Sweet 16 Party Games Your Guests Will Love (2024)

The Sweet 16 party is a well loved and time honoured tradition that marks a milestone in the transition from child to adult. These parties are often one of the largest that any child will have. And they can range from a backyard barbeque to a hall rental with full ballgowns. The most important part of planning is that it fit the personality and preferences of the guest of honour. And these sweet 16 party games are sure to add to the fun.

Fun Sweet 16 Party Games

16 Questions

Ask 16 questions and get the best answers. You can create a list and have guests fill it out and bring it to the party. Alternatively guests submit online for easy and fast results. Then compile the results. You can leave it anonymous or have their names included, and your birthday celebrator will forever have a list of what people thought they liked, what the best song or band of the year was, the best TV show, and what trends and topics are popular in the school and the community. These memories can bring them a smile in their adulthood.

Bingo

Create a bingo game, with facts about them instead of numbers, and play as normal. For added fun have some prizes for those who win but make the prizes favourites of your birthday person. Their favourite candy can be a question and also a prize.

Lip Sync

Hold your own lip sync battle for a great way to add a high energy and engaging game. Have people bring their own favourite song or choose one of the best songs of the year. Or even add a little adventure by having them do top songs of the year 16 years ago. You can include pictures or words and use the finished cards to decorate for the rest of the party.

Would You Rather?

Playing Would You Rather is a great way to get people to engage with each other. Plus it helps everyone to learn something new about the people that they spend their time with. Each person gets to choose between two things and say which they would rather do. For an extra twist create pairs or groups and have them answer for each other, then see if they are right. This game is sure to open new conversations and help everyone see how others can view the world and how opinions and experiences differ even among close friends.

Jeopardy

Jeopardy, or a version of the game on Friends, are a fun way to see how much people know. You can make the questions specific to the group of friends, to the school, the year, the year they were born, or about the person whose birthday it is. It is certain to bring laughter and engage all the guests.

Guess Who

Have everyone contribute to a list of people and put the names in a bowl. Each person grabs a name out of the bowl and offers clues to who it is, while the guests try and guess whose name is on the paper. This can be played in many different ways, with famous people, people you know, places in the city or town that you live in, or even classrooms in the school. With so many options this game can take center stage while it is played, and people will enjoy a fun sense of friendly competition. Prizes can be handed out in the style of bags of candy, first choice for piece of cake or cupcake, or even choosing the music for the next round.

Click here to read our best 16th Birthday Gifts for girls.

Who Knows You Best

Friends all share different aspects of their life and things they do or enjoy. But if you are having a small group of friends or a party with just family this game can be a fun way to show your appreciation and affection for your birthday star. Questions can be about the birthday, or even birthdays of the past, what was their favourite party of all time, what was the name of their childhood stuffed animal, what other schools did they go to, and even their best subjects in school and their favourite classes. There are nearly endless questions so any that may be embarrassing or share secrets can be avoided for a light hearted and enjoyable game.

Karaoke With a Twist

If you have a group of outgoing people who are ready to try anything fun, then you can have a round of karaoke. This is a popular activity, so add a twist to keep it on topic and the focus on the birthday celebration. Limit songs to the most popular, to their favourite, the top song for each year for each of the last 16 years, or any other theme. Cheer on everyone and enjoy the laughter and bonding that is sure to follow.

Truth Or Dare

Truth or Dare is a traditional game for sleep overs and gatherings of friends, but for the party set extra rules. Dares can be listed to choose from and limit the questions that can be asked, perhaps make the truths about light subjects, or about the birthday guest of honour, and dares should be something that is silly and fun and light.

How To Choose Sweet 16 Party Games

When planning a party for someone special to you, you will want to make sure that the party suits them and their personality, and that it is something they will love. This can be a bit more difficult as you will need to put aside your preferences and focus on theirs, but just as you will choose their favourite music for the soundtrack, look for games that they will like the most. If they are fans of quiz games than use quiz games, if they like to play truth or dare you can play that or change it to Jeopardy or Would You Rather.

Sweet 16 Party Games Final Note

For each game that you choose, leave some free time for guests to snack, interact, and chat. If the party needs a boost add in a new game that doesn’t require a lot of preplanning, or keep one ready to go as a party saver just in case.