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.
- Fun two-player games recommended that you can play using conversation only
- Games and activities everyone can enjoy together. A collection of fun play ideas.
- Perfect for killing time! A roundup of games for three people to enjoy
- Recommended games and activities for five people
- Games you can play in the car! Fun activities to liven up drives and traffic jams
- Challenge together! A roundup of word games for adults
- [For 2 Players] Easy Pen-and-Paper Time-Killing Game
- Get the Fun Going! Easy Classroom Games You Can Play at School: Recreational Activities for the Whole Class
- Perfect for killing time! Fun games you can easily play on LINE
- Fun games recommended for making friends with people you’ve just met
- Recommended games for two people that you can enjoy without any equipment
- [Rec] Interesting! A roundup of wordplay games
- Brain-teasing game roundup
Puzzle-solving & deduction and communication game (1–10)
stereo game
Perfect for quick play! Here’s an idea for a “stereo game.” First, recruit a question team: about three to four people come to the front.
Decide on a theme, and then, at the cue “Ready, go!”, each questioner simultaneously says something that fits the theme.
Everyone else tries to guess who said what.
You can add extra rules depending on the number of players and how familiar everyone is with the game.
It’s a unique game that’s great for spare moments or breaks, so give it a try!
Puzzle-Solving, Deduction & Communication Game (11–20)
Conversation Breakdown Game
The rule is to keep up a nonsensical conversation, and whoever laughs loses.
You have to keep the conversation going while consciously mixing in words that don’t make sense.
Since the goal is to make the other person laugh, pacing and word choice are crucial.
It seems like people who know a wider range of words and can recall them instantly have an advantage.
There also seem to be various tricks, like not just stringing together meaningless words, but replying with different kinds of meaningless words that respond to what the other person says.
Saying one thing, doing the opposite
It should be simple, but it’s hard! Let me introduce an idea where what you say and what you do are opposites.
This game starts with a leader and participants.
When the leader says “forward,” the participants should jump one step backward from where they’re standing.
In this way, you perform the opposite action of the command, but you must still say the same word as the leader—so you also say “forward.” Because your words and actions are reversed, it’s a fun game that really tests your concentration and reflexes!
Sea turtle soup
Also known as lateral thinking puzzles, these quizzes test your ability to organize situations and your knack for sudden insights.
You repeatedly ask the presenter, who reads the story aloud, questions that can be answered with “yes,” “no,” or “irrelevant,” and from there you unravel the truth.
It’s important to gradually narrow down the answer while using your questions to organize the situation, so proceed with a clear awareness of the direction your questions are taking.
Because the stories are perplexing, people unfamiliar with this format may find even asking questions difficult.
In that case, it’s recommended to assist the process with well-timed hints.
Drawing Telephone Game
This is a telephone game where you pass along a prompted theme by drawing it without using words.
Each person draws their own picture based on the theme they interpret from the previous person’s drawing, so depending on drawing skill and interpretation, the theme can drift significantly.
It’s more difficult than conveying it with words, so if the last person can infer the theme, it’s a big success; if not, let’s review how it went off track.
To adjust the overall difficulty, it’s also recommended to check everyone’s drawing level before starting the game.
Introducing someone else
Instead of introducing yourself, you introduce what kind of person the other person is.
It’s a simple game that tests how well you understand them, and it can also be a chance to learn how others see you.
If you include memorable episodes you’ve shared with the person you’re introducing, it might help you both feel a stronger bond.
Bringing in aspects of them that only you know could also liven things up—perhaps even making them feel a little embarrassed in a fun way.
NG word game
It’s an NG-word game where various words are written on cards.
You draw a card and hold it so that you can’t see the word, but everyone else can.
If you say that word, you lose.
Not only can’t you say the word on your own card, you also can’t say the words written on other people’s cards.
While chatting together, you try to steer others into saying their forbidden words.
It’s a slightly nerve-racking but exciting game.
It’s about who can last the longest; with more players it might take longer, but it’s guaranteed to be a blast!
