37 Top Road Trip Games For All Ages in 2024
Does it even count as a road trip if you don’t play a few road trip games? With your bags packed, the gas tank filled and everyone buckled into their seats, you might expect your road trip to be smooth sailing from here, but depending on the length of your journey, you might hear a dreaded “I’m bored!” shouted from the back row. At times like these, it never hurts to have a few road trip games in mind!
If you’ve never taken a long drive with a group or it’s been a while since your last road trip, you might ask, “What do you play in a long car ride?" or "Which road trip games are fun for everyone?” And we've got your answers right here.
Road trip games are a timeless tradition. Whether they make you want to giggle with excitement or groan with reluctance (you’re not fooling anyone — we know you want to play!), check out these awesome road trip games to make the most of your next road trip.
Jump to Section
- Road Trip Games for Couples
- Best Road Trip Games for Adults
- Road Trip Games Online
- Road Trip Games for Kids
- Road Trip Games for Families
- Games To Play in the Car With Friends
- Best Road Trip Games Apps
Road Trip Games for Couples
1. License Plate Decoder
If someone was trying to share a message with their license plate, what would it be? YMB-4911 could mean “young, mysterious bachelor looking for a date with a police officer!” While anyone can play, this is one of the best road trip games for couples because you can easily decode the plates to be as funny, romantic or steamy as you’d like.
2. Would You Rather
Hypotheticals are always a clever way to make each other laugh, and “would you rather...” is one of the easiest road trip games to pass the time. Would you rather live in a mansion with 20 rooms or a cabin with 20 acres? Would you rather try to survive in a zombie apocalypse or a robot takeover? The comparisons can get as weird and crazy as you like.
3. Cows on My Side
One of the best road trip games for couples with a competitive streak, "Cows on My Side" is perfect for passing time on long drives through the countryside. When you see cows on your side, call out “cows on my side” to earn one point or when they’re on your partner’s side, say “cows on your side” to steal one of their points. When you pass a cemetery, be the first to shout “ghost cow!” to steal all of your partner’s points.
4. The Newlywed Game
Pick up The Newlywed Game board game or look up popular questions online to test your knowledge about each other. You can earn points when you have the same answer to clever questions such as “Who is your partner’s celebrity look alike?” or “What is your partner’s go-to karaoke song?” You don’t have to be newlyweds to play, but this is one of the best road trip games when you need honeymoon, anniversary or birthday trip ideas.
5. We’re Not Really Strangers
With both riders sharing a mutual destination and facing straight ahead, deep conversation tends to come naturally during long road trips, but if you need a gentle push, the "We’re Not Really Strangers" card game is a great place to start. This game comes in a special couples edition and includes questions that can help you dive deeper into your relationship and get to know your partner on an entirely new level.
Best Road Trip Games for Adults
6. Two Truths and a Lie
"Two Truths and a Lie" is one of the most popular ice breaker games and a perfect road trip game to play when you’re traveling with other adults who you’d like to get to know better. Each person takes turns saying two truthful statements about themselves and one fictional statement, and it’s up to other players to guess which one is the lie. For example, someone might say, “I’ve broken eight bones, my parents met in high school and my first job was at a roller skating rink.”
7. Kiss, Marry, Kill
Often played as bachelor and bachelorette party games, "Kiss, Marry, Kill" is one of the best road trip games for adults. In a classic “would you rather” scenario, choose three celebrities, politicians, fictional characters or even people you know (with caution), and take turns voicing your opinion on which characters you’d rather kiss, marry or kill if you had no other choice. This game tends to get more fun with the more unusual or unappealing choices you offer.
8. Name That Tune
One of the best road trip games to play in the car with friends who have lived through a few decades, "Name That Tune" involves flipping through radio stations — or pressing shuffle on your smartphone — and challenging passengers to guess the song name, artist and the year. Bonus points for remembering the album name too!
9. Categories
Categories is another simple mind game and one of the easiest road trip games for adults to pass the time on a long drive. One player names a category such as ice cream flavors, car brands, dog breeds or sports teams, then other players shout answers in a clockwise order. The first player to repeat an answer or run out of ideas loses and must restart the game with a new category.
10. Triple Threat
In this road trip game, one player names three seemingly random objects or ideas, then the rest of the players must form a short story around them. For example, your words might be “onions”, ”sewing machine” and “disco music.” Players might form a story like: “Jenny grew up on an onion farm and she used her sewing machine to make a dress out of onion skins before she went to prom and danced to disco music.”
11. Cards Against Humanity
One of the best road trips games for adults who appreciate dark or crass humor, Cards Against Humanity is a card game that works similarly to the game "Apples to Apples," but it's a bit more risque. In each round, there will be one judge and one black prompt card. Players must submit a white card from their hand to complete the prompt, and the judge will determine which outrageous answer is the winner — usually the one that makes them laugh the loudest. Warning, this game is not for those who get easily offended.
12. Guess Who’s Jam
For this fun road trip game for adults, write down a bunch of songs you like on strips of paper, then drop them into a bucket or hat. Draw them out and play the song one by one, then everyone else has to guess who put that song in the hat based on their personality. The song selections have to be something you genuinely enjoy and listen to, but don’t be afraid to throw your friends for a loop with your surprising music taste!
Road Trip Games Online
13. Wordle
There comes a time in any road trip when your car companions may be tired of chatting, but luckily, there are plenty of road trip games online to keep you occupied until you reach your destination. Wordle is a word-guessing game that you can play on The New York Times website or through the app. For anyone who loves a competitive streak, Wordle is also a great road trip game to see who guesses correctly first.
14. Among Us
Another road trip game that can be played online or through an app, Among Us is a popular online multiplayer game where you must complete goals and determine which crew member among you is the imposter — the player secretly wreaking havoc. For road trip games online, you can have your fellow passengers join the game with you or play anonymously with others online.
15. GeoGuessr
For an online road trip game that will make you feel excited to travel, try GeoGuessr. This online browser game drops you at a random location on a satellite map, then it’s up to you to explore your surroundings and guess what area of the globe you’re in. The closest guess earns the most points!
16. Scrabble Online
If you’re a fan of Scrabble, the classic word game is now available online and in the app store, making it easier than ever to play on the go. Invite your friends to join a game, match with an anonymous opponent online or play against the computer to exercise your brain with this online road trip game. There's also a Travel Scrabble available where the letters click into the board, which also folds up and saves your words for later.
Road Trip Games for Kids
17. I-Spy
I-Spy is one of the oldest known road trip games for kids and a go-to for a good reason. To play the game, each person will take turns saying, “I spy with my little eye, something…”, then name a color, shape or other adjective to describe the object they see, then the other passengers must guess. For example, “I spy will my little eye, something spiky.” A cactus!
Another option is to include the first letter of the thing you are thinking about, as long as it's in sight. Then you would say, “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…” and then the letter. Like "b" for "bike" or "c" for "clouds."
18. The Suitcase Game
The suitcase game is one of the best road trip games for kids to help develop critical thinking and language skills. The game starts with one player declaring, “I’m going on vacation and I packed…”, then the other players must go around clockwise answering in alphabetical order, such as animal crackers, bathing suits, coloring books and so on. See how many objects you can remember.
19. Color Search
Grab a piece of paper or your notebook to create a score sheet and allow each player to pick their color, then look out for things on the road of that color. For example, a fire hydrant might earn one point for the red player, while a yellow light might earn a point for the yellow player, but once an object has been tallied, you can’t shout out that same object again. To make the game extra challenging, choose unusual colors to find in nature like pink, purple and blue.
20. Go Fish
One of the easiest card games and road trip games for kids to learn, Go Fish only requires two players, but can be played with more if desired. Each player gets three cards in their hand, then asks another player if they have a card, such as a Jack, that will help them form a pair. If the other player doesn’t have that card, they must “go fish” and draw from the card pile. No cheating!
21. Slug Bug
What is the best game to play while traveling? Slug Bug, also known as Punch Buggy, is an age-old road trip game where players will lightly punch another rider when they see a Volkswagen Beetle. Traditionally, the punch will be coupled with a declaration like “yellow one!” or “blue one!”, but the game can also be adapted to include red trucks, white vans, tractors or other vehicles if there aren’t enough Beetles on the road.
22. Telephone
Telephone can be played anytime and anywhere, but it’s one of the best road trip games to get passengers laughing on a long car ride, even the driver gets to listen in! All players must cover their ears, then one player whispers a phrase one time in the ear of the person next to them, such as “I love pancakes for breakfast.” The whisper makes its way around the car to the last player, who says what they heard out loud, which might sound like “I drove Grandma to Belfast!”
Road Trip Games for Families
23. The License Plate Game
One of the oldest road trip games for families, grab a handy notebook and write down a list of all fifty U.S. states. As you see license plates on the road, shout them out and check them off your list. For families who enjoy a little competition, you can even write down initials to keep track of who spotted the most.
24. 20 Questions
If you’re sick of kids asking, “Are we there yet?”, you might be afraid to ask: what is the 20 questions car game? In this challenging game, one player will think of an object, place or idea, then other players must ask up to 20 yes-or-no questions to narrow down their options and figure out the answer. Whoever solves the challenge first gets to come up with the next answer.
You can think of objects in sight, celebrities, places, people you know, food, characters and animations, bands and singers — and if you're really good at this game, you can add emotions to your list of guesses.
25. Car Bingo
It never hurts to plan ahead with a few quiet road trip games for families, so before you set off on your big adventure, print out a few road trip bingo cards and give everyone a marker or sticker sheet. Some common road trip bingo squares might include an ambulance, a bridge, a yellow sports car or a bicyclist. You can also choose items that will become more likely as you approach your destination, such as a cactus, a creek, the ocean or a skyscraper.
26. Pitstop Scavenger Hunt
The pitstop scavenger hunt is one of the road trip games that’s similar to car bingo, but must be a list of things that you might see on your breaks. Pre-plan some unique stops along the way, such as the Shoe House in Pennsylvania or the World’s largest ball of twine in Kansas. According to Psychology Today, if you want to make the trip extra memorable, snap photos of these tourist sites on a real camera to be printed later, rather than a smartphone snapshot.
27. Movie Bingo
When everyone needs a little break from the in-car activities, put on a movie for passengers to enjoy with something predictable, such as a Christmas movie. This way, you can create bingo cards for things viewers might see in the movie, such as a Christmas tree, stockings, string lights or carolers. In addition to keeping everyone entertained, this is one of the best road trip games or Christmas games for extended holiday travels.
Games To Play in the Car With Friends
28. Connect Four
Another one of the best road trip games to play in the car with friends, Connect Four’s easy setup and self-contained design make it car-friendly, even on your rockiest road trips. Keep your game pieces in a cup holder or other container, then try to stack four in a row before your opponent.
29. Mad Libs
A classic road trip game that doesn’t require any internet or game pieces, Mad Libs is one of the most fun games to play with friends who have a good imagination. Mad Libs are book-like games that have been published since 1958, and for generations, people have loved filling in the blanks to form funny and unbelievable sentences. There are even adult versions of this game for those with a more grown-up sense of humor!
30. M.A.S.H.
The last time you played M.A.S.H., you were probably in middle school, but this is one of the best road trip games to enjoy a blast from the past. M.A.S.H. stands for mansion, apartment, shack or house, just four of the funny options you might have in this future-predicting game. Grab a sheet of paper and a pen, then learn the rules to quickly predict your friend's future life, where perhaps they’ll live in a shack with a wife named Sarah, 17 children and a Ferrari car!
31. Magnetic Chess or Checkers
When you’re looking for fun road trip games to play in the car with friends when the internet signal is low, magnetic board games are a must. With a magnetic chess and checkers set, you’ll essentially get two games in one, and you’ll never have to worry about losing pieces between the car seats.
32. Pictionary
Pictionary is one of the most creative road trip games to play with a car full of people. In this handy game by Mattel, everyone will receive a notepad, a dry-erase pen and a word prompt, then they must draw the word in a picture and pass it to the next person, who will guess based on the picture. A more visual version of the telephone, Pictionary is sure to lend some hilarious results.
And of course, charades is the hands-free Pictionary if you get car sick when looking at a notepad while driving.
Best Road Trip Games Apps
33. Trivia Crack
When you’re in desperate need of some road trip games, apps can be a convenient way to pass the time, whether you’re playing in a group or seeking solo entertainment. Trivia Crack is a fun app that tests your knowledge on all sorts of subjects, from art to geography, entertainment and more.
34. Heads Up!
Heads Up! is one of the best road trip games for groups riding together in a large vehicle, such as a van. In this game, one player will hold the phone up to their forehead, while other players play charades to try to help them guess the word. Each round is timed, so try to guess as many as possible before passing it on to the next person.
35. Smule
The best road trip games apps allow you to make your own fun, and nothing gets the whole car pumped quite like karaoke. Smule is a popular karaoke app available for iOS and Android that removes the vocals from your favorite hits so your voice can shine. With over 14 million built-in karaoke songs and on-screen lyrics, Smule turns the car into your personal karaoke lounge!
36. Roadgames
Temporarily stopped and wondering how to stay entertained on a road trip? If your journey isn’t on a strict time crunch, Roadgames is the perfect app to help you explore your surroundings. Unlike other road trips games, this app encourages you to get up on your feet to solve puzzles, mark items off your scavenger hunt list and discover hidden treasures around you.
37. Duolingo
While it might not be a gaming app per se, Duolingo is one of the best educational road trip games with a uniquely engaging format that feels like gaming. During a long road trip, Duolingo is a great way to practice a new language or sharpen your skills before reaching your destination.
Planning a road trip can come with many unexpected twists and turns — even in the road itself — but with a few road trip games on hand, you’ll never run out of ideas to keep everyone entertained and engaged. We hope these road trip games have given you some fun ideas to embrace a little quality time on your next adventure.
For even more fun holiday ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!
