Games to Play With Friends Without Anything: 12 No-Equipment Ideas

You are with friends, there is no board, no cards and no paper, and somebody says "let's play something". All of the games below need nothing but people. Each one has the rules in a few lines, the number of players it works for, and a tip for making it last. If it is only you and one other person, jump to the section for two players.

Quick pick

Game	Players	Best for
20 Questions	2 or more	Quiet moments, car rides
Charades	4 or more	Lively groups
Two Truths and a Lie	3 or more	Getting to know each other
Word chain	2 or more	Waiting in line
Categories	2 or more	Fast thinkers
Would you rather	2 or more	Talking
Rock paper scissors	2	Settling who goes first
Story chain	3 or more	Silly stories

1. 20 Questions

One player is the answerer and thinks of a person, place or thing. Everyone else takes turns asking yes-or-no questions, and the answerer has to answer truthfully. If a player guesses correctly, they win and become the answerer. If 20 questions pass with no right answer, the answerer wins and picks again.

Make it easier: agree on a category first, such as animals, famous people or things in this room. Some groups use "animal, vegetable or mineral" as the first question.

2. Charades

Split into two teams. One team picks a word, title or phrase for a person on the other team to act out. The actor cannot speak, mouth words or spell. The team guesses against a time limit, and a correct guess scores a point. Teams take turns until everyone has acted.

Hand signals speed things up. Hold up fingers for the number of words, tug your earlobe for "sounds like", and bring your hands closer for "shorter". Agree on the signals before you start, since groups play by different rules.

3. Two Truths and a Lie

Each player says three things about themselves. Two are true and one is false. The others guess which is the lie. The fun comes from picking true facts that sound made up and a lie that sounds plausible.

Keep score: a point for every person who guesses wrong, and a point for the guesser who gets it right.

4. Word chain

One player says a word. The next player says a word that begins with the last letter of the previous word. Words cannot be repeated. If you cannot think of a word within a few seconds, you are out. For a harder game, choose a topic such as food or places.

5. Categories

Pick a letter, such as B, and pick five categories, such as animal, city, food, job and boy's name. Take turns naming one thing from a category that starts with that letter, or race to name one for each category. Repeats are not allowed.

6. Would you rather

Ask a question with two options, such as "Would you rather be able to fly or breathe underwater?" Everyone picks one and defends their choice. There is no scoring.

7. Rock paper scissors

Both players count to three and show rock, paper or scissors at once. Paper beats rock, rock beats scissors and scissors beat paper. Play best of three or best of five. It is the usual way to settle who goes first in any other game.

If you do have a screen, Rock Paper Scissors Exclusive plays it against a friend or the computer in your browser.

8. Story chain

The first player says one sentence to start a story. Each player adds one sentence, in turn, until someone ends it. For an extra challenge, give each player a word they must slip into their sentence.

9. Number guessing

One player thinks of a number between 1 and 100. The other guesses, and the first player answers "higher" or "lower". Count the guesses. With each guess you can cut the possible numbers roughly in half, so picking the middle number each time finds the answer in about seven guesses.

10. I Spy

One player says "I spy with my little eye something beginning with" and a letter, for something they can see. Everyone else guesses. It suits children and long waits.

11. Hangman without paper

One player thinks of a word and says how many letters it has. The others call out letters one at a time. Keep a count of wrong guesses out loud. Our guide to how to play hangman has the letter order that wins most games.

12. Mental tic tac toe or dots and boxes

You can play tic tac toe in your head by calling out squares by number from 1 to 9. It is a draw if both players play well, which our tic tac toe strategy guide explains. For something with more moves, Dots and Boxes 2 and Tic Tac Toe 2 Player are two free browser versions if one of you has a phone or laptop.

Games with no equipment for just 2 players

For two people, these work best: 20 Questions, word chain, categories, number guessing, would you rather and rock paper scissors. Charades and Two Truths and a Lie also work, but they are better with three or more. For more games, see games for 2 players.

Tips for making any of these work

• Pick the first player fairly. Rock paper scissors takes five seconds.
• Agree on the rules before you start. Most arguments are about whether a rule exists.
• Let the group choose the topic. A shared interest makes word and category games better.
• Play short rounds. If a game drags, switch.

If you want games with a board or cards, see our best board games for 2 players and 2 player card games. For more to do with a group, games to play with friends has a longer list.