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 (21–30)
The Game
Have you ever played a board game? This time, I’d like to introduce a board game that’s fun with three players! Each turn, you play two cards, and the remaining cards form a draw pile.
Deal the cards face down to each player.
Be careful: the number of cards dealt changes depending on the number of players.
Keep your cards secret from the other players.
Work together with your teammates to get every card onto the table and aim for a perfect game! You’re guaranteed to have a great time!
Seven Bridge
Seven Bridge is a card game that’s like a playing-card version of mahjong.
You form melds of three cards—such as three of the same suit or three of the same rank—and lay them down.
The first player to empty their hand wins.
To build melds, players take turns discarding unwanted cards, and other players can pick up discarded cards.
If you’ve played mahjong, it’s easy once you learn the rules with standard playing cards! It may seem difficult at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll be hooked on its charm and want to play again and again.
Dominion
Do you know the card game Dominion? It’s a competitive game where you expand your territory, build your deck, and the player who gathers more victory cards in their deck wins.
There are three main types of cards: Victory, Treasure, and Kingdom.
Victory cards in particular are crucial, as they greatly impact the outcome of the game—so keep an eye on them.
Each player has their own deck; you draw five cards from it to start.
Give it a try with your friends—I’m sure you’ll have a great time!
pandemic
Pandemic is a board game where players become medical researchers and work together to eliminate pathogens threatening to spread across the globe.
The goal is to develop four cures.
You lose if an “outbreak” occurs eight times or if the draw deck runs out.
Before play, you choose from seven roles, each with unique abilities, and which roles you pick can be the key to victory.
It’s a cooperative game, not about winning or losing against other people, so by the time it ends, the three of you might feel closer than ever.
Machi Koro To Go
It’s a board game where you become a company owner and expand by constructing buildings.
On your turn, it’s important to strategize which buildings to construct, how to earn coins, and how to prevent your opponents from earning.
The more players there are, the more coin exchanges occur, which ramps up the pace and the bluffing.
The goal is to build three special buildings called Landmarks, and making the most of each Landmark’s effect is crucial.
Think through how you’ll raise funds and map out the path toward completing your Landmarks as you play.
Infinite Spot the Difference
Here’s a fresh take on a spot-the-difference game that you can play virtually infinitely by changing the combinations of cards.
Looking at the left and right cards that are shown, players take turns calling out one difference each.
You must name a difference within the time limit.
If you fail to do so in time, you sit out the next turn.
When everyone times out, that round ends, and points are awarded to those who found the most differences.
Then, swap one of the two cards with another card and keep searching for differences.
After several rounds, the game ends, and the player with the highest score wins.
Psychological Warfare & Deduction Party Game (1–10)
Tahoiya
A dictionary-based game called “Tahoiya.” If you have a dictionary at home that you don’t use much and it’s practically brand-new, this is a game I highly recommend.
Using the dictionary, each player finds a word that no one is likely to know and poses a multiple-choice question with four possible meanings.
Everyone comes up with a plausible answer choice and presents it to the group, then the remaining players choose the one they think is correct.
Try to craft convincing options and fool everyone.
It also boosts your vocabulary, so it’s a game I recommend.