Games with no equipment
Sometimes the best thing is to play without needing anything at all: no paper, no pen, no ball. This collection only includes games you can start right away, anywhere.
Charades is the perfect example: all you need is imagination, and you can play it in the living room, the yard or the car at a rest stop. Hot and Cold is just as easy: hide something and guide the seeker with 'warmer' and 'colder'. Before you choose a no-equipment game, don't ask 'what do we have?' but 'how much space do we have?'. Charades and Who Am I? work just as well sitting down in a tight space.
A tip that really helps: choose one 'judge' or adult to run each round, even in the simplest game.
Our top picks
- 👂 Who Made That Sound?: Just voices and ears: the guesser closes their eyes and tries to tell who made the sound.
- 📸 Freeze Frame: All you need is a group and a scene: 'At the beach!' and within ten seconds everyone freezes in one picture.
- 🎵 Guess the Song: Humming or three words: a song game that suits road trips, holidays and game night.
- 🙃 Wrong Answers Only: Simple questions you are not allowed to answer correctly. Funny from the first second, no paper or pen needed.
All 59 games
- 🤝 Would You Take the Deal?Ages 8+ · 3-20 players · 10-15 min
- 🔢 Closest Guess WinsAges 8+ · 2-30 players · 10-15 min
- 💡 Silly Inventions PitchAges 8+ · 3-20 players · 10-20 min
- 📖 One-Sentence StoryAges 7+ · 3-20 players · 10-20 min
- 🏆 Bracket BattleAges 6+ · 4-30 players · 10-20 min
- 🗿 Group SculptureAges 6+ · 5-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🕺 Freeze DanceAges 4+ · 4-30 players · 5-10 min
- ⭐ One-Star ReviewsAges 10+ · 3-20 players · 10-15 min
- 💬 Finish the SentenceAges 8+ · 3-30 players · 10-30 min
- 🙊 Excuses, Excuses!Ages 7+ · 3-30 players · 10-20 min
- 😬 Get Me Out of This!Ages 9+ · 3-30 players · 10-25 min
- 🤔 What Would You Do?Ages 7+ · 2-40 players · 10-30 min
- 🧠 Family Trivia NightAges 7+ · 2-40 players · 10-30 min
- 🛒 I Went ShoppingAges 6+ · 4-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🔤 Crazy LetterAges 7+ · 3-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🦁 If I Were an AnimalAges 5+ · 4-25 players · 5-10 min
- 🤫 Everyone Knows But MeAges 8+ · 5-20 players · 10 min
- 🙃 Wrong Answers OnlyAges 8+ · 3-20 players · 5-10 min
- 📐 Four CornersAges 5+ · 8-30 players · 10 min
- 🔗 What's the Connection?Ages 8+ · 2-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🎬 One-Minute MovieAges 10+ · 4-20 players · 10-20 min
- 🔄 Who Switched Places?Ages 5+ · 6-25 players · 5-10 min
- 🎉 Three-Word Birthday WishesAges 7+ · 4-30 players · 5-10 min
- 🤐 Silent Line-UpAges 7+ · 6-30 players · 5 min
- 👅 Tip of My TongueAges 8+ · 2-20 players · 10-20 min
- ⏱️ Five-Second CategoryAges 7+ · 3-20 players · 5-10 min
- ❤️ My Favorite ThingAges 5+ · 4-25 players · 5-10 min
- 💪 Everyone vs. BugaAges 6+ · 5-30 players · 15-25 min
- 👋 Name and MotionAges 4+ · 5-30 players · 5 min
- 🐉 Invent an Imaginary PetAges 5+ · 3-20 players · 10-15 min
- 👂 Who Made That Sound?Ages 5+ · 6-25 players · 5-10 min
- 🦸 Invent a SuperheroAges 6+ · 3-20 players · 10-15 min
- ⌛ Speed MeetingAges 8+ · 8-30 players · 10-15 min
- 🎵 Guess the SongAges 6+ · 2-30 players · 10-15 min
- 👉 Who's Most Likely To...?Ages 8+ · 5-20 players · 10 min
- 🎂 How Well Do You Know the Birthday Kid?Ages 6+ · 5-30 players · 10-15 min
- 🪞 The Mirror GameAges 5+ · 2-20 players · 5-10 min
- 👀 What's Changed?Ages 5+ · 4-25 players · 5-10 min
- 🔁 Do the OppositeAges 6+ · 4-25 players · 5-10 min
- ⚙️ The Human MachineAges 7+ · 5-20 players · 10 min
- 🎭 One Line, Three EmotionsAges 8+ · 3-20 players · 5-10 min
- 📸 Freeze FrameAges 7+ · 5-20 players · 10-15 min
- 👏 The No-Instrument OrchestraAges 5+ · 5-25 players · 5-10 min
- 🐒 Copy MeAges 4+ · 4-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🤸 Add-a-MoveAges 5+ · 4-20 players · 5-10 min
- 🚫 The Yes/No GameAges 7+ · 2-20 players · 5-10 min
- ✅ Fact or Fib?Ages 6+ · 2-30 players · 5-15 min
- 🤷 Would You Rather?Ages 7+ · 3-30 players · 10-15 min
- 👑 Simon SaysAges 4+ · 4-30 players · 5-10 min
- 📊 This or ThatAges 6+ · 5-30 players · 5-15 min
- 🐘 Walk Like a...Ages 3+ · 4-30 players · 5-10 min
- 🧍 Human MemoryAges 6+ · 8-24 players · 10-15 min
- 🚦 Red Light, Green LightAges 4+ · 5-30 players · 5-10 min
- 🌈 Color HuntAges 3+ · 3-30 players · 5-10 min
- 🤥 Three Truths and a LieAges 8+ · 4-20 players · 10-15 min
- 📞 TelephoneAges 6+ · 6-20 players · 10 min
- 🧩 Word LinksAges 8+ · 2-20 players · 5-15 min
- 🎊 Invent a New HolidayAges 7+ · 3-20 players · 10-15 min
- 📺 Sell Me This!Ages 8+ · 3-20 players · 10-20 min
Frequently asked questions
Can these games be played with just one child?
Yes. Hot and Cold and Who Am I? work great with only two players, a parent and child or two siblings.
What if the kids start getting bored halfway through?
Swap roles within the same game, so the leader becomes the guesser. That's usually enough to bring the excitement back.
Which no-equipment games work on a long drive?
Spoken word and memory games: I Went Shopping, Crazy Letter, What's the Connection? and Guess the Song. Everyone stays seated and nobody needs to look at a page.