16 road trip games to play in the car

A long drive has two enemies: the first hour after the snacks run out, and the last hour when everyone is tired. Car games fill both. According to AAA’s forecast, at least 73 million Americans were expected to drive 50 miles or more over Thanksgiving 2025 alone, so these games get a lot of use in November and December, not just in summer.

One rule first: the driver plays by voice only. No reading cards, no phone, and in the spotting games the driver only calls out what is already in view straight ahead; passengers do the searching. Every game in the first two groups below works that way, and the last three are for passengers only.

At a glance

Games for everyone in the car

1. License plate game

Spot plates from as many different states as you can; whoever spots a new one first calls it out and gets the point. Keep the list in a notes app or on paper for the whole trip. On a long interstate drive, getting past 25 states is a good result.

2. Alphabet game

Find the letters A to Z in order on road signs, trucks and billboards outside the car. Call out the word as you find it: “A in Exit!” Play as one team for young kids, or race each other with older ones. Q and Z are the hard part; anything goes for those two.

3. I spy

“I spy with my little eye something that is green.” Others guess what it is. On a highway, choose things inside the car or things that stay in view for a while, like a mountain or a water tower, or the answer is gone before anyone guesses.

4. Color hunt

Pick a color. The first to spot ten cars of that color wins. Simpler than the alphabet game, so it works for 4-year-olds.

5. Cow count

Left side of the car against the right side. Count cows (or horses) on your side. Pass a cemetery on your side and you lose your count. It is silly, it lasts for hours on country roads, and the cemetery rule creates drama.

Word games for older kids and adults

6. Twenty questions

One player thinks of a person, place or thing. The others ask yes or no questions, at most twenty, and try to name it. Start each round with “Is it alive?” and “Is it bigger than this car?” to narrow it down fast.

7. The story game

Tell one story together, one sentence each, around the car. The only rule: you must use the last thing the previous person said. It works for any age; teens tend to steer it into the absurd, which is fine.

8. Hum it

Hum a song with your mouth closed; the first to name it scores. Nobody needs to sing well. Allow anything from theme songs to holiday songs.

9. Name chain

Name something in a category, and the next player names one that starts with the last letter of yours: “Texas”, “Seattle”, “Ecuador”. No repeats. Places are the classic category; animals, foods and famous people work too.

10. Fortunately, unfortunately

Take turns adding to a story, switching between good and bad luck. “Fortunately, we found a gas station.” “Unfortunately, it only sold pickles.” It never needs a winner and never runs out.

11. Categories

Pick a category and a letter. Everyone has five seconds to name something that fits: “Animals that start with B”. Miss and you are out for that round. Change the letter each round.

12. This or that

Ask two choices; everyone answers at once and explains: “Mountains or beach?”, “Breakfast for dinner or dinner for breakfast?”. No winner, lots of arguing. It works well with teens who would rather not play a “kids’ game”.

13. Mile marker guess

Before a landmark, a town sign or the next rest stop, everyone guesses how many miles away it is. Closest wins. Pairs well with a map on the passenger’s phone.

Games for passengers with a phone or a pen

The driver stays out of these.

14. Imposter on one phone

Pass one phone around the passengers. Everyone sees the same secret word except the imposter, who sees only the category. Each player says one word about it, then everyone votes. It needs 4 players, so it fits a family car with three kids and a parent in the passenger seat. Categories like places work well on a trip:

Full rules are on the imposter page.

15. Dots and boxes

A grid of dots on paper or a phone; take turns drawing one line; close a box and go again. It is quiet, it fits on one sheet and it is surprisingly deep. Learn how chains decide the game in the dots and boxes strategy guide, or play it in your browser.

16. Back seat duels

Two passengers, one phone between them: tic tac toe for a quick round, four in a row for a longer one. Best of five, loser picks the next song.

Make the trip go smoothly

• Switch games every 10 to 15 minutes with young kids, before they get bored, not after.
• Give the youngest player a job: keeping the score or the license plate list.
• Save one new game for the last hour; it is the hardest stretch.
• Rest stops are for running, not for screens. Ten minutes of moving makes the next hour easier.