22 Games to Play With Friends Without Anything

How to choose a game

The right no-equipment game depends on two things: how many of you there are and how much energy you have. Talking games like Would You Rather and 21 Questions are perfect when you’re lounging around. Word games like Ghost, Contact and Categories need a bit of focus and work well in cafés, cars and lines. Acting and deduction games like Charades, Mafia and Wink Murder need space and a group that’s up for being loud.

Quick picks:

• Bored at home with one friend: 20 Questions, Ghost, One-Word Story.
• On a road trip: the Alphabet Game, Categories, 20 Questions, Rhyme Time.
• Waiting in line: Word Association, Would You Rather, Two Truths and a Lie.
• Sleepover or late night: Never Have I Ever, Who’s Most Likely To, 21 Questions.
• A house party with ten people: Mafia, Charades, Wink Murder, Telephone.

Games to play with one friend

These all work with just two people, which makes them great for long walks, waiting rooms and lazy afternoons.

1. 20 Questions

Players: 2 or more. One person thinks of a person, place or thing; the other gets 20 yes-or-no questions to guess it. Start with “Is it alive?” and narrow down. It’s the classic for a reason: easy, endlessly replayable and works anywhere.

2. 21 Questions

Players: 2. Not to be confused with 20 Questions: here you take turns asking each other personal questions, 21 total, and both have to answer honestly. It’s a getting-to-know-you game that works with new friends and old ones. Need ideas? Our 21 Questions guide has lists.

3. Word Association

Players: 2 or more. One person says a word, the next instantly says the first related word that comes to mind, and so on. Hesitate for more than a couple of seconds or repeat a word and you lose the round. It gets fast and weird quickly.

4. Ghost

Players: 2 or more. Take turns adding one letter to a growing word fragment. Whoever completes a real word (of four letters or more) gets a letter of G-H-O-S-T; spell it out and you’re out. You can challenge someone if you think their fragment can’t become a real word.

5. One-Word Story

Players: 2 or more. Build a story together, one word per person per turn. Nobody controls where it goes, so it ends up absurd. Try a rule like “it must be a horror story” for extra laughs.

6. Fortunately, Unfortunately

Players: 2 or more. One person starts a story with a sentence. The next adds one beginning with “Unfortunately…,” the next with “Fortunately…,” and you alternate. It turns into a roller coaster of disasters and rescues.

7. Rhyme Time

Players: 2 or more. Say a word and take turns naming words that rhyme with it. First one stuck or repeating loses the round. Try two-syllable words for a harder version.

Games for small groups (3–6 people)

8. Would You Rather

Players: 2 or more. Pose an impossible choice (“Would you rather have to sing everything you say or dance whenever you walk?”) and everyone picks a side and defends it. It never runs out because you can invent questions on the spot. Need a head start? See our funny Would You Rather questions or play free on the Would You Rather page.

9. Two Truths and a Lie

Players: 3 or more. Each person says three things about themselves, one false, and the others guess which is the lie. Great with new friends; even better with old ones who think they know everything about you.

10. Never Have I Ever

Players: 3 or more. Everyone holds up ten fingers. Take turns saying something you’ve never done; everyone who has done it lowers a finger. Last person with fingers up wins. Our Never Have I Ever questions list has hundreds of ideas.

11. Contact

Players: 3 or more. One player thinks of a word and reveals its first letter. The others think of words starting with that letter and give clues for them. If two guessers say the same word together (“Contact!”), the word-keeper reveals the next letter, unless they can guess the clue first.

12. Categories

Players: 3 or more. Pick a category, like dog breeds, pizza toppings or Disney movies, and go around naming one item each. Pause too long or repeat and you’re out. Last one standing picks the next category.

13. The Alphabet Game

Players: 2 or more. Pick a theme and go through the alphabet: A is for Apple, B is for Banana… Each person takes a letter. Getting stuck on Q or X is part of the fun.

14. Botticelli

Players: 3 or more. One person thinks of a famous person and reveals the first letter of their last name. Others ask indirect questions (“Are you a famous painter?”), and the thinker must name someone matching that description with the same letter. If they can’t, the asker gets a direct yes-or-no question.

15. Psychiatrist

Players: 4 or more. One player steps away while the group agrees on a secret rule, such as “everyone answers as the person to their right.” The psychiatrist comes back and asks questions until they work out what’s going on.

16. Who’s Most Likely To

Players: 4 or more. Someone asks “Who’s most likely to…?” (“…become famous,” “…get lost in their own town”) and on three everyone points at a person. It’s quick, revealing and always gets laughs. See our Who’s Most Likely To questions.

Games for bigger groups (6+ people)

17. Charades

Players: 4 or more, in teams. Act out a movie, book or song title without speaking while your team guesses. Agree on the standard gestures first (number of words, “sounds like”) to speed things up.

18. Mafia

Players: 6 or more. A narrator secretly picks a few people as mafia. At “night,” everyone closes their eyes and the mafia silently choose a victim. During the “day,” everyone debates and votes on who to eliminate. The game ends when the mafia are caught or outnumber the town.

19. Wink Murder

Players: 6 or more. Everyone closes their eyes while one person taps the “murderer.” Then everyone mingles; the murderer kills by winking, and victims die (dramatically) a few seconds later. Spot a wink and accuse, but a wrong guess knocks you out.

20. Simon Says

Players: 4 or more. A classic that’s surprisingly fun for adults too. The leader gives commands, and players obey only if the command starts with “Simon says.” Make the commands sillier as the game goes on.

21. Telephone

Players: 6 or more. Whisper a sentence to the person next to you, who whispers what they heard to the next, all the way around the circle. The last person says it out loud and the group compares it to the original.

22. Heads or Tails Trivia

Players: 6 or more. One person asks a trivia question with two answers. Everyone puts their hands on their head for one answer or on their hips for the other. Wrong answers sit down; the last person standing wins.

Bonus: if someone has a phone

You don’t need one, but a single phone opens up a few more games without any cards or boards. In the Duoo app (iPhone and iPad, works offline), you can play the Imposter game, where everyone but one person gets a secret word, or Taboo, where you describe a word without the forbidden ones. Both can also be played free in a browser. More ideas in our list of party games for adults.

Tips for playing when bored

• Match energy to the place. Quiet games like 20 Questions or Ghost suit a café or a train; Charades and Mafia need a room.
• Rotate who leads. Let a different person pick the next game so nobody feels stuck in someone else’s favorite.
• Change the stakes. The loser picks the next movie, buys the snacks or does a silly forfeit. Small stakes make any game more fun.
• Make your own versions. Every game here can be themed: holiday Charades, movie-only 20 Questions, food-only Categories.
• Stop while it’s still fun. Switch games as soon as energy dips. Five quick rounds of three different games beat one game that drags on.
• Explain rules with a practice round. Instead of a long explanation, play one round “for free” so newcomers can learn by doing.
• Include the quiet ones. Games like Two Truths and a Lie and 21 Questions give everyone a turn in the spotlight without requiring them to perform, which is a good balance to louder games like Charades.
• Keep a list. Save your group’s favorite questions and Categories themes in a note so the next boring afternoon has a head start.