Game night ideas in Egypt

In Egypt, a game night can be anything from tawla at the ahwa to a living room full of cousins after iftar. Here are ideas for every kind, from the classics everyone's grandparents played to games for a group with their phones out.

The classics

Tawla (backgammon)

The king of the ahwa. Fast, loud and endlessly competitive, and the trash talk is half the game. Play winner-stays-on so everyone gets a turn.

Dominoes

Works for two to four players, and the slap of the last tile is the best sound in any café.

Cards: Basra and Kotchina

If anyone at the table grew up in Egypt, they probably know at least one of these. Teach the newcomers; it never takes long.

Name, Animal, Thing, Country

All you need is paper and a pen. Pick a letter and race to fill in every column. Arguments about whether a word counts are guaranteed.

Ramadan nights

The long evenings between iftar and suhoor are made for games, often with a big mixed group of family and friends. What works best:

Games anyone can join halfway. People come and go all night.
Games for mixed ages. Parents, cousins and kids at the same table.
Nothing too long. Twenty minutes per game, then switch.

Who Said It fits this well: anyone who arrives mid-game scans the code and is dealt into the next one.

Party games for friends

Picking a secret word from three cards — Partners in Crime can include Egyptian and Arabic words

For a group of friends with their phones out, Who Said It is free in the browser, with nothing to install. A few modes that work especially well:

Partners in Crime has an Egyptian & Arabic words setting, with local places, food and everyday words. It's on automatically in Egypt and can be switched off for international groups.
Hot Takes: "koshari is overrated" will start an argument in any Egyptian living room.
Classic: answers can be typed in Arabic, English or a mix of both, however your group talks.

Arabic, English or Franco?

Most Egyptian groups switch between Arabic and English mid-sentence, and many type in Franco (Arabic in Latin letters). Phone games handle all three, as long as everyone can read what's written. For mixed groups with friends from abroad, agree on English for written answers and let the shouting happen in whatever language comes naturally.

Ideas for different nights

Family gathering: Two Truths and a Lie (the older generation's lies are always the best), then dominoes.
Uni friends: Classic and Who Is It, the more inside jokes the better.
New group: start with Hot Takes. See our icebreaker guide.
Big screen at home: put the game on the TV. Here's how.

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