Bananagrams
The race plus 14 chaos-inducing party tiles
Party Edition
Shouts cut across the table because the fourteen party tiles hit other players the moment someone draws them.
$15.99
Rated 4.8 out of 5 by 3,282 players
Fourteen party tiles mix into the bunch to scramble the classic race the second anyone turns one over. Each one interrupts the room with actions like Switcheroo or Pouch Head instead of sitting quietly in a grid.
We print white letters on black tiles for this edition. A grid comes together fast, then an opponent forces an unexpected swap and changes your plan entirely.
| Players | 2–8 |
| Ages | 10 and up |
| A game runs | About 15 minutes |
| In the box | 114 letter tiles plus 14 party tiles, in a banana pouch |
| You also need | A table and players who do not mind being interrupted. |
| The feel | Everyone plays at once |
How a game unfolds
The race itself is unchanged from Bananagrams; the fourteen party tiles are the whole difference.
Split once
Turn all the tiles face down in the middle. That pile is the bunch. Each player draws their opening hand and flips it on the call.
Build all at once
Every player builds their own crossword grid at the same time. There are no turns to wait for.
Peel repeats
Empty your hand and say so. Everyone draws one more, and the bunch shrinks by one per player.
Bananas ends it
When the bunch runs below the number of players, the next grid to go clean wins the check and the game.
The party tiles
The fourteen party tiles are not wilds: draw one and its rule takes effect at once. They carry names like The Re-Gifter, The Thief, Switcheroo and Pouch Head - some act once and are gone, some stay in play. And note the count underneath: 114 letters rather than 144.
What makes it its own game
- Fourteen party tiles trigger their actions immediately upon being drawn instead of acting as wild letters.
- Letters are printed white on black tiles, stored inside a black pouch with a yellow zipper seam.
- Dumping an unusable tile back into the bunch requires taking three replacements in return.
- Calling Bananas becomes available as soon as the bunch holds fewer tiles than active players.
Worth knowing before you open the box
A party tile has to be used the moment it is drawn, so the pace never gets to settle - which is the point of the edition.
Who it suits
This suits groups that find the classic game too quiet and want people reaching across the table. It is less fitting for anyone who wants to build a word grid without being disturbed. A player who dislikes sudden disruptions will find the constant interference frustrating.
Before your first game
Read through the party tiles together before the opening Split call. Showing everyone what The Thief, The Re-Gifter, and Switcheroo do in advance saves the table from stopping mid-race to read instructions. Once everyone recognizes the names, flip the tiles face down and start.
Elsewhere on the shelf
Still reading? That is usually a yes.
The classic race with fourteen party tiles that fire the moment they leave the pouch.
$15.99