Games to Play With Your Best Friend Over Text, Call & FaceTime

Talking every day is great until you run out of things to say. A game fixes that instantly: it gives the conversation a shape, it makes you laugh, and you usually learn something new about each other. Every game here works for two people, most work with nothing but your voices or your keyboard, and none of them costs money unless we say so. Find the section for how you're talking right now and start with the first one. And agree on the forfeit before you play: with PingPal, the winner sets an alarm on the loser's phone for tomorrow morning, with their voice, a photo or a song, and it rings even on silent.

Quick picks

Games to play with your best friend over text

These work in iMessage, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram DMs or plain SMS, and they're easy to pause and pick up later.

1. Would you rather. Take turns sending two impossible choices. The rule: you have to explain your answer in one sentence. Starter questions are below.
2. 20 questions. One of you thinks of a person, place or thing; the other gets 20 yes-or-no questions to guess it. Count them out loud in every message.
3. Emoji movie guess. Describe a movie, song or TV show using only emojis (🦁👑 = The Lion King). First to five correct guesses wins.
4. Two truths and a lie. Send three statements about yourself; your friend has to spot the lie. Harder than it sounds with someone who knows you well.
5. This or that, speed round. Fire off ten quick choices (pizza or tacos, beach or mountains, call or text) and answer without thinking. Then compare how many you matched.
6. Never have I ever. Each of you starts with ten points; lose one every time you have done the thing. Lowest score at the end has to share the story behind one.
7. Finish the lyric. Send the first line of a song and stop mid-sentence. Your friend has to finish it without searching.
8. Rate it 1 to 10. Send anything (a food, a celebrity, a weird habit) and both rate it. Big disagreements get a debate.
9. One-word story. Build a story one word per message. It gets strange fast.
10. Categories. Pick a letter and a category ("animals, B"). Both send five answers within a minute; any answer you both wrote doesn't count.
11. Zoomed-in photo guess. Screenshot a tiny, super-zoomed part of a photo from your camera roll or something in your room. They guess what it is.
12. Who's most likely to. "Who's most likely to cry at a commercial?" Both answer at the count of three (send at the same time) and see if you agree.
13. Hot takes. Send your most unpopular opinion; your friend replies "agree" or "fight me" and defends it.
14. Riddle of the day. Send one riddle every morning. Keep a score of who solves more in a month.
15. Truth or dare over text. Dares that work from a phone: send the 5th photo in your camera roll, change your wallpaper to whatever they choose for a day, or text a family member a random emoji with no context.

10 would you rather questions for best friends

• Would you rather know every secret I've ever had, or have me know all of yours?
• Would you rather only be able to text in emojis or only talk in song lyrics for a week?
• Would you rather live next door to me forever or travel the world together for a year?
• Would you rather have our group chat leaked or your search history leaked?
• Would you rather always be 10 minutes late or always be 2 hours early?
• Would you rather give up your phone for a month or give up sweets for a year?
• Would you rather be famous for something embarrassing or never be famous at all?
• Would you rather have a rewind button or a pause button for your life?
• Would you rather wake up every day to your favorite song or to my voice?
• Would you rather we only talk on the phone or only see each other in person once a month?

Games to play with your best friend on a call

Voice-only games for phone calls, walks home, car rides or when one of you can't be on camera. Nothing to set up.

16. 20 questions, out loud. The classic works even better on a call because you can hear each other thinking. Make it harder with "only famous people" or "only things in my room".
17. Name that tune. Hum a song (no words!) and see how fast your friend gets it. Bad humming makes it funnier.
18. Desert island picks. You can take three things, one person and one song to a desert island. Guess each other's answers before you say your own.
19. The "no yes or no" game. Ask rapid questions; the other person loses if they say "yes" or "no". Three strikes and you're out.
20. Accent challenge. Read the same sentence in five accents each. The other person guesses which accent it was supposed to be.
21. Guess the sound. Make a sound with something near you (keys, a cereal box, a zipper) and your friend guesses the object.
22. Story chain. One of you starts a story, stops mid-sentence, and the other has to continue. Switch every 30 seconds.
23. Trivia battle. Each of you looks up five trivia questions on any topic and asks the other. Loser picks the topic next time.
24. Alphabet game. Pick a category and go A to Z, alternating. Whoever gets stuck for more than five seconds loses the round.
25. Fortunately, unfortunately. Take turns adding one line to a story, starting with "Fortunately…" or "Unfortunately…". ("Unfortunately, the dog ate my homework. Fortunately, the dog could write.")

Games to play on FaceTime with your best friend

Being able to see each other opens up acting, drawing and running-around games. These also work on WhatsApp video, Instagram video calls, Snapchat or Discord.

26. Charades. Act out a movie, song or book with no talking. Use a random word generator if you can't think of any.
27. Pictionary on paper. Draw something in 60 seconds and hold it up to the camera. No letters or numbers allowed.
28. House scavenger hunt. Call out "something older than you", "something blue" or "the weirdest thing in your fridge". First to bring it back to the camera gets a point.
29. I spy, room edition. Play I spy using only what's visible in the other person's camera. Moving the phone is cheating.
30. Try not to laugh. Take turns telling your worst jokes or making faces. First one to smile loses.
31. Staring contest. Simple and surprisingly intense with a slight video delay.
32. Rock paper scissors, best of 15. Count down together and hold your hand right up to the camera.
33. Guess the object. Hold something so close to the camera that it's blurry, then slowly pull it back until your friend guesses.
34. Forehead word game. Write a word on a sticky note and have your friend stick it on their forehead without looking. They ask yes-or-no questions to figure out who or what they are.
35. Mirror challenge. One leads, the other copies every move exactly. Switch when someone messes up.
36. Blind drawing reveal. Both draw the same thing (a cat on a skateboard, your teacher, each other) in two minutes and reveal at the same time.
37. Battleship on paper. Each of you draws a 10×10 grid with five hidden ships, then call out coordinates like "B7". It also works on a voice call.

Raise the stakes: the loser gets woken up tomorrow by an alarm the winner sets on their phone, with the winner's voice or a song of their choice. PingPal rings even on silent and is free on iPhone and Android.

Games to play with your best friend on WhatsApp

WhatsApp has no built-in games, but its voice notes, polls, stickers and view-once photos make a few games work better there than anywhere else. All the texting games above work too.

38. This or that with polls. Create a poll with two options and both vote. In a group chat, guess how everyone else will vote before the results come in.
39. Voice-note hum challenge. Send a five-second voice note of you humming a song. The other has to reply with the title, or with a hum of their own if they can't get it.
40. Emoji-only conversation. Talk for ten minutes using only emojis and stickers. First to use a real word loses.
41. Sticker story. Tell what happened today using only stickers. Your friend has to retell it in words.
42. Where am I? Send a view-once photo of a tiny detail of where you are. They get one guess per photo.

Online games to play with your best friend

When you both have a little more time and a browser, these are free or cheap and work across iPhone, Android and laptops.

43. skribbl.io. Free online Pictionary in a browser. Make a private room and send your friend the link.
44. Gartic Phone. The telephone game with drawings: write a sentence, the next person draws it, the next describes the drawing. Free in a browser and funniest with a few more friends.
45. GeoGuessr. You're dropped somewhere on Google Street View and have to guess where. Share a screen and argue about it together. Free play is limited; the full version is paid.
46. Daily puzzle duel. Do Wordle, Connections or a daily crossword at the same time and send each other your results. Keep a running monthly score.
47. Chess on Lichess. Free, no account needed: create a game and send the link. Chess.com works too.
48. Jackbox party games. One person buys a pack and shares their screen; everyone else plays on their own phone at jackbox.tv. Great for groups, paid.
49. Co-op games. Build something together in Minecraft or run a farm in Stardew Valley. Both need their own copy.
50. A quiz about you. Make a free Kahoot or Google Forms quiz about yourself, send it to your friend, and see their score.

On iPhone, GamePigeon adds pool, cup pong and word games inside iMessage. For more of those, see the best apps for best friends.

Games to play at home or at a sleepover

When you're finally in the same room, these are the classics that never get old.

51. Truth or dare. Keep it fun, not mean, and agree on what's off limits before you start.
52. Never have I ever, finger edition. Hold up ten fingers and put one down every time you've done it.
53. Hot seat. One person sits in the "hot seat" for two minutes and has to answer every question honestly. Skips allowed: one.
54. MASH. The pen-and-paper game that predicts your future house, partner, job and car. Still hilarious.
55. Thumb war tournament. Best of seven, with dramatic commentary.
56. Card games. Speed, Spit, Uno or Go Fish with whatever deck you have.
57. Blindfold taste test. Feed each other random foods from the kitchen and guess what they are.
58. Draw each other without looking. Two minutes, eyes only on your friend's face, never on the paper.

Want more than games? Here are 100 things to do with your best friend at home, at a sleepover, outside and from far away.

Games with no props (play anywhere)

No phone battery, no paper, no internet. These work in a car, in a queue, on a walk or on any kind of call:

• Talking games: would you rather (#1), 20 questions (#16), two truths and a lie (#4), never have I ever (#6), who's most likely to (#12), hot takes (#13).
• Word games: categories (#10), the alphabet game (#24), the "no yes or no" game (#19), one-word story (#9), fortunately, unfortunately (#25).
• Face-to-face or on video: rock paper scissors (#32), staring contest (#31), try not to laugh (#30), mirror challenge (#35), thumb war (#55), hot seat (#53).

FAQ

What games can you play with your best friend over text?

Would you rather, 20 questions, emoji movie guess, two truths and a lie, this or that, never have I ever, finish the lyric, categories, a one-word story and truth or dare with phone-friendly dares all work over text and need nothing else.

What games can you play on the phone with your best friend?

On a voice call, try 20 questions, name that tune by humming, the "no yes or no" game, the alphabet game, guess the sound, desert island picks, story chain and fortunately, unfortunately. None of them needs a screen.

What games can you play on FaceTime?

Charades, Pictionary on paper, a house scavenger hunt, I spy in each other's room, try not to laugh, a staring contest, rock paper scissors, guess the blurry object and Battleship on paper all work well on FaceTime or any video call.

What games can you play on WhatsApp?

WhatsApp has no built-in games, but you can play this or that with polls, a voice-note humming challenge, an emoji-only conversation, a sticker story or "where am I?" with view-once photos, plus every texting game.

What games can you play with no props?

Would you rather, 20 questions, two truths and a lie, never have I ever, categories, the alphabet game, fortunately unfortunately, rock paper scissors, a staring contest, thumb war and hot seat need nothing but the two of you.

What are free online games to play with a friend?

skribbl.io and Gartic Phone are free drawing games in a browser, Lichess is free chess with no account, and daily puzzles like Wordle are fun to race on. GeoGuessr has a limited free version; Jackbox is paid but only one person needs to buy it.

Related: things to do with your best friend · apps for best friends · wake-up texts for friends · send an alarm to a friend's phone · all blog posts