20 Best Conversation Games You Can Play Right Now

Conversation games can be a great way to get to know old friends better, bond with colleagues, or break the ice with new acquaintances. 

Try one of the games from this list the next time you’re in a group of people you want to get to know better.  

Talking Games That Help You Get to Know Someone Better 

Talking games can spark interesting conversations with people you’ve known for a long time. If someone shares a fascinating insight from their life, remember to ask them more about it later. 

#1 Two truths and a lie

This game lets you get to know the people you’re speaking with and learn about their life experiences. 

To play, one person tells two truthful facts about themselves and one lie. Everyone else then guesses, which is a made-up statement.

For example, a person might say something like…

• “I went skydiving before.”
• “My favorite food is canned meat.”
• “I have two dogs and a cat.”

Then, the others would have to guess which one is the lie. Suppose you already know the people you’re playing with well. In that case, you may have to get creative when thinking of facts to share…facilitating deeper rapport.

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#2 Hot takes

A “hot take” is an unpopular opinion a person feels strongly about. This game is played by people randomly calling out their hot takes and then everyone else weighing in on the debate. 

You’re bound to find out some strong, niche opinions your friends hold. 

Some examples of hot takes are: 

• Oatmeal raisin cookies are better than chocolate chip cookies
• The Lord of the Rings movies are better than the books 
• Omelets are the best way to eat eggs
• Universal Studios is better than Disneyland
• Bacon doesn’t taste good
• The band, The Beatles, is overrated
• ASMR is stressful

This game is incredibly entertaining when you get creative with your hot takes! 

Beware: Set some ground rules before playing to avoid politics, religion, or other sensitive topics.

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#3 Would you rather…

A classic word game that you can make as goofy as you want. Present two scenarios and see which one people would choose if given a choice. 

They can both be positive, negative, or just plain unbelievable. 

Here are ideas to get you started: 

• Would you rather travel 100 years in the future or 100 years in the past?
• Would you rather be Ironman or Captain America? 
• Would you rather lose your keys or your phone? 
• Would you rather live in Paris or Bangkok? 
• Would you rather see a spider in your house every day or have a mosquito bite you once a week? 
• Would you rather never listen to music or never be able to read another book? 

As people answer, they can explain their reasoning for choosing one scenario over the other. 

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#4 High, low, and buffalo

If you want more details than “How are you?” given, try asking your loved ones to share their highs, lows, and buffalo.

High: Something that’s going well in life

Low: Something in life that’s been bumming them out 

Buffalo: Something random, funny, or interesting that’s going on in life

For example, someone might say:

High: I finally got my raise last week!

Low: It’s not as much as I hoped.

Buffalo: I asked them to put a second microwave in the breakroom as a job perk. Do you think they will say yes?

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#5 I like you because…

Participants take turns saying what they appreciate about one another in this sweet, uplifting game. 

Sit in a circle and have everyone say something nice about the person next to them. After going around the circle, mix up where everyone is sitting, so you now say something nice about a different player. 

Try playing this game if you’re navigating conflict in the workplace or with loved ones. It can remind you that despite your differences, you genuinely care about the people you’re with.

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#6 Better than before

 In close relationships, it can be easy to get stuck in a rut of asking “How are you?” or “How was [event]?” over and over again. This game allows participants to deepen relationships—and get to know them better than before! 

Invite a friend, partner, parent, or coworker to share dinner or a cup of coffee with you. Then, ask them questions that will give you new insights into their dreams, hopes, and thoughts.

Here are some questions to get you started: 

• When did you last sing to yourself or someone else? 
• What would your perfect day look like? 
• What is an accomplishment in your life that you’re proud of?
• What do you value most in friendship?

Don’t rush through the questions! As they answer, follow any interesting threads that strike your fancy. One great way to do this is to ask variations of “why?”

Let’s take the first question as an example.

Person 1: “When did you last sing to yourself or someone else?”

Person 2: “Yesterday I was stuck in traffic on my way to work, so I sang along with the radio. I don’t like singing around other people, so I only really sing in the shower or car.”

Person 1: “That’s great. I love singing in the car! Why don’t you like singing around other people.” 

Pro Tip: Encourage them to share more by pointing out things you have in common! 

Person 2: “Oh, I don’t know. I guess I get nervous that people are judging me.” 

Person 1: “I’m sorry to hear that, is the possibility of people judging you hard for you?” 

Person 2: “Yeah, I grew up in a very high-achieving family and felt like if I couldn’t be perfect at something, I should give it up.” 

From there, you can dive more into the family culture and the challenges you faced growing up. Once the conversation has run its course, turn back to your list of questions and jump to the next one. 

Check out this list of 36 Deep Questions for a list of great questions. 

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Conversation Games for Big Groups

When thinking of conversation games for groups of 10 or more people, you want something that brings people together and allows many people to be involved. These games do just that! 

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#7 Never have I ever

In “Never have I ever,” participants start the game with all ten fingers. Then, going around in a circle, people share one thing they’ve never done. If someone has done that thing, they must put down a finger. 

For example, the person speaking might say, “Never have I ever had tacos from Taco Bell.” 

Everyone who has had tacos from Taco Bell has to put a finger down. 

The last one standing is the winner. But more than winning or losing, you’re bound to learn something new about the people you’re playing with. 

Beware: Let everyone know if they should keep their answers PG or HR appropriate.

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#8 Ten things in common

In this group conversation game, your goal is to find ten things that everyone present has in common—and not basic human experience things like, “We all experience time in a linear fashion.” 

Get creative! 

What’s your favorite late-night snack? Have you gone skydiving? Have you seen the Jonas Brothers in concert? 

If you have a lot of people, break up into smaller groups and race to see who can find ten things in common the quickest. Then, scramble the groups and try to find ten new things you have in common. 

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#9 The alphabet game

To play the alphabet game, agree on a topic or a theme. Then, starting from “A,” everyone takes turns calling out a word going in alphabetical order. 

For example, if the topic is “fruits,” the first player could say “an apple,” then the next player could throw out “banana,” and so on. If you pause too long or can’t think of a word for the following letter of the alphabet, you get kicked out of the circle. 

You can try some of the following categories: 

• Ice cream flavors
• Animals
• Types of trees
• Names of 80’s songs 
• Cities

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#10 My name, your name

This game is excellent if you are with new people and need to help each other learn names. Sit in a circle and have everyone go around and say their word. 

Start a rhythm by having everyone slap their thighs twice, then clap their hands twice, followed by two snaps. 

The first person starts by saying their name during the first snap and calling out someone else’s name during the claps. The person called repeats this pattern by saying their name during the first snap and someone else’s name during the second snap. 

The goal is not to miss a beat—and learn everyone’s names in the process.

If that sounds confusing, check out this video to visualize how you can play this game! 

My Name Your Name Game

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#11 Ask me anything

In this game, participants are allowed to ask any question. For the right price, the person receiving the question can skip it. 

Before starting the game, have everyone agree on the “penalty” for passing on a question. 

You might decide to eat something unappealing (like a tablespoon of ketchup) or put a dollar into the center of the table. Then, at the end of the game, use the money to go out for ice cream. 

This game lets you get to know others while giving everyone an “out” if they don’t feel comfortable answering a question. 

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Conversation Games About Dating

For those in the dating stage of life, talking about the character traits you look for in a potential partner with friends can be helpful. While conversations about partners can be relatively serious, these games help you have those conversations more light-heartedly. 

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#12 Orange flags

In dating, disturbing things about a partner are sometimes referred to as “red flags,” while positive traits are called “green flags.” 

Orange flags aren’t necessarily a deal-breaker but make you stop and think, “Hmm, we’ll see about that.” 

Once one person says something they consider an orange flag, everyone else can chime in, either agreeing that it’s an orange flag, saying it’s a deal-breaker or saying that it really wouldn’t bother them—after all, everyone’s different. 

Here are some orange flag examples: 

• They aren’t passionate about their job but like suffering through it
• They’re still close friends with their ex and talk to them every day
• They dislike animals 
• The only music they listen to while driving is country.

What are your orange flags? 

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#13 Love, like, or leave

In this game, one person calls out three people or items in a similar category, and everyone present has to assign “love, like, or leave” to each one. 

Try playing this game with celebrities, fictional characters, or even popular snack foods. Just remember when talking about people to be respectful! It’ll give you insight into what your friends like and what they don’t care for. 

Try one of the following combos: 

• Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, or Tom Holland’s Spider-Man
• Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, or Olivia Rodrigo
• Lucky Charms, Cheerios, or Fruit Loops

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#14 They’re perfectly perfect, but…

This game is fun to play with friends because it can be serious or silly and helps you understand what they value in a significant other. 

Start by thinking of a hypothetical person who is perfect except for one single flaw. Everyone present then says if that flaw is a big enough deal-breaker to make them uninterested in the person. 

Here are some examples to get you started: 

• “They’re perfectly perfect but rude to the waitress.” 
• “They’re perfectly perfect but aren’t open to new experiences.”
• “They’re perfectly perfect, but they regularly forget that they’ve made plans with you and ask to reschedule.” 

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Conversation Games for Road Trips

Try one of these games if you’re looking for something to help pass the time and get to know people better while sitting in a car together! 

You can also play these around the dinner table or with a group of friends. Keep in mind that they’re typically best with smaller groups of people. 

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#15 The superlative game 

This game reveals what your friends think of you. 

Take turns calling out random superlatives and have everyone vote on who it applies to the best. 

Here are some examples of various superlatives: 

• Most likely to become a billionaire
• Most likely to crash a wedding
• Best sense of style
• Most likely to travel to every continent 
• Most likely to star in a musical

Think of superlatives that aren’t too specific to any one person. You might be surprised by what your friends think you’re best at or most likely to do. 

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#16 I spy 

“I spy with my little eye….” 

In this classic game, players take turns being the “spy-er.” They notice something around them and then say, “I spy with my little eye something that starts on the letter [first letter of the word].”

Everyone then takes turns guessing what the person is thinking. 

If no one gets it, give another hint like the object’s color. 

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#17 Twenty-one questions

Have one person start by thinking of a person, place, or thing. Then, everyone else asks yes or no questions. The game’s objective is to determine what the person thought of within twenty-one questions.

Pro Tip: Start by asking broad questions like, “Is it an inanimate object?” before moving on to more specific questions like, “Is it smaller than an elephant?”

Bonus Pro Tip: A great secret answer is “an apron” you can almost always stump people…as long as they didn’t read this post.

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#18 Just a minute

Are you good at talking? Then this is a game for you to shine! 

Players receive a random topic they’re asked to speak on for a whole minute. If you repeat yourself or stop talking, you’re out. 

You get one point if you can make it through the entire minute. 

This game works well for families because you can adjust the topic for different ages. For example, you could give a seven-year-old the subject, “differences between cats and dogs,” while giving a fifteen-year-old the issue “how to bake a cake.” 

If you want to make this game funnier, assign topics that players don’t know anything about. See if they can speak confidently and convincingly for the entire 60 seconds. Here are some example topics:

• What makes a good leader?
• If you could change anything about how schools run, what would you change?
• What will happen to our world in 20 years?

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#19 One line at a time

Tell a story with each person only contributing one line at a time. The first player will start the story. 

For example, they could say, “Once upon a time, there was a horse named Baxter.” The next player would pick up the story, “Baxter was best friends with a grasshopper named Marty.” 

The third player could then take the story for a spin and say, “What Baxter didn’t know was that Marty could travel through space and time.” 

Where does the story go from there? 

This game has no winners or losers, but it is a fun way to be creative and silly while spending time with loved ones. 

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#20 Something in common 

If you’re looking for a game to help pass the time, give “Something in common” a try. 

Here’s an example of how it works: 

The first person says a statement, for example, “Lavender smells nice.” 

The next person follows this by saying, “Perfume also smells nice, and it comes in a glass bottle.” 

The following person could say, “Apple cider vinegar also comes in a glass bottle, and it’s good for you.” 

If you want to give yourself an extra challenge, turn it into a fun memory game by hitting rewind after a few rounds. To do this, the last person who went would say, “Apple cider vinegar is good for you, and it comes in a glass bottle.” 

The person before them would respond, “Perfume also comes in a glass bottle, and it smells nice.” 

See if, by working together, you can get back to where you started! 

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Make Great Conversation

These conversation games are guaranteed to make you have a fun time. But once you’re done playing them, what next?

Time to take your conversation game even further. In this ultimate personal development toolbox, you’ll learn more on enriching your self-improvement skills!

Check out this free goodie today:

Communicate With Confidence

Do you struggle with small talk? Do you often run out of things to say or feel awkward and self-conscious in social situations? Our Conversation Mastery Course teaches you the secrets of master conversationalists and gives you the skills you need to have confident, engaging, and captivating conversations with anyone, anywhere.

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Final Thoughts

Conversation games can be fun to get to know people and find new things you have in common. Keep a few of these up your sleeve for the next time you’re hosting a dinner party, are on a long road trip, or want to gain new insight into your loved one’s lives. 

Here are some things to remember when playing conversation games: 

• Don’t pry into someone’s life: If you don’t know group members well, suggest playing a more neutral game like “One sentence at a time.” This can help everyone get talking without being overly personal.
• Laugh at yourself: You’re bound to say something silly while playing a conversation game. Don’t be scared to laugh at yourself. It can help everyone loosen up and not be worried about misspeaking. 
• Be inclusive: Conversation games can be an excellent way for everyone to get a chance to speak in group settings. Remember to be attentive to everyone who takes part in the game. 
• Have fun! That’s what games are for, after all. 

If you’re looking for another way to start fun conversations, check out these 57 conversation starters to help you have a conversation with anyone.