9 Games Like Taboo That Are Even More Fun

People might call us old-timers, but if that’s because we love Taboo, it’s fine. The game has been a party saver hundreds of times, and always brings people closer together. Indeed, with its word-guessing and clue-giving gameplay, it has remained one of people’s favorites for decades now.

Nonetheless, we’ve been craving something new lately, and if you’re just anything like us, make sure to check the alternatives: games like Taboo that bring the same energy, but new challenges and game twists. 

1. Just One

Ages 8+ | 3 to 7 players | Playtime of 20 minutes;

While in Taboo, you must avoid saying the forbidden words, in Just One, you must avoid writing identical clues. Each round in Just One has five phases: selecting the mystery words, writing clues (except for the active player), comparing clues, guessing, and ending the round. The active player has only one chance to guess the mystery word, and it determines whether the round is won or lost. Both Just One and Taboo revolve around one player guessing a specific word. It is also a card game similar to Scattergories!

2. Catch Phrase

Ages 12+ | 4+ players;

We old-timers prefer the manual disk; however, the electronic version is no less! Catch Phrase, differently from Taboo, doesn’t include any cards. Just a digital disc that has it all. To play, your team will first have to choose a category, start the 60-second timer, and then try to give clues for the word that appears on screen. Careful with how you give the clues. If you do the ‘don’ts’, the other team can steal your points! As understood, in both games, speed is essential. Also, just like Taboo, Catch Phrase has some forbidden words as well, such as words that rhyme with the actual word!

3. Poetry for Neanderthals

Ages 7+ | 2+ players | Playtime of 15 minutes;

Don’t y’all wish you could hit your friends with a stick? Poetry For Neanderthals is played in two teams: Team Glad and Team Mad. Team Glad chooses a poet who tries to get the team to guess the words, while someone from Team Mad gets the No! Stick, and gets to be the judge. So, if the active team violates the rules and does things they can’t, the judge yells ‘NO’ and hits them with the stick! The idea in Poetry For Neanderthals is just like in Taboo: you shouldn’t say the forbidden words, or do the forbidden things. Otherwise, you either get buzzed or hit with a stick.  

4. Balderdash

Ages 12+ | 2 to 6 players | Playtime of around 60 minutes;

In Balderdash, you won’t only aim to guess the correct answer, like you would in Taboo. You can also earn points by writing fake answers that other players believe. There will be one Dasher per round, who reads the word or phrase from one of the categories, and then all players, including the Dasher, write definitions or explanations of the words, either real or fake, but convincing. Then, everyone votes on what they think is the correct answer. If you want to win any of the games, Taboo or Balderdash, you have to understand the logic of the people you’re playing with. The latter is also an incredibly good game for 3!

5. Time’s Up

Ages 12+ | 3+ players | Playtime of 60 minutes;

Unlike Taboo, where the same rules are applied in each round, in Time’s Up, challenges keep increasing. You will be divided into two teams, and there will be different rules for the clues in each round. In the first round, you have unlimited clues, anything other than the actual word. In the second round, you’re allowed only one-word clues, and in the third one, no words are allowed, only gestures. So yeah, another main difference with Taboo is that Time’s Up allows gestures too! 

6. Tell Me Without Telling Me

Ages 18+ | 4+ players | Playtime of 30 minutes;

Tell Me Without Telling Me follows the same main idea of Taboo, but this one is an adult card game! The game has 3 ways of giving clues, as they call them: show don’t tell, one syllable, and freestyle, needless to say, one method per card. There are a few categories, including People, Traits, Things, Places, and NSFW. Due to the language used in the cards, this game is best for people who are 18 or older. Both Taboo and Tell Me Without Telling Me are played in teams, and both include restrictions on the clue-giving. 

7. Monikers

Ages 17+ | 2 to 12+ players | Playtime of 30 minutes;

If we were asked to name a game that is similar to Taboo and similar to Cards Against Humanity as well, it would be Monikers. This game, just like the previous ones we mentioned, has different rules on different rounds: say anything, one word, or charades. However, the main difference with Taboo is that there will be some inappropriate words included too – hence the age range, 17+. Yet, they’re extremely similar: cooperative team play, fast-paced, that requires rapid-fire guessing. 

8. Codenames

Ages 10+ | 4 to 8+ players | Playtime of 15 minutes; 

Don’t get confused. It’s the same fun Codenames, with a refreshed design. Although just like Taboo, Codenames is centered around interpreting indirect clues, still, the latter is slower and much more strategic than Taboo. In this game, two rival spymasters, who have their teams, know the secret identities of 25 agents. The goal is for them to help the teammates guess all these identities, without revealing the assassins. So yeah, play continues until one team reveals all 25 secret identities. 

9. Trapwords

Ages 8+ | 4 to 8+ players | Playtime of 30 minutes;

If you like the forbidden words penalties in Taboo, you will for sure like Trapwords. Yet, what we appreciate a lot is that Trapwords includes storytelling as well. Now, you’ll get divided into 2 teams, place the dungeon map on the table, and choose a monster to face at the end. One team draws clue cards, the other team makes a list of trapwords. When the active player from the guessing team is giving clues for words, they should try to avoid the unknown trap words. Finally, if your team gets to the final room on the map, they have to defeat the monster to win. 

If you’re looking for different card games, take a look at the Edition Cards shop. There’s one for every party and theme. 

Final Thoughts

Taboo has been our go-to for decades, and we’re pretty sure we’re not alone in this. But if you’ve played it thousands of times, the right move is to check out similar games. Starting from Just One to Trapwords, our list of carefully-chosen games captures the spirit of the classic Taboo, and yet, offers fresh gameplay and different content.

Next time you’re under the pressure of picking a game for the game night, these alternatives won’t disappoint, recommendations coming from the biggest fan of Taboo!