Games you can play with just conversation. Classic and popular activities you can enjoy without any props!
I’m going to introduce games that can be played using only conversation, without any props.
There are times—like during school breaks or in the car—when you want to play but don’t have any tools or can’t move around freely, right?
In those moments, wouldn’t it be nice to have games you can play just by talking?
In this article, we’ve gathered popular conversation-based games you can enjoy simply by talking, singing, or answering prompts!
Use them when you want to have fun with friends, teammates, or your partner, or when you need to kill time while waiting—whenever you’re in a pinch.
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- Brain-teasing game roundup
Shiritori, wordplay, and brain-teasing conversation games (1–10)
Personality test
It’s a test where, by answering the questions asked, you can understand what someone keeps hidden in their heart and how they think.
Seemingly unrelated questions can reveal surprising aspects of the deep psyche that even you might not have imagined.
Rather than stopping at just giving an answer, it’s also recommended to reflect on whether the answer felt right to you and recall episodes that seemed to fit.
Since the content helps you grasp patterns of behavior and movements of the mind, it could be interesting to use this test to explore each person’s commonalities and differences.
Who am I? game
A “Who am I?” game where you don’t know who you are and you figure it out by asking questions.
Only you don’t know who you are; the people around you do, so you ask simple questions to work your way toward the answer.
For example, start with broad questions like “Am I food?” or “Am I an animal?” and then narrow it down from there.
Sometimes outrageous or confusing answers make the respondent panic in a funny way, which really livens things up (lol).
Reverse word game
It’s a game where you present a word read backward and have the other person guess what the original word was.
It’s not just reversing; sometimes letters are changed as well—for example, presenting the reverse of “rakku” as “kutsura.” That’s why it’s important to clearly visualize the word as text.
The longer the reversed word, the harder it gets, so start with short words and gradually make them longer.
For the presenter, it’s important to pronounce clearly and pay attention to intonation so players can picture the letters in their heads.
riddle
It’s a classic quiz that you can play without any props, with elements of wordplay mixed in.
Since it’s not just a simple quiz but also involves things like rephrasing words, it really tests your broad knowledge of language and your ability to think creatively.
The key is to picture the question clearly, then expand your thinking from straightforward answers to ones with a slight twist.
Using questions you already know is fine, but if everyone comes up with their own questions on the spot, you can pit your creativity against each other and it gets really lively.
Perfect Match Game
First, set and announce a target number.
Then ask your partner number-related questions—like “your current rent” or “your follower count”—and get their answers.
Add each answer to the running total, gradually getting closer to the target number.
As you aim for the goal, you proceed while predicting what questions to ask and what magnitude of numbers the other person might have.
If you set a larger target number, the tone of the questions will shift as the game progresses, making the back-and-forth more dynamic and fun.
Word association game
It’s a game where players announce words they associate from a given prompt, and others use those as hints to figure out the original prompt.
The person presenting the keywords is tested on how clearly they can choose their words, while the guessers are tested on their ability to interpret the clues and the breadth of their knowledge.
Another highlight is that you can enjoy it with various rules: by adjusting the number of people giving keywords or guessing the original prompt, strategies emerge in reading each other’s thinking, making it even more exciting.
Adding restrictions—like banned keywords or limits on the number of guesses—helps players focus more on the challenge, so that’s also recommended.
Debate showdown
A debate showdown where you deliberately take different positions and argue a theme with logical persuasion.
There are also shows on the internet and TV where celebrities face off in debate matches, right? Memorable quotes from Hiroyuki during his debate showdowns also became a hot topic.
A debate showdown game, where you skillfully put what you think and feel into words, can help you develop your ability to communicate.
It’s also crucial to listen closely to what your opponent says and, when you’re on a team with opinions different from your own, to think objectively.
How about forming teams with a few friends and giving it a try?
