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
Drawing, Music, and Communication Game (1–10)
Shape Telephone Game
It’s a game where you describe, in words, a complex shape made by combining various figures, and aim to draw it according to the prompt.
Clear explanations—such as which shapes are where—are crucial, testing both your ability to convey information and to interpret it.
When playing with three people, we recommend a pattern where two players each draw their own answers; take turns seeing whose interpretation skills are better.
Although the concept is simple, it’s a game that demands a variety of abilities.
Picture shiritori
Shiritori using drawn pictures—called “e-shiritori.” Since it’s not words, whether you can get your idea across depends on your drawing skills, which makes it a tougher version of shiritori.
Some might think, “If good artists get together, it’s easy,” but when you actually try it, you’ll be surprised by moments like, “Wait, that’s how this person draws that animal?!”—and that’s what makes it fun.
Adding a time limit for drawing makes it even harder and more exciting.
You can also play over calling apps like Zoom.
Memory Drawing Game
It’s a game where you hear a prompt word and draw the subject relying only on your own memory.
It tests whether you remember each word down to the fine details and whether you can express that in a drawing.
Even if you have a good memory, if you lack drawing skills it won’t come across to others—that frustration is part of what makes the game exciting.
You can have fun just by comparing everyone’s drawings, but if you want to decide a winner, it might be best to have everyone judge the accuracy of the drawings together.
Reverse Playback Telephone Game
@stmltytband The reverse playback telephone game that’s trending on TikTok was way too fun lolTelephone gameReverse playbackGirls band#youtuberGuitar girl#DrumGirls#BassGirl#SaxGirlsKeyboard Girl@Yukippe [STEMilates] @Gomi-chan [STEMilates] @Ayanon [STEMilates] @MION [STEMilates] @Kisei @Akira [STEMilates]
♬ Original Song – Stemilates – Stemilates [Official]
This is a game where you pass along a reversed version of a given phrase to see if the final person can get back to the original.
First, you say the prompt phrase normally and record it, then play it in reverse.
You tell the next person what you heard from the reversed audio.
The last person records what they received and plays it in reverse to check whether it matches the original phrase or how far it has drifted.
Since the game tests your ability to accurately render reversed audio as words, it’s also amusing that mistakes can happen right from the start.
Drawing, Music, and Communication Games (11–20)
Pokémon Drawing Telephone Game
@6nh_michael_0609 Convey it in 30 seconds! Pokémon drawing relay game!#Pokemon#pokemonPocket Monsters
♬ original sound – 6nh_michael_0609 – 6nh_michael_0609
When a character’s design is simple, it makes you feel like the illustration would be easy to draw too, doesn’t it? This is a game that focuses on characters from Pokémon with such easy-to-understand designs: you pass along a message, draw a picture from it, and then try to guess the original prompt.
It tests various abilities, like how clearly someone who sees the prompt can describe it, and how well those words can be expressed through a drawing.
Even if it doesn’t go well—like when the sizes or positions of parts are off—it still seems fun to enjoy the process of analyzing what went wrong.
Uta-don!
Mobile app games get even more exciting when you play with three people.
This app, called “Uta-Don!”, is an intro quiz game.
It shows how many seconds it took you to answer, and you can choose genres and artists, so you can enjoy intro quizzes in various ways.
By playing this quiz, you might learn your friends’ music preferences and how knowledgeable they are, making musical interaction more fun.
Give it a try!
Earphone Blasting Werewolf Game
This is a game that makes the classic telephone game more complex by adding Werewolf-style suspicion, all while communication is hard to hear.
The game proceeds with everyone wearing earphones blasting loud music, but one person is secretly not hearing any music.
Since most words are barely audible, it’s normal for the message to get distorted—keep that in mind as you try to figure out who the “werewolf” is.
Those with music try to devise ways to listen as accurately as possible, while the person without music strategizes how much to shift the words.
The back-and-forth mind games on both sides make for a lively experience.