Party games you can play on one phone
Not everyone wants to download something, and somebody's battery is always at 4%. These games need one phone passed round the group, or nothing at all.
Games where the phone deals the secrets
A phone is good at one thing paper is bad at: giving each player a different secret, at random, without anyone sitting out to organise it.
Classic Imposter
Everyone sees the secret word except one player. Give one-word clues, then vote on who was bluffing. Each player drags their card up to peek, then passes the phone on.
Question Imposter
Everyone answers the same question, but one player never saw it. The fun is in the imposter defending an answer to a question they are hearing for the first time.
Exposed
Everyone types a secret answer to an awkward question. One player is picked and only their answer is read out. No rules to explain, so it is a good first game.
Traitor
Secret roles, accusations and votes. The longest game here, for when the group has settled in.
The Real One
One player knows the real answer to a strange trivia question. Everyone else invents one. The guesser picks who is telling the truth.
Games that need no phone at all
Two Truths and a Lie
Each player says three things about themselves, one of them false. The group votes on the lie. Works best with people who do not know each other well yet.
Twenty Questions
One player thinks of something. Everyone else gets twenty yes-or-no questions to work out what it is.
Charades
Act out a film, book or song without speaking. Use the phone only as a timer.
Who Am I?
Stick a name to each player's forehead. Everyone asks yes-or-no questions to work out who they are.
What to look for in a one-phone game
- Short rounds. Five minutes, so nobody is stuck waiting for the phone.
- Nothing to sign up for. If the game needs an account, you have lost half the room.
- Works offline. Trains, campsites and basements all have bad signal.
- Talking, not tapping. The phone should deal the cards and get out of the way.
Questions people ask
What games can a group play on one phone?
Pass-and-play games, where the phone goes round and each player sees something in secret. Imposter games, secret-answer games and hidden-role games all work this way.
Do one-phone party games need the internet?
Not always. Fib Club's one-phone mode works offline and needs no account.