Inside: Top College Party Games for a Fun Time. 

Oh the good old college days, you gotta love them. We all love a great party and a college party is one of the best.

From game-day tailgates to farewell party these fun games for college students are meant to have a great time with all your best friends. We have games for every time of school year listed below, from holidays to the start of school when those dorm hallways can be in deep need of a little fun and cheer.

Check out these fun games for all the of college, dorm, sorority, football fun.

college party games

College Football Party Games

Field Goal Ring Toss

With some extra copper pipes and a glue gun, you can create a mini field goal to play ring toss for a fun group activity. Try to throw your washers onto each post of the field goal — it’s harder than it looks!

Cornhole

Corn hole is a classic game for tailgates & college football party game, no outdoor college party is official unless it’s there! If you are hosting when the weather is nice, take it outside with this simple travel set up that can store out of place when needed. 

Place Your Bets

Everyone gets to guess at the game’s final score with this grid. You can play for fun, or have everyone bet a dollar on the final outcome — the winner takes all.

Ladderball

Ladder ball is one of my favorite college football party games. It’s so fun and everyone can play. Plus it’s great because lots of conversation can happen while you toss the balls across the room
best outdoor college party games with instructions, details on how to play the games, and tips for setting it up:

Spikeball

This game is played with a small trampoline-like net, a small ball, and 4 players. Each team of 2 stands on opposite sides of the net, and the goal is to hit the ball onto the net so that it bounces off and the other team can’t return it.

How to play: Players must hit the ball back and forth to each other, without letting it hit the ground or miss the net. The first team to reach 21 points wins.

Tips for setting up: Make sure you have enough space for the net and players, and bring extra balls in case one gets lost or damaged.

KanJam

This game is played with 2 teams of 2 players, 2 goal cans, and a frisbee. The goal is to throw the frisbee and hit the goal can, or have your teammate deflect it into the can for points.

The game is played to 21 points. Points are awarded for hitting the goal can directly (3 points) or having your teammate deflect the frisbee into the can (1 point).

Tips for setting up: Set up the goal cans at opposite ends of the playing area, and make sure there is enough space for players to move around and throw the frisbee.

Giant Jenga

This game is played with a set of giant Jenga blocks, stacked into a tower. Players take turns removing one block at a time from the tower and placing it on top, without causing the tower to fall. The game is played until the tower falls. The player who caused the tower to fall loses.

Tips for setting up: Make sure you have a sturdy surface to play on, such as a table or level ground. You may also want to mark a safe area around the tower in case it falls towards the players.

Water Balloon Dodgeball

This game is played with 2 teams of players, a large playing area, and water balloons. The goal is to hit players on the other team with water balloons without getting hit yourself.

Players throw water balloons at the other team, trying to hit them without getting hit themselves. If a player gets hit, they are out. The game is played until one team is eliminated.

Tips for setting up: Make sure you have enough water balloons for everyone to play, and designate clear boundaries for the playing area. You may also want to provide a hose or other water source for refilling balloons.

These games are all fun and easy to set up, and are perfect for an outdoor college football party or tailgate. Just be sure to follow any local laws or regulations regarding noise, alcohol, and other party-related activities when bringing the party outside!

college football party games

Games for Freshman Party in College

Here are some of my favorite games for college freshmen to play their first week on campus. So many of these have made a difference as we’ve welcomed freshman to get to know one another and connect. 

Treasure Hunt

Here’s one of our favorite games for a freshman party. Divide your students and make 4-5 teams of random people and give them clues to things hidden all over the college. The first team to crack all the clues to this freshers party game wins. This interesting game is an effective team-building exercise that’s perfect for getting the ay of the land and your newest friends that first week on campus.

Newspaper Fashion

This freshman party game starts by giving the participants a set of newspaper and scissors.

Ask each of them to create a fashion item out of it, or do the activity in groups if it’s easier. Let the creativity flow. The one who makes the best fashion item wins!

Make sure to do a big fashion show with everyone showcasing their paper outfits at front of the room. This game will really get everyone out of their comfort zones quickly.

Crazy Poses

Make a group of 2-3 students and give them a difficult pose to perform and hold that pose for thirty seconds. This game shows teamwork among the students and will give the rest of the crew a fun giggle while they try to hold this pose.

Who knows, maybe these games for freshman party is where they will find their project partner, or an even better outcome! 😉

Paper Dance

This game is for dancing companions, the couple tries to balance itself on a newspaper as the songs stop playing.

But it has a catch. With every pause in the song… the newspaper will be folded.

Hence the size of the newspaper will keep getting smaller and so will the number of players. The last couple to survive this college party game wins.

Icebreaker Bingo

To play this game you’ll create a bingo card with fun facts about your fellow freshmen. Have each person introduce themselves and try to find someone who matches each fact. The first person to fill their card wins. It’s a great way for freshmen to get to know each other and find common interests.

Two Truths and a Lie

Each person tells 3 statements about themselves – 2 are true, and 1 is a lie. Everyone else tries to guess which statement is the lie. This is an easy game to play while sitting and lets the freshmen get to know each other better and can lead to interesting conversations.

Human Knot

Stand in a circle and have everyone put their right hand in and grab someone else’s hand. Do the same with the left hand. The goal is to untangle the knot without letting go of hands.

Never Have I Ever

One person starts by saying “Never have I ever [done something].” Anyone who has done that thing puts a finger down. The game continues until someone has put all their fingers down. This game is a lighthearted way to learn more about each other and can lead to funny or interesting stories.

These games are all easy to play, don’t require any special equipment, and are great for breaking the ice with new friends at parties during the first week of college.

college party games for freshman orientation

Farewell College Party Games to Play

Packing Challenge

Put a huge pile of travel objects inside the middle of the ground in conjunction with multiple suitcases.

Put the class into small groups and see who can pack a suitcase for a trip as fast as possible. Choose a particular region in which they will be traveling to for the challengers to decide what they ought to take along.

Once everybody has completed, gamers have to open their suitcase to expose everyone what they packed. 😉

Clue Dinner Party

Set up a dinner party in which everybody is a person in the game Clue. If you’ve got lots of team members you may need to create more identities.

Have this game contain the commemorated guest going missing as opposed to being killed as a fun twist or pick one of these murder mystery dinner games to solve a real murder. 

Guests ought to try to figure out who abducted the honored visitor and in which the kidnapper took him.

Betting Book

Set up a betting book to place wagers on how soon the person will return.

This can be for real and involve actual bets or just as a word games joke. While they are gone, have each guest include a reason she believes the person will return.

New Years Party Games

Two Resolutions & A Lie

If your party is bogging down, try Two Resolutions and a Lie to liven things up.

Each guest presents three resolutions, two of which are true and one of which is a lie.

As each guest takes turns sharing theirs, the other guests try to discern which two are true and which is the lie. If you wish, you can have guests keep track of their guesses and award a prize to the one with the most correct.

Countdown Charades

To play this game you’ll need a timer or clock.

Split the group into two teams. Each team takes turns choosing a New Year’s themed phrase (e.g., “ball drop,” “champagne toast”) or an event from the past year (e.g., “viral TikTok dance,” “Royal Wedding”).

The player then has 30 seconds to act out the phrase without using words, and their team has to guess the phrase before time runs out.

The team with the most correct guesses at the end of the game wins.

Who’s resolution is it anyway?

Each player writes down three New Year’s resolutions they hope to achieve in the coming year (e.g., “exercise more,” “learn a new skill,” “travel to a new place”). All of the resolutions are then collected and mixed up.

Players take turns reading a resolution out loud and guessing who wrote it. The player who guesses the most resolutions correctly wins. This game is a great way to get to know your fellow party-goers and set some fun and achievable goals for the New Year.

New Year’s Eve Scavenger Hunt

Create a scavenger hunt with clues or a list of items to find around the dorm or campus related to New Year’s Eve (e.g., “find something gold or silver,” “take a selfie with a party hat on”). Divide players into teams and set a time limit for completing the scavenger hunt.

The team that finds the most items or completes the most clues within the time limit wins!

These games are all easy to set up, require minimal supplies, and are great for a fun and festive New Year’s party with college students in a dorm.

Halloween College Party Games

Horror Movie Trivia

What was the actual name of Ghost face’s costume in “Scream?” How many people associated with “The Exorcist” died during the film’s year-long shoot? What is Michael Myers’ middle name? Think you’re a “horror buff,” try to win this quiz!

Murder Mystery

The real-life Clue, a murder mystery board game and film, where partygoers interrogate one another and guess who killed an innocent guest.

Who can you trust? This is such a fun games for college students to play as a group & bonus points you can watch the movie afterwards.

Christmas party college games

Christmas College Party Games

White Elephant Exchange

This is a classic gift exchange game that small to large groups love to play during the holidays. In order to play this game, you should instruct each player ahead of time to bring a wrapped gift to contribute to a general gift table. 

Each player then chooses a gift from the table depending on the number they drew at the beginning, then one by one but has the alternate option to steal another player’s gift. The game finally ends when there aren’t any gifts left on the table.

Christmas Karaoke

Host a Christmas karaoke hour for your dorm mates who will wait all year for their favorite holiday tunes.

Do your best to find karaoke versions of popular Christmas songs and set aside two mics just in case a duet is in store. There’s nothing like a funny tune or a singer that picks up one more letter on the end of a long winded ballad to create a fun college memory before heading home for holiday break.

More Fun Games For College Students You Might Like

  • Drinking Board Games – We have the games, just add drinks and have fun! BOYB and get ready for one fun game night! I love game nights, but when you add a fun ADULT twist then I REALLY love game night! We have played so many different games, but these drinking games are probably some of my very favorites.
  • Best Amazon Board Games: Ditch the TV and let the boards games for college students begin! We love a good game night, whether its a game night with the kids, our adult friends, or as a family this list of 25 Best Amazon Board Games make for one FUN game night full of laughs and fun. Now I cannot promise there won’t be a little friendly funding but don’t worry it won’t last long!
  • Ice Breaker Games for Parties – I love a good party, nothing is better than good food, fun music, and great people. But there is always that little bit of an awkward time when everyone is just arriving and the party has quite kicked off! Don’t let those awkward silences or uncomfortable first meetings ruin your good time. Here are 43 of the most hilarious ice breaker games for parties!