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
Classic Board, Card, and Video Games (11–20)
Pig’s tail
Playing cards are perfect for killing a bit of time, aren’t they? Games like Old Maid end quickly with three players, so many people may be looking for card games you can play longer.
For you, we recommend “Pig’s Tail.” In this game, you spread the cards face down in a circle and draw one at a time, placing it in the center.
If the suit matches the previous card, you take the pile in the center, and in the end, the player with the fewest cards in hand wins.
Azul: Summer Pavilion
Azul: Summer Pavilion, which won the Game of the Year grand prize in Germany, is a game where you take colorful tiles and place them on your own board.
First, you select the tiles you want from the dishes or from those scattered outside the dishes.
Then you place them in designated spots for your team, and you score points when you successfully place them.
Once all players pass on placing tiles, the game moves to the next turn.
After six rounds, the player who has filled their board the most and has the highest total score from their placements wins.
It uses cute tiles, but don’t be fooled—the gameplay is surprisingly challenging and really makes you think!
Doubt
Because it’s a game for a small number of players, you can clearly see each other’s faces, so having elements of bluffing in the rules makes it even more exciting.
This is a card game using a standard deck where reading expressions and minds is a crucial key.
Players take turns counting numbers upward using their dealt cards, and the declared number doesn’t have to match the actual card played.
You read whether the declaration truly matches the card; if you correctly call a bluff, you collect the cards on the table, and the more your bluffs are caught, the further you get from victory.
It’s a game where the balance of when to play a genuine card and what your opponent is thinking is essential.
Splash
If you want to play UNO but only have a standard deck of cards, I recommend “Dobon,” a UNO-like game played with playing cards.
Just like UNO, you keep playing cards that match the number or suit of the card on the pile, and the first person to run out of cards wins! Aces, 2s, 8s, Jacks, and Queens have special effects similar to UNO’s Skip or Reverse.
A unique rule in Dobon is that if the total of the number on the current card and a card in your hand matches a certain condition, you can shout “Dobon,” play all your matching cards at once, and go out in a flash! Once you learn the rules, it might get even more exciting than UNO!
Angry old man
It’s an app game called “Angry Old Man.” You know the classic suspense game “Pop-up Pirate,” right? It’s like an old-man version of that.
You pick the old men one by one and take them out of the box, but among them there’s an angry old man mixed in.
If you happen to pick the angry one, you’re out—that’s the game.
You can also play it so that the person who picks the angry old man wins.
Eraser Drop
What I’m introducing here isn’t the old-school “Eraser Drop” game we used to play at school, but the app version of it.
The rules are the same as in the classic game: just flick your opponent’s eraser off the desk! There are over 100 types of erasers to use, and up to four players can battle.
You can also enjoy solo play, facing enemies in different areas! You can even compete online against players across the country.
The rules are simple, which makes the matches heat up more and more as you progress.
nervous breakdown
It’s a game where you flip over playing cards laid face down on the table and try to make and collect pairs of the same number.
Cards that don’t form a pair are turned back face down and stay in the same place, so it also tests your memory of which cards appeared where.
As the turns progress, there are more cards to remember, so your concentration gradually ramps up too.
Another exciting element is the strategy—like how to end your turn so your opponent can’t take the cards you’ve set up.