40th Birthday Party Games: 10 Fun and Unforgettable Ideas

A 40th birthday is a very special event – a milestone that should be celebrated in style! Whether in a small group or with a big party, with the right games, the celebration is guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience. Here are some creative and entertaining ideas for 40th birthday party games.

Forty is the perfect age to look back on many exciting experiences and successes, but also to look to the future with optimism. This milestone birthday should therefore be celebrated in style – be it with a big party, a cozy celebration in a small circle or an exuberant evening with friends and family. In addition to good food, atmospheric music and a great atmosphere, entertaining games are a wonderful way to liven up the celebration and create unforgettable moments.

Well-chosen 40th birthday party games get the guests talking, trigger fits of laughter and ensure that everyone has a great time. They can bring back nostalgic memories, celebrate the birthday boy or girl in style and bring the party closer together. Whether it’s fun competitions, creative challenges or exciting guessing games – there are countless ways to enrich the evening with fun and games. Of course, the focus should always be on humor, because the aim is to have a great time together.

In this article you will find a selection of the best 40th birthday party games. They are easy to prepare, suitable for any type of celebration and guarantee great entertainment. Whether the birthday child prefers to be the center of attention or the guests should be actively involved – there’s something for everyone here. Let yourself be inspired and plan a party that will be remembered for a long time to come!

10 Funny and Emotional 40th Birthday Party Games

Whether with quizzes, party games or fun challenges – with the right games, the 40th birthday will be a complete success. They get the guests talking, create a good atmosphere and celebrate the birthday boy or girl. So, let’s get started with the fun games!

1. Who Knows the Birthday Child Best?

This quiz game makes for lots of laughs and special moments. The guests have to prove how well they really know the birthday boy or girl. Before the party, questions about the birthday boy or girl’s past, preferences and funny quirks are prepared . The guests write down their answers or shout them out loud in a quiz round.

The person who gives the most correct answers wins a small prize – or simply recognition as the birthday boy or girl’s best friend!

Here are some sample questions for inspiration:

• In which city or town was the birthday child born?
• What was his/her first job?
• What funny or embarrassing nicknames did the birthday boy or girl have in the past?
• What three things would it take with it to a desert island?
• What is his/her favorite food?
• Which song can it sing along to by heart?
• What is the worst gift it has ever received?
• Which celebrity would be the perfect doppelganger for the birthday boy or girl?
• What’s the craziest thing it’s ever done?
• Which favorite series or movie has it seen at least ten times?

The questions can of course be customized according to the birthday child’s interests and background. It’s especially fun if some of the answers are not immediately obvious or if the birthday child has the opportunity to guess for themselves.

This game provides a personal touch and many funny or even touching moments and is therefore ideal for honoring the birthday child and at the same time creating an exuberant atmosphere.

2. Memory Bingo

This game combines nostalgia with social interaction and is a great way to get guests talking to each other. Each participant receives a bingo field with various memories or experiences related to the birthday child.

The aim is to find people in the round who share one of these memories and enter their names in the relevant field. The first person to fill a complete row, column or diagonal shouts “Bingo!” and wins.

Preparation:

• Before the party, a bingo field with 25 (5×5) or 16 (4×4) fields is created.
• Each field contains a memory or an experience that has something to do with the birthday child.
• The guests are given pens to write the names of the appropriate people.

Examples of bingo fields:

• “Went to school with the birthday boy”
• “Went to a concert with him/her”
• “Brought him/her home after a party”
• “Took a trip with the birthday boy or girl”
• “Knows what his/her favorite candy is”
• “Has worked with him/her”
• “Has the birthday boy or girl ever been drunk off their feet before?”
• “Was best man or maid of honor of the birthday child”
• “Experienced an embarrassing moment with him/her”
• “Has the birthday child ever heard singing before”

How to play:

1. The guests mingle and talk to each other to find out who fits which field.
2. A person may only be entered once per bingo field.
3. The first person to complete a row, column or diagonal shouts “Bingo!” and wins a small reward.
4. At the end, the birthday boy or girl can comment on some of the funniest or most emotional memories.

This game makes for fun conversations, brings back lots of memories and is a perfect way to connect guests who don’t yet know each other. It creates a warm atmosphere and ensures that the party stays in a relaxed mood.

3. The Retro Quiz

As the birthday boy or girl was born 40 years ago, a quiz about the 80s or 90s is a good idea. Questions can revolve around music, films, trends or historical events. Whoever gives the most correct answers wins a small prize.

Like many of the best 40th birthday party games, this quiz is an entertaining journey back in time. It recalls trends, music, movies and events from the birthday child’s childhood and youth and evokes nostalgic feelings. It can take the form of a classic quiz with questions and answers, a multiple choice game or a team competition.

Preparation:

• A list of questions about the 80s and/or 90s is being prepared.
• The questions can cover various topics: Music, movies, fashion, technology, sports and social events.
• Optionally, the quiz can be made more interactive with pictures, song excerpts or video clips.
• Participants can compete against each other individually or in teams.

Example questions:

• Which song was a huge hit in the 80s and was sung by A-ha? (Answer: Take on Me)
• Which movie with Michael J. Fox is about time travel? (Answer: Back to the future)
• What was the name of the popular Nintendo console released in 1990? (Answer:
  Super Nintendo Entertainment System – SNES)
• Which fashion color was particularly popular in the 80s? (Answer: neon colors)
• Which legendary children’s surprise toy could be found in almost every school bag in the 90s? (Answer: Tamagotchi)
• Which famous sporting event took place in Italy in 1990? (Answer: Soccer World Cup)
• Who was the most famous boy band of the 90s with hits like “Everybody”?
  (Answer: Backstreet Boys)
• Which cult car from a TV series had the name K.I.T.T.? (Answer: The car from
  “Knight Rider” with David Hasselhoff)

Variant: The year of birth quiz

A particularly personal option is to focus exclusively on the year of the birthday child’s birth. All the questions revolve around events, music, movies and news from that very year. This makes the quiz even more individual and exciting, but also more difficult, as the birthday child is unlikely to remember their first year of life. To make the questions solvable anyway, you can prepare them as multiple choice questions.

Example questions for the year of birth quiz:

• Which song was number 1 in the charts in the year the birthday boy or girl was born?
• Which famous actor or musician was born in the same year?
• Which movie won the Oscar for Best Picture this year?
• What technical invention or development was presented this year?
• What major political event shaped this year?
• Which television program started for the first time this year?
• Who was German Chancellor or US President this year?
• Which popular toy was launched on the market that year?

How to play:

1. The birthday child or a moderator asks the questions.
2. The guests write down their answers or shout them out loud in a quick guessing round.
3. The person with the most correct answers wins a small prize.

Alternatively, teams can be formed to make the competition more exciting.

This quiz provides many aha moments, brings back nostalgic memories and is a wonderful opportunity to reminisce together. It can be adapted as desired and combined with the birthday child’s personal experiences.

4. Gag Gift Secret Santa

Each guest brings a small, funny gift with an ironic reference to the 40th birthday.

This game is guaranteed to provide plenty of laughs and a relaxed atmosphere. Joking Secret Santa involves all guests bringing a small, funny gift, which is then distributed in an entertaining round of Secret Santa. The special thing: The gifts should be quirky, funny or intentionally useless – real joke articles!

Preparation:

Each guest is asked in advance to bring a funny or meaningless gift. It can be creative and unusual! Ideas include, for example

• Anti-ageing cream
• Pension certificate form
• An old cassette
• A toilet brush with LED lighting
• A T-shirt with an absurd slogan
• A fake lottery ticket with a huge jackpot
• A mug with a “cheerful” saying for a 40th birthday
• An inflatable unicorn as a bathing companion
• A mini vacuum cleaner for the computer keyboard
• Glasses with a moustache

All gifts are wrapped anonymously and neutrally so that nobody knows what is inside.

How to play:

1. The wrapped presents are placed in the middle of the table.
2. Each guest draws a number from a bowl – this determines the order in which the Secret Santa takes place.
3. The first player takes a gift and unwraps it in front of everyone. The next player then has two options:
   1. He can take a new gift from the middle and unwrap it.
   2. Or he can “steal” an already unwrapped gift from a fellow player – in this case, the stolen gift must be taken from the middle.
4. The game continues until all the gifts have been distributed. To limit the chaos, a rule can be introduced that a gift may change hands a maximum of 3 times.
5. At the end, everyone gets to keep their “great” gift – or perhaps swap it for something else if two people agree on a deal.

Variants:

• Additional rules: In addition, special rules can be introduced to make the game even more exciting, e.g. that a gift can only be exchanged if you complete a fun task (like making up a funny poem about the gift).
• Joke articles with a motto: If the party has a specific theme (e.g.
  “Back to the 80s” or “Business meets leisure”), the joke gifts can be customized accordingly.
• Auction: Instead of simply exchanging gifts, you can auction them off in an entertaining “auction” where guests bid with fun actions or self-invented “points.”

This game is the perfect way to lighten the mood and get all the guests talking to each other. The focus is on humor – and with a bit of luck, the guests will take home an unforgettable souvenir!

5. The 40s Course: A Fun Birthday Competition

The 40s course is an entertaining competitive game in which guests have to master various tasks that humorously allude to “getting older”. The games are not only fun, but often also small challenges that require skill, creativity or knowledge. Perfect for a birthday party where you want to laugh and cheer each other on!

Preparation:

• Create different stations with fun mini-challenges.
• Each station should contain a task that has to do with typical clichés of being 40.
• A jury or a scorecard can evaluate the players’ performances.
• Whoever has the most points at the end wins a small prize – or the “honorary title of best 40”!

Possible tasks:

• Ageing glasses challenge : Put on a pair of glasses that make it difficult to see (e.g. lenses smeared with Vaseline) or special age simulation glasses. Then try to blow up a balloon and tie it in a knot. Not that easy!
• Nostalgia music test : Play a well-known song from the 80s or 90s – but on a children’s guitar, a kazoo or just by humming it. The others have to guess which song it is!
• SMS typing with gloves : Put on thick gloves and try to type a short WhatsApp message – with as few mistakes as possible. The person with the fewest typos wins.
• Past vs. present – Memory for adults : Show the players 10 different objects for 10 seconds. Then they have to list as many as possible. Not so easy with 40!
• Cassette or Spotify? : Explain to someone how a cassette works without using the words “cassette”, “rewind” or “tape”. Whoever describes it best gets a point.
• Balance test : Balance a book on your head and run along a small course. Whoever manages it without the book falling off gets a point.
• Drink Challenge – What is it! : The candidate is served various drinks blindfolded (e.g. a smoothie, an energy drink, a herbal tea or a protein shake) and has to guess what it is.
• Lost glasses search : An object (e.g. a pair of glasses) is hidden. The participant must search for it using a “weakness simulation”: either with old-age glasses or after turning in circles.

Procedure:

• Each participant goes through the stations in turn and collects points.
• Some tasks are solved as individual players, others as direct duels.
• At the end, the winner is chosen – preferably with a humorous “40s trophy” such as reading glasses, an anti-ageing serum or a medal with the inscription “Best 40s”.

Variants:

• Team mode: guests play against each other in teams and add up their points.
• Costume requirement: Participants must wear a wig, walking stick or fake glasses.
• Penalty points: Anyone who feels too young and states that they are “still easily
  20” gets minus points.

This game is guaranteed to make you laugh and will be remembered for a long time. Perfect for a relaxed, fun 40th birthday party!

6. Truth or Lies? – The Perfect Game for Funny Anecdotes and Surprises

“Truth or lies?” is one of the most entertaining 40th birthday party games. It makes for lots of laughs, unexpected surprises and sometimes even nostalgic moments. The guests tell anecdotes about themselves or the birthday boy or girl – but only one of them is true! The others have to guess which story actually happened.

This game is ideal for reliving memories, uncovering funny misunderstandings and getting to know each other even better. Whether it’s about embarrassing childhood sins, unbelievable coincidences or funny mishaps – there’s plenty of puzzles and laughter here.

Preparation:

• Each guest thinks about three stories or anecdotes in advance.
• Two of them are fictitious, one really happened.
• The stories should be entertaining, surprising or even a little crazy to make the guessing more exciting.

How to play:

• One person tells their three stories one after the other.
• The other guests can ask questions to find out which of the stories could be real.
• After a short discussion round, everyone has to guess which story is true.
• Then comes the big denouement – often with astonished or laughing reactions!

Awarding of points (optional):

• Whoever guesses the correct story gets a point.
• Whoever was able to lie particularly convincingly and mislead the most people also gets a point.
• In the end, the person with the most points or simply the one who has told the craziest stories wins.

Examples of stories:

• Truth or lie? “I once mistook my neighbor’s front door for my own and just went in – I only realized it when I saw the other person’s couch!”
• Truth or lie? “The birthday boy and I once tried to become a pop star duo and even recorded a CD – unfortunately only for the family circle.”
• Truth or lie? “I was once mistaken for a celebrity and had to sign 15 autographs before I told the truth!”
• Truth or lie? “When we were 16, the birthday boy accidentally threw popcorn at an entire movie theater – and we had to leave.”
• Truth or lie? “I once won a prize for making the most bubblegum bubbles in one minute.”

The crazier and more unexpected the stories are, the better the game works!

Tips for even more fun:

• Themed edition: You can customize the game thematically, e.g. only stories from the birthday child’s youth or shared experiences.
• Disguise factor: Anyone telling a particularly bizarre story must wear glasses, a wig or a hat while doing so – just to make it even funnier!
• Competition mode: Whoever manages to get NOBODY to guess their true story gets extra points.
• Photo evidence: If the birthday boy or girl happens to still have evidence of one of their anecdotes, they can present it later as a surprise!

This game is guaranteed to make for a relaxed, entertaining evening with lots of laughter. The guests get to know each other better, reminisce and the birthday boy or girl gets to hear lots of funny and crazy stories. Perfect for a successful 40th birthday!

7. Who Said It?

An entertaining guessing game in which the guests have to guess who said a certain sentence – either in the past or on the evening itself. Like many of the other 40th birthday party games, this one also has a wonderfully nostalgic component.

How it works:

• The host or a neutral person collects quotes or anecdotes in advance from various guests or from the birthday child themselves.
• These can either be old sayings from your youth or spontaneous statements from the evening.
• The quotes are written on cards and read out one after the other.
• The guests have to guess who said this sentence.
• Whoever guesses correctly gets a point.

Example quotes:

• “I actually wanted to be famous at 40… instead I’m happy to sit on the couch on a Saturday night!”
• “Back then, I was sure that I would never drink coffee. Now I can’t survive a day without it!”
• “My most embarrassing moment was when I locked myself in my hotel room on vacation…”

This game makes for lots of laughs and brings back great memories!

8. The Bucket List Challenge

The aim of this game is to find out what wishes and dreams the birthday child (or guests) still have on their bucket list!

Procedure:

• Each guest writes down one thing that they think is on the birthday boy or girl’s bucket list (e.g. skydiving, a road trip through the USA, writing their own book).
• The birthday boy or girl reads out the notes and has to say whether they are true or not.
• If it doesn’t apply, the birthday child must spontaneously say whether they like the idea or not.
• Alternatively, the birthday boy or girl can write down 5-10 things that are still on their bucket list. The guests then have to guess which ones are really on it.

A beautiful game that makes you think and dream – and who knows, maybe the first bucket list idea will be implemented together?

9. Battle of the Generations

A fun competition between the “older” and “younger” guests – perfect for a colorful mix of different age groups!

Game idea:

The guests are divided into two teams: “Ü40” and “U40”.

Each team is given a list of questions or tasks that are typical for the other generation.

The aim is to give as many correct answers as possible.

Possible questions:

For the younger ones (U40):

• What was a Walkman and how did you use it?
• Who sang “Like a Prayer”?
• What did you have to do if you were using a modem and someone wanted to make a phone call at the same time?

For the older ones (over 40):

• What is a “TikTok trend”?
• What does “LOL” and “FTW” mean?
• Who is currently at the top of the charts?

The team with the most correct answers wins – and both generations learn a lot about the “other time”!

10. Most Embarrassing Story Challenge

A game for the brave – in which the guests have to tell the funniest and most embarrassing stories from their lives!

How it works:

• Each guest thinks of an embarrassing or absurd story from their life.
• Everyone writes their story on a piece of paper (anonymously) and puts it in a box.
• The birthday child draws the slips of paper one by one and reads the stories aloud.
• The guests have to guess who the story belongs to.

Example stories:

• “I once walked around the city all day with toilet paper on the sole of my shoe without realizing it”.
• “I went to a job interview once – on the wrong day!”
• “I once accidentally unlocked the wrong car in the parking lot… and wondered why it wouldn’t start.”

This game brings tears to your eyes – with laughter!

Greatime – Your Platform for Creative Ideas and Special Moments

How nice that you have found us! Stay a while and let yourself be inspired by our wide range of ideas. If you liked our ten 40th birthday party games, why not browse a little further? At Greatime, it’s all about unforgettable experiences – whether you’re celebrating a round birthday, a child’s birthday, a wedding or a bachelor party. Also for christenings and seasonal celebrations such as Easter, Halloween, Christmas or New Year’s Eve, you’ll find lots of tips and creative ideas here.

We also offer digital games and original party ideas in our shop – perfect for birthdays, weddings and many other occasions. Take a look and discover our varied range!

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Because shared experiences are the most valuable thing we have. With our tips, you can create memories that will last a lifetime!

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