Christmas 2025 is now in the rear-view mirror, and while everyone else is making New Year’s resolutions and looking forward to what 2026 has in store, I find myself looking back over the festive period and reflecting on one thing… just how many party games Big Potato have in their repertoire!
I made an effort to be more sociable this Christmas (and somehow managed to avoid getting flu – result!) and that meant playing lots of party games with friends and family of all ages.
Pretty much every box I opened, I saw a Big Potato sticker looking back up at me, so I thought I’d put all that experience to good use and rate as many of them as I can in a Big Potato Mash Up!
Herd Mentality
I’m kicking off with one of the most well-known Big Potato titles, and the one we played the most (largely because people kept requesting it.)
Herd Mentality sees players trying their best to give the most popular answer to any given question. Be part of the Herd and score a point, give a completely unique answer and get saddled with ‘the cow’ – a spongy little bovine that prevents the holder from winning the game even if they get the pre-requisite number of points.
Much like some of the other games in this feature, Herd Mentality can suffer from ‘short shelf life syndrome’ as there are only a finite amount of cards to play through, but unlike some of the others there are at least a LOT.
The base game comes with a whole stack of questions, and there are also expansion packs and even an expandalone ‘Mooovies and Music’ version, where the questions are less about the people playing and more about the world of, you guessed it… Movies and Music.
Easy to learn, fun to play, suitable for all ages and with no real player cap, Herd Mentality is the perfect game for those big family gatherings.
8/10
Tilt ‘n’ Shout
Tilt ‘n’ Shout is definitely on the more chaotic end of the Big Potato spectrum, and there’s almost certainly going to be raised voices as this frantic dash for answers plays out.
Players sit on either end of the See-Saw and take it in turns to name an answer from the given category (Taylor Swift Songs, Fast Food Chains, Cheeses etc) tipping the device after each correct answer.
Which way the See-Saw should be tipped after a correct answer is still up for debate. Big Potato’s website claims that it should be pushed TO your opponent upon delivering a correct answer, however it naturally feels more intuitive to tip it back to yourself AND the video displayed on the website next to this information directly contradicts it too.
I guess it doesn’t make much of a difference so long as everyone is playing by the same rules.
Tilt ‘n’ Shout can be played by individuals or in teams, which only serves to increase the carnage as players try to remember who’s turn it is to reel off the next response. We played in teams at the last Bucket List Board Gamers meet up and it was a surprise hit!
It’s fun, it’s silly, the components are well made (which they need to be if you have kids getting a little over-excited and slamming the board when they get a right answer) and there are plenty of categories to work through, so the replayability is definitely there.
You could even write up a load of new categories yourself, it just has to be something that can be listed.
I do wonder just how long it would go unscathed though if younger children (or over-excited adults) start to get a little bit too excited, and inevitably rough with it.
7/10
Cards Vs. Gravity
This is a deck of cards with a difference!
Take a bottle (Beer, Pepsi, J20, whatever you have at hand) and place the magnetic doo-dad in the top of it, then take it in turns to add cards, making sure to match the colour of the current card to one that is already part of the ever-growing structure.
With its focus being around a bottle, Cards Vs. Gravity lends itself well to ‘drinking game’ rules, with dropped cards leading to the culprit taking a drink or even downing the rest of their preferred tipple should all the cards fall and the game end.
Having owned both the regular and the PRO versions of the game, I’d recommend the PRO. For a relatively small price increase the addition of a waterproof carrying bag, more cards and the introduction of the ‘Gravity Buster’ (a super-heavy card) and the ‘Gravity Bender’ (a very flimsy, light card) really are worth it.
The perfect game to take down the pub when meeting a small gathering of friends (it plays up to 8) but not great for those who struggle with dexterity games.
7/10
The Chameleon
The Chameleon sees one player anonymously selected to be the titular Chameleon, and challenges them to blend in with the rest of the group. To do this they have to give a clue that that relates to a word on a grid, despite not knowing what it is.
This can be done in a number of ways. Perhaps The Chameleon isn’t up first, so they can listen to other players clues and make an educated guess as to what the right word is, then give an appropriate answer.
Or maybe there’s a word that, albeit very tentatively, relates to a lot of the answers on the grid. Giving this clue would cover a lot of bases and give the Chameleon a fighting chance at not being identified.
When all the clues have been given all players vote on who they think the elusive Chameleon is, and points are distributed based on whether they were identified correctly or not.
While Chameleon is highly regarded by a lot of people, it just didn’t click for me. I enjoyed it for what it was but after 5-6 rounds I was ready to move on and I wasn’t eager to give it another go.
Still, I can appreciate the replayability, the quality of the components (the tin for the travel version is VERY nice) and that it plays quickly, so I can see why it’s a favorite for a lot of families.
5/10
Colour Brain
This was the first Big Potato game I ever played, and at the time I absolutely loved it.
The premise is so simple; players (or teams) get a handful of coloured cards each, the next card in the question pile is revealed and poses a simple conundrum; what colour(s) make up…
This could be as simple as ‘What colour lid is on Semi-Skimmed Milk’ or ‘What colours make up the Starbucks Logo’ to something far more taxing like ‘The original skittles colours’ or ‘Cadburys Mini Egg Colours’.
It’s easy to teach, easy to grasp for all ages and genuinely makes you question things you thought you knew 100%.
The main problem that Colour Brain suffers from is its limited replayability. You DO get a lot of cards in the box, but it doesn’t take long to go through them and once you have it’s hard to play again (at least without giving it 6 months to a year for the answers to slowly seep out of your subconscious.)
Big Potato HAVE addressed the issue somewhat by putting out small expansion packs and a Disney spin-off (which is devilishly hard unless you REALLY know your House of Mouse!) but even so it’s very easy to burn out Colour Brain’s milage in just a few plays.
The good news is that it doesn’t cost that much, and makes a perfect hand-me-down gift to other gamers once you’re done with it. Plus there’s a digital version out now which will presumably be updated with questions periodically.
6/10
Muffin Time
Muffin Time can best be described as carnage in a little square box.
Players have one goal when the game starts; have a hand of 10 cards and shout ‘Muffin Time’. That’s all you need to do to claim victory.
Achieving that goal isn’t quite as simple though, as everyone else is trying to do the same thing while thwarting your efforts at the same time, and to achieve anything at all you need to play the cards you’re trying your best to collect.
There are elements of Fluxx bubbling under the surface too, as some cards will completely change the rules of the game. For example, the ‘Time of Death’ card lets the person playing it change the goal number to anything between 1 and 20 (in the earlier versions there was no cap on this card, so players could effectively render Muffin Time unfinishable by setting it higher than the number of cards in the game.)
Players can also lay certain cards face down in front of them which hold secret challenges and big rewards for achieving them without being caught out. Make another player say a certain word, or do a certain action and these cards could spell bad news for them and a big victory for you.
Illustrated by TomSka in the same style as ‘asdfmovie’, the artwork is purposefully basic and shows you exactly what you need to see.
The chaotic nature of Muffin Time will undoubtedly appeal to younger players, but it also makes the game a challenge for people of any age range, and although it’s a bit more involved than some of Big Potato’s other party games, it’s sure to be a hit at family gatherings or friendly game nights.
8/10
Dumb Questions to Ask Your Friends
When we pulled DQtAYF out from our gaming bag everyone around the table looked at the unassuming green box and just sort of shrugged.
The front of the box doesn’t really give away what to expect, and upon opening it and seeing a little tracker board and a whole boatload of cards, it’s fair to say we weren’t expecting a great deal.
We were DEAD WRONG though and just a couple of rounds in everyone was fully on board and keen to keep playing… so much so we played it for far longer than we had intended.
It’s another one that is so simple to grasp there is practically no teach whatsoever.
One player (the guesser) chooses a category, then they close their eyes while the others draw 5 random cards from box. One of these cards is selected at random and shown to the group so they can come up with a suitable answer, then shuffled back into the other 4.
Each player declares their answer in turn, then the guesser is given all 5 cards and reveals them one at a time, ranking them on a scale of 1-5 based on how likely they are from the answers given.
Wherever the guesser places the correct card dictates the points they score, then play moves on to the next person.
The real value in this game is the variety of question cards in the box. Not only do they cover a lot of ground with the number of categories involved (Animals, Players, Food, Numbers, Objects, Famous People) but each category also has a wide scope when it comes to what the cards contain.
Cleverly though, it’s rare that the answers given will completely rule out any given card, keeping the guesser… well, guessing right until the last!
As an added bonus, there are also a handful of blank cards in each section, so players can come up with their own additions to the game.
As simple ‘box of cards’ party games go, there’s a lot of value in this one.
8.5/10
Sounds Fishy
If you’ve ever watched Richard Osman’s House of Games and seen the round ‘The Answer Isn’t’ then you’ll be immediately familiar with how Sounds Fishy plays.
The guesser draws a card from the (relatively limited) pool and slides it into a nice little card wallet, allowing them to see the question and everyone else to see the correct answer.
The other players have been dealt a fish card at random, and all but one will have ‘Red Herrings’, while the other has the ‘True Blue Kipper’.
It’s the herring’s job to come up with plausible answers, while the kipper has to try their best to make the actual answer sound the most unlikely.
The guesser then turns over cards one by one, trying to find the red herrings. For each one turned over the guesser gets one point, which they can bank at any time, but find the Blue Kipper and they lose everything.
Likewise, those with fish cards can score if they do or don’t get flipped.
Sounds Fishy is A LOT of fun to play, especially if your group has a flair for the creative and can really sell their answers. However… it is another that suffers from ‘short shelf life syndrome’.
There are just 100 question cards included (and only a measly 50 in the travel edition!) and each game will likely use 8-10 cards… so that’s only 10 or so games before every card has been seen.
The bigger problem here though, is that the quirky nature of the questions makes them very memorable. Sure, you might not be able to remember all 100 of them, but there’s a good chance players will remember what the right answer is for at least one of their rounds as the guesser.
An expansion pack has been created to breathe a bit of extra life into the game, and you could ask a friend to create a set of new cards if Sounds Fishy really does ‘hook’ you in, but just be aware when buying that much like a fresh kipper, the shelf life on this one is pretty short.
6/10
P for Pizza/ P for Pizza Kids Menu
P for Pizza is a fast-paced race to build a slice of pizza using little triangles that are covered in letters and categories.
Confused? Well, it’s actually surprisingly simple.
Place a stack of cards in the centre of the table and flip 1 over for each side. The top card of the pile shows 3 categories of varying difficulty (Name a food, Name something with Stripes, Name a Sport etc) while the flipped cards feature a single letter on each side.
Players must give an answer that fits the category and starts with one of the letters on the adjoining slice to claim it. Claimed slices are used to build a pyramid (or a slice of pizza, if you prefer) but cards won on an ‘easy’ category can only be used to build the base, ‘medium’ can only be used on the middle or base level, while ‘hard’ can be used anywhere.
Kids Menu is a variant of the game designed specifically for younger players, with the category difficulty aspect removed and a few other tweaks to make it simpler.
I wasn’t a fan of this one. Perhaps it’s my old brain struggling to react quickly, or that it was just a bit TOO simple, but I just didn’t enjoy it as much as other games in this feature. It’s worth noting others in our group had a great time though, so it could just be me.
4/10
Don’t Press That Mine Turtle
This is another one based on a TomSka animation (2012’s ‘Mine Turtle’ music video, to be specific) and it even comes with a really nice figure of the titular character.
Players are dealt 3 cards that feature dares of varying difficulty and silliness, which they have to play against each other, choosing the one that they think their victim will either refuse to do or fail miserably at.
It could be something as simple as reciting a tongue twister or spelling a difficult word, it could be a card that demands they tell the truth about a specific topic, or it could be something completely wild like allowing a moustache to be drawn on their face with a marker pen.
The crazier or more difficult the dare, the more ‘presses’ of the mine turtle it carries with it.
If the victim fails or refuses, they have to press the turtle that many times. If they succeed, the one setting them the challenge has to press it instead.
On any press the Mine Turtle could blow, branding the person who dealt the explosive click the ultimate loser.
Don’t Press That Mine Turtle is great fun, especially if the group you are playing it with are very familiar with each other and are comfortable taking part in the dares that may come their way.
Plus, the turtle is adorable, so much so that in our house he doesn’t even live in the box any more, he’s sat next to it on the Kallax.
It’s not for everyone, but if you have a group of extroverts looking for a good party game, break out the Turtle!
7.5/10
Whirly Derby
I’m wrapping up here with one of the more recent offerings from Big Potato in Whirly Derby, coming out in mid-2025.
If you often find yourself doomscrolling through Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, you’ve probably stumbled across a marble racing video or two, and I’d bet my last token tray you hung around to see which colour won, even though you didn’t really care.
Big Potato have taken all the excitement of marble racing, mixed it with those things you used to see in ASDA where you dropped a 2p in and it span around for ages and created an absolute blast of a game that just about anyone can play.
The basics of the game are simple; players have 5 marbles and two refreshes at their disposal. There are a total of 8 races, and the only rule is that each competitor has to enter AT LEAST one marble in each race.
Before each race three Trophy Cards are revealed that can be claimed as prizes by the player or players finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd, the cards all have varying values (and attributes, but more on that later) ranging from 1 to 10.
Players decide how many of their marbles they wish to enter and they all get thrown into a little cardboard holder and dashed into the metal racing bowl.
The three marbles that drop first take the podium places, and the very last marble to fall is returned to that player as a consolation. Whoever has the most points at the end of the last race is declared the victor!
Playing the most basic version of the game is fantastic, and great for younger players in particular, but there are two other elements that can be added to make things more complicated and exciting.
The first is the aforementioned attributes on the prize cards. Aside from the 10 point trophy, all the others have some sort of key along their base, that can help (or sometimes hinder) players.
The Cactus is only worth a lowly 1 point, but the player who ends the game with the most gets an additional 15 points.
Collecting a Donut (2 points), Cheese (4 points) and Jelly (8 points) turns 14 points into a massive 30.
Bubblegum machines are worth more when a player has 2 or 3, but should they get a 4th they are worth ZERO.
This can lead to a lot of strategy when it comes to claiming trophies at the end of a race. Do you take the higher points card, or do you grab a cactus knowing the player who took second already has 2 of them and could well end up with a bonus 15 points if you leave it?
It leaves plenty of scope to be devilish and really screw someone over, especially if there’s a bubblegum machine in play and someone already has 3 in their prize pool!
The other optional addition to the game is the THUNDERBALL!
An oversized glass marble that is given to the player who finds themselves in last place at the start of two random races, the Thunderball will block the speedway when it reaches the centre, preventing any more balls from falling through into the scoring track.
The more balls it successfully blocks, the more trophy cards the player who utilised it gets to take from the top of the deck.
It’s a nifty little catch up mechanic, although it can backfire too as the random element of the trophy pile means some of your cards could end up being worth less due to the number of them you end up with.
As you can probably tell, I’m really fond of this one. We played it a LOT with family over Christmas and it just didn’t get old.
Much like most Big Potato games, it won’t be for everyone, and the ‘gameplay’ aspect may be a bit too thin on the ground for some, but for families or groups just wanting some random, silly, ‘don’t have to think about it’ fun… it’s perfect!
9/10
The Bottom Line
There are probably another dozen Big Potato games I could have mentioned here, Don’t Get Got, Chicken Vs Hotdog, Get the Ick, Block Party… and that’s just off the top of my head.
They certainly have nailed it when it comes to the party game market, and with the exception of only one or two games that I’ve played, I’ve had a great time with almost all of them (even if it was only for a short time in some cases!)
If you’re looking for a game to play at a large gathering, especially one where there will be a wide age demographic, there’s sure to be a Big Potato game out there for you, and something I’ve mentioned has piqued your interest!
Until the next time, allow me to lift a line from the best time travel movie of all time…
“Be excellent to each other. And… PARTY ON, DUDES!”
