Having friends over to play is all fun and games. But, which games, exactly? If you’re out of ideas as to what fun games to play with friends, these suggestions should help you out!
Fun Games to Play With Your Friends
Each of these is friend-approved and perfect for lazy weekends, summer days, playdates, and sleepovers! So, let’s find out exactly what games you should play today!
1. A Board Game
One of the best ways to pass the hours with friends is to play a board game. Board games are, like, literally the antidote to boredom!
There are a ton of games to choose from, too, ranging in theme, age suitability, and the number of players. No matter your interests, there’s surely a game for you and your group of friends!
On the topic of friends, why not try out the Monopoly Friends edition game? Or, a session of Monopoly Junior Unicorns, Scrabble, Telestrations, Labyrinth, Battleship, or Qwirkle, perhaps?
2. Laser Tag
A session of laser tag is a fun game to play any day! Usually, you’d need to visit a laser tag location, though! But, did you know you can enjoy this game at home, too?
Yes, with the ArmoGear, Squad Hero, Tinoteen, and other laser tag sets, you and your friends can play at home, too! Simply don your sensor vests, split into teams, and “shoot” each other!
The last man or team standing wins! Be sure to brush up on your laser tag rules before you play, too!
3. Hopscotch
Hopscotch is definitely a fun game to play with friends! You can draw a hopscotch pattern on the tarmac or concrete outside with giant chalk, like this Joyin chalk box.
Or, get a cute hopscotch mat like the Melissa & Doug mat that can get placed anywhere around the house. Once you’ve set yours up, follow the game rules to play or make up your own.
Traditionally, you need to throw an object into the first square; if it misses, you miss your turn. If not, hop in every square, with one foot on single squares and both on doubles.
4. Charades
Charades is an excellent game for you and all your friends to play together! In fact, the whole family, including parents, grandparents, and siblings, can join in on this one!
In this game, your group of friends should split into two teams first. A player from Team A then chooses a random card or hand-drawn slip with a topic or object drawn on it.
This player then has to mime clues to the other players in their team without talking or making any noises. Their team must then guess what the charade topic is correctly to score points.
If you’re unfamiliar with the game rules, you can start off with a kid-friendly game, such as Charades for Kids. The set includes 150 charades cards with 3 topics on each and a timer!
5. A Dice Game
Dice games are fun, luck-based games that you and your friends can play together! There are plenty of options out there, too, including the classic Yahtzee and quirky Even Steven’s Odd!
6. Truth or Dare
Truth or Dare is a scary, funny, and sometimes awkward game that’s the perfect ice-breaker game to play with friends! You don’t need much to play, either, just your imagination!
There are various ways to play the game. However, the chosen player always gets to pick between a truth or a dare.
7. Marbles
Marbles is a simple and fun aiming game to play with friends. All you need is a nice set of marbles, such as the Neato! 160 Marbles in a Tin.
There are many marble game rule variants, but be sure to decide whether you’re playing “keepsies” before you play. If so, players will keep any marbles they win.
8. Never Have I Ever
Never Have I Ever is similar to Truth or Dare as it reveals a lot about the players! As such, it makes for an excellent game to get to know friends better.
There are various ways to play, but I like to play it with 10 pieces of candy. Players will take turns saying statements like, “never have I ever farted in class.”
Any player who has done the action must eat their piece of candy and so on. The last player left with candy is the winner of the game!
9. A Card Game
Aside from board games, there are also a ton of card games to play with friends! Perhaps you have some of these at home or at least a standard deck of cards?
If you do, you can play some classic family-friendly games, such as Slapjack, Play or Pay, or Crazy Eights with it.
Besides these, there are dedicated card games, but you’d need to buy the specific sets. UNO is one of them. However, there are new, unique variants, such as UNO Emoji and UNO Flip!, too!
Kids Against Humanity, Five Crowns, Exploding Kittens, Sushi Go!, Dutch Blitz, and Cover Your Assets are some more. These are some of my best family card game picks!
10. Guess the Food
This is a fun game to play with friends on any occasion, including birthdays and sleepovers! Lay out a plate of different foods, perhaps even some kitty kibble included, too!
Then, blindfold all players without letting them see the plate. Then, feed them three-five random items off the plate; they have to guess what it is correctly to score points!
Whichever player guesses the most of their foods correctly wins. Just be sure to give each player different foods from the others, so they don’t overhear the others guessing it!
11. Musical Chairs
Musical chairs require a music player, a referee, and enough chairs for each player (to begin with). At the start of the game, the referee plays a song and then stops it at random.
Before they stop the music, they must take away a chair each turn. Once the music stops, the player left standing is kicked out of the game, and so on, until there is only one left standing!
12. Pass the Parcel
Pass the parcel is a fun birthday game activity, but it can be played on other occasions, too. This game requires a gift wrapped with multiple layers of gift wrap.
The game referee is responsible for switching music on and off at random, like with Musical Chairs. All players sit in a ring and hand the parcel around clockwise or anti-clockwise only.
When the music stops, the player left holding the parcel gets to unwrap a layer, and so on. The player who unwraps the last layer gets the gift!
The referee shouldn’t be the one who wrapped the gift or know how many layers there are, though. The wrapper can also place small gifts in the layers for players to unwrap mid-game!
13. Guess the Song
All you need for this simple game is a music player which you can sit around in a ring. One of you must be chosen as the disc jockey who’s responsible for playing random song clips.
On each turn, the player to guess the song’s name first scores a point. At the end of the game, whoever collected the most points wins!
14. A Trivia Game
Asking your friends fun trivia questions is a great way to pass the time! You can make a list of questions up off the internet or buy an easy-to-play trivia game.
I love the Guess in 10 series, which includes various games, such as Animal Planet, Inspiring Professions, and more! You can even buy a bundle of two of these fantastic games for less!
15. Double Dutch
If you and your friends have some spare time and want to learn something cool, you could try Double Dutch! This synchronous skipping game isn’t easy to learn, but it is definitely fun!
First off, you’ll need a Double Dutch skipping rope and two additional friends. Then find more about techniques before playing – if you know the basics of skipping, it should be easy.
16. A Memory Game
Memory games are another fun game to play with friends! These simple games don’t require much reading. However, you will need some picture cards to play with.
Your card deck will consist of various pairs of two of the same card. Lay these out face-down. Players then flip up two cards at random on each turn, trying to match one same card pair.
The cute animal-themed Suuuper Size Memory Game set is extra cute! As is the Space Memory Game, which is also available in food, outdoors, monster, and animal themes.
17. Let’s Race!
Are you feeling in the mood to play outside on your bike, scooter, or hoverboard with your friends? If so, this racing game is an excellent option!
First, assemble your friends and draw a racecourse with a start and finish line on the tarmac in chalk. This extra-large 144-piece chalk set has enough sticks to create a massive course!
You’ll also need a sizable and safe area that is free from traffic to draw this in. Then, get a flag, choose a referee, line up, and race! You can keep racing all day long with semi and finals!
18. Solve a Mystery
Mystery games are a fun way to pass an afternoon or play at any other meet-up with friends! Try out the classic Clue! Classic Detective Game or popular Codenames Top-Secret Game.
19. Dodgeball
Dodgeball is definitely an enjoyable game to play outdoors with friends! All you need is a few dodge balls, or at least some suitable soft balls to play with.
First, you’ll need to read up on the dodgeball rules and then split into teams. Or, you could play the fun Throw Throw Burrito Dodgeball game, instead!
20. Keep It Up
For this game, you just need a single bean bag, though you could use a ball, as well. You and your friends must stand in a circle and kick the bean bag to each other.
The aim of the game is not to let the ball drop on the ground. On the topic of bean bag games, the bean bag and hoop-throwing Pretex Carnival set is a fun option, too!
21. Sequence the Game
Sequence the Game is a classic game to play with family and friends alike. I love this particular Sequence the Game set, which comes with a giant 32″ x 27″ playing mat!
22. A Silly Egg Race
All you need for this fun game is a carton of boiled (or raw) eggs and some spoons. Set up a course with a start and finish line – you could place strings on the floor or draw these with chalk.
Players then race to the finish line while balancing their egg on the spoon. If they drop the egg and it breaks, they’re out of the race!
23. A Cooperative Game
Cooperative games make for a friendly alternative to your typical competitive games. Instead of vying to win, players need to work together to complete the game tasks!
This cute First Orchard game is perfect for introducing young kids to cooperative games. And, the Peaceable Kingdom Race to the Treasure! is another excellent option for older kids.
24. A Tile Game
Apart from card, dice, and board games, there are also tons of fun tile games to play with friends! You could opt for classics, such as dominoes, or other unique games.
Spinner Dominoes and Mexican Train Dominoes are all exciting options, as are these cute NFL-themed Dominoes! Or, you can opt for the popular tile game, Rummikub!
Bananagrams is another fun tile game to play on the go – you see, the game has no board! Its cute, little banana pouch is easy to pack in or hang on a school bag, too!
25. A Multiplayer Game
Are you into your computer games and gaming consoles? If so, you may enjoy playing multiplayer games with friends regularly already.
However, why not switch things up with the new Nintendo Switch? This revolutionary console allows you to team up against one or more friends on your console, TV, phone, or tablet!
26. A Home Bake Off
Calling all bakers and chefs in the making – this is one of the most fun games to play with friends! Yes, I’m talking about hosting your own little home bake-off competition!
Perhaps you can even do a mini bake sale after or donate your bakes to a worthy organization! To play, appoint a panel of judges, mom, dad, sisters, etc., and get them to set a bake to make.
Then, you and your friends can cook up a storm in your kitchen – whoever meets the brief wins!
27. A Stacking Game
Stacking games are fun to play with friends, too – Jenga is one of the most well-known! However, there are other options, such as this 2.5 ft version with jumbo-sized bricks, too!
Other similar and worthy stacking games include the popular Connect 4. I love this unique Giant 4-in-A-Row game set, which stands just under 3.5 feet tall, though!
28. Hide & Seek
One of the best games to play with friends is Hide and Seek! You don’t need anything to play, either. Just appoint a “finder” and hide while they count to 10, 20, or 50 – whatever you choose!
29. Let’s Have a Doodle War!
Are you into your arts, crafts, and doodles? If so, why not play a doodle or drawing game? Appoint a judge – definitely an adult or sibling who won’t play favorites, though!
Then, let them set a task, such as an animal, vehicle, or topic to draw. Whoever draws the best picture wins, and maybe even wins a prize!
You don’t only have to doodle, either! You could sculpt air dry clay figurines, paint, or even make slime. In fact, there are a whole lot of other crafts out there to do!
30. Whac-A-Mole
Whac-A-Mole is another fun game to play with all your best friends! These days, there are plenty more game variants, too, though – such as the Whack-A-Frog game.
31. Cops And Robbers Tag
Who doesn’t like a tag game? People of all ages love it. It comes in multiple variations, including amoeba tag, zombie tag, toilet tag, and octopus tag.
To play the game, divide all the players into two groups. One group will play the role of cops, and the other group will play the role of robbers. Choose two areas that will be considered as home base for each group.
Select one or more things that the robbers will try to steal. They need to touch or take those things without getting tagged by players from the cops’ group.
If a cop becomes successful in tagging a robber, then the former takes the latter to jail (you need to decide on the area beforehand). If the cops get all the robbers to jail successfully, they win. And if the robbers become successful in touching or getting all the things without the cops catching them, they win.
32. Likes And Dislikes
If you are not in the mood for any competition but still have a fun game, the game of likes and dislikes is the one you might like.
This light-hearted game tells you how well your friends know about you and vice versa. All you need are some pens and index cards to get started with this game.
Give one card to each of the players and ask them to write about five things they hate the most and five they like the most. It can be anything from clothing items, movies, and hobbies to food, music, and travel destinations. Once done, collect their cards and shuffle them.
Take one card out at a time and read out loud about the likes and dislikes that are written on them. Everyone has to guess whose card it can be.
33. Silly Olympics
Are you ready to sweat? Then try these fun and silly Olympic games with your gang. As we all know, getting into the Olympics is not an easy feat. I have kept the games a bit easier here.
You have to play a series of entertaining and fun games. This includes egg catching, frisbee tossing, capturing the flag, sack races, egg race relays, balloon volleyball, and a backward crab walk.
Depending on the number of friends you will play with, you need to divide them all into groups of two people or more. Let each team come up with a silly and funny country name. That will be the name of their team as well.
One point means bronze, two points mean silver, and three points mean gold medal. Once the silly Olympic game ends, tally all the numbers to determine which country is the winner.
34. Pictionary
Did I tell you how big of a fan I am of Pictionary? It is fun, it brings out the creative side in you, it can be challenging at times, and it actually tests your artistic skills.
To play this game, you only need some paper, pencils, and a minute timer. Also, you can get your hands on this Pictionary set that comes with two erasable markers, drawing boards, and super fun clue categories.
It is played in a way that is similar to playing charades. You need to divide all your friends into two groups. A player from each team will take turns drawing on the board, and their teammates have to guess what that drawing is about. For this, they will get one minute.
The team with the highest number of right guesses wins the Pictionary game.
35. The Oreo Challenge
Do you or your friends have a sweet tooth? Then you will love this game of Oreo challenge for sure!
In order to get started, buy many boxes of Oreos. Make sure that they are of different flavors. If you want to make the game more interesting than ever, buy flavors that are unique and obscure, such as Peanut Butter Oreos, Banana Split Oreos, and Cotton Candy Oreos.
Take some plates and place each flavor in each one of those plates. Blindfold one player at a time and let them have a nibble from each of those flavored Oreos. They have to guess the flavor correctly. The one who guesses the highest number of flavors correctly wins!
Conclusion
With so many fun games to play with friends, there’s no need to ever be bored again! Feel free to improvise, bend the rules, break them, or even make up your own for each game, too!