Goodtalk
Goodtalk

New Year's Eve Games: 9 games and 30 cards for the countdown to midnight

New Year's Eve is a long night with a fixed ending. Between dessert and midnight there's plenty of time to look back on the year and ahead to the next one. These games work with family, with friends and with a mixed crowd.

Play the 30 cards

The games

The year in four rounds

2-12 players, 30-45 min, Ages 10+

  1. Round 1: everyone shares a highlight from the year.
  2. Round 2: the others guess what that person was proudest of.
  3. Round 3: everyone shares what they're hoping for next year.
  4. Round 4: the others guess what that person wants to get better at.

Time capsule for next New Year's

2-20 players, 20 min, Ages 7+

  1. Everyone writes three predictions for next year: one about themselves, one about the family and one about the world.
  2. The slips go into an envelope that's sealed and dated.
  3. Next New Year's Eve, you open the envelope and read the predictions out loud.

Tip: Keep the envelope somewhere you'll find it again. The box of holiday decorations is a good bet.

Resolutions for someone else

3-15 players, 15 min, Ages 12+

  1. Everyone writes a resolution for the person on their right instead of for themselves.
  2. It should be something you wish for them, not something they need to fix.
  3. The slips are read out, and each person decides whether to accept the resolution they were given.

Year-in-review quiz

4-30 players, 20 min, Ages 10+

  1. One person writes 10 questions about the year's events, big and small.
  2. The group answers in teams.
  3. The winning team picks the music until midnight.

Tip: Mix questions about the world with questions about the people in the room.

The year in one photo

2-15 players, 15 min, Ages 10+

  1. Everyone picks one photo from this year on their phone.
  2. Take turns showing them, and the owner tells the story behind it in one minute or less.
  3. The group votes for the photo of the year.

The countdown round

Everyone, 10 min before midnight, All ages

  1. Ten minutes before midnight, go around the room.
  2. Everyone names one thing they want to bring with them from the year, and one thing they want to leave behind.
  3. When everyone has had their say, it's time for the countdown, the noisemakers and a glass of sparkling juice.

Guess whose resolution

4-20 players, 15 min, Ages 12+

  1. Everyone writes a resolution on a slip of paper without signing it.
  2. Shuffle the slips and read them out.
  3. The group guesses whose resolution it is, and the owner can explain why they chose it.

Word of the year

2-20 players, 10 min, Ages 8+

  1. Everyone chooses one word that sums up their year.
  2. Write all the words on one shared sheet of paper.
  3. Together, the group picks a word for the year ahead.

Conversation cards while you wait

2-12 players, As long as you like, All ages

  1. Put the phone in the middle of the table.
  2. Whoever most recently grabbed a snack draws the card.
  3. Everyone answers, and you can always pass.

The cards

  1. What are you most proud of from this year?
  2. Who meant the most to you this year, and do they know it?
  3. What have you learned about yourself this year?
  4. Which moment from this year would you love to live again?
  5. What was the hardest part of the year, and how did you get through it?
  6. Which new habit are you glad you picked up this year?
  7. What do you want to do in the new year that you didn't get around to this year?
  8. What did you say yes to this year that you're glad about?
  9. What did you say no to this year that you're glad about?
  10. If this year were a song, which song would it be?
  11. Who do you want to see more of next year?
  12. Where did you go for the first time this year?
  13. What do you hope the world gets better at next year?
  14. How do you want to feel when we're sitting here again a year from now?
  15. What small thing kept your everyday life running this year?
  16. What was the best meal of the year, and who did you share it with?
  17. Challenge:Describe your year in three words.
  18. Challenge:Tell us about the biggest surprise of your year in one minute or less.
  19. Challenge:Thank someone here for something from the past year.
  20. Challenge:Share a goal for the new year that you haven't told anyone yet.
  21. Challenge:Pick the song we'll play right after midnight.
  22. Challenge:Tell us what you'd like to leave behind in the old year.
  23. Challenge:Give the person on your right a wish to take into the new year.
  24. Point:Point at the person who tried the most new things this year.
  25. Point:Point at the person who'd rather be asleep when the clock strikes twelve.
  26. Point:Point at the person who'll keep their New Year's resolution the longest.
  27. Point:Point at the person who traveled the most this year.
  28. Point:Point at the person who laughed the most this year.
  29. Point:Point at the person who's best at surprising others.
  30. Point:Point at the person who's first in line at the dessert table.

30 cards.

Questions and answers

Which New Year's Eve games work when people don't know each other well?

Start with light games like word of the year and the year in one photo. The deeper questions about the year fit better later in the evening or in smaller groups.

What makes a good New Year's resolution?

One that's specific and kind: something you want more of, rather than something you have to quit. Resolutions for someone else is a fun way to get ideas from the people around you.

Can kids join in?

Yes. The time capsule, word of the year and the countdown round work for kids from about age seven. You can also make a kids' version of the quiz.

How do we use the cards on New Year's Eve?

Tap "Play the cards" and the phone shows one card at a time. Pass the phone around, or let one person read for the whole table.