Road trip games not only make time fly by as you travel to your next destination, they’re also a great way to engage and entertain the passengers in your car. Whether you're traveling in your own vehicle, an RV or a rental car, these fun road trip games are guaranteed to keep you entertained on your next driving adventure.
1. I spy: Classic road trip games
Concept: Someone thinks of an object they can see and others try to guess what it is.
How to play:
- The youngest person in the car looks around, finds something and says "I spy with my little eye, something [color]."
- The others in the car take turns guessing objects of that color.
This road trip game is perfect for: Everyone! This is a classic road trip game that can be enjoyed in small or large groups, as well as by families, couples or friends.
2. Travel bingo: Scavenger hunts on-the-go
Concept: Players use a bingo board to look for objects that are commonly found on a road trip to fill out their bingo card.
How to play:
- Each player selects a travel bingo card. You can create your own, or buy a travel game bundle.
- Decide whether a line, X or full card is the goal that wins the game.
- Look around during the drive, and each time you spot an object from your bingo card, mark it.
- The first player to spot all the required objects to meet the goal wins.
This road trip game is perfect for: Families with younger children that like scavenger hunts.
3. The alphabet game: Quick-fire thinking
Concept: Someone chooses a category and players have to name objects in that category, starting with the letter A and continuing with the rest of the alphabet.
How to play:
- Pick a turn order. The first player gets to choose a category (movies, animals, countries etc).
- The next player says a word related to the category that starts with the letter A.
- Players continue to say words of that category in alphabetical order (the second player picks a word that starts with the letter B).
- When a player can’t think of a word that starts with a particular letter, they are eliminated.
- The last player standing wins the game, and a new category is chosen for the next game.
This road trip game is perfect for: Travelers that enjoy games that require quick thinking.
4. Hot seat: How well do you know your friends?
Concept: The person in the “hot seat” asks a question about themselves, and others have to try to guess the answer.
How to play:
- The youngest player starts on the hot seat.
- The player asks the group a question about themselves. For example, "What is my favorite movie?" or, "What was the name of the restaurant where we celebrated my 13th birthday?"
- The remaining players take turns answering the questions. If someone gets the question right, they receive a point.
- The next player is now on the hot seat and asks a question.
- Players keep going until someone has answered five questions correctly. They win!
This road trip game is perfect for: Families, couples and friends that want to get to know each other better.
5. I went to the store: Memory-based fun
Concept: A memory game where players build a growing chain of words that need to be recalled every round.
How to play:
- Pick a turn order. The first player starts by saying, “I went to the store and bought [something that starts with the letter A].”
- The next player says, "I went to the store and bought [what the previous player said] and [something that starts with the letter B]."
- Players take turns reciting the sentence and adding more words until a player can’t remember the whole list. That player is eliminated and the next player gets to go.
- The last player standing that can remember the whole list wins.
This road trip game is perfect for: People that like games that test their memory and require creativity.
6. Road trip word games: License plate game
Concept: Players have to create words using the letters they find on license plates.
How to play:
- A player reads out a license plate near them (for example, 7AP45L).
- The first player to form a word using the letters on that plate in order gets a point (for example, APPLE).
- If no one can form a word with the letters in that order, then the player that can form a word using those letters in any order gets half a point (for example, PLANT).
- Another player reads out a license plate and play continues. The first player to get to five points wins.
This road trip game is perfect for: Fans of games that involve playing with letters to create words.
7. Guess that tune: Road trip games for the music lovers
Concept: Someone sings or hums a song and others have to guess the song and/or artist.
How to play:
- Decide on a music genre and select the player that goes first.
- The selected player tries to sing, hum or whistle a song of that genre.
- The first player to guess the song title and artist gets a point, or half a point if they only know one of the two.
- After every player gets to pick a song, change the genre for the next round.
- The first player to get to seven points wins.
This road trip game is perfect for: Families, couples and friends that enjoy listening to and recalling popular songs.
8. Categories: Creativity unleashed
Concept: A fun road trip game where someone names a category, and players count objects of that category until time runs out.
How to play:
- The first player names a category related to things they see on the road (such as a specific color of a car, an animal or license plate state/letter).
- Players then take two minutes to spot as many things related to that category as possible.
- When time is up, the player that has spotted the most items in the category wins.
This road trip game is perfect for: People that like to use their observation skills during a road trip.
9. Road trip trivia: Quizzes for a family road trip
Concept: Players listen to a podcast that asks 10 trivia questions and they try to answer the most correctly.
How to play:
- Connect your phone to your car via Bluetooth and search "road trip trivia" on your podcast app.
- Browse through the different episodes, each of which align with a particular theme.
- Listen along and try to answer each of the 10 questions. Every correct answer scores a point, and the player with the most points after 10 questions wins.
This road trip game is perfect for: Families that enjoy testing their knowledge across different topics in road trip trivia games.
10. The Waving Game: Simple road trip game joy
Concept: Wave and see how many people wave back at you.
How to play:
- This one’s simple. Each player takes turns waving at someone in another car on their side. If they wave back, you score one point.
- The first person to get five people to wave back wins.
This road trip game is perfect for: Friends that want to share the joy of being on a road trip together.
Conclusion
Choose the most entertaining road trip games and the time will fly by as you drive to your destination. So, grab some snacks and get your group ready to play your heart out. For more helpful information on road trips, make sure to check out these road trip tips, as well as a handy guide on rental cars.
