April 3, 2026

Today, we’re recommending an entertaining party game you can learn in minutes. Plus:

Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter

This party game — one of the winners of our Best New Picks Awards — is kind of a unicorn: easy to learn, silly to play, and accommodating to big groups. The goal is simple. Try to guess prompts based on clues given by other players. It takes almost no time to teach, and it can wrap up in about 30 minutes — well before energies wane or attentions wander.

This game was “universally loved” in our testing→

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Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter

For some people, even friendly competition makes game nights less fun. If that’s the case, might we suggest trying a cooperative game? The best ones encourage the players to work together against a common enemy: the game itself. After play-testing 18 varieties, our expert recommends six that appeal to both rookies and veterans, foster collaboration, and are just plain fun.

Solve crimes, defuse bombs, or survive a desert island→

A medieval-looking cheese cutter This funky contraption creates artful curls of cheese that would elevate any grazing table→

We have karaoke at home This machine has everything you need to get a party going: a tablet for lyrics, mics, and decent speakers→

The very best potato chips After crunching our way through dozens of brands, these are the ones that we’d serve at our own parties→

5 excellent portable speakers For blasting tunes: We recommend a small, durable option and a larger model with more bass→

NYT Wirecutter

It’s a bar cart staple and the foundation of so many classic cocktails. For this week’s Wirecutter Taste Test, we ranked 10 popular vodka brands to find the best bottles. (Espresso martinis, anyone?)

A very spirited taste test→

ColourPop, NYT Wirecutter; illustrations by Con McHugh for NYT Wirecutter

While a bottle of wine and other classic hostess gifts are nice, there’s something kind of magical about being the guest responsible for upping the fun. And to do that, gifts — like body glitter, colorful lighting, and maybe even … a gigantic Margaritaville mixer — can make a big difference.

9 things to level up your next gathering, including an instant camera for retro-cool prints→

Happy Friday. Go party.

You can reach the Wirecutter Newsletters team at newsletters@wirecutter.com. We can’t always respond, but we do love to hear from you.

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