Karaoke has been around since the early seventies. We all know that singing along to your favorite jams will never get old. But, it does help to know a few variations on winning recipes so that you can avoid getting bored at your next party.
Most of the best karaoke games don’t require much prep or specialized equipment. So, if you take the time to learn the games and test your tools, you’ll be able to whip up a set of games to bring even more life to any karaoke session in no time.
So, here are some of the best games for a Karaoke party.
Karaoke Mix Up
The principle of this one is quite simple; the magic lies in the what-if factor. What if Johnny Cash Tried to do a Taylor swift number? Well, why not find out with a Karaoke Mix up.
You will require:
[bl]- Two bowls.
- Some pieces of paper and cardboard.
- Pens.
- Your karaoke setup.
Divide the pieces of paper between the two bowls, grab your pens, and start getting creative. The pieces of paper going into Bowl A need to contain the names of songs. Pieces going into Bowl B should have the names of artists.
If you’re the one doing the setup, try to be creative. Deliberately pick artists and titles that are far removed from one another. This will make for some funny combinations and is a sure-fire way to get some laughs.
Karaoke Parody
This fun karaoke game sort of owes its existence to Weird Al Yakovich. His tremendous success parodying famous hit songs led to a string of artists and fans wanting to do the same thing.
When you challenge yourself to try and come up with funny lyrics to a famous song and still stay on the melody, you’ll see it’s not that easy. This is how to play Karaoke Parody.
Divide yourself into teams and select a bunch of classic tunes. Then, challenge each other to change the lyrics in funny ways while doing a sing-off.
Karaoke Roulette
Karaoke Roulette is a simple one, I know, and I’m sure you’ve tried it before. But, there’s a reason cliches become cliches. Place everyone’s name into a cup or bowl and select songs and names at random.
If your karaoke setup doesn’t have some kind of random song selector programmed in, simply place random song names in a second bowl and pick two cards at a time.
This is a great one to start a party as it gets everyone involved from the get-go. Just put the names of those who’ve already had their turn aside so you can eliminate them from the round.
It’s best to pick songs you know your guests will like. That way, you can get them into the spirit of the game and give them confidence.
Hat of Horrors
When it comes to picking songs for this game, you have to do a 180 from how you picked songs for Roulette. The premise of Hat of Horrors is to think of songs that only you would ever want to try and sing.
It’s best to think of cheesy challenging numbers. For example, “Rock Lobster,” “I’m a B#tch,” or even “What Does The Fox Say.”
Your guests need to confront their fears inside the hat (or bowl) of horrors. So, try to encourage them to embrace their silly side, and you’ll be rewarded with comedy and fun all night long.
Blind Sing-Off
This great karaoke party game has some mystery by allowing for deception to occur between players. To set this up, you need three or more chairs, depending on how large your group is.
Set up the chairs in front of the chosen singer, but they need to face the opposite direction or be blindfolded. The singer then sings a song. However, they need to try as hard as possible not to sound like themselves. This introduces an element of ridiculous theater to the evening.
The three, or more, blindfolded players must then attempt to guess who the singer is. You’d be surprised how well your friends can fool one another and you. Scores are given to the players who guess the best or who can best mask their natural singing voice.
Karaoke Charades
This one might be a bit controversial. But, then again, you win some, you lose some. Start by dividing your players into two teams and selecting a singer from each. The term ‘singer’ might not be technically accurate since they’re not allowed to sing.
The chosen player needs to try and express the title of a song using any means necessary except speech or singing. The same as you would in a normal game of charades. This might be an unorthodox one, but it will lead to some creative thinking and a bunch of laughter. Trust me.
Name That Tune
Once more, we have a classic, simple, and sure way to get everyone involved and into the spirit of karaoke.
However, the magic will rely on you picking the correct material to suit your audience. You want to challenge them but not put them off. So, don’t deliberately find obscure music they’ll never guess in a million years.
Try songs from their past that you know they liked but might have forgotten by now. You’re sure to generate some nostalgia and “oh… it’s on the tip of my tongue!” moments if you pick your songs right.
Don’t Forget the Lyrics
Another simple one that just requires some careful thought when it comes to picking the playlist. Start by dividing the guests into teams. One person in each team will begin by saying or singing a verse from a well-known tune.
The next person in line must then continue the lyrics. Keep going until someone forgets or they finish a verse, chorus, or the whole song.
Another variant is to have the music ready on a playback device. Then, pause it at critical moments, so that team members have to fill in the blanks. If your guests are into rap and Hip-Hop music, this is a great one to test them while at the same time keeping it fun.
One Word Wonder
This is another great one to stimulate creativity, teamwork, and laughter. Also, it doesn’t need any equipment to be played, just your players. Therefore, it’s one of the easiest karaoke games to play at your party.
Start by dividing everyone into two teams. Take a single word from the lyrics of a well-known song. You’re going to be giving the two teams a word to start with, like a ball getting thrown into a court, so try to be creative.
Use uncommon yet common words…
“Horse” is a good one since there are many songs that have the word horse in the lyrics. But, they might not come to you as quickly as you’d like in the heat of the moment.
Picking a word like “the” is not a very good idea as this will make it too simple and boring. Then again, picking something too hard will limit their choices and make the game unpleasant, so be creative.
How do you play this karaoke game?
Have the two teams start going back and forth, either singing as a group or rotating players as the game goes. You can decide whether they are allowed to deliberate as a team on a song or whether a chosen singer must think of something by themselves right there on the spot.
Sometimes, the individual option is left for sudden death rounds. Whichever way you organize it, this is one of the best karaoke games for a large party.
Karaoke Quiz
This is a challenging karaoke game to have in your bag of tricks. It can function as a standalone game or as an add-on to the other games we’ve already covered to add spice to closely tied games.
You can find hundreds of pre-prepared music quizzes covering all the possible eras you can think of. So, pick the ones that you know will appeal to your guests. They should challenge them just enough to not be too easy while not being obscure and impossible for anyone to get right.
I’ve found that mixing and matching the questions from different genres is the best way to suit the tastes of my guests.
Karaoke Musical Chairs
This one is a bit odd and can seem awkward at first. But this one isn’t about skill; it’s about getting people up and moving and involved. It works on an elimination system, so it’s a good one to run through quickly as a starter or closer to the evening.
It’s played like musical chairs, but with messed-up lyrics…
Start by selecting someone to be the singer. Have them stand in the center with chairs around them. The number of chairs must be one less than the number of players to ensure an elimination always takes place.
Have the singer begin singing a well-known song that everyone knows the lyrics to well. The singer must then deliberately leave out or change a certain part of the lyrics.
The rest of the players slowly walk or dance around the chairs and must rush towards a seat when the correct version of the lyrics is sung. Keep going until one player remains and then rotate.
Are You a Fan of Karaoke?
Also, take a look at our detailed articles on How to Get Karaoke Songs for Free, the Best Karaoke Apps For Smart TV, the Top Karaoke Songs That Anyone Can Sing, the Best Karaoke Songs for Alto Females, and the Best Duet Karaoke Songs for more great karaoke information and options.
Best Karaoke Games – Conclusion
Whether you’re out of ideas on how to keep a bunch of teenagers entertained over the weekend or love a bit of music and have friends who feel the same, Karaoke is something that can bring people together at a party like nothing else.
Take care to pick material that fits your crowd. Don’t make the games too easy or hard. Do this, and you’ll be rolling on the floor from your best friend’s rendition of “Gold Digger” in the style of Dolly Parton in no time.
Until next time, let yourself be heard.
