7 Fun CNY Party Games To Make CNY Gatherings Less Awkward

Boy ah, what school you going to? When you getting girlfriend ah? Oh got girlfriend ah, when you getting married? Aiyo married so long already, why still no children yet?

It’s clear that Chinese New Year gatherings can cause distress, especially when you’re pelted by questions like the ones above! Besides being a good way of distracting your relatives from pestering you about future plans, Chinese New Year games can also help to get to know your relatives on a deeper level beyond superficials. From Among Us to Five Ten, here are some fun Chinese New Year games to help you get through those upcoming CNY gatherings!

Unique Chinese New Year games

1. Sticker Ninja — Stealthy fun for all

Few fun party games match the intensity of Sticker Ninja! The objective is simple: stick a sticker onto unsuspecting relatives to score a point. Armed with a sticker sheet, the game keeps players on their toes and can be played over the course of any CNY gathering! Sneaky tactics here include chatting someone up to distract them and accidentally running into them while getting a drink just so you can place your sticker onto them.

Instructions

• Sneakily empty your sticker sheet by sticking them on other guests
• If your sticking attempt fails and you’re caught by your targets, they get to stick one on you
• First one to empty their sheet wins

2. Five Ten — Classic Chinese drinking game with CNY snacks

If your guests are too shy to finish the CNY snacks, Five Ten is the perfect way to distribute them! While considered a drinking game, you can easily replace the alcohol with snacks in this fun finger-guessing game. Winners can help themselves to these tasty treats when they guess correctly. The key here is noticing the telltale signs of what players will throw out and yelling a number that accounts for this.

Instructions

• Players sit in a circle and stick both their hands out with the aim of guessing the exact number of open and closed hands in the circle. An open hand represents five and a closed fist represents zero. For example, three open hands would give 15 while six open hands would give 30.
• Guessing will be in multiples of five, with zero implying that everyone’s fist is clenched and the maximum number implying that everyone’s hand is opened
• Everyone takes their turn to guess. A correct guess will allow you to guess again, with the chance for other players to open or close their hands.
• Players who make correct guesses two times in a row win. Instead of forcing the next person to guess to drink, correct guessers are rewarded with a tasty snack.

3. Who Am I — Great for icebreaking

Who Am I is a perfect starter to any party’s Chinese New Year games as they encourage guests to mingle and socialise! While interacting, players must think of creative ways to gain information without giving up obvious hints. This creates opportunities for all kinds of comical interactions.

Instructions

• Names of popular celebrities or characters are written on sheets of paper beforehand and pasted on guests’ backs
• Each guest then gets a set number of “yes or no” questions, of which they can ask other guests to help find out what’s written on their back
• The last person to guess correctly loses

4. Hot Potato Selfie — Unglamourous pictures await

Everyone loves taking selfies but no one wants to be caught with an unglam selfie. Hot Potato Selfie puts you at risk of just that! With easy instructions and a quick set-up, Hot Potato Selfie joins our list of Chinese New Year games that allows everyone to join in. All you need is a circle of friends or family and a camera. 

Instructions

• First, set the camera timer without letting players know how much time they have.
• Each player holds the camera at arm’s length and points it at themselves before passing it to the next person
• Players can choose to ‘cook the potato’ by holding the camera for longer than required, though they risk this backfiring on them if the timer goes off
• The passing goes on until the camera goes off, taking a hilarious picture that will be the source of many laughs in future.

Casual video games for Chinese New Year gatherings

5. Among Us — Random accusations and skillful deception

No fun party games list is complete without the hit game Among Us! Similar to board games like Werewolf, every player will be either a crew mate or the sole imposter. Imposters are tasked with eliminating the crewmates without getting discovered. While crewmates are tasked with XX

Acting as the perfect platform for interaction, the game joins our ranks of great Chinese New Year games because you’re encouraged to mislead others and notice telltales signs. This creates memorable opportunities for comedy as players slip up or accuse others at random! Interested in learning more advanced strategies? Learn how to play like a pro with our Among Us tips!

Instructions

• Download the free game on mobile and enter the room code
• Crewmates: Work together to find out who the imposters are, eject them and complete tasks along the way
• Imposters: Divide the crewmates by earning their trust and kill them off one by one

6. Drawful 2 — The game of hilariously bad drawings

Fun party games like Drawful 2 fit the Chinese New Year games mould by adding a modern twist to the traditional Pictionary formula! With more wacky phrases and opportunities for witty mischief, you’ll laugh at crude drawings as you fool others with your misleading titles. Want to see the game in action? Check out the playthrough above!

Instructions

• Login to jackbox.tv and enter the room code
• Players get a unique phrase according to which they have to draw an image on their mobile device (without an eraser tool!)
• When a player’s drawings get featured, other players have to craft creative titles to fool everyone into thinking it was the original prompt
• You get points for fooling people with your crafty title when it’s not your drawing being featured and when players guess the correct title to your drawing when your drawing is featured
• There’s even a family-friendly mode so inappropriate prompts are omitted

7. Any rhythm game with plastic instruments

If you’ve invested in Rock Band or Guitar Hero before, it’s time to dust off those plastic instruments as fun party games like these are perfect Chinese New Year games! With varied track lists and difficulties, you’ll be jamming your heart out to classics and modern tracks. Our only complaint is the lack of Chinese New Year songs for us to rock out to.

Instructions

• Guitar and Bass – Hold the respective coloured button as it comes down the fretboard. Then, push or pull the strumming bar when the note’s in line with the button prompt. Higher difficulty levels add more colours and note variance into the mix so make sure to stretch those fingers beforehand!
• Drums – While it might not be as nuanced as playing the guitar, drumming accurately recreates reality as you’re striking your sticks on coloured drum pads. You’ll definitely work up a good sweat as you crank up the difficulty and strive to stay on beat.
• Vocals – Singing tests your ability to match the required pitch and enunciate the lyrics. Singing is kept accessible as you don’t require powerful vocals, simply keep to the pitch of the music and it’ll be enough. Raising the difficulty makes pitch thresholds less forgiving, requiring you to sing more accurately to hit the pitch.

Easing the awkwardness with these Chinese New Year games

While many might dread CNY gatherings, these fun party games help to cushion the inevitable awkward silences or incessant questioning. For the best deals on these fun party games, make sure to shop for them during our Chinese New Year Sale! Playing games makes interactions more casual and wholesome as you get to know your relatives better and create fond memories with them! Looking to up the ante with some alcohol? Check out our list of drinking card games! Alternatively, if you own a Nintendo Switch, you could check out these fun Nintendo Switch party games that will be the life of the party.