I love the idea of game night, but I've never successfully hosted one. I either spend too long explaining a detailed game to my friend group, or we just can't decide on which one to play.
I set out to find the best trivia and party game apps that can spice up any gathering, including the highest-rated in the App Store and smaller, lesser-known options. From the dozen apps I tried, only four were a hit with my friends and family, and in the mix I found two that work well with introverts.
Best trivia and game night apps at a glance
| App | Available on | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guess | iPhone and Android | Free | Heads Up-style charades with custom categories |
| Gartic Phone | iPhone, Android, and desktop | Free, with ads | Broken telephone meets Pictionary |
| Sporcle Party | iPhone and Android | Free | Trivia with a private group using pre-made packs |
| SpyFall | iPhone and Android | Free | A no-fuss version of imposter |
| SongPop Classic | iPhone and Android | Free | Music trivia, but built for solo play |
| Trivia Crack | iPhone and Android | Free, with in-app coin purchases | What's with all the hype? |
1. Guess: The top Heads Up-style app available
5 out of 5 overall
- Free
- Available for iOS and Android
Guess is an app version of Heads Up, the classic guess-what's-on-my-forehead game. I really appreciate how simple using the app is: You open the app, tap a category, and hold your phone up to your forehead. A word appears on your screen that you can't see, and the rest of the group gives you clues until you guess it. Plus, hundreds of categories will keep game-night fun all year long.
Image: Jessica Santero | WhistleOut
This app is great for experienced players and beginners alike, and it's always a blast. You don't need an email sign-up to use it, either. Just download and play. Usually these types of apps give you ads as well, but Guess didn't give me a single ad in an hour of gameplay.
Among the endless categories of game topics, I loved the Pokémon deck, which really put my expertise to the test.
You can adjust the rules by team, by time, by number of guesses, or by number of mistakes, and you can build your own categories from scratch. If you've got a family reunion coming up, you could put together a category of family nicknames or every pet the family has ever owned. It doesn't take any setup, almost everyone already knows how to play, and you can do it anywhere.
Image: Jessica Santero | WhistleOut
2. Gartic Phone: A classic that makes every game night magical
5 out of 5 overall
- Free, with ads
- Available for iOS, Android, and desktop
You haven't truly laughed until you've played Gartic Phone with at least one friend with dark humor, the group know-it-all, and the jokester. It all starts with a sentence that evolves into a completely different idea by the end of the round. One person starts a game, and the rest join by invite code or QR code, then the group alternates writing prompts and drawing them based on what the last person submitted. By combining broken telephone with Pictionary, Gartic Phone lets you draw and interpret, but how different is the end result from the original sentence?
Image: Jessica Santero | WhistleOut
You have to give this app a go. None of my pictures do it justice.
Plus, you're not limited to mobile because it also works on desktop. I do have to say, playing on a small phone screen is part of the fun. Drawing anything recognizable on a cramped screen is hard, which only makes the broken-telephone chain funnier by the end. On desktop, you can send an invite link and hop on a video call if your group isn't in the same room.
Image: Jessica Santero | WhistleOut
The only caveat is ads. I sat through a thirty-second Mint Mobile ad with Ryan Reynolds before a round started, but the rest of the game ran ad-free after that. This app works well for a house party or when you're out and about with friends and just need a good laugh.
Mint Mobile has cheap premium data
Here at WhistleOut, most of the team are actually Mint Mobile fans, especially considering Mint will let you know when to downgrade to a cheaper plan based on your monthly usage. Check out our first-hand review for more detail.
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3. Sporcle Party: Trivia, but best in a private group (trust me)
4.5 out of 5 overall
- Free
- Available for iOS and Android
Sporcle Party is hands-down the best app for trivia competitions in a group, but you have to invite the participants. This app offers two ways to play: You can set up a private host invite and text your friends to join, or directly join a public game currently going on.
Be careful with the public option. Scrolling through the open games going on at any given moment looks a lot more like a dating app than a trivia app, with only a single question in the set. I wasn't interested in playing a trivia round where the game description doubled as a dating profile.
Image: Jessica Santero | WhistleOut
If you have a larger friend group (or any group that would want to play), you can compete in categories like movies, history, literature, shows, and tons of other topics. I played a "Pick the Halle Berry Movie" set with my pickleball group, which was epic. There are plenty of pre-programmed packs to choose from, or you can choose one of the user-submitted ones. Just be careful since there's no guarantee what's in them.
If you have a small friend circle, check out our guide to the best apps to meet new people.
4. SpyFall: Imposter (or Sleeping Village) made easy
3 out of 5 overall
- Free
- Available for iOS and Android
SpyFall splits a group into spies and civilians, and you need to find out who's who. Civilians know a secret keyword and have to share related thematic words without spoiling or directly saying the keyword. Meanwhile, the spy, who doesn't know the word, tries to blend in by saying (or rather guessing) words that probably fit the category. But careful, if anyone says the keyword, they're eliminated.
Image: Jessica Santero | WhistleOut
How the game is played in a nutshell: Imagine the keyword is swimming pool. Every civilian says something related to it, like goggles or sunscreen, while the spy tries to say something plausible without giving away that they don't know the word. You may have played this game under the name of Werewolf or Sleeping Village, but the premise is similar: Don't let anyone know you're the bad guy, and argue your way out if you have to.
This app would be a total hit at a family reunion, Friday night happy hour, or even a dinner party. Using the app is much more convenient than writing keywords on paper and drawing them from a hat, since you skip the setup entirely. That said, the paper-and-hat version has its own kind of nostalgic charm, so it's still worth doing if the mood strikes.
Enough data to host game night over video call
Not everyone can make it to game night in person. Apps like Gartic Phone let remote friends join in over a video call, which eats into your data plan faster than a quick round of SpyFall.
Check out some of the most popular budget-friendly unlimited data plans below:
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Mint Mobile
Unlimited Data Plan
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Taxes & Fees included
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T-Mobile
Essentials Saver 2.0
$50.00/mo
with Auto-Pay - Taxes & Fees NOT included
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Bonus. SongPop Classic: Fun built for introverts, not group night
3 out of 5 overall
- Free
- Available for iOS and Android
I had a blast playing with this app, which is why it's on this list, but it's more of a solo-play game than a group night contender. SongPop Classic has you pick from free playlists sorted by genre, then answer five multiple-choice song questions against another player. Whoever answers fastest wins the round.
Image: Jessica Santero | WhistleOut
I went with a 2014 pop playlist and had to identify Maroon 5 and Meghan Trainor tracks, then took on an R&B playlist after that. I won every challenge sent my way, for what it's worth, and had a good time doing it.
The catch is that you can't link multiple phones together for one shared game, which rules it out for an in-person game night. If you want something to pass the time solo, it's a reasonable download. Just don't expect it to work as a group activity.
The worst app I tried: Trivia Crack: I have a bone to pick with this app
3.5 out of 5 overall
- Free, with in-app coin purchases
- Available for iOS and Android
Trivia Crack is one of the highest-rated apps on both the App Store and Google Play Store, and I don't get it. Not only does it require an email sign-in and ask your age before you start, but the main attraction to Trivia Crack is a money pit. You can play trivia (in a strange gambling-like style) by tapping a spinner. You then land on a category, answer a question, and get marked correct or incorrect before moving on.
Image: Jessica Santero | WhistleOut
Every answer is followed by a full-page ad before you can tap continue, plus a prompt to share your result on social media. And despite the name, most of the app is built around constructing an amusement park with purchased coins, which has absolutely nothing to do with answering questions.
The trivia questions are basic, and it's honestly just an afterthought to the strange amusement park main quest in the app. I'm not sure how it holds such a high rating in the app stores…because it shouldn't.
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How I evaluated the best trivia and game night apps
I judged each app on whether it actually gets a group playing in the same room, not just whether it looks good in a store listing. Here's what I looked for:
- Setup time: Can everyone jump in within a minute, or does someone have to walk the group through the rules first?
- Group-friendliness: Is this actually built for a room full of people, or does it work better solo or against strangers online?
- Ads and monetization: Does the free version interrupt the game, or does it stay out of the way?
- Content quality: Are the categories and packs actually appropriate for a mixed group, including public or user-submitted content?
Best trivia and game night apps: FAQ
What are the best free trivia game apps for a group?
Guess, Sporcle Party, SpyFall, and Gartic Phone all worked well for group play in my testing, and all four are free to download.
What are good family game apps for phones?
Guess is an easy pick for mixed-age family groups since you can build custom categories, and Gartic Phone works well across ages too since the drawing format doesn't require any trivia knowledge.
Is there a good music trivia game app?
SongPop Classic is a solid music trivia option, but it's built for solo play rather than a group setting.
Are these game apps actually free?
Guess, Sporcle Party, SpyFall, and Gartic Phone are all free to download. Some, like Gartic Phone, include ads.
Jessica Santero
Staff Writer
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