Fun games you can play over the phone—even if you can’t meet!
When you can’t meet up to hang out or chat—or when you’re just not done having fun—lots of people call their friends or partners! You might catch up on each other’s lives or make small talk, but sometimes it still feels like something’s missing… That’s when we recommend games you can play over the phone! We’ve gathered games you can play with just conversation, as well as ones that are great for video calls—so you can have fun without meeting in person as long as you’ve got a phone.
These games are sure to spark more conversation! Try them not only with people you usually hang out with, but also with someone you haven’t contacted in a while.
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- Games you can play with just conversation. Classic and popular activities you can enjoy without any props!
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You can do it even if you can’t meet! Fun games you can play over the phone (11–20)
When, where, who did what?
A game where you connect scattered words to create a story: the When-Where-Who-What-Did game.
Make four groups—“When,” “Where,” “Who,” and “What did they do”—and write various situations for each.
For example, in “When,” put years or months; in “Where,” different places; in “Who,” names of people or animals; and in “What did they do,” verbs like ran or bought.
Once you’ve gathered enough prompts, draw one card from each group as if by lottery, then link the words together to make a story.
If you slip in a few tricky words, the story can roll off in unexpected directions! Over a video call, have one person, both of you together, or split the work to create the prompts and give it a try.
riddle
Riddles that anyone—from kids to adults—can enjoy casually.
You can easily look up questions online, so there’s no need to prepare anything special.
You can take turns giving each other questions, or if it’s an adult with a small child, the adult can actively ask the questions.
It’s also fun to decide something you want the other person to do next time you meet based on how many they get right.
Creating your own riddles can be interesting too.
There are countless riddles out there, so you can enjoy them on long phone calls without running out of ideas!
Gesture Game
A gesture game where the presenter expresses the prompt using only their body without saying it out loud.
It’s a game you can play with a wide range of themes, from animals to characters.
If you’re playing over the phone, switch to a video call so the presenter’s screen is visible.
At the signal, perform the gesture specified by the prompt.
Not being able to speak helps strengthen expressiveness and communication skills—that’s part of the appeal.
Even if you can’t meet in person, give this game a try and have fun moving your bodies together.
Richest Online
A card game where players take turns playing their dealt cards, and the first player to run out becomes the Grand Millionaire (Daifugō).
The online app version of this is “Daifugō Online,” which you can play over the internet.
It’s an app with multiple modes to enjoy, including nationwide matches, battles with friends, and matches against the CPU.
You can stick to simple rules or add more challenging conditions for deeper play.
It’s also recommended for those who want to savor an intense game with friends.
Try enjoying a phone conversation while playing this card game!
Myanmar Game
A Myanmar game that puts everyone’s enunciation to the test.
It’s a game that was played on the variety show “Gakkō e Ikō!” featuring V6.
You start with the call, “Uu, Myanmar!” and then each person increases the number of times they say “Myanmar” by one.
If the first person says “Myanmar,” the second says “Myanmar Myanmar,” and the count keeps going up until someone trips over their words.
Even saying “Myanmar” once is surprisingly tricky, so keeping it going for long is quite a challenge.
It gets harder and harder, and once someone stumbles and it turns into a weird word, you can’t help but laugh!
Finger Smash
One game I recommend for video calls is “Finger Sum” (yubisuma).
You start with your hand in a fist and say something like, “Ready, set, one!” while choosing whether to raise your thumb or not.
Many people have probably played it at school.
After “Ready, set,” you can call out a number from 0 to 2.
If the number you call matches the total number of thumbs raised by you and your opponent, the caller gets to lower one hand.
The non-caller’s state doesn’t change regardless of the result.
The first person to lower both hands wins.
It’s simple, but it’s addictively fun and you’ll want to play it over and over!
You can still have fun even if you can’t meet! Fun games you can play over the phone (21–30)
A game that seems like it should exist, but doesn’t
It’s a game where you come up with names that feel like they could exist but actually don’t, based on a chosen theme.
The more the theme lends itself to different angles—like store names, TV show titles, and so on—the more you can enjoy a lively back-and-forth.
It feels like a conversation starter where everyone lists names using their imagination, but a fun twist is to decide winners by checking whether the names truly don’t exist.
Imagining the backstories behind the made-up names and making them sound convincing is another way to keep the conversation exciting.
In conclusion
We introduced a variety of games you can play over the phone—did you find one you’d like to try? Messaging is nice, but speaking out loud and having a real conversation is important, isn’t it? Be sure to have fun with your friends or partner, and keep strengthening your bond even when you can’t meet in person!