40th Birthday Party Game Ideas for Fun & Celebration

40th Birthday Party Game Ideas – A 40th birthday party is the perfect opportunity to enjoy some fun and engaging games that keep guests entertained and celebrate the milestone. Whether you’re hosting a large gathering or a more intimate affair, party games can add excitement and help break the ice. Popular game ideas for a 40th birthday include trivia about the guest of honor’s life, where guests can test their knowledge of key moments and milestones.

A “Guess the Baby Picture” game is always a hit, as it brings laughter and nostalgia. Other fun games include karaoke, charades, or even a custom scavenger hunt that reflects the birthday person’s interests. For a more relaxed vibe, you could include board games or card games that encourage socializing and laughter. These games not only provide entertainment but also create lasting memories and ensure the party is a celebration to remember.

40th Birthday Party Game Ideas

Here’s a list of 70+ fun and engaging game ideas for a 40th birthday party that will keep guests entertained and create lasting memories:

1. Trivia Game – Test the guests’ knowledge about the birthday person’s life.
2. Guess the Year – Match significant events to specific years in the celebrant’s life.
3. Charades – A classic game of acting out phrases or movies.
4. Pictionary – Draw and guess popular phrases, movies, or events from the birthday person’s life.
5. Memory Lane – Guests recall fun or significant memories they’ve shared with the birthday person.
6. Who Am I? – Stick a famous name on each guest’s back and let them ask yes or no questions to guess who they are.
7. Balloon Pop – Fill balloons with fun challenges or questions to answer when popped.
8. Name That Tune – Play snippets of songs from the celebrant’s favorite decades.
9. Karaoke Contest – Guests perform songs, either solo or in groups, for fun.
10. Scavenger Hunt – A themed hunt based on the birthday person’s life or interests.
11. Bingo – Customize bingo cards with facts about the birthday person.
12. Truth or Dare – A fun and playful game to keep everyone laughing.
13. Two Truths and a Lie – Guests take turns telling two truths and one lie about themselves.
14. Pin the Tail on the Donkey – A nostalgic game with a birthday twist.
15. Photo Booth Fun – Have a booth with props for guests to take silly pictures.
16. Obstacle Course – Set up a small indoor or outdoor obstacle course.
17. Cupcake Decorating Contest – Guests decorate cupcakes for a fun culinary challenge.
18. Hot Potato – Pass a small item around until the music stops, and whoever has it must perform a task.
19. Lip Sync Battle – Contestants lip-sync to popular songs.
20. Board Game Tournament – Set up several board games and have a tournament.
21. Dart Throw – Aim and throw darts at a target or balloon with prizes inside.
22. Would You Rather? – A game of fun, difficult, or silly choices.
23. Egg and Spoon Race – A fun and competitive game for guests to balance an egg on a spoon.
24. Who Knows the Birthday Person Best? – A quiz about the birthday person’s likes, dislikes, and life details.
25. Guess the Movie Quote – Guests try to match quotes to famous films.
26. Minute to Win It Games – A series of quick, fun challenges that must be completed in one minute.
27. Pass the Gift – Guests pass around a gift while music plays, and when it stops, they open the gift.
28. Sock Wrestling – A silly game where two guests try to remove each other’s socks.
29. Musical Chairs – A classic party game, with guests walking around chairs until the music stops.
30. Truth or Shot – A fun, adult version of truth or dare with drinks involved.
31. Photo Scavenger Hunt – A hunt where players need to capture specific photos with their phones.
32. Balloon Stomp – Tie balloons to guests’ ankles and have them pop each other’s balloons.
33. Throw the Ring – Throw rings or hoops over targets for a prize.
34. Tug of War – A classic competition game, great for outdoor parties.
35. Guess the Number – Guests try to guess a number that the birthday person has written down.
36. Name That Celebrity – Guests guess celebrities based on clues or blurry images.
37. Freeze Dance – Dance until the music stops, then freeze in place.
38. Speed Dating Style Icebreaker – Guests rotate every few minutes and ask each other fun questions.
39. Balloon Sculpting Challenge – Guests try to create the best balloon sculpture.
40. DIY T-shirt Design – Have a station where guests can create their own birthday-themed t-shirts.
41. Silent Disco – Guests wear wireless headphones and dance to different music channels.
42. Candy Guessing Game – Fill a jar with candy and have guests guess how many are inside.
43. Hula Hoop Contest – See who can keep a hula hoop going the longest.
44. Pin the Glasses on the Birthday Person – A fun twist on “Pin the Tail” with the birthday person’s photo.
45. Four Corners – A guessing game where each corner of the room is assigned a number or choice.
46. Balloon Pop Quiz – Balloons with questions inside; guests pop and answer to win prizes.
47. Spoons – A fast-paced card game where you try to collect four of a kind and grab a spoon.
48. Freeze Frame – Players freeze in place when the music stops, and someone takes photos.
49. Jenga with a Twist – Write challenges or questions on each block, and when pulled, they must be answered.
50. Ring Toss – A carnival-style game where guests toss rings around bottles for points or prizes.
51. Giant Crossword Puzzle – A large, interactive crossword on the wall for guests to solve together.
52. Balloon Relay – Teams pass balloons between each other without using hands.
53. Paper Airplane Contest – Guests create and throw paper airplanes to see whose flies the furthest.
54. Name the Flavor – Guests blindfolded guess different flavored items like cupcakes, jelly beans, or candies.
55. Musical Limbo – Dance under a limbo stick while music plays, lowering the stick after each round.
56. Catch the Clue – A clue-based game where participants must follow a trail to a hidden treasure.
57. Wand Toss – Guests try to toss a wand or stick through hoops or onto a target.
58. Guess the Sound – Play a variety of sounds and have guests guess what they are.
59. Jelly Bean Guessing Game – Guess the flavor of jelly beans in a jar.
60. Marshmallow Tower – Use marshmallows and toothpicks to create the tallest tower.
61. Whack-a-Mole – A fun game where you “whack” inflatable moles or balloons as they pop up.
62. Spin the Bottle (Truth or Dare Edition) – A retro game with a birthday twist.
63. Themed Karaoke Contest – Perform songs from specific genres, such as 80s or pop hits.
64. Celebrity Name Game – Name a celebrity that starts with the last letter of the previous one.
65. Tic-Tac-Toe Relay – A relay race where players must complete a tic-tac-toe grid with items or actions.
66. Ball Toss – Toss balls into containers or baskets for prizes.
67. Twister – A classic, colorful game of flexibility and balance.
68. Hot Potato with a Twist – When the music stops, the person holding the object must answer a fun question.
69. Scrabble Race – Players race to create the highest scoring word.
70. Charity Bingo – Play bingo with items or causes the birthday person supports.
71. Guess the Scent – Smell and guess different scented items like perfumes or flowers.
72. DIY Cupcake Decorating – Let guests decorate their cupcakes and judge the best design.
73. Dance Off – A fun competition to see who has the best moves.
74. Sock Hop – Dance to retro tunes in your socks for a nostalgic touch.
75. Magic Show Talent Show – Guests perform their own “magic” tricks or talents.
76. Candle Blowing Contest – How many candles can you blow out at once?
77. Birthday Bingo – A birthday-specific version of bingo with customized cards.
78. Ball Pit Challenge – Dive into a ball pit for fun challenges and surprises.
79. Guess the Movie Poster – Show parts of famous movie posters and have guests guess the title.
80. Selfie Challenge – Guests must take creative selfies based on certain themes or props.
81. Spin the Wheel – A prize wheel where guests can win various prizes.

These ideas can cater to a wide range of party vibes, from casual to themed events, ensuring your 40th birthday party is packed with fun and excitement!

How to Play

1. Trivia Game

• Setup: Prepare a set of questions about the birthday person, their life, interests, and milestones.
• How to Play:
  • Divide guests into teams.
  • Ask each team a question. Teams take turns answering. If they get it right, they earn a point.
  • The team with the most points at the end wins.

2. Guess the Year

• Setup: Prepare a list of significant events from the birthday person’s life.
• How to Play:
  • Read out an event or milestone, and guests have to guess the year it occurred.
  • Whoever guesses correctly first gets a point.
  • The person with the most points wins.

3. Charades

• Setup: Write down phrases, movies, or famous people on cards.
• How to Play:
  • Split guests into teams.
  • One person from a team picks a card and acts it out without speaking while their team tries to guess.
  • The team that guesses the most correct answers in the allotted time wins.

4. Pictionary

• Setup: Create a list of phrases, movies, or events to be drawn. You’ll need paper and markers.
• How to Play:
  • Divide into teams.
  • One player draws a phrase or word from the list while the others try to guess what it is.
  • The team with the most correct guesses wins.

5. Memory Lane

• Setup: Guests recall shared experiences or funny memories with the birthday person.
• How to Play:
  • Each guest shares a story or memory.
  • After everyone has shared, the birthday person picks the funniest or most touching memory to win a prize.

6. Who Am I?

• Setup: Write the name of a famous person or character on sticky notes.
• How to Play:
  • Stick a note on each guest’s back without letting them see it.
  • Guests take turns asking yes or no questions to guess who they are.
  • The first person to guess their identity wins.

7. Balloon Pop

• Setup: Place a slip of paper with a challenge, truth, or question inside each balloon.
• How to Play:
  • Each guest pops a balloon and performs the challenge or answers the question inside.
  • The game continues until all balloons are popped.

8. Name That Tune

• Setup: Prepare snippets of songs from the birthday person’s favorite years or genres.
• How to Play:
  • Play a short clip of a song, and guests try to guess the song’s title.
  • The first person to guess correctly gets a point.
  • The person with the most points at the end wins.

9. Karaoke Contest

• Setup: Prepare a karaoke machine or setup with a list of songs.
• How to Play:
  • Guests choose a song to sing.
  • Each guest or team performs a song.
  • Have judges or guests vote for the best performance.

10. Scavenger Hunt

• Setup: Create a list of items or clues related to the birthday person’s life or interests.
• How to Play:
  • Divide guests into teams and give them the list.
  • Teams race to find all the items on the list.
  • The team that finds everything first wins.

11. Bingo

• Setup: Create bingo cards with customized squares based on the birthday person’s life.
• How to Play:
  • Hand out bingo cards and markers to each guest.
  • Call out events or details from the birthday person’s life, and guests mark their cards.
  • The first person to get five squares in a row wins.

12. Truth or Dare

• Setup: Prepare a list of truth questions and dares.
• How to Play:
  • Players take turns choosing between truth or dare.
  • If they choose truth, they answer a question honestly. If they choose dare, they complete a challenge.
  • The game continues until everyone has had a turn.

13. Two Truths and a Lie

• Setup: None required, just a group of people.
• How to Play:
  • Each player says two truths and one lie about themselves.
  • The others must guess which statement is the lie.
  • The player who fools the most people wins.

14. Pin the Tail on the Donkey

• Setup: A large poster of a donkey with a blank spot for the tail, and a tail with double-sided tape.
• How to Play:
  • Blindfold the first player.
  • Spin them around, and then have them try to pin the tail on the donkey.
  • The player who gets closest wins.

15. Photo Booth Fun

• Setup: Set up a backdrop and provide props like hats, glasses, and signs.
• How to Play:
  • Guests take turns using the props to create fun, themed photos.
  • You can offer small prizes for the best photos, funniest, or most creative poses.

16. Hot Potato

• Setup: Get a small object to pass around (ball, stuffed toy, etc.) and play music.
• How to Play:
  • Players sit in a circle and pass the object around while the music plays.
  • When the music stops, the person holding the object must perform a task or challenge.
  • The game continues until everyone has had a turn.

17. Lip Sync Battle

• Setup: A list of popular songs, a stage area, and props.
• How to Play:
  • Guests choose a song and lip-sync to it, using any props or costumes they like.
  • Judges or the audience vote for the best performance.

18. Scavenger Hunt

• Setup: A list of hidden items or clues around the venue.
• How to Play:
  • Provide teams with clues or lists of items to find within a certain time frame.
  • The first team to find everything on their list wins.

19. Egg and Spoon Race

• Setup: Spoons and eggs (real or plastic).
• How to Play:
  • Players balance an egg on a spoon and race to the finish line.
  • If the egg falls, they must return to the start and try again.
  • The first person to cross the finish line wins.

20. Who Knows the Birthday Person Best?

• Setup: Prepare a quiz about the birthday person.
• How to Play:
  • Ask a series of questions related to the birthday person’s life.
  • Guests answer, and the one with the most correct answers wins.

21. Minute to Win It

• Setup: Prepare small tasks that can be completed in under a minute, such as stacking cups or moving objects with a spoon.
• How to Play:
  • Players are given one minute to complete a task.
  • If they finish in time, they earn a point. If not, they don’t earn a point.
  • The player with the most points at the end of all rounds wins.

22. Balloon Pop Challenge

• Setup: Write challenges or questions on small pieces of paper and place them inside balloons. You’ll need balloons and a pump.
• How to Play:
  • Players take turns popping a balloon.
  • Once popped, the player must complete the challenge or answer the question inside.
  • The game continues until all the balloons are popped.

23. Dance Battle

• Setup: Create a playlist of upbeat songs and set up a dance floor.
• How to Play:
  • Players take turns showing off their best dance moves to a song.
  • After each performance, the audience votes for their favorite dancer.
  • The dancer with the most votes wins.

24. Pass the Parcel

• Setup: Wrap a small gift in multiple layers of wrapping paper.
• How to Play:
  • Players sit in a circle and pass the gift around while music plays.
  • When the music stops, the player holding the gift unwraps one layer.
  • The game continues until the last layer is unwrapped, and the final player gets the gift.

25. Pin the Hat on the Birthday Person

• Setup: A large image of the birthday person, with a spot for a hat to be pinned, and a blindfold.
• How to Play:
  • Blindfold players and have them try to pin a paper hat (using double-sided tape) onto the birthday person’s head on the poster.
  • The player who gets the closest wins.

26. Tug of War

• Setup: A rope and a marker for the centerline.
• How to Play:
  • Split the party into two teams.
  • Each team pulls on one end of the rope, trying to pull the other team across the centerline.
  • The team that succeeds in pulling the other team wins.

27. Cake Decorating Contest

• Setup: Provide plain cupcakes or a cake, along with decorating supplies like icing, sprinkles, and other edible decorations.
• How to Play:
  • Each player decorates a cake or cupcake within a set time limit.
  • The birthday person or judges vote for the most creative or best-looking cake.
  • The winner receives a prize.

28. Balloon Relay

• Setup: Balloons and an obstacle course or line for players to race.
• How to Play:
  • Players must race while balancing a balloon on their head or in between their legs without dropping it.
  • If the balloon drops, they must start over.
  • The first person to complete the relay wins.

29. Blindfolded Drawing

• Setup: Paper, pens, and a blindfold.
• How to Play:
  • Players are blindfolded and must draw a picture (like the birthday person’s face or an item related to the party).
  • The other guests vote on who did the best drawing, and the winner gets a prize.

30. Photo Scavenger Hunt

• Setup: A list of items or scenarios to capture in photos.
• How to Play:
  • Teams or individuals are given a list of items to photograph during the party (e.g., “Take a photo of someone wearing a funny hat”).
  • The person or team that captures the most items on their list within a set time frame wins.

31. Musical Chairs

• Setup: Chairs (one less than the number of players) and music.
• How to Play:
  • Players walk around the chairs while music plays.
  • When the music stops, everyone must find a chair to sit in. The person left standing is eliminated.
  • Remove a chair after each round. The last person remaining is the winner.

32. Truth or Drink

• Setup: A selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
• How to Play:
  • Players take turns asking each other personal or fun questions.
  • The player being asked can either answer the question truthfully or take a drink.
  • The game continues until everyone has had their turn or enough questions have been asked.

33. Guess the Movie Quote

• Setup: Prepare a list of famous movie quotes.
• How to Play:
  • Read a quote from a movie and ask the players to guess which movie it’s from.
  • Players can take turns guessing. The first person to guess correctly gets a point.
  • The person with the most points at the end wins.

34. Cup Stack Challenge

• Setup: Plastic cups.
• How to Play:
  • Players must stack a set number of cups into a pyramid, then unstack them as quickly as possible.
  • The first person to complete the challenge wins.

35. Lipstick Drawing

• Setup: Lipstick, paper, and a timer.
• How to Play:
  • Players have a set amount of time to draw something (e.g., a birthday cake, a present, or the birthday person’s face) using lipstick on a piece of paper.
  • The funniest or best drawing wins a prize.

36. Minute to Win It: Stack Attack

• Setup: A set of plastic cups.
• How to Play:
  • Players have one minute to stack 36 plastic cups into a pyramid and then unstack them.
  • The person who completes the task the fastest wins.

37. Ball Toss

• Setup: Small balls (ping pong or other soft balls) and containers (like buckets or bins).
• How to Play:
  • Players must toss the balls into containers from a distance.
  • The player who gets the most balls in the container wins.

38. Hot Potato with a Twist

• Setup: A small object or ball and music.
• How to Play:
  • Players sit in a circle and pass the object around while music plays.
  • When the music stops, the player holding the object must answer a fun question or perform a silly task.
  • The game continues until everyone has had a turn.

39. Guess the Number

• Setup: A small container of candies, coins, or beans.
• How to Play:
  • One person fills the container with a certain number of items.
  • Guests take turns guessing how many items are in the container.
  • The person who guesses the closest wins the container.

40. Hot or Cold

• Setup: A small object to hide, and a starting point for players.
• How to Play:
  • One player hides an object while others close their eyes.
  • The group must search for the hidden object while the hider gives “hot” (close) or “cold” (far) clues.
  • The first person to find the object wins.