‘You can play games like 20 Questions, Would You Rather, and simple word games, all through text message.’
Ever find yourself bored with just plain texting? We all know that feeling when conversations get stale. Sometimes you need a little something extra, a little spark of entertainment. You may start thinking about what games can you play over text message to make conversations more fun.
The great thing is that you do not need apps or fancy hardware. You can use the tools you already have on your phone. These simple games are a great way to connect and have a laugh with your friends.
What Games Can You Play Over Text Message?
Texting isn’t just for quick chats anymore! You can actually have tons of fun playing games right through your phone’s messages. Forget fancy game consoles; all you need is your phone and a friend, or even a group! There are many types of games that work great over text. Let’s explore some cool options.
Classic Word Games for Texting
Word games are super popular and easy to play through text because they require just a little bit of thinking and communication. Here are a few favorites:
20 Questions
This is a simple guessing game. One person thinks of a person, place, or thing, and the other person gets to ask up to 20 yes-or-no questions to figure out what it is. For example:
- Person 1: “I’m thinking of something.”
- Person 2: “Is it alive?”
- Person 1: “Yes.”
- Person 2: “Is it an animal?”
- …and so on
It’s a great way to pass time and test your deduction skills! If you’re guessing, think carefully about your questions to narrow down the possibilities as quickly as you can. If you are the one thinking of the object, try to choose something not too obscure but not super obvious either!
I Spy
Like 20 Questions, this game involves a little observation. One person “spies” something in their surroundings, and the other person has to guess what it is. The “spy” gives a clue using a color or a shape. For example:
- Person 1: “I spy with my little eye something that is blue.”
- Person 2: “Is it the sky?”
- Person 1: “No, guess again!”
The game can go on until the other person guesses correctly. It’s a good game to play when one person has to wait for something. You can make this game more challenging by specifying something in more detail, such as ‘I spy with my little eye something that is a dark green and rectangular’.
Word Association
This game is all about quick thinking! The first person sends a word, and the next person has to send a word that they associate with it. It goes back and forth until you get to a silly and fun place. For instance:
- Person 1: “Dog”
- Person 2: “Bone”
- Person 1: “Dig”
- Person 2: “Hole”
- …and so on
It is a very easy game to start and play with anyone, it’s like a fun chain reaction of words. You can also add in rules to make it even more challenging, like you cannot repeat the words used, or the word must start with the last letter of the previous word.
Story Time
This is a creative game that builds a story one sentence at a time. One person starts with a sentence, and then the other person adds their sentence, continuing the story. For example:
- Person 1: “The little bear went into the woods.”
- Person 2: “He saw a big giant tree.”
- Person 1: “And a very tiny fairy flew around it.”
- …and so on
The results can be really funny and creative! See what kind of stories you and your friends can come up with. It’s fun to try and guess where the story will go next.
Hangman
While it’s trickier to draw the hangman figure over text, the core word-guessing game can still be enjoyed. One player thinks of a word and shows the other player blank spaces for each letter. Then they guess letters. If the letter is in the word, you write it in, if it’s not in the word, you can record that as a “miss”. After a number of misses, the game ends.
You can just count the “misses” without drawing the stick figure. You can use emojis or symbols to mark wrong guesses and blank spaces if you want to use a visual element in your version of the game.
Number Games Through Text
It’s not just words that can make fun games; numbers are great too!
Number Guessing Game
One person thinks of a number within a specific range (like between 1 and 100), and the other person has to guess it. After each guess, the first person will tell you if the number is higher or lower than your guess. This continues until you guess the correct number. For example:
- Person 1: “I’m thinking of a number between 1 and 100.”
- Person 2: “Is it 50?”
- Person 1: “Higher”
- Person 2: “Is it 75?”
This game helps you practice your logical thinking. Start with a wider range to make the game a bit longer, or a smaller range for a quick game.
Math Challenges
If you enjoy a good challenge, you can send math problems back and forth. These can be simple addition or subtraction, or you can get into more complicated problems, like multiplication or word-based problems that make the recipient think more. For instance:
- Person 1: “What is 12 x 7?”
- Person 2: “84!”
- Person 1: “Correct! Okay, try this: A train leaves New York at 9 am traveling 60 mph and another train leaves Chicago at 11am traveling 70 mph. When will the two trains meet?”
This is a good way to keep your math skills sharp! You can adjust the difficulty based on who you’re playing with. You can play this as a timed challenge to make it even more fun.
Fun Texting Games with Emojis
Emojis can add a whole new layer of fun to text games! They let you communicate visually, even over text.
Emoji Pictionary
One person sends a series of emojis that represent a word, movie, or phrase, and the other person has to guess what it is. For example: 🎬 🦁 👑 could mean “The Lion King.” Here’s another example.
- Person 1: 🍔🍟🥤
- Person 2: “Fast food?” or “McDonalds?”
Emoji Pictionary can lead to some really hilarious guesses and creative use of emojis. The more obscure the combination of emojis is, the harder the guessing gets, the more fun the game becomes!
Emoji Storytelling
Similar to Story Time, you can create a story using just emojis. Each person adds to the story with a few emojis at a time. For example:
- Person 1: 👧🏼🚶🌳
- Person 2: 👧🏼🚶🌳 🐻
- Person 1: 👧🏼🏃♀️🌳🐻
It’s a fun and creative way to tell a story that you can keep on going. See where the story goes!
Other Creative Texting Games
There are more exciting games you can play. These games help you to think outside the box and get creative with your text messages.
Would You Rather
This is a game that prompts you to choose between two options. You take turns sending “Would You Rather” questions, and the other person answers them. These questions can be silly or serious. For example:
- Person 1: “Would you rather fly or be invisible?”
- Person 2: “I’d rather fly!” “Okay, would you rather eat only pizza for the rest of your life or only salad?”
The game can be as goofy or thought-provoking as you want it to be! It’s a fantastic game to learn more about other people’s preferences and to have some fun.
Never Have I Ever
This is a game where you state something you’ve never done, and if the other person has done it, they “lose” that round. Because you are using text messages, it would not be appropriate to track these losses with physical gestures, but instead, you can use a point system if you wish. For Example:
- Person 1: “Never have I ever gone skydiving.”
- Person 2: “I have gone skydiving!”
This game can get pretty silly or even really funny, depending on what types of things you and your friends have or haven’t done. It’s a good way to learn more about each other and share your experiences in a fun way.
“Finish the Lyrics”
One person sends a line of a song, and the other person has to complete the next line. For example:
- Person 1: “Twinkle, twinkle, little star,”
- Person 2: “How I wonder what you are.”
It’s a fun way to test your knowledge of music and have a little sing-along over text. You can choose any genre of music you like or any specific artist, or you can just use well-known popular songs for the best chances of winning.
Tips for Texting Games
Texting games are a blast, but here are a few tips to make them even better:
- Be clear with the rules: Before you start a game, make sure everyone understands how it works. This way, no one gets confused and you can all enjoy it properly.
- Be patient: Texting games can sometimes be slow. Be patient and wait for responses. Not everyone can reply at the speed you expect!
- Have fun: The main goal is to enjoy yourself. Don’t be afraid to be silly and creative!
- Keep it fair: Don’t make up your own rules in the middle of a game. If the game has a score, keep it honest!
- Try new games: Don’t be afraid to try out new games and see which ones you like the best. The list here is just a starting point, you can find tons more online.
Texting games are not only a great way to pass the time, but they can also help you to connect with friends and family in fun and creative ways. They’re also a fantastic way to play a quick game without any special equipment. You can play them anytime, anywhere, as long as you have your phone. Whether it’s word games, number games, or emoji challenges, there’s a lot to explore.
Now you know some of the many games that you can play over text. Why not grab your phone now and invite a friend to try one out? Happy texting and gaming!
28 Online Texting Games to Play With Your Friends
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, playing simple word games, like 20 Questions or categories, works well via text. You also can try number games such as ‘Guess the Number’. These require minimal setup.
‘what games can you play over text message’ are plenty, keeping fun within easy reach. Puzzles, riddles, and even simple storytelling prompts can be easily exchanged through texts. Enjoy these easy options for on-the-go entertainment.
