If you’re a frequent rider on the train or bus or even just sitting in a restaurant, observe the groups around you. Are they talking to each other or staring at their phones? In restaurants, are they too busy taking selfies to post on social media to enjoy talking to the person in front of them? The best part about hosting your own party is that you can (temporarily) change the stare-at-a-smartphone energy, even if it’s just for a few hours. How? While there’s nothing wrong with group card games or quietly watching a movie, there’s something nostalgic about playing board games and interactive games with a crew. Try these seven party games to play with friends at home.

Motownopoly

Monopoly is cool, but charging your friends for landing on Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” or Edwin Starr’s “War” may make you want to get up and dance to your favorite R&B song. Sure, your friend may have a “lost voice” while you’re raking in Gold Records and record studios in Motownopoly, but that’s the music industry.

Adultopoly

Depending on who your guests are, you might want to switch to “Adultopoly,” but that game entails options like letting your partner tie your hands and do whatever they want to you for two minutes in “jail.” Your guest list should be way more carefully chosen for these kinds of variations of Monopoly. If you’re looking for a creative version of Truth or Dare, this is it!

Scrabble

It’s not that Words With Friends or Wordle aren’t fun to play with your friends via phone, but playing Scrabble in person takes all the suspicion out of how your friends are choosing words you’ve never heard them say in your entire life. Keep a dictionary nearby for Scrabble in case it gets tricky. And if you really want to throw in a different level of difficulty, ask all the party game guests to choose themed words (ex. winter-themed words or relationship-themed words). If you know your party guests have a habit of losing game pieces, this card game version of Scrabble may be easier to contain.

Pente

Similar to Connect 4, the goal of the game is to get four pieces in a row (or five in a row if it’s only two players). While Pente seems like such a simple game to play, once your party guests get the hang of how to collect five of your pairs, this can get about as real as a game of Spades.

Kinfolk SayLess

This is neither a board game nor the kind of card game with kings, queens and jokers. Kinfolk SayLess is a game of Charades made for people who prefer sweet potato pie instead of pumpkin cake at Thanksgiving. You may be on the losing end if you don’t know how to Swag Surf or set up a BBQ grill, but chances are pretty high you can reenact blowing bubble gum and flex your muscles.

Whodunit Mysteries

Sure, you could play a game of Clue, but it’s way more entertaining to dress up like the characters in a whodunit game and figure out who is responsible for the murder mystery. (Make sure to try out whatever accent you’re assigned.) You can try paid versions or consider freebies like the “Sour Grapes Of Wrath.” You’ll need name tags and to print out instructions and game cards, so everyone can guess who they think the culprit is. Or, play a jazz and Great Gatsby murder mystery game. (If you have a party guest who is constantly reminding you she’s a writer and just released a book, this is her time to shine and remix this game into a Harlem Renaissance murder mystery.)

Life

If your party guests are in the mood to play a game that’s like their own home, check out Life. Choose your game decisions based on your career, college career, pets and house. With recent presidential news and knowing President Joe Biden’s plan for student loan forgiveness, it may not be as much fun to pay the bank $100,000 right away in hopes of getting that high-paying job. Career over college? Automobile insurance or homeowners insurance?

From family friendly to adults only, all seven of these games will keep you and your guests entertained for an hour or two. And if you play your board game (or cards) right, expect there to be challenges for a rematch.