Big game party games

Games for people who come for the food, the friends or the commercials. All are office-safe, need almost no setup and work whether or not guests follow football.

Games to play all afternoon

• Football squares. The classic. One board, every guest holds a square or two, and the scoreboard does the rest. Make a board.
• Prediction sheet. Guess the coin toss, the first score, the total points and the longest play. Print the sheet below; closest guesses win.
• Snack draft. Take turns picking a snack from the table. Whenever a team scores, the owner of the matching snack gets a point.
• Halftime trivia. Ten questions about the cities, mascots and food of the two teams, written on slips.
• Commercial count. Pick a category (animals, cars, celebrities) and tally how many ads use it.
• Colour of the drink. Guess the colour of the celebratory shower; winners get the last of the dip.
• Word jar. Each guest chooses a word the announcers will say. A point each time it is heard.
• Penalty jar. A small jar where people drop a coin whenever their team gets a penalty, saved for the next gathering.
• Bake-off. One round of chili or dip, judged by guests with a score of one to five.
• Office pool by quarter. Squares with a small price, and a prize for the best quarter for each team.
• Guess the score. Everyone writes the final score; the closest guess wins.
• Cheer meter. A shared sheet where guests mark every big play with a tally; the busiest quarter wins.

Printable prediction sheet

Print the prediction sheet

Tips for an office-safe game day

• Keep stakes small and optional. A square price of a few dollars, or prizes of snacks and bragging rights, keeps it friendly.
• Check your workplace policy before you collect money for a pool.
• Pick games that people can join late, like squares and the prediction sheet.