How to Play Hot Seat (Group games for all)

Group games are a great way to add a dash of fun to a party, especially if you’re bringing different sets of friends together.

In the group game, Hot Seat, you’ll see your friends bond over a mutual interest to win while having tons of laughter along the way.

Features of the Hot Seat Game

 ★  Game Name Hot Seat
 ★  Group size medium to large
★  Age any (8+) 
 ★  Type stationary
 ★  Skill acting
 ★  Place indoor 
★  Time up to 10 – 20 min
 ★  Preparation no
 ★  Materials yes

Aim of the Game

In Hot Seat, your goal is to work with your team to guess what’s being acted out by the volunteer.

As a volunteer player, your goal is to act as well as you can so a team can guess what you’re trying to convey.

Ideal Age and Group Sizes

Hot Seat is a game that’s ideally played with 10 to 16 players. Larger groups are always welcome, as you’ll then have more teams playing against each other.

Hot Seat is ideally played with anyone aged 8 and up.

What to prepare to play Hot Seat?

To prepare for Hot Seat, you’ll have to prepare:

  • A chair for the volunteer
  • Whiteboards and markers for every team
  • A stopwatch or phone with a timer

How to play Hot Seat

Before starting a game of Hot Seat, you’ll have to split your group into even teams. If you would like to make Hot Seat an icebreaker game, you should have players team up at random. 

Provide each team with a whiteboard and marker, then pick 1 player from the group to sit on a chair in front of the room. That would be known as the Hot Seat. Once this setup is done, you’ll be ready to play this group game.

Step 1: Provide your volunteer seated at the Hot Seat with a word or scenario. Put 30 seconds on the timer and have your volunteer act out the word or scenario.
They must not make any sounds, or the round will be voided.

Step 2: As your volunteer is acting the word or scenario, the rest of the players must guess the mystery word and write their answers on the whiteboard. Be sure to remind your players not to show their answers to their competitors.

Step 3: When 30 seconds are up, have all your teams reveal their answers on the whiteboard. The team with the closest guess to the word or scenario scores a point. You may then pick another volunteer from the winning team to take on the Hot Seat.

Hot Seat is a game that requires teamwork, as your teams must work together to guess the word or scenario acted out. To make the game more difficult, you may consider introducing themes like Christmas words or bridal party scenarios.