10 Fun Road Trip Games to Play in the Car

You can’t go wrong with a classic! This guessing game challenges players to guess a specific person, place, or thing within 20 questions. Here’s how it typically works: One player thinks of a subject, and the other players try to guess what it is by asking yes-or-no questions. The guessers use the answers to eliminate possibilities and refine their guesses. The game continues with the guessers asking questions until they either guess the correct answer or they have asked 20 questions without guessing correctly.

This is a fun but engaging game that challenges players to think quickly and make connections between words. To begin: The starting player says a word out loud. It can be anything—a noun, verb, adjective, etc. The next player must quickly respond with a word that is associated with it. This association can be based on similarity, opposites, wordplay, or any other creative connection. Each player after then responds with a word associated with the previous word. Players must respond quickly to keep the game flowing smoothly. If a player can’t think of a related word within a reasonable time frame or if their word doesn’t have a clear association with the previous word, they are out of that round. The game continues with players taking turns contributing words to the chain until everyone forfeits!

This classic road trip game challenges players to spot and count cows on their side of the car. As the car travels along, players keep an eye out for cows on their designated side of the car. When a player spots a cow on their side, they call out “Cow on my side!” or simply “Cow!” The player who spotted the cow earns a point for each cow they see. However, if a player sees a cow on the opposite side of the car and calls it out, they lose all their points from that round. Whoever has the most points at the end of the trip wins the game!

This road trip-friendly twist on Name That Tune involves guessing the artists and titles of songs you hear on the radio. To play, choose a “DJ” to control the radio. They will flip through the stations, manually or instead using preset buttons, and play snippets of songs (around 15 seconds). The first player to identify the song wins, with one point being awarded for naming the song, its artist, or its album. 

Inspired by the famous segment from The Late Late Show with James Corden, participants take turns singing along to their favorite songs while someone records the performance. (Did you know that this is how Jonathan and Zooey met?!) To enhance the experience, consider bringing along props like microphones, sunglasses, or inflatable guitars! And remember, Carpool Karaoke is all about having a blast and enjoying each other’s company while belting out tunes. So don’t worry about hitting all the right notes—just let loose and sing your heart out!

The goal of this game is to spark conversation and laughter by presenting players with amusing or thought-provoking “Would You Rather” scenarios. Designate one player to be the moderator, who will present two hypothetical “Would You Rather” scenarios to the other players. For example, the moderator might ask, “Would you rather have to sing everything you say or dance every time you hear music?” Players then take turns answering the question, explaining their choice and reason behind it. This often leads to lively discussions and debates among the players!

Create bingo cards on pieces of notebook paper for everyone with common road trip sights like road signs, vehicles, landmarks, animals, or anything else relevant to the journey. Players then mark off each item they see, and the first player to complete a row, column, or diagonal of marked-off items shouts “Bingo!” to signal their win. 

In this collaborative and imaginative game, players work together to create a story one sentence at a time. The starting player begins the story by saying a single sentence. Then, each subsequent player adds to the story by contributing their own sentence, building upon the events or characters introduced by the previous player. Players can get as creative or silly as they like, introducing new characters, plot twists, settings, or conflicts. That way, it keeps the story entertaining.

 Got a snoozing car mate? This is where the road trip fun really begins! Five minutes after a passenger falls asleep, the rest of the people in the car begin crafting a believable story to tell the sleeper when they wake up. Points are gained for fooling the sleeper or lost for breaking character or going off-script. If the sleeper successfully joins the story, then they steal the current point total. The one with the most points at the end of the trip wins.

This game will surely add an element of excitement and spontaneity to your journey! Take turns drawing dares from a hat or assigning them randomly to passengers. Dares could include dancing at a rest stop, striking a pose at a landmark, or singing a silly song. Remember, the goal of this game is to add laughter and entertainment to your journey, so make sure the dares are safe and enjoyable for everyone involved.