33 Car Trip Games for Adults That Are Fun & Easy to Do

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Are you planning a road trip with your pals, but worried about how to pass the time in the car? We’ve got exactly what you’re looking for! Keep reading for 33 fun games to play in the car for adults to keep you busy and entertained. They range from classics like “I Spy” and “Would You Rather” to travel-focused ones, including “While You Were Sleeping,” “License Plate Bingo,” and “Radio Roulette,” along with unique variations to try.

Fun Car Trip Games for Adults

  • The Title Game
  • French Toast
  • Did You Hear That
  • In My Suitcase
  • 21 Questions
  • Would You Rather
1

6 Degrees Of Kevin Bacon

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  1. Name a random actor, while others try to connect them to Kevin Bacon.
    To play the game, one person starts by saying the name of a random actor, then the next person names another actor who has been in a movie with them. The goal is to connect the first actor to Kevin Bacon in as few turns as possible (ideally 6 or under). Here’s an example: one person names Ralph Fiennes. A connection is made when someone says, “Ralph Fiennes was in Conclave with John Lithgow.” The 3rd link in the chain solves the game because “John Lithgow was in Footloose with Kevin Bacon.”
    • Type: Trivia
    • Variations: Players can rework the game to fit any actor, celebrity, or pop culture icon they want.
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2

Guess That Category

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  1. Figure out the secret category by naming items that may belong to it. The category master thinks of a specific category (which they keep secret), like “fried foods,” “furry animals,” or “things you find at the gym.” Players take turns calling out random items that they think could belong, and the category master either confirms or denies that they fit into the secret category they’ve chosen. Whoever guesses the category correctly becomes the next category master![1]
    • Type: Strategy
    • Variations: Players can name things in alphabetical order (starting with “A,” “B,” “C,” etc.) or name something starting with the first letter of the previous answer to switch things up.
3

The Title Game

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  1. Rephrase a familiar title to see if others can guess what the original was.
    First, designate a category (song, album, TV show, movie title, etc.). One player (the “caller”) rephrases the title to something that means roughly the same thing but sounds different. For example, if you pick “movies,” the caller could say, “The gathering of people who meet when it’s time for the first meal of the day,” instead of “The Breakfast Club.” Whoever guesses what movie they were referring to becomes the new caller.
    • Type: Strategy
    • Variations: Choose any kind of category you like.
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4

French Toast

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  1. Ask questions to find out what the random word is. To start, a player called the “toastmaster” thinks of a secret word. Next, players try to guess what the word (usually a noun) is by asking whether it’s more like X or Y. The first question is usually “Is it more like French toast, or more like [a random object of your choice].” The toastmaster answers the question, and players keep asking comparison questions until the word is discovered, typically for 6 rounds.[2]
    • Type: Word Association
    • Variations: Players can adjust the baseline words if they’d like. For example, they can use “book” or “apple” instead of “French toast” as their first guess.
5

Would I Lie To You

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  1. See if others can tell if your statements are true or a lie. The game involves 2 teams—each team has a speaker. The speaker starts by making a statement about themselves; for example, “I’ve never been to a dentist’s office.” One team has a set time (usually about 30 seconds) to ask rapid-fire questions to test the speaker. After their time is up, the team decides if the statement is true or a lie. If they’re correct, they get a point; if not, the speaker’s team gets the point.
    • Type: Strategy
    • Variations: Two Truths and a Lie is considered a simpler variation where players state 3 things about themselves (2 true, 1 false), and others guess the lie.
    • Would I Lie to You is inspired by a British panel show of the same name.
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6

While You Were Sleeping

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  1. Invent a story to see if you can convince a passenger who fell asleep.
    While you can’t plan for this game, it’s loads of fun to play when someone takes a nap on the road. The moment they fall asleep, others begin to concoct a tale that didn’t really happen. Each adds details to the story to make it somewhat believable. When the sleeping person wakes up, others take turns trying to tell them the story. The sleeper tries to figure out if the story is real or fake.[3]
    • Type: Storytelling
    • Variations: Make it more specific by scoring points for believability and losing points when breaking character.
7

Change 1 Letter

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  1. Change a single letter of a word to form a new word. In this word transformation game, one player chooses a word (usually between 4 and 5 letters long). The next player changes 1 letter from the word to create another valid English word. For example, if the word is “cat,” another player can change it to “car,” then “bar,” “bat,” and so on. Players continue to change a single letter in the word to see how long they can keep forming a different English word.
    • Type: Word Association
    • Variations: Make the game more challenging by having each new word remain part of a category, like “sports” or “foods.”
    • Lewis Carroll (writer of Alice in Wonderland) invented the game in the late 19th century. It was originally known as Doublets, Word Ladders, Word Links, or Word Golf.[4]
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8

21 Questions

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  1. Use 21 questions to figure out what the “thinker” is thinking of. The “thinker” is a player who thinks of a person, place, or thing. Other players then get to ask up to 21 yes-or-no questions to try and guess what it is. Examples of questions include, “Is it an animal?” or “Can you buy it?” Once someone guesses correctly, they become the next person to think up something for others to ask questions about.
    • Type: Strategy
    • Variations: Try a travel-friendly variation where you only think up people, places, and things that have to do with travelling or the trip you’re on.
9

Did You Hear That

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  1. Guess where the questioner is telling the truth.
    One person acts as the questioner, who states, "Did you hear that [a remarkable or surprising event] happened?” while making sure that the statement is as believable as possible. The others can either say “That didn’t happen” (if they think it’s false), or “Tell me more” (if they think it’s true).
    • Points work like this: if a player correctly guesses "That didn't happen," they get 2 points. If they incorrectly guess "That didn't happen," the questioner steals 1 point and gains 2 points. If a player correctly says "Tell me more," points can be doubled at the end of the round.
    • Type: Storytelling, Strategy
    • Variations: Players can forego the point system altogether to simply guess and see if they’re right.
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10

The Singing Game

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  1. Take turns singing songs that start with the last word of the previous song. To start, one player sings a line from a song. The next player sings a line from a different song that starts with the last word of the first song. Players try to keep the musical chain going until someone gets stumped. For example, a song with the line “you’re the one,” might lead to a song lyric beginning with “One of a kind..” etc.
    • Type: Trivia
    • Variations: Try singing songs that all fit into a particular genre.
11

The Movie Game

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  1. Connect actors in a chain to see how much you know about movies. One player names an actor (for example, Timothy Chalamet). Another player names a movie featuring the actor (for example, A Complete Unknown). Then, the next player names another actor from that movie (for example, Elle Fanning). Then, the next player names another movie featuring that actor (for example, Maleficent), and so on. Players continue to connect different actors through their movies to see who gets stumped first.[5]
    • Type: Trivia
    • Variations: Play 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon to see what inspired this game.
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12

Fortunately/Unfortunately

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  1. Continue to add one line to a developing story.
    The first person begins the story with the word “Unfortunately”; for example, “Unfortunately, Sarah didn’t pass her exam.” Other players start adding a line to the story, alternating between starting with "Fortunately..." or "Unfortunately..." to change the story’s direction. The story can take absurd or wild twists and turns by the end!
    • Type: Storytelling
    • Variations: Choose themed stories to make it more focused or interesting.
13

The Alphabet Categories

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  1. Name items in a specific category in alphabetical order from A to Z. After selecting a theme (like circus, travel, cooking), players take turns naming something in the category starting with “A” (for example, “apple” if the category was “foods”). The next player names something starting with “B” (like “bread”), and the game continues until reaching Z.
    • Type: Word Association
    • Variations: Go further with categories by playing the similar variation Scattergories, where players choose a set of categories (e.g., "cities,” “animals,” “TV shows”), pick a letter (ex. “S”), and then write one item for each category that starts with “S.”
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14

Regional Food Master

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  1. Collect regional snacks to see who can find the most location-specific foods. Whenever stopping at a gas station, local rest spot, or anywhere along your journey, find a local snack or food item. It must be connected to the area you’re visiting. At the end of the journey, see who got the most snacks in total. Everyone wins with this game, because players can all enjoy the snacks together.
    • Type: Hands-On
    • Variations: Alter this game for anything local, from keychains and pins to shot glasses.
15

Battle Of The Bands

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  1. Compete to find the best songs that fit a common theme.
    Possible themes include "love songs" or "songs about adventure.” The players take about 60 seconds to find a song that best matches the theme; they can either play the song or sing it themselves. Everyone votes to choose which player’s song fits the theme best. The player who wins each round gets a point, and the player with the most points at the end becomes the official Road Trip DJ!
    • Type: Trivia
    • Variations: Let the player with the most points after a few rounds control the music in the car for 1 hour.
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16

In My Suitcase

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  1. Take turns saying "I'm going on a trip and in my suitcase, I packed...". This fun travel game begins with a player stating the phrase, followed by any “A” word, like “apple.” The next player repeats the whole phrase and adds an item starting with “B”; for example, "I'm going on a trip and in my suitcase, I packed an apple and a book.” Any player who can’t re-state the whole phrase is out. The game continues until there is 1 player left or you reach Z.
    • Type: Word Association, Strategy
    • Variations: Use the last letter rule so the next item starts with the last letter of the previous item; for example, “Banana” leads to “apple.”
17

Cows On My Side

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  1. Earn points for how many cows players can count. Either as individuals or on teams, players are only allowed to look out their side of the vehicle. Keep track of the number of cows for a set distance, and get 1 point per cow, but be warned—players lose all their points if they pass a cemetery on their side (and have to yell "ghost cow" or "cemetery!”).
    • Type: Observation
    • Variations: Vary the game by including points for other animals, like horses or sheep.
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18

Ghost

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  1. Add letters to a word fragment without completing the word.
    The first player thinks of a word and says its first letter. The next player adds a letter, but without creating a complete word. For example, if the first letter is “B” and the 2nd is “A,” the third letter could be “N” (potentially for “banana”). However, it can’t be “T” because that would make a complete word, “bat,” which would end the game. Players who say a random letter but don’t have a word in mind are assigned a “G.” If it keeps happening, they’re given an “H,” “O,” “S,” and “T” for “ghost.” The one player who isn’t a “ghost” wins.[6]
    • Type: Word Association
    • Variations: Change the word from “Ghost” to something that suits your players.
19

Guess the Quote

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  1. Try to guess who is the author of a famous quote. The presenter reads a quote while players try to guess who said it. The presenter can give clues if the players are stuck, including what the author is known for or something special about them. For example, if they can’t guess a quote by Edgar Allan Poe, the presenter might say, “They’re linked with a certain kind of bird.” The player who guesses the most quotes wins.[7]
    • Type: Trivia
    • Variations: Play quote association when players try to guess the next quote in a sequence (for example, famous quotes from Star Wars).
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20

Scavenger Hunt

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  1. Spot and take photos of specific landmarks, signs, or items during the drive. Make a list beforehand of a set of things to find, like “fast food signs,” “barns,” or “pumpkins.” During the drive, players or teams have to locate the items and record them in a photo or video. Make the challenges even more specific with ideas like, “take a selfie with a cow.”[8]
    • Type: Hands-On
    • Variations: Make it more unique with themes, like “find something that represents the Old West.”
21

Werewords

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  1. Guess a magic word by asking “yes” or “no” questions.
    The players are called “the villagers,” and they “the mayor” yes or no questions to try to figure out the magic word. Within the group of villagers, there are 3 players who secretly do know what the word is: the “seer,” and 1 or 2 “werewolves.” The seer carefully guides the group toward making the right guess (without being obvious), while the werewolves try to prevent the villagers from guessing the word correctly.
    • Type: Strategy
    • Variations: Create custom word lists based on the trip you’re taking.
    • Werewords is based on a board game.
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22

Would You Rather

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  1. Decide on which of the 2 different scenarios is the better choice. One player starts by saying, “Would you rather…” and lists a set of unique options they can choose from. For example, “Would you rather backpack in a place you loved or stay in a 5-star hotel in a place you hated?” It’s a great opportunity for travelers to get to know each other in a totally unique way.[9]
23

License Plate Game

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  1. Identify license plates from different states (or provinces/countries). Travelers create a checklist or simply aim to find license plates for all 50 states. Try holding a map or using a map app to check off individual states as others spot them. Fill out a checklist, often aiming to complete all 50 U.S. states. If using a point system, the player who spots the most different plates wins.[10]
    • Type: Observation
    • Variations: Use the alphabet to only allow for certain states or areas at once, or play versions like Padiddle, where you spot cars with a missing headlight or taillight.
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24

Drift Spotter

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  1. Be the first to spy cars that are most likely able to drift on the road.
    Before leaving, figure out a point system. It may include the type, make, or year of certain cars and what they’re worth. For example, a BMW that is drifting is worth 5 points, while a VW is worth 2; a blue car is worth 4 points, while a white car is worth 1. Drift Spotter is meant for car lovers who want to teach others about their love of cars (and drifting).
    • Type: Trivia
    • Variations: Use the scenario for other special features, like off-roading, type of color, or convertibles.
    • Drift cars are usually rear-wheel-drive (RWD) (or RWD-biased AWD). Some examples include Nissan 350Z/370Z, BMW 3 Series (E36/E46), Mazda Miata/RX series, Toyota 86/GR86/Supra, and Ford Mustangs.
    • Drifting refers to intentionally causing the rear wheels to lose traction and slide sideways through a turn at high speed; the driver causes the car to move at an angle while staying in control.
25

Smash, Stash, or Dash

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  1. Explain why you’d smash, stash, or dash famous people or historical figures. Like Meet, Marry, Murder, this version has one player listing 3 famous figures. The other player says whether they’d smash (have a one-night stand with), stash (marry), or dash (make a quick getaway from) the person, and why.[11]
    • Type: Truth Games
    • Variations: Try other fun word combos to describe your intentions.
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26

Create a Story

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  1. See how far players can take their story. This simple storytelling game has one player begin a story with a sentence. For example, “One summer, a bluebird decided to build his nest on top of a telephone pole.” Each player adds the next sentence to continue the story, which may incorporate things they see on the road trip. End the story when it feels like it’s finished.
    • Type: Storytelling
    • Variations: For even more of a challenge, have each player add a word instead of a whole sentence.
27

The Price is Right

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  1. Guess the price for regular unleaded gas at the next gas station.
    For each gas station the car passes, have players record their guesses. Whoever gets the price to the nearest tenth gets one point. When the time comes to actually get gas, the player with the least number of points buys snacks for the whole car. It’s also a fun choice if you’re looking for road trip games for couples.
    • Type: Observation
    • Variations: Instead of snacks, decide on other “penalties,” like having to drive for longer, or buying the gas.
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28

Never Have I Ever

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  1. Take turns saying phrases starting with "Never have I ever...". The game starts with players holding up 5 or 10 fingers. The first person repeats the phrase, followed by something they have never done. For example, “Never have I ever spent the night outdoors.” Then, anyone else in the car who has done the thing mentioned puts a finger down. The game continues with each player’s “Never have I ever,” until all but one player is out—a player is out when they’ve put down all of their fingers.[12]
    • Type: Truth Telling
    • Variations: Switch it up by having players lose points if they haven’t done the thing.
29

Radio Roulette

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  1. Switch radio stations randomly at set intervals. First, decide on the intervals for how often to change the radio station, like 10 minutes or 30 minutes. While discovering new music, pair this game with “Name That Tune” to see who in the car recognizes the new music you’re listening to.[13]
    • Type: Trivia
    • Variations: Instead of being random, one person could decide on which stations to play (but they can’t guess the tune).
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30

Car Bingo

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  1. Spot common sights from the car on a bingo card.
    Find or make a printable bingo card with specific sights or things you’d see on a road trip, like cows, police cars, red barns, or diners. When players mark off a whole line or have a blackout where the whole card is marked, they yell "Bingo!"[14]
    • Type: Observation
    • Variations: Play license plate bingo, color car bingo, or any specific theme.
31

The Quiet Game

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  1. Try to stay silent for as long as possible. This super-simple car trip game tests everyone’s ability to be quiet. When someone makes a non-uncontrollable noise (not a sneeze or cough), they’re out. The last person who doesn’t make any noise wins.
    • Type: Hands-On
    • Variations: Have players try to listen for certain sounds for an even more meditative experience.
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32

Don’t Say That

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  1. Avoid saying specific agreed-upon words. Before starting, the group agrees on about 3-5 overused words. Examples include "like," "um," "stop," "go," and "you.” Start having a normal conversation, and if anyone says one of the banned words, they have to complete a fun, harmless penalty, like sitting in the back seat or giving up their right to choose the music.
    • Type: Strategy
    • Variations: Keep count, and make the person who uses the most banned words do something for the group (like buy snacks at the next rest stop).
33

The Hot Seat

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  1. Everyone gets to ask the person in the “hot seat” questions.
    One player is put into “the hot seat.” Then, others can ask them questions to find out more about them. Each player asks one question, like “What do you fear the most?” or “What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?” They must answer truthfully, but they can also be given a set number of “vetos” for questions they want to skip.
    • Type: Truth Telling
    • Variations: Make the questions travel-related, so they fit the theme of your trip.
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/road-trip-games.html
  2. ↑ https://www.drifted.com/7-road-trip-car-games-for-adults-that-dont-suck/
  3. ↑ https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/family/relationships/couples-road-trip-games
  4. ↑ https://lewiscarrollresources.net/doublets/index.html
  5. ↑ https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/family/relationships/couples-road-trip-games
  6. ↑ https://www.letsroam.com/explorer/road-trip-games/
  7. ↑ https://planethoppergirl.com/road-trip-games/
  8. ↑ https://travelnoire.com/fun-road-trip-games
  9. ↑ https://www.letsroam.com/explorer/road-trip-games/
  1. ↑ https://www.afar.com/magazine/road-trip-games-for-adults-couples-families
  2. ↑ https://www.drifted.com/7-road-trip-car-games-for-adults-that-dont-suck/
  3. ↑ https://travelnoire.com/fun-road-trip-games
  4. ↑ https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/family/relationships/couples-road-trip-games
  5. ↑ https://travelnoire.com/fun-road-trip-games

About This Article

Maryana Lucia Vestic, MFA, M.Phil.
Co-authored by:
Maryana Lucia Vestic, MFA, M.Phil.
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Maryana Lucia Vestic, MFA, M.Phil.. Maryana Lucia Vestic is a staff writer at wikiHow. She holds a BFA in Film and TV Production from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, an M.Phil. in Irish Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin, and an MFA in Creative Writing (Nonfiction) from The New School. She has published articles for online publications, including Vice (Tonic), Porridge Magazine, and Tasting Table. Maryana writes and edits for the wikiHow content team on a number of topics she loves learning more about while helping others become more knowledgeable. Maryana is an expert in food, drink, cooking, and baking everything under the sun.
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