10 Best Party Games for Retirement Parties
Retirement parties are an incredible chance to give your best wishes to a family member, colleague, or friend who has chosen to take the next big step in life. If you wish to add a little flair and fun to the gathering, party games are the way to go!
You can pick almost any of the classic games for seniors and mix them into your theme with a bit of tweaking.
The question is, what retirement party games are out there and should there be prizes? Choose your game based on your audience’s background and plan everything ahead to throw an unforgettable retirement party.
The Best Party Games Every Retiree Loves
Following up are the best games that bring joy and fun to any retirement party. With these engaging games, you wouldn’t have to worry about people getting bored or losing their mood at the party.
Here are our suggestions:
1. Would You Rather
The questions in this game can start easy and fun, but it gets extremely deep and thought-provoking after a while, making it perfect for every party guest, regardless of age. Now here’s an example you’ll need time to answer: Would you rather listen to one song for the rest of your life or never be allowed to listen to the same song twice?
This game is very easy to play, needs no props, and people will be surprised by their own choices. What’s more fun than that?!
2. Bucket List Ideas
You start this game at the front door and ask the guests to participate as soon as they arrive. Invite everyone to write down what they think the retiree should have on their bucket list, and then as the guests are eating or opening gifts, the host shares everyone’s ideas.
3. Bingo
A timeless classic, don’t you agree? You just can’t go wrong with a game of bingo. Each player matches numbers printed in different arrangements on cards with the numbers the host draws randomly, marking the selected numbers with tiles. This is an engaging and fun game that can be competitive, particularly if an interesting prize is involved.
4. Never Have I Ever
Do you think you know your guests? Think again! This game reveals secrets never said before, making it extremely fun for retirement parties.
How to play? Simple: Each person holds up a hand and takes a turn telling a story about something they have never done before and saying: “Never have I ever…” If anyone in the group has ever done the action, they put down their finger. Prepare for waves of laughter and surprises to fill the party after this game.
5. Mini-Golf
This game is perfect for any retiree that loves to play golf and enjoys competition, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t?
Build your own mini-golf course or rent a party venue for it. Introduce some competition by dividing your guests into two teams and maybe raise the challenge bar.
6. Memory Bank
This is an easy one. All you need for this game are pens, index cards and a bowl. Ask your guests to write down a memory they have about the retiree. It can be a funny one, their first meeting or a habit or characteristic of the retiree that they’ll miss. Have them fold the card and place it in the bowl. Now, the retiree has to pick them, read them and guess who wrote every memory.
Don’t be surprised if all participants get emotional; this game creates hilarious conversations when the retiree is confused or guesses the writer wrong!
7. The Ol’ Switch-a-Roo
This game works only if the guests are familiar with one another. Nonetheless, it’s a fantastic game for office play.
First, you write each guest’s name on a card of its own, and as they arrive, you will hand them a card, and they will take on the role of the person on the card. They have to keep acting until someone guesses who they are supposed to be.
The person who guessed right will confiscate the card from the person playing the part, and the person with the most cards at the end will win. How very theatrical!
8. Two Truths and One Lie
In this fun party game, players have to come up and tell a story or anecdote about the retiree, but only two of them are true, and the other one is false. The other guests must decide which story is made up and who is the liar. If the liar gets away with the lie, they get a prize.
Lying to your friends and colleagues and winning a prize for your deception skills might be a refreshing and new experience.
9. Guess the Wine
Who needs persuasion when it comes to drinking wine, right?
For this party guessing game, you will need four bottles of different wine. Pour 2-3 ounces from each bottle and let the guests guess only by tasting the wine. Remember to blindfold them, and have fun!
10. Musical Chairs
This one is a classic, alright! The goal is not to be the one left without a chair when the music stops playing.
So remember to select an upbeat and loud one!
The game begins with everyone in a circle and chairs set up facing outward so that every guest has their own chair. All players must walk around the seats and sit the moment the song stops. Whoever doesn’t have an available seat loses, and the rest keep playing again.
The Bottom Line
Planning a retirement party game doesn’t have to be complicated. All it takes is a bit of careful preparation, a sense of humour and a little personal touch.
You can also make videos filled with love, admiration and appreciation for this wonderful person you are celebrating, getting them gifts and flowers or maybe a plane ticket for a well-deserved vacation spot. Retirement is a huge step in life’s journey. A whole new world is out there, and ready to welcome your loved ones. Make sure this event is one to remember, marking the end of a successful career and the start of a wonderful life after retirement.
Thank you for your suggestions. I find them very helpful. While I was thinking about choosing a couple of these games for my own retirement party, I found a critical factor that would be helpful to tell you too, guys.
It would be best to consider the guests’ health and mobility conditions and choose a game that everyone can participate in.
Considering this makes me cross the wine tasting and musical chair out of my list. At our age, every retirement party is like a feast to gathering various health and medical conditions in one place!
Hey Bessie. Well, I’m not sure that sipping a small amount of wine and making slight movements would be so harmful to anyone. In fact, it may be helpful and amusing. The truth is that the seniors’ life is mostly right on a specific schedule based on their medical routines, so sometimes, the situation becomes a bit boring and unbearable for them. It wouldn’t be so bad to make a difference in their habits by doing these unplanned and unscheduled activities.
Hi everyone! Thanks for this helpful article.
Well, I’m going to throw my birthday party this weekend. All of my friends who are invited are over 60 like me.
The fact is, I’ve recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It’s still in the first stages, so I’ve started to do brain training activities and play games that improve memory, but nearly all of these games are designed for individuals. Can anyone do me a favor and introduce some group games that are simultaneously entertaining and beneficial for brain training?!
Hey! Hope you’re great.
First of all, happy birthday, man!
The fact is you have to do most of the brain training activities and memory improvement games solely. However, you can play jigsaw puzzles, words with friends, scrabble, and chess with other participants.
But don’t worry! All the suggested games in this article or any other entertaining group games can amazingly improve your cognitive skill. All brain training activities and games aim to improve cognitive skills.
Communicating with other people and spending time with your beloved ones can do the same.
So there would be no problem!
Have fun!
There’s another group game that we occasionally play in our gatherings. I don’t know the exact name of the game, but Im going to describe it to you. The only required equipment is a pen and some sticky notes.
Write down the name of famous public figures, switch your sticky notes with each other, and then stick them on your forehead without looking at them. You have to guess who your figure is by asking yes/no questions until the end of the game. You can spice it up by setting a specific time or limiting the number of questions each player can ask.