what they are. The fewer questions you need, the better.

Besides this classic mode, HowlNight has a faster forehead mode: you hold the phone to your forehead, the others describe the word, and you tilt forward for correct or back to skip. Because it works with anything from two players upward, it's one of the most flexible games on this list.

Who Would Rather …?

A question appears, such as who would rather miss a train. After a short countdown, everyone points at the person who fits best – all at the same time. Whoever gets the most fingers gets a point; a tie gives nobody a point.

There is nothing to explain and nobody can play it wrong – a perfect warm-up while people are still arriving.

Draw It!

The drawer secretly looks at the word and draws it on the screen while the others shout their guesses. No letters, numbers or gestures. If someone guesses it in time, the drawer and the guesser each get a point, then the next player draws.

Drawing on a phone screen is harder than on paper, and that is half the fun. It's a calmer game that suits the later part of an evening.

Tips for hosting a games night

A good games night depends less on the games than on the pacing. A few things that help:

• Start with something that needs no explanation, like Who Would Rather …?, while people are still arriving.
• Explain rules in one or two sentences and learn the details while playing.
• Alternate long and short games: a round of Werewolf, then a quick Ticking Bomb.
• Stop a game while it's still fun rather than playing until everyone is tired of it.
• Keep questions and words suitable for the group – what works among close friends may not work with colleagues or family.

Playing all seven with HowlNight

HowlNight brings these seven games together in one app for iPhone and iPad: add the players once, pass the phone around and start playing – no account and no extra devices. All seven games are free with the basic packs. HowlNight Pro adds premium packs, your own packs and removes ads.