60 Fun Games to Play with Friends – In Real Life or Online

Looking for some fun games to play with friends at your next party? Or how about challenging your pals into an online strategy game? This list of games to play with your friends has options for both adults, and the young ones, ranging from games to play in real life, to games you can play online.

Anytime a group of friends is hanging out together, it is the perfect opportunity to play a game. The tricky part is finding a game that everyone will enjoy. 

This post is designed for anyone looking for:

Games to play with friends – for adults

1. Great minds think alike

This is a fun group game for your next party, the game basically goes like this: You divide the group into 2 smaller groups, and give them papers and pens. Once you start you simply call out one of the categories in the sheet provided and have them write the first 3 things that come to mind.

Once every category is finished, you start scoring as follows:

  • 3 points for each word that 3 people wrote the same thing.
  • 4 points for each word that 4 people had in common.
  • 5 points for every word that 5 people had in common.

Here is the provided sheet for category ( obviously, you can change the categories is you like )

Why we love this game: It’s just a fun way to get people laughing and using their heads while also socializing with other people.

2. Never have I ever – adult version

The popular game can be played in both adult and kids version, but for this part of the list, let’s focus on the adult version. So basically the rules are very simple. You dit down in a circle, and each person needs to call out a thing he has never done to the group.

Now each person in the group needs to lift his hand if he did the thing. The winner ( or loser depends on how you count ) is the person who lifted 5 fingers first.

When adults play this game, things can go pretty steamy fast, as people tend to share things that will make you uncomfortable.

Why we love this game: We love this game as it’s usually great for ice breaking and getting people to get out of their shell, which is what you want in a party.

3. Kiss, Marry, Kill – celebrity version

The famous game where people need to chose who they will marry, kiss or kill, but this time with the spin of only using celebrities. Here are the rules:

  • One person in the group starts by saying a celebrity name.
  • The rest of the group taking turns and saying if they would either: Kiss, Marry or kill that person.

That’s it, very simple but fun game

Why we love this game: Honestly, just because you can play it without using your head too much, and it always creates good laughs as someone will always choose weird choices.

4. Press conference game

This is a fun one! The rules of the game are simple, and this game is very good at getting people to collaborate and show their stuff.

You start by choosing who the person is to have the conference. Once you choose, the rest of the group get together and quietly decide which person they are interviewing – without the person knowing it!

As they ask their questions, the person must answer them, and try to figure out who he is! Hilarious

Why we love this game: One word, try playing this game after a few drinks. Great times follow

Fun Games To Play With Friends in Person

A collection of fun games for kids to play.

1. Charades 

We are starting our list of 52 fun games with the classic word game Charades

Charades remain one of the best games to play with friends because it is challenging, fun and guaranteed to generate some laughs.  

To play charades, split the group into several teams of between 2 to 4 players per team. 

One player from one of the teams is chosen to start. That player thinks of a famous person, movie title, saying, song title, or book title and writes in on a piece of paper. 

They must then give their team clues to help them guess the name of whatever they are thinking of.

Clues can only be in the form of hand gestures and pantomime. There are also some common clues which help the team narrow down the possible answers including:

  • To indicate the number of words, hold up that many fingers, then hold up another finger to tell the team which word you are miming first
  • To indicate it is a song, pretend to sing
  • To indicate it is a book, pretend to read
  • To indicate it is a movie, mime a camera rolling

Teams have 60 seconds to guess the phrase or word that their teammate is thinking of. 

They get one point if they successfully guess the answer. The next team then gets a turn. The first team to reach an arbitrary number of points wins the game.

2. Two Truths and a Lie

This is a fun game that also works well as an icebreaker. To get started, players sit or stand in a circle. 

Going in turns, each player will tell two truths and one lie. The other players will vote on which statement they believe is a lie. After everyone has voted, the player reveals which statement was a lie.  

There are several variations of two truths and a lie. One common variation is to compel players to tell truths and lies about something personal to them. 

Another variation has players tell two truths and a dream wish. The dream wish can be anything they want to achieve in the future.

3. Cops And Robbers Tag

This is a fun variation of tag that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. The players are split into two groups – the “Cops” and the “Robbers”. Each group is given a home base. 

Next, pick one or more objects that the Robbers must attempt to steal. The robbers will then attempt to take or touch those objects without being tagged by a cop.

If a cop successfully tags a robber, they are taken to jail (a designated area nearby). 

The cops win if they successfully jail all of the robbers, while the robbers win if they successfully touch the objects or take them back to their home base.  

Robbers can free fellow robbers by running to the jail and tagging them back into the game (a prison break). 

It’s also common to set a 10-foot “safety zone” around the objects to be stolen which the cops cannot enter.  This prevents the cops from standing right next to the objects. 

Cops are also prohibited from entering the robber’s home base.

4. Things 

This simple game helps friends get to know more about each other while having a few laughs. 

At the start of the game, one player is chosen to be “It”. They must ask a question starting with the word “Things” that everyone in the group answers. The funnier or more interesting the question, the better.

An example question might be “Things you should never do at school?”.  Everyone in the group has to then write their answer on a piece of paper. 

The person who is “It” will then collect those pieces of paper and reads the answers out.  The other players will guess who gave each answer.  If they are correct, they get a point. 

Continue answering until there is one player left, who is awarded three points.  A new “It” is chosen and the game continues until a set limit of points has been reached.

5. Freeze Dance

This hilarious game is a lot of fun when played with a group of friends. Start by choosing one person from the group to be the “DJ”. 

They will be in control of the music that is being played. When music is playing, everyone will start dancing and jumping around. 

Whenever the DJ stops the music, everyone must freeze in their current position. 

If a player doesn’t freeze quickly enough, they are eliminated. The winner is the last person on the dance floor. And speaking of music games, check out our huge list of games with music for a fun time.

6. Would You Rather

This is a great game for friends because it encourages them to be creative and it results in some very funny answers. 

Someone in the group asks a question of the other players that start with “Would You Rather”. The question gives the participants two possible options.  

For example, they could ask “Would you rather not be able to open any closed doors or not be able to close any open doors?”. 

Anyone answering must choose one option and explain why. The more weird, creative, crazy, or gross the options, the better! 

Here is a list of Would You Rather questions to help you get started.

7. Who Am I

This game has simple rules and is perfect for the whole family. To play Who Am I, you will need some post-it notes and some pens. 

Each player writes the name of a famous person on a post-it note and attaches it to the forehead of the person next to them. 

Make sure that the person doesn’t get to see what is written on the post-it note.

Then, going in a clockwise direction, each player asks yes or no questions in an effort to discover which name is written on their post-it note. 

For example, a player might ask questions like “Am I still alive?”, “Was I born in the United States?”, “Am I an artist?”. 

Here are a few good questions to get the ball starting:

Am I an athlete? Am I famous?
Am I a singer? Am I under 50 years old?
Am I female? Am I alive?

If the answer to a question is “yes”, they get to ask another question. If the answer is no, the next player gets their turn. The game continues until someone guesses the name on their post-it.

A collection of fun games to play with friends when bored.

8. Likes and Dislikes

This game tests how well your friends know one another. To play, you will need some index cards and some pens. 

Everyone writes down 5 likes and 5 dislikes on their index card. These items can be food, music, movies, clothing, or anything else that you like or dislike. 

After everyone has written on their card, collect the cards and shuffle them.  Have someone read the likes and dislikes on each card and have the group vote on who wrote that card.

9. Silly Olympics

It’s not easy to get into the Olympics, as you need to be a highly-skilled professional athlete. 

The bar is set a little lower for the Silly Olympics because anyone can join in!  It is a series of crazy games including:

  • Backward crab walk
  • Balloon volleyball
  • Egg race relays
  • Sack races
  • Capture the flag
  • Frisbee tossing
  • Egg catching 

Sort the participants into teams of two and have each team come up with silly made-up country names. 

Give out 3 points for gold medals, 2 points for silver, and 1 point for bronze, then tally the totals to determine the winning country. Make sure you check out our summer olympic theme ideas.

10. Pictionary

Pictionary is one of the most popular games in the world – for good reason. It is fun, challenging, creative, and really tests each player’s artistic skills! 

To play Pictionary, you just need a minute timer, some pencils, and some paper. 

However, you could also purchase a Pictionary set, which also has a board and Pictionary cards.

Pictionary is played in a similar way to charades, with teams of two or more players. 

If you don’t have a Pictionary set, you will need someone to write a few dozen clue cards, which feature the name of an object, actions, movies, locations, or songs.

Going in turns, one player from each team is given a clue card. They must draw a visual representation of that clue on a piece of paper. 

Their teammates must attempt to guess what they are drawing within one minute. 

If they do so, the team gets a point – or they move their piece on the board if you purchased a Pictionary set. 

The winner is the first team to a certain point threshold or the first team to reach the other end of the board. 

11. UNO

UNO is one of the world’s best-selling card games. The game starts with each card being dealt 7 cards. 

Those cards will contain one of four colors and a number, an action card (Draw Two, Skip, or Reverse), or will be a wildcard.

The object of the game is to be the first player to 500 points and the object of each round is to use all of your cards.

At the start of the round a card is flipped from the deck. Going clockwise, players must attempt to play cards that match the color or number of the card in the middle. 

If a player does not have a card that matches the turned card, they must pick up a card. Wild cards can be played at any time. Grab a UNO deck on Amazon.

12. React and act

This is a fun game to play with friends that tests their dramatic abilities. To get started, write a number of made-up scenarios on strips of paper and place them in a bag. This could include scenarios like:

  • Stepping on a snake
  • Getting scolded by a cranky teacher
  • Meeting your favorite celebrity
  • Getting dumped by your girlfriend or boyfriend
  • Finding $100 on the ground

Split the players up into two groups.Have the players from one group take a scenario from the bag.

They will then have 30 seconds to act out the scene on the piece of paper.  The actors can’t speak and can only mime their reaction to the scenario on the piece of paper. 

The other group must then attempt to guess which scenario each person was acting out. 

You can make this game competitive by awarding points to the actors who acted well enough to have their scenario guessed by the audience.

13. The Oreo Challenge 

This is the perfect game for people who love sweet treats. Start by buying several boxes of Oreos that are different flavors. 

Do your best to find the more obscure ones like Candy Corn Oreos, Banana Split Oreos, and Peanut Butter Oreos. 

Lay the cookies out on separate plates. Place blindfolds on each participant and have them take a nibble of each cookie. 

They must guess the flavor of each cookie they try. The person who guesses the most flavors is the winner!

14. The Maltesers Game

Another game for friends with a sweet tooth. To play, all you need is a packet of Maltesers ( or some other round treat ), bowls and several straws. Each player receives a straw and a bowl.  

Start the game by dumping the Maltesers in the middle of a table. Each player will then use their straw to blow Maltesers into their bowl. 

The winner is the player who collects the most treats – but all players get to enjoy some chocolate in the end!

15. Escape Room in a Box

There are some really cool puzzle games available that are a lot of fun to play with friends. “Escape Room in a Box” is one of the most interesting puzzle games around. 

It contains a set of mental and physical puzzles that are placed in a room. The players must solve the puzzles to escape the room before they are attacked by a werewolf. It is designed for 2 to 8 players aged 13 and up.

16. Name That Song

This game will test the musical knowledge of your friends! Start by creating a playlist of music that your friends may have probably heard before. Play a second or two of the beginning or middle section of the first song.  

Whoever raises their hand the fastest (or hits a pot with spoon) will get to guess the name of the song.

If they get it right, they get a point. If they get it wrong they lose a point. If no one attempts to guess the song, play a longer excerpt. 

The first player to reach 10 points is the winner. You can have multiple friends make their own playlist so everyone gets a turn at guessing the songs.

Jessica’s note – I would also incorporate dancing into this game, as the music plays in the background, the kids need to dance to the tune while guessing. Just to add some movement to this fun game.

17. Pitch Perfect Riff-Off

The Riff-Off in the classic film Pitch Perfect is one of the best scenes in the movie.

If your friends love music, you can emulate this scene together. Start by deciding on a category of song to use. 

Some great categories include 80’s classics, romantic songs, and hip hop tracks

Split the players into two teams and choose a team to go first. They will start singing a track that matches that category.

The other team will then think of another song that features some of the words in the current song. 

They can then jump in at the right point and take over with the new song. You can score this game by giving one point to the team that makes a successful transition or you can just play it for fun!

18. Capture The Flag

This is an exciting game to play at school, when camping, or during a party. It needs to be played on a large open space with two teams of at least 4 people each. 

The play area is divided into two territories, one for each team. The territories can be designated with a sticks, a long piece of string or some other natural marker like trees or a stream.  

At the back of each team’s territory is their home base, where they will place their flag. 

Each team will attach a piece of cloth or a t-shirt to a stick and plant it in the ground in their base. 

Each team will also have a jail, which is marked with sticks or a rope. This area must be in their team’s territory but not too close to their flag.  

The goal of the game is to steal the other team’s flag and bring it back to your base. 

However, if you get tagged while in enemy territory, you will go to jail. Jailed team mates can be freed by tagging them, but this can be quite risky if there are defenders guarding the jail.

Once a team has managed to bring the opponent’s flag back to their own flag, teams will switch sides and play again. 

The first team to 3 is declared the winner. Check out this video showing an indoor version of capture the flag with less players.

19. The Alphabet Game

This simple trivia game is surprisingly fun and easy to learn. The rules are simple. 

Choose a category like the names of countries or types of animals. Then, going in turns, each player must name something in that category that matches each letter of the alphabet.  

So, if the category was “Fruits”, the first player would need to name a fruit that starts with “A”, like “Apple” or “Apricot”. 

The next player would need to answer with a fruit that starts with “B”, like “Banana” or “Blackberries”. 

If a player cannot think of a fruit in the category with the current letter, they will be out until the next round.

20. Never Have I Ever

This simple game can help friends learn more about one another. It starts with everyone sitting in a circle with a small bowl of candy or some other snack food in front of them. 

Going in a circle, each player will make a statement that begins with “Never Have I Ever…”.  

So, the first player might say “Never Have I Ever farted in a classroom.”  Any player that HAS farted in a classroom will then get to eat a piece of the food in front of them. 

The game continues until one player has eaten all of their food and they are declared the winner. 

21. The Last Dab Challenge (Ages 12+)

This game is inspired by the YouTube channel, First We Feast. First We Feast features celebrity interviews during which, the celebrity must eat chicken wings with hot sauce. 

They start with the mildest hot sauce and progress to the hottest. 

To play The Last Dab Challenge, get 4 or 5 hot sauces that range from mild to extremely hot. 

Taking turns, each person takes a bite of their chicken wing with friends progressing through the sauces.

The winners are the players who make it to the last sauce. It’s surprisingly funny to watch the look of shock on the faces of your friends as the sauce in their mouth heats up!

22. Bowling 

Bowling is one of the best games you can play with friends. It’s fun, challenging, and a great way to socialize. 

One of the best advantages of bowling is that you can also go bowling at any time and in any weather.

It’s suitable for both children and adults, and there are some awesome bowling alleys out there. 

23. B.S.

B.S. is a fun card game with simple rules that kids enjoy. This game uses a traditional pack of playing cards with the Jokers removed. 

If more than 6 players are playing, use two decks. The goal of the game is to be the first person out of cards.  

At the start of the game, a player is chosen to be the dealer. They will shuffle the deck very thoroughly and deal all of the cards evenly between the players. 

The player to the left of the dealer starts by discarding one or more cards of the same value.  The cards are placed in the middle of the table face down.  

As they place the cards, they must call out the value of the cards they are discarding. 

For example, the player might say “Two Aces” as they place two cards. 

The cards must be discarded in ascending order, starting with Ace and moving through to King. Once the players reach King, it goes back to Ace and play continues.

Because the cards are being placed in the center face down, no one actually knows if they really are placing the cards that they claim to be placing. This is where the game gets interesting.  

If you believe a player didn’t actually put down the cards they claimed to, you can call “BS!!”. 

The last cards played are flipped over.  If the player who placed them lied, they must pick up ALL of the cards in the middle of the table. If they were telling the truth, the person who said “BS!!” must pick them up. 

Players must scrutinize the faces of each other as they place cards to see if they can identify any indicators that they are lying. 

24. Single Sentence Game

This is a fun game for friends that will challenge everyone’s creativity. The game’s concept is simple but it can result in some very funny, interesting, and scary stories. 

The first player will write a sentence on a piece of paper. They will pass it onto the next player, who will have to draw a picture that illustrates that sentence.  

The paper is then folded, so the first sentence isn’t showing and passed to the next player. 

They will have to use the image to get an idea of how the story has started.  They will then write a second sentence. 

The process continues until you have filled the page with a story or until the story reaches a natural conclusion.  

At the end, everyone reads the story from top to bottom and looks at the illustrations that have been created. 

It is a collaborative game that can lead to some truly epic stories being made!

25. Battleship Game 

Battleship is a classic board game for kids. The objective is to sink the other players ship before they sink yours.

You are able to sink the other teams by calling out the specific coordinates.

If it so happens that the other teams battleship is in those coordinates, they get a peg. Each ship is allowed so many pegs before it’s considered sunk.

26. This or That

Start with your group of friends sitting in a circle. Going in a clockwise direction, a person gives the group a choice between two things. 

The group votes on which thing they want to keep and which one they want to ‘eliminate’ from the world forever!  

So, a player could say chocolate or corn chips. The other participants would have to decide which one should be eliminated from the world forever. 

Expect a bit of debate as your friends decide which item is more enjoyable.  The game keeps going until the group has created a very unusual virtual world. 

It’s a great game for learning more about your friends as they share their personal preferences.

27. Wink Murder

This is a popular party game that is perfect for a group of friends. At the start of the game, one player is designated as the “murderer”. 

The easiest way to do this is by cutting up a strip of paper for each player and marking one with an “M”. 

You can then place the paper strips in a bag and have each player draw a piece of paper. The player with the paper marked “M” will be the murderer.

The murderer will attempt to “murder” people by making eye contact with them and winking. 

The murdered person should drop to the floor in a dramatic fashion – the more intense the deaths the better. 

The murderer will continue to murder as many people as possible while the other participants attempt to discover the identity of the murderer. 

If a person thinks they know the identity of the murderer, they whisper it to them. If they guess incorrectly, they are out of the game.

28. Giants, Wizards, Elves

This is a super-fun variation of Rock, Paper, Scissors that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. 

To play Giants, Wizards, Elves, players are divided into two teams. Each player is taught how to be a Giant, Wizard or Elf:

  • Giants stand on their toes, raise their arms and yell “RAAARR!”.  
  • Wizards will crouch slightly, wave their fingers like they are casting a spell and yell “SHAZAAM”. 
  • Elves will get down very low, cup their hands around their ears and make a high pitched elf sound “EEEEE!”.  

The two teams will be placed on opposite sides of the room. At the start of the round, the teams will huddle together and decide if they should all be giants, wizards or elves. 

Once both teams have decided, they will stand opposite one another in a line. On a count of three, the teams will go into their characters.  

Use the formula below to decide which team wins:

  • Giants beat elves because they can squash them easily.
  • Wizards can beat giants because they can zap them with their wands.
  • Elves beat wizards because they can outsmart them.

The winning team will “capture” a player from the losing team. The game is over when one team is completely captured.

29. 20 Questions

This is a classic game that has been around for centuries. It is a guessing game where players have to guess the object or person that another player is thinking of, in 20 questions or less. 

It doesn’t require any equipment and can be played anywhere which makes it a great choice for car trips or rainy days. This game works best with between 2 to 5 players.

At the start of the round, a player is selected to be “It”. They will think of a person, place, or thing. 

Once they have thought of something, the other players will take turns asking yes or no questions to discover what they are thinking of.  

If a player correctly guess the person, place, or thing, they will be “It” in the next round.

If no one guesses correctly within 20 questions, the current “It” can retain the position or nominate someone else to go next.

30. Ghosts in the Graveyard

This spooky outdoor game is ideal for children of all ages. It is particularly fun when played at night and makes for the perfect Halloween game

At the start of the round, a player is selected to be the “ghost”. They must hide somewhere outside. 

A “safe” location is also defined, where humans are safe from the ghost. 

The remaining children hold hands and chant “Star light, star bright, hope I see a ghost tonight”. 

Eventually, the ghost will pop out of their hiding spot. At this point, it becomes a game of tag, with the ghost attempting to tag the other players before they make it back to their safe location. 

The first person tagged is the ghost for the next round. If no one is tagged, another round is played with the same ghost, or you can nominate the last person to make it into the safe location as the new ghost.  

32. Crazy Eights

This is another card game that is always a lot of fun to play with friends. At the start of the game, each player receives seven cards and the remainder of the deck is placed on the middle of the table.

The top card of the deck is flipped over so it is face up.

Going in a clockwise direction, players will add cards to the face pile in the middle of the table. 

The cards they play must suit the rank or the suit of the top card.

So, if the card is an Ace of Spades, players could play an Ace of hearts/clubs/diamonds or any Spades card. 8’s are treated as wild cards and can be declared to be any suit or rank.

If a player doesn’t have a card in their hand to match the suit or rank of the top card, they must pick up a card from the deck. 

They must continue to pick up cards from the deck until they finally have a card that matches the top card. The winner is the first player to get rid of all of their cards.

33. Red Light, Green Light

Red Light, Green Light is a classic game ideal for young children. The rules are easy to learn and it is a lot of fun. 

This game is usually played outdoors, but it could also be enjoyed indoors if you have young children.  

Start by choosing one player to be “It”. They will stand about 30 feet in front of the rest of the group. 

The player who is “It” will start walking away from the group. The other players can follow “It”, but they are only allowed to move when “It” is facing away from them.  

The player who is “It” will randomly turn around and if they catch a player still moving, that player must  return to the start line. 

The first player to touch “It” on the back is the winner and will be “It” for the next round.

34. Rhyming Jump Rope Games

Rhyming Jump Rope Games are a fantastic way for friends to have fun together. 

They provide the group with plenty of exercise, improve their rhythm and lead to lots of funny moments.

To play these games, you will need a long jump rope and some rhymes. 

We have some free jump rope rhymes you can learn.

35. Limbo

Limbo is a popular type of dance contest with origins that stretch back to the 1950’s

It’s a great activity to enjoy with a group of friends because it is extremely funny to watch. To play Limbo, you will need a pole and some fun music to dance to.

Have two of your friends hold the pole horizontally. It should be held in cupped hands so it will fall easily if the dancer cannot get beneath it. 

To begin with, the pole should be quite high off the ground.  

As the music plays, each dancer will attempt to dance their way under the stick without touching it and without placing their hands on the ground. 

If they do touch the bar of place a hand on the ground, they are out of round. 

After all dancers have been underneath the limbo bar once, its height is reduced.  The winner is the last person in the game.

36. Handball (Australian version)

Handball is an extremely popular sport in most countries. In this popular variation, the play area is created by drawing several squares on the ground (one for each player). 

The squares can form a larger square, a line, or an irregular shape like the letter L. 

The square at one end is designated “Kings” while the square at the other end is designated “Dunce”. 

The other squares will often be named to keep a track of their hierarchy.  This video shares some common Australian handball layouts.

The goal is to win games and gradually work your way towards the King’s square. 

Whenever you lose a match, by hitting the ball out or failing to return it, you are sent back to the Dunce square.

The game starts with the King serving the ball to another player’s square. 

To return the serve, the player must hit the ball with their hand so it bounces inside their square and then lands in another player’s square. A person is out if:

  • The ball bounces twice in their square before they hit it
  • They hit the ball on the full into another square (it must bounce in their own square first)
  • They ball goes out of bounds without landing in someone else’s square

If a ball lands on a line, it is called “Lines” and the point is replayed. 

Whenever someone gets out, the players behind them move up one spot.  So, if the King gets out, they are sent to Dunce and a new King is created. It’s a fun game that will keep your friends entertained for hours!

37. Gaga Ball

Gaga Ball is an action-packed ball game that is similar to dodge ball. The key difference is that Gaga Ball uses a playing pit and the ball is rolled along the ground. 

All of the players will stand inside the Gaga Ball pit. It is a hexagonal pit with solid walls that are made from timber or plastic. 

You can buy a gaga ball pit or make one using timber or other solid objects.

The game starts with all players touching a wall of the Gaga Ball pit. A ball is then thrown into the pit. Players will yell “GA GA GO!” and the game starts. 

Each player will hit the GaGa ball at the legs of other players.If the ball hits a person below the knee, they are out of the game. 

However, if a person catches the ball on the full, the player that hit the ball is out. Players are not allowed to hold the ball (other than catching it to get someone out).  

38. Bucketball

Bucketball is a family-friendly version of beer pong. It is a commercial game consists of two sets of 6 cups and 6 balls. The objective of Bucketball is to launch the balls into the cups. 

Two teams of two players each will take turns attempting to land a ball in one of the other team’s cups.  

When a player successfully lands their ball into a cup, that cup is removed from the play area. 

The winning team is the one to eliminate their opponent’s cups. If you don’t want to buy a bucketball set, you could simply buy some ping pong balls and plastic cups.

39. Colors and Shapes Sidewalk Game

This is a game designed for toddlers and very young children. Prepare the game by drawing a series of circles, squares, and triangles on a sidewalk. 

The objects you draw would be in different colors.There should also be at least 5 columns and 5 rows of shapes.

The objective of the game is to hop across the shapes to the end of the puzzle. 

The challenge that players can only jump from the same shape to the same shape, or the same color to the same color. 

For example, they could jump from circle to circle or blue triangle to the blue square. Young kids will have a blast playing this game! 

40. Four Square

Four Square is a classic game that has been enjoyed by millions of school kids across the United States over the years. 

To play this game, you need a playing area that consists of 4 squares that combine to form a larger square and a ball. 

Usually, you would use a tennis ball, but if younger people are playing, use a larger bounce ball.

The squares are designated 1, 2, 3, 4 (or King, Queen, Prince, and Dunce), with 1 being the most powerful square. 

The objective of the game is to reach this most powerful square by beating your opponents.

The game starts with the person in the highest-ranked square service the ball to another player. 

They must drop the ball and allow it to bounce before serving it and it must be allowed to bounce int he receiving playing’s square. 

Players then return the ball by hitting it back or into another square. 

If the ball lands outside of the court on the full, the player that hit it is out.  This video does a great job of explaining the rules of Four Square.

41. Monkey in the Middle

Monkey in the Middle is a well-known game ideal for younger kids. It is a three-player game where the “monkey” stands in between two other players. 

The two outside players must throw a ball or another object over the head of the monkey.

If the money manages to catch the ball, the player that threw the ball becomes the new monkey. 

You can also play a kicking version of the game, where the outside players kick a soccer ball to one another. It’s a simple game, but it’s a lot of fun.

42. Dead Ants Tag

This is an interesting variation of tag which will keep friends entertained for ages. 

Before you start the game, have one or two people volunteer to be “ant-eaters”. The rest of the players will be ants.  

A play area will also be designated at the start of the game, which is the “ant hill”. None of the ant-eaters or ants can leave this area. 

The ant-eaters will then attempt to tag the ants, which puts them into a frozen (eaten) state. 

When in this frozen state the ant will lay on their back while waving their arms and legs around.  

To bring an ant back to life, four ants must grab a leg or arm each (or one ant if there are less players). 

While reviving a fellow ant, the ants are immune from being tagged by an ant-eater. After being rescued, the ant rejoins the colony. The game is over when the ant-eaters neutralize all of the ants.

43. Cat Catching Mice

Cat Catching Mice, also known as “Cat and Mouse”, is a very old game that originated in China. 

It’s a lot of fun for a group of friends to play together and always results in a lot of laughter. 

To play Cat Catching Mice, choose one child to be the Cat and choose one to be the Mouse. 

The other children will form a circle by holding hands with one another. The mouse will be inside the circle and the cat will be outside. 

The children in the circle will move around while chanting the nursery rhyme:

“What time is it?”

“Just struck nine.”

“Is the cat at home?”

“He’s about to dine.”

Once the rhyme is finished, the children forming the ring will stop moving and the cat must chase the mouse in an attempt to tag them. 

The  cat and mouse will hide behind the other children while running into and out-of the circle. When chasing the mouse, the cat must follow the same path as the mouse. 

When the cat catches the mouse, it pretends to eat him. Two other children will then be chosen to be cat and mouse, and the game starts again.

44. Hunter and Watchman

This fun outdoor game is perfect for a group of 5 or more friends. It is similar to Capture The Flag but you don’t need as many people to have a good time. 

At the start of the round, choose a fast player to be the “hunter” and a patient player to be the “guard”. The other children are the “animals”.

Mark a circle about 10 feet in diameter to be the pen, where captured animals will be secured. 

The guard will stand by this area throughout the game. The game starts with the animals running away from the animal pen. 

The hunter must then try to capture them by tagging each animal and escorting them back to the animal pen.  

Other animals can free their team mates by tagging them out of the pen – but they have to be watch out for the watchman as he will be there stop them. The game ends when all of the animals have been captured.

45. Where Do You Stand?

This is a fun icebreaker game that is a great option for larger get-togethers.  Start by placing a marker down the middle of your playing area. 

This could be a piece of rope across your backyard or a chalkline along a hard surface.  

Select someone to be the questioner. They will ask a series of either-or questions and direct the players to run to one side of the marker to choose their answer. 

For example, they might say “Baked Beans or Spaghetti?”. The players will run to the left of the line if they prefer baked beans and to the right if they prefer spaghetti. 

Try to think of questions that get everyone on the same side of the line.   

46. Go Fish

Go Fish remains one of the most popular card games ever invented. It is a lot of fun and the perfect game to play with friends on a rainy day. 

The rules of Go Fish are also easy to remember. 

The goal of Go Fish is to obtain the most four-of-a-kinds. The game starts with a dealer giving the players 5 cards each. 

The rest of the deck is placed in the middle of the table, face down.  

The player to the left of the dealer will go first. They will ask another player if they have a specific card, with the goal of collecting four-of-a-kind. 

So, if a player was dealt two 2’s, they might ask their friend Sam for more 2’s by saying “Sam give me your 2’s”. 

If Sam has additional 2’s, he must hand them over.Successfully obtaining additional cards means you get another turn.

If Sam didn’t have any 2’s he will say “Go Fish” and the first player has to draw a card from the deck. 

If that card is a 2, they will have to show that card to the other players before adding it to their hand. Sam will go next because they said “Go Fish”.  

If a player manages to get four-of-a-kind, they will remove this cards from their hand and place them on the table with their faces up. 

When a player runs out of cards, they can draw 5 more from the centre deck. 

The round is complete when all of the cards have been used and the player with the most four-of-a-kinds is declared the winner. 

This game can really test your memory and is a lot of fun!

47. Yahtzee

Yahtzee is a classic dice game that was invented in the early 1940’s. It is a fun game to play with friends because it is extremely competitive and exciting. 

The goal of Yahtzee is to roll dice and achieve certain scoring combinations that give you the highest total score at the end of the game.

Each player receives a scorecard at the start of the game. Everyone will roll all five dice, with the person that obtains the highest total going first. 

Play then progresses in a clockwise direction. On the first roll, the player will roll all five dice. 

They will then take out any “keepers” which have potentially valuable numbers they want to hold onto for the rest of the turn.

If your first roll is fantastic, you can simply stop rolling there. If not, you can do a second roll, with all or some of the dice in play. 

Up to three rolls can be used per turn. If you roll 5 of the same number, it is a Yahtzee, which attracts bonus points.

48. Hot Potato Dressing Up

This is a fun variation on hot potato that leads to some very funny moments. This game is best suited to younger children. 

To prepare for this game, you will need a bag full of old clothing like odd socks, strange hats, outdated t-shirts, scarves, and sunglasses.

Have the players form a circle. As some music plays, they will pass the bag from one player to the next. 

When the music stops, the player holding the bag must extract an item and put it on. 

As the game progresses, players end up wearing some crazy outfits! At the end of the game, take photos of the unexpected fashion combinations of each player.

49. The Chocolate Game

The Chocolate Game is a highly-competitive game that young chocaholics love. 

You will need a chocolate bar, a spoon, two dice, and a funny outfit to play this game.  

Have the children sit in a circle with the chocolate bar, spoon, and fun outfit in the middle.

Each child will take turns throwing the dice.  When someone rolls a double, they will go into the middle of the circle and put the clothes on.

Once they are fully dressed, they can start eating the chocolate bar using the spoon – one small scoop at a time.  

While they are getting dressed and eating, the dice is still being rolled by the other children.

If someone else throws a double, the person in the middle stops eating the chocolate bar and helps the next person into the funny clothes. 

Once they are out of the funny clothes, they rejoin the circle and start rolling again. You will be amazed by how quickly the participants roll the dice in search of a double!

50. War (Card Game)

War is a simple card game for kids or adults. To play War, you will need a standard deck of cards and 2 players. 

The goal of War is to win all of the cards in the deck.

The game starts with the deck being evenly dealt between both players.  Players don’t look at their cards, keeping them face down instead. 

Each player will begin flipping one card over at a time and placing them in the middle. 

The player with the highest-ranking card gets to keep both cards and add them to their deck. 

The game continues until one player has all of the cards. A simple game that is a lot of fun when played at a fast pace!

51. The Accent Game

The Accent Game is a very simple game to play with friends at home or in the classroom.

What you need is just a group of friends, and a good attitude.

How to play

Simply take turns in speaking in different accents and after everyone is done, the group votes on the best one which is the winner.

If you find it hard to find things to say, just have a few papers or books near you to get inspiration.

52. Cootie Bug game

This game will get the laughs and giggles going in no time. Can be played by all age groups and with as many friends as you want

Set up 

  • Pencils
  • Paper
  • Dice

How to play 

Your goal is to draw a cootie bug, but there’s a catch! You must follow the rules completely

Decide before you start that each number on the dice is a body part of the bug. For example:

  1. Head
  2. Body
  3. Eyes
  4. Legs
  5. Mouth
  6. Antena

Now make teams out of all players and give each player a sheet of paper and a pencil.

When you start each player rolls the dice and he must draw the body part based on the dice on the paper in his turn.

Each player does this, until a player is able to draw the complete bug. The kicker here is that if a player draws the same body part more than once, he is out of the game!

Games to play with friends online

Yes, it’s not the 80s anymore and with the advancement of the internet and mobile devices, a lot of teens today like to play games together online either via their PC or smartphones or even game console. All you need is a working WiFi and you’re good!

53. Words with friends 2

One of the most popular online games to play with friends together. It’s kinda like Scrabble – but not quite. After you gather a few friends and are all logged in to start playing, each will get a set number of letters where they need to form words out from.

The player who manages to make the most words and collects the most points, wins.

This game will surely work your brain and make you have fun with some friends. You can check it out here

54. Minecraft

I mean, there isn’t a person alive who doesn’t know what Minecraft is. Up to 8 players can join a game here from different computers and have fun together.

Test your building skills and collaboration skills with this all popular favorite. You can play this game on a PC, game console and it’s pretty much for all ages.

55. Pokemon GO

So, you might think that this game is not a social one, but you be wrong. You can interact with friends while you play, or even just walk around with your friends together as you each play on their own mobile.

This is a great way to mix both worlds together, on one hand enjoy a mobile game and the other get out into the real world and walk around with your friends.

56. Chess

Yes, the old chess game that never disappoints. Sure, you can play it on a regular physical board, which is highly recommended, but if you want to challenge your friends and you are not together, you can hop on a site like chess.com and play against each other.

This game is probably one of the best games to teach your kids and teens, it develops your thinking and both short to long term thinking which is a great ability to have.

I hope you enjoyed reading 56 Fun Games To Play With Friends.  For more fun activities bookmark the website!

A collection of fun games to play with friends. Enjoy a variety of indoor and outdoor games to help keep kids entertained.
What are the best games to play with friends? Here we have a list of 50 great options. These games are sure to help cure boredom and keep kids entertained.

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