28 Gender Reveal Games That Are Guaranteed Fun

While people have been throwing baby showers for centuries, gender reveal parties are a fairly new tradition. There are plenty of nay-sayers — people who see it as another ploy to ask for presents. But, we’re not here to rain on anyone’s parade. Sometimes you’re just so excited about having a baby, you’ll find any excuse to celebrate. That’s totally cool. Just remember that the sex of your child may not be the gender identity they choose for themselves later. Oh, and don’t set any wildfires. *wink wink*

What exactly do you do at a gender reveal party, though? Ya know, aside from revealing the gender. Typically, gender reveal parties are just a mix of socializing and playing a few games, often the same kind of games you play at a baby shower. One way to keep things on theme is to have your friends show up in pink or blue to illustrate their guesses. For the rest of the party, have the boy team and girl team compete against each other. Here are some of our favorite games to play.

RELATED: What to (Really) Expect When You’re Eight Months Pregnant

Games You Can “Gender”

For many games, the only way to add in the gender theme is to divvy up into pink and blue teams. There are a few fun games, though, that can be easily “gendered” for the event.

1. Punch Pong

You’ve probably played beer pong, right? The concept is simple: Set up cups in a triangle formation on each end of a long table. Try to bounce ping-pong balls into the opposing team’s cups. (In this case, teams are usually partners.) If you land a ball in a cup, one of them has to chug whatever’s in the cup. For a gendered version, use pink and blue (spiked or virgin) punch.

2. Cornhole

Similar to punch pong, making cornhole stay on theme is all about being adaptable. Pick up some new bean bags to toss in the typical blue and pink color scheme.

3. Pink and Blue “Guess the Lyrics”

There are a surprising number of songs with the words “pink” or “blue” in them — think “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Pink Cadillac,” and “Red Roses for a Blue Lady.” Hand out printed sheets with a line from each song written and have everyone try to name the song.

4. Pink and Blue M&Ms Guess

This is super simple and doesn’t really take up much time in the game, but fill a baby bottle with specially ordered pink and blue M&Ms. Have guests guess how many there are in total. Or have them guess how many of each color.

5. Baby Name Alphabet

You can let everyone work in their teams, as partners, or as individuals for this game. It’s super-easy. Set a time limit and ask everyone to come up with a name for each letter of the alphabet. The catch: If they wore blue, they can only use boy names. Meanwhile, the pink team can only use girls’ names to complete the list. This is harder than it seems!

Gender Reveal Ideas

If you’re ready to actually reveal the gender and want to get everyone in on the action (instead of just watching), these games are awesome.

6. Carnival Balloon Pop

You know those walls of balloons at the carnival that you pop using darts? For this game, you’ll fill all but one balloon with a gender-neutral color. White paint, silver/gold glitter, and yellow powder are all great options. One balloon, though, will have paint in either blue or pink. Let everyone take turns slinging darts. The winner gets the honor of “announcing” your babe’s gender. If you ask us, they should probably get a prize, too. You do you.

FWIW, we also think you could easily turn the balloon board into an art installation for your new nursery if you do all-white paint with the exception of pink or blue paint or glitter in the “surprise” balloon.

7. Piñata

“But that’s not a game, Scary Mommy!” Is it fun? Yes. Does someone “win”? Basically. That makes it a game. Fill an on-theme pinata with blue or pink candy and let all your (probably punch-drunk) friends take turns trying to blast it open.

8. Scavenger Hunt

Who doesn’t love a good scavenger hunt? Another fun way to reveal your baby’s gender is to take your party on a little quest. Each clue could include important dates or places that relate to your relationship or lead to a goofy picture of you hanging on the wall. The final clue could even be the ultrasound picture. It’s your party and your game. You make the rules!

9. Gender Cake Pop Reveal

Looking for a sweet way to tell everyone the gender of your kid? Have a special batch of cake pops that are decorated pink and blue on the outside, but filled with either pink or blue on the inside. When it’s time to reveal the gender, everyone will take a bite.

10. Tire Burnout

Want to rev up your gender reveal like no other? Place burnout packs between your car’s tires. Have your partner get in the car, squeal the tires and leave everyone in a fog of pink or blue. This will let everyone know your baby’s gender in the coolest way.

11. Balloons in a Box

Take gender reveals to new heights by putting a bunch of either pink or blue helium-filled balloons into a big tall box. On top of the colorful balloons, put a few neutral-colored ones on top of them. When you open the box for the reveal, the neutral ones will rise first, which will help build the suspense. Then they’ll be followed by the gender-revealing colored balloons. As the balloons fill the sky, your crowd will look up for the answer they’ve been waiting for.

12. Scratch and Gender

Love lotto tickets? Incorporate some scratch-off into your baby reveal. The only catch is that the prize won’t be 100 million dollars, but the gender of your baby (which, c’mon, is priceless)! To ensure everyone is collectively surprised, have a five-second countdown to when everyone scratches their card. You can also get super creative with the card design, which you and your guests can keep for your scrapbooks and photo albums.

13. Use the Force

Are you and your partner complete nerds? Do you both love Star Wars? Well, you can use the Force to tell your guests the gender of your baby. Wielding a lightsaber is on everyone’s bucket list, and now you can do it pregnant! Get two lightsabers that either glow pink or blue. When you and your partner are about to reveal the gender of your little stormtrooper, both of you will turn on your lightsabers. If it glows blue, you’re having a tiny Han Solo. If glows pink, you’re having a Princess Leia. After you both discover the gender of your baby, you can pose for some epic Star Wars photos that will one day inspire your child to watch all the movies.

14. Kicking It

Is your partner a soccer fan? Well, give them the chance to score the winning goal into the net representing the gender of your child. And just so that it remains a mystery to the parents, spin them around and then place them in front of the accurate net to kick the ball in. Scooooore!

15. Light Up the Gender

If you’re having your gender reveal around the holidays, stay with the festive theme by using Christmas lights to show your excitement! Put them on your tree or have the lights strung around the house. And when you’re ready for the reveal, the lights would twinkle either pink or blue.

Other Fun Baby-Themed Games

16. Baby ABC Game

Can you name a baby product or necessity for every letter of the alphabet? Have your friends give it a try.

17. Pin the Pacifier on the Baby

If you have an artistic friend, they can draw this up for you. But you can also buy the game for fairly cheap online or at any party store.

18. Baby Charades

This might be the most involved and fun game you can play. Think of all the activities you do with a baby: changing diapers, feeding, burping, taking their temperature. Write them all down and then have guests take turns drawing them and trying to act them out for their team. Enjoy the nonsense!

19. Baby Word Scramble

Think: diaper, butt cream, bottle, booties, onesie. You get the idea. Scramble the letters and let guests unscramble them.

20. Bib Battle

Every baby needs a bib. So, get a bunch of plain ones and put your guests to work. This is a super fun game that allows everyone to tap into their artistic side. So break out the pipe cleaners, glitter, glue, and marker — may the cutest bib win.

21. Guess That Baby!

So this game isn’t so much about your baby, but it will definitely entertain your guests. Have your guests send you their baby pictures before the party. Post them all on a big science project board and let everyone guess who’s in each picture. Your guests will wrack their brains as they try to figure out who is who.

22. Bobbing for Pacifiers

If you’ve bobbed for apples before, bobbing for pacifiers should be a breeze. You’ll need a few plastic tubs and about thirty pacifiers. Fill the tubs with water and then dump a bunch of binkies into each one. While bobbing, each player must keep their hands behind their back. The person who pulls out the most pacifiers with their mouth will win a small prize.

23. Don’t drop the baby

A fun way to keep your guests on their toes is to hand out eggs at the beginning of the party. These eggs will be their babies for the day. They can choose to decorate them, but the goal of the game is to keep the “babies” uncracked. The guests with perfect eggs at the end of the night win.

24. Bingo

Hop on Etsy or check out a free printable of gender reveal bingo games and settle in for some classic fun. If you want to make this game the pies de resistance of the party then the guest who gets Bingo finds out the birth sex of the baby.

25. Disney (or Just Famous) Parents’ Match

Do you know Elsa and Anna’s parents’ names? What about Ariel’s dad? Who are Kate Hudson’s famous parents? See which guest can make the most matches.

26. Name That “Baby” Song

This is similar to the pink and blue lyrics game. In this case, though, you’ll post or read lyrics from songs with the word “baby” in the title.

27. Baby Food Bananza

Give each player three different jars of baby foods. Before moving to the next baby jar, they must guess at least two of the ingredients and remove the little blue or pink toy at the bottom. The first player to finish all their food, guess two ingredients, and find the little toy wins. Add more pink or blue toys to the jar based on the sex of your baby. If there are more pink toys, it’ll let your guest know you’re having a girl, and if there is more blue, it’s a boy.

28. Don’t Say “Baby”

Bring out your guests’ competitive side with this game! The premise is super simple: Each guest puts a clothespin somewhere on their outfit (or, if you’re feeling crafty, you can string a pacifier or tiny plastic baby onto a string and have guests wear them like necklaces). Everyone is instructed not to say the word “baby.” If you catch someone in the act, you get to steal their clothespin. The person with the most pins at the end of the shower wins.

Do you bring gifts to a gender reveal party?

So, it isn’t a baby shower but it sort of feels like a baby shower… do you bring a present for the parents-to-be or not? Unless the invitation states otherwise, you certainly aren’t required to bring a gift. However, if you feel funny showing up empty-handed (especially since you plan to chow down on the delicious finger foods they’ve provided), bring a small gift. Keep it unisex in keeping with the reason for the celebration — you don’t know what they’re having yet! — or pick something the parents can enjoy.

How do you plan a gender reveal party?

A gender reveal party is different from your run-of-the-mill baby shower. There are a few specifics you’ll need to pull this party off.

1. Make an appointment for an ultrasound to learn your baby’s gender. Bring a trustworthy friend along so the doctor can tell them the baby’s gender.
2. Choose a theme and set a date.
3. Pick one of the genders reveals ideas above for your party. Choose one that’s on-brand with your party.
4. Create a small list of activities and games your guests can take part in throughout the party. Pick up some cute prizes for the winners as well.
5. Hire a photographer, or make sure you have a friend ready to capture the moment you learn your baby’s gender.