Recommended games and activities for five people
We’re introducing games and activities you can play with five people!
Whether it’s the number of close friends you hang out with or the size of a group you’re assigned on a field trip, we’ve gathered recommended games for those times when you’ve got a team of five and aren’t sure what to play.
There are options that use items like cards, smartphones, or game consoles, as well as ones you can enjoy with no equipment at all.
They’re perfect not only when you get together with friends, but also for filling small pockets of free time.
Use the games and activities we introduce as a reference, and have fun playing together as a group of five!
- Games you can play with just conversation. Classic and popular activities you can enjoy without any props!
- [Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
- Fun activities for junior high school students. Recreation games.
- Games and activities everyone can enjoy together. A collection of fun play ideas.
- Recreation Ideas That Truly Excite High School Students! A Fun Collection of Activities
- Brain-teasing game roundup
- Kill time while waiting or stuck in traffic! A roundup of games four people can play
- A simple and fun co-op game that enhances teamwork
- Recommended for upper elementary grades! Exciting indoor recreation and games
- [For University Students] A Roundup of Fun Games and Recreational Activities
- Indoor Games for Small Groups: Exciting Recreational Activities
- Team-based recreational activities for adults that are fun even with large groups
- [Simple Games] Recommended Indoor Recreational Activities for Adults
Recommended games and activities for 5 people (21–30)
Without Katakana
We use katakana for many names in daily life.
Katakana is familiar, but let’s try playing without using it.
First, show items that have katakana names and have people describe them without using katakana.
For example, for “pen,” someone might answer, “something you write with that isn’t a pencil.” It’s a game where you shift your thinking a bit, describe the given topic without using katakana, and have others guess.
If the topic is “game,” you could describe it as “something where you use your fingertips to control characters on the screen.” From there, everyone tries to guess the topic together.
Explaining with your current vocabulary makes for a good brain exercise.
Beef Tongue Game
The brain-teasing Gyutan game is perfect for group play, where focus and memory are key.
Players sit in a circle and say “Gyu” out loud, then on the “tan” part, they clap without speaking.
Pay extra attention because the final “tan” comes in succession.
After one round, move to the second, third, and so on, increasing the number of final “tan” claps by one each time.
As the rounds progress, the number of “tan” claps increases, so remember the count and try not to make mistakes.
Once you get used to it, picking up the tempo can make it even more exciting.
KY game
Participants take turns suggesting a prompt, and everyone simultaneously strikes a pose inspired by that prompt in this “KY game.” Anyone whose pose doesn’t match with anyone else receives a minus point; in the end, the person with the most minus points is deemed “KY,” meaning they failed to read the room.
The more participants there are, the more complex it becomes and the more clearly KY tendencies stand out, making it a lively party game.
Since it requires no equipment, you can start it right away even at an outdoor gathering.
Give it a try!
Double-Double Fight Game
For a game that really gets six people hyped, I recommend the Double-Double Fight Game.
It’s a tempo-based game played to the rhythm of CANDY TUNE’s song “Double-Double FIGHT!” where players take turns saying random words in sequence.
For example, if you can smoothly say short words like “makeup,” “haiku,” or “part-time job” in 2- or 3-mora units to the song’s beat, you succeed.
If you hesitate or fall off the rhythm, you’re out.
The rules are very straightforward, and the appeal is that you’re not bound by a theme—you can say whatever comes to mind.
Every time someone slips up, everyone laughs, the tempo picks up, and the atmosphere instantly brightens.
You don’t need any preparation; as long as you have a feel for words and timing, you’ll have fun, making it a game that anyone can enjoy regardless of age or gender.
Pin Pon Pan Game
The “Ping-Pong-Pan Game” is simple but surprisingly confusing.
Participants form a circle facing inward and decide who goes first.
Once everyone says the starting chant together, the game begins.
Starting from the first person and going clockwise, each person says “Pin,” “Pon,” “Pan” in order.
The person who says “Pan” points to nominate the next person.
The nominated person then continues from there, again going clockwise with “Pin,” “Pon,” “Pan.” Even though the rules are simple, people often end up pointing on something other than “Pan”…!
Max Number Guessing Game
A recreation game where everyone writes a number within a set range, such as 1 to 10, and the person who wrote the largest number that no one else chose wins.
You can’t win without picking a large number, but if you go too high you risk matching someone else, so strategy is key.
It gets lively with five or more players, and with even larger groups you can expand the range to something like 1 to 100 to make it more strategic.
All you need is paper and pens, so it’s an easy game to play anywhere, even while waiting in line.
Lip-sync song guessing game
The lip-sync song guessing game is something even people who love listening to music but aren’t confident singing can enjoy, and it works well at workplaces or schools.
The presenter picks a song, then lip-syncs it—paying close attention to intonation and rhythm—without making any sound.
The guessers carefully watch the presenter’s mouth and facial expressions to figure out what song it is.
At first, it’s best to choose familiar songs that everyone knows.
Once everyone gets the hang of it, you can make the game more exciting by shortening the sung sections or speeding up the delivery.
Play the Signal Game Indoors!
The “Traffic Signal Game,” where everyone follows the leader’s instructions, is a play activity that can help develop the ability to listen carefully and the judgment to act immediately.
When the signal is blue, take one marching step; when it’s yellow, shake your head left and right and look around; when it’s red, squat down.
Listen closely to which color the leader calls and act accordingly.
If the leader calls a color other than the three, everyone says “nai-nai” (meaning “no such color”).
There’s no winning or losing in this game, so just have fun moving your body!
Fun for elementary school kids too! The Rule Game
A “rule game” where you infer the underlying rule and answer.
For example, raise your index finger and say, “This is 1.” Next, raise your index and middle fingers and say, “This is 2.” Finally, raise your index, middle, and ring fingers and say, “This is 3.” Then raise only your index finger and ask, “What is this?” Most participants will probably answer “1,” but the correct answer is “3.” The rule isn’t the shape of the fingers; it’s the demonstratives: “this is, this is, this.” Try coming up with various problems and have fun with it.
Adults going all out at the park!
Games we used to play as kids can be surprisingly fun even after we grow up.
So why not enjoy some outdoor games for the first time in a while? Here we introduce two types of tag games: “Kotorokotoro” and “Hyotan Oni.” In Kotorokotoro, players are divided into one chaser (oni) and the children.
The children line up, placing their hands on the shoulders of the person in front.
The oni faces the line, and wins if they can tag the child at the very end.
In Hyotan Oni, you draw a gourd-shaped safe zone on the ground, and the children run around inside it.
The oni reaches in from outside the gourd, and if they manage to tag someone, they swap roles with that person.