Perfect for killing time! A roundup of games for three people to enjoy
What kinds of games can you play when there are three people—like a close-knit trio, three siblings, or a family of three? Some games are easier with an even number, but once it’s an odd number, certain games get harder to play, right? In this article, we’ll introduce games you can play with your body or hands that work for three people.
We’ve gathered games you can use in various situations: to get some exercise, to burn off extra energy, or to kill time when you have a free moment.
Spend a fun time moving your body and hands together with your children or friends!
- Games you can play with just conversation. Classic and popular activities you can enjoy without any props!
- Games and activities everyone can enjoy together. A collection of fun play ideas.
- A card game for three players. Enjoy mind games and psychological battles!
- Fun activities for junior high school students. Recreation games.
- Brain-teasing game roundup
- Recommended for upper elementary grades! Exciting indoor recreation and games
- [Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
- [Simple Games] Recommended Indoor Recreational Activities for Adults
- Kill time while waiting or stuck in traffic! A roundup of games four people can play
- Perfect for killing time! Fun games you can easily play on LINE
- Indoor Games for Small Groups: Exciting Recreational Activities
- A collection of simple indoor recreational games
- Recreation Ideas That Truly Excite High School Students! A Fun Collection of Activities
Psychological Warfare & Deduction Party Game (1–10)
Bamboo shoot nyokki
The game “Takenoko Nyokki,” which became famous after originating on a TV show.
At the call of “Takenoko takenoko nyokki-kki!” everyone puts their hands together in front of their chest.
In turn, players thrust their clasped hands upward while saying “One nyokki,” “Two nyokki,” and so on.
There’s no set order, so anyone can raise their hands whenever they like.
You win if you successfully go out, but you lose if you collide with someone (say the same number at the same time) or if you fail to go out by the end.
NG word game
This is the “NG Word Game,” a lively game for three or more players.
All you need is paper and a pen, which makes it easy to set up.
Each person writes a word on a piece of paper.
Then everyone draws one paper and holds it up to their forehead so they can’t see their own word, but everyone else can.
The unseen word on your card is your NG (forbidden) word, and anyone who says their own NG word loses.
The fun comes from steering the conversation to make others say their NG words while avoiding your own.
Werewolf game
Speaking of Werewolf, it’s a popular game where players are divided into villagers and werewolves hiding among them.
Using various clues, you try to identify who the werewolves are during the day.
Then at night, the werewolves attack one person—that’s how the game progresses.
You can play it face-to-face with as few as three people, and it gets even more fun if you play online with others.
It’s also great to make friends on the internet, isn’t it? It feels like online gaming has evolved even further due to COVID.
The “Haa” game
“Haa” Game is a card game where players say a single line to match a given situation.
You draw a prompt card with a word like “haa” or “mm,” then use an Act Card to assign each player a specific situation to perform.
Players say the prompt word in a way that fits their assigned situation, and everyone guesses which situation that person is expressing.
If you guess correctly, both the guesser and the speaker earn points, and the player with the most points at the end wins.
It’s a game that puts everyone’s acting skills to the test!
Telepathy Game
Do you all know the telepathy game? This time, I’ll introduce a version of the telepathy game that’s super exciting even with three players.
The rules are simple: one person chooses a topic.
Then all three answer at the same time.
If all three answers match, it’s a big win! The goal is to see how many topics the three of you can get right together.
Even if you don’t match, you might discover something new about your friends.
Try coming up with topics and give it a go with your friends! It’s sure to be a blast.
An interview where you must not say “yes”
Introducing a game invented by the hugely popular YouTuber duo, Sky Peace, called the “Don’t Say ‘Yes’ Interview.” It originated from a video they released in 2020, and since then many YouTubers have taken on the challenge, so chances are you’ve seen it before.
Here’s how to play: split into an interviewer and an applicant, and the interviewer asks questions as if it were a job interview.
The rule is that the applicant must not say the word “yes” at any point during the conversation.
Since “yes” is a word people tend to use frequently when speaking with someone senior, watching someone desperately try to avoid saying it is guaranteed to make you laugh.
Sea turtle soup
Umigame no Soup is a genre also known as a lateral thinking quiz, where your ability to organize conditions is put to the test.
You ask the quizmaster questions that can be answered with “yes” or “no,” and use those hints to arrive at the correct answer.
You keep asking questions to get closer to the solution, but there’s also an element of strategy since someone else might beat you to it.
It’s a game where people’s strengths vary greatly, so for the person posing the puzzle, how they provide hints can be crucial.
Psychological Warfare & Deduction Games (11–20)
Telepathy
Telepathy is a game where each player has one of their senses—seeing, hearing, or speaking—taken away while they play.
In this game, players must arrive at a single word together despite being deprived of senses they normally rely on for communication and gathering information.
That word is the one shared in common by the different prompts dealt to each player at the start.
Even just thinking of that is difficult, and on top of that, you have to figure out the answer using an unusual form of communication! It’s a play experience that lets you develop a new sense you could never encounter in everyday life.
Yes-No Game
The Yes/No Game is an interactive communication game in which you deduce an answer through questions that can be answered with “yes” or “no.” Here’s how to play: First, the answerer writes the answer on a piece of paper and keeps it hidden from everyone.
Writing it down prevents changing the answer later.
Then the questioners ask the answerer questions that can be answered with “yes” or “no.” For example, if the answer is “apple,” they might ask, “Is it food?” In this way, the questioners gather clues and figure out the answer.
It’s especially recommended for people who enjoy deduction games!
Who am I? game
Let me introduce the “Who Am I?” game, which you can enjoy while using your imagination.
It’s a game where you guess what something is based on various hints.
For example, if the answer to the quiz is a refrigerator, you might give clues like: “I have doors,” “I am cold,” and “I come in large and small sizes.” By personifying the answer and providing several hints, the participants try to figure out what it is.
It’s exciting to search among many possibilities for the one that matches all the conditions.
The sense of satisfaction when you get the right answer can be addictive, too.