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 Games (11–20)
First Impressions Game
This first-impression game is about choosing “the person who is XX” from among the participants.
One person is the parent, and the rest are children to start the game.
The parent gives a prompt like “the Xth most XX person here,” and at the signal, everyone points to the person who best fits.
The person who gets the most votes loses.
How you choose the prompts will be key to making the game exciting.
As the name First-Impression Game suggests, it’s important to answer based on your immediate impression without overthinking.
It’s also great because you can play right away without any props.
A Werewolf Game Where There Might Be No Wolves
The game Werewolf, where you deceive and suspect others to pinpoint the werewolf, has been a hot topic, but this version is a new-rule “Werewolf game” played with three people.
It’s originally meant for four players, so depending on how the cards are dealt, it’s possible that no one is the werewolf—which is a fun twist.
Including that possibility, everyone becomes increasingly suspicious of each other.
In this way, even games played with a different number of players than usual can become more enjoyable by incorporating new rules, so give it a try.
Bobu Jiten
If you’re looking for a game that three people can enjoy, “Bobu Jiten” (Bob’s Dictionary) is just right.
It’s a wordplay game where you explain katakana words using new meanings, letting your imagination run wild and getting everyone excited.
No props are needed, so it’s great that you can start right away.
It’s perfect for relaxed fun with family and friends, keeping indoor time far from boring.
Since it’s a brainy, thinky kind of play, you don’t have to worry about loud noise.
Why not spend a fun time laughing together while competing over your wordcraft?
Surface Tension Game
When a glass is filled to the brim, the water bulges up from surface tension, making it hard to predict exactly when it will spill.
This game takes advantage of that surface tension: you challenge the limit of the bulging water and enjoy the suspense until it finally spills.
Prepare a glass already filled so the water is domed by surface tension, then keep adding water to see how far you can go.
The person who makes it spill loses.
Not only the amount you pour, but also a careful pouring technique that avoids disturbing the surface is a key to victory.
Meow Meow Game
A game where you pretend to be a cat: the “Meow-Meow Game.” In this game, the person playing the cat can only speak in cat language—“meow meow”! Draw one prompt card and, based on that prompt, say the word you think of using cat language.
For example, if the prompt is “dessert” and you want to answer “pudding,” you must say “pudding” in cat language.
The other players try to figure out what the cat player is saying, and the first person to guess correctly receives a Cat Token.
Set a time limit; if the group collectively gets 20 correct answers within that time, everyone wins, and the person with the most Cat Tokens becomes the MV-Meow.
If the group doesn’t reach 20 correct answers in time, everyone loses.
It looks competitive, but it’s actually a cooperative game.
