Games you can play in the car! Fun activities to liven up drives and traffic jams
“I want to make boring time in the car fun!” If you’re looking for ideas to make that wish come true, you’re not alone.
In fact, there are plenty of games you can enjoy in the car with family and friends.
In this article, we’ll introduce ideas for car games that turn travel time into something exciting.
From license-plate math games and the classic word-chain game to music-based challenges.
With games that everyone can enjoy together, even traffic jams and long drives can turn into fun memories! Be sure to try them on your next trip!
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Games You Can Play in the Car! Fun Activities for Road Trips and Traffic Jams (31–40)
Chopstick Game
A finger-counting game called the “Chopsticks Game.” First, face each other and hold out your index fingers on both hands.
Decide who goes first; the first player taps either of the opponent’s hands.
When tapped, add the number of fingers on the tapping hand to the number on the tapped hand, and hold out that many fingers on the tapped hand.
Take turns repeating this.
If the total reaches 5 or more, that hand is out and goes down.
The player who still has at least one hand up at the end wins! There are also optional rules, such as redistributing counts between your own two hands or reassigning counts to a hand that was previously down, so try incorporating different rules as you play.
Country Name Sharing Game
The “Country Name Split Game” is a game based on a comedy sketch by the duo JaruJaru.
One person says the first part of a country’s name, and another person says the remaining part to complete it.
For example, for “Argentina,” if one person says “Argen,” the next person says the remaining “tina.” If the remaining part can’t be continued smoothly and the country name isn’t completed, you’re out.
Even short country names like Japan or India might make you go “Huh?” and hesitate more than you’d expect.
It’s also a great way for children to learn country names, so give it a try!
The Perfect Match Game
Split into two teams, each decides on a number, and you ask questions to narrow it down—if you hit the number exactly, you win.
It sounds pretty tricky, but the thrilling buildup as you get close to an exact hit is the best part.
Fire off just the right questions and aim for a perfect match!
Car Color Guessing Game
It’s a simple game where you guess the color of the car next to you.
Since you only have to answer a color, anyone can enjoy it regardless of age.
Each participant says what color they think it is, and at a signal, everyone looks at the neighboring car and checks its color.
Then you tally how many correct guesses each person made and determine the winner.
You can change the color you guess each round, or you can decide everyone’s color at the beginning and compete to see which color appears the most—both versions sound fun.
Onomatopoeia Game
@user92800579326613 We played an onomatopoeia game and it was way too funny lol
♬ original sound – Justistar / Justistar Fan – Justistar / Justistar Fan
Word association is a game you can jump into and enjoy right away.
It gets even more fun if you turn it into an onomatopoeia game where you answer with sound effects for whatever comes to mind.
For example, if the previous person says “train,” you could reply with “clackety-clack.” Another tip is to keep giving the prompt “computer” repeatedly before switching to a different prompt.
Suddenly changing the prompt creates a sense of urgency in the answers.
There’s also a tense, exciting anticipation about when the prompt will change or when someone will change it.
Liven things up with unique prompts and onomatopoeia!
Dosukoi Game
@ve4snxqh♬ original sound – LUMINARY FOR CARS – LUMINARY FOR CARS
The “Dosukoi Game” combines hand play and word play.
First, everyone makes fists with both hands, and at the leader’s cue of “Dosukoi ___,” each person raises any number of thumbs they like.
After saying “Dosukoi,” the leader says one hiragana character.
Players must answer with a word that starts with that hiragana and has a number of letters matching the total number of thumbs raised.
Be sure to add “dosukoi” after the word.
The fastest person to answer wins! Decide in advance how many wins are needed, and the person who remains without meeting the goal by the end (or is last in the group) loses.
A-I-U-E-O Acting Showdown
This is the “A-I-U-E-O Acting Showdown,” which tests quick thinking and acting skills.
First, choose who will take on the challenge, then decide on a theme.
It’s easier if the theme is a profession, like a school teacher.
After that, create an acrostic using every syllable of the Japanese gojūon in order, starting from “a.” You can think of it as writing lines of dialogue for all the syllables.
Deliver your lines with a good rhythm, and above all, put your heart into it and give a compelling performance.
Once everyone has finished, vote to decide who was the best.
10-second Memory Game
This is the “10-Second Memory Game,” where memory is everything.
The rules are simple: first, look at an illustration for 10 seconds.
Next, you’ll be asked questions about the details of the illustration and answer them.
The quizmaster should focus on fine points, such as how many people were in the image or what colors of clothing they wore.
It might feel difficult at first, but memory can be trained over time.
If you keep challenging yourself little by little, you’re sure to get good at it.
Majority Game
The Majority Game is perfect for wait times or traffic—an easy, lively way to pass the time.
Present a two-choice question like “With ramen, do you start with the soup or the toppings?” and have everyone answer simultaneously using a signal like rock (fist) or paper (open hand).
Those in the minority get a penalty, which sparks laughter through differences in values and unexpected discoveries.
You can chat while you play, making it safe in the car and great for breaking the ice even with people you’ve just met.
Depending on the prompts, the vibe can be serious or silly, so you can tailor it to the situation and enjoy different variations.
Prefecture Guessing Game
Cars on city streets come from various places, and you can tell where they’re from by looking at their license plates.
Highways in particular gather vehicles from many different regions.
This is a game that uses the place names written on license plates.
The place indicated on a license plate may be the name of a prefecture or a locality within that prefecture.
The quizmaster specifies a license plate that shows a locality rather than a prefecture name, and players must answer which prefecture that locality belongs to.
The difficulty varies depending on the locality, so how many place names the quizmaster knows becomes a key factor.