FaceTime isn’t just for video chat; it’s a gateway to a world of fun and games.
These virtual games are not only entertaining but also a great way to stay connected and strengthen relationships.
From classic board games to creative fun games, there are countless game ideas to keep things fresh and exciting.
Let’s explore exciting FaceTime games that can transform your video chats into virtual social gatherings everyone can enjoy!
Key Takeaways
- FaceTime games offer a fun way to strengthen relationships and keep people connected, suitable for a broad range of ages and occasions.
- There are a variety of games playable over FaceTime, including classic choices like Trivia and Pictionary, as well as creative ones like Storytelling By Sentence and Word Association.
- Many FaceTime games can be adapted to have an educational component, making them a great tool for learning and skill development while having fun.
17 Best Games To Play On Facetime for Better Video Chats
1. Trivia
Setting up a trivia game on FaceTime is a blast and a great way to keep things lively when you’re catching up with friends or family remotely.
First, pick someone to host each chat. They’ll be in charge of coming up with the trivia questions, which can be about anything from pop culture and history to personal topics tailored to your group.
Once all the trivia buffs hop on the call, the host lays out the rules. I suggest scoring individually or in teams if you have a bigger group and setting a time limit for answering so things can keep moving.
As you go through the questions, everyone can write down their answers or just shout them out. Our group shouts stuff out of excitement, so that’s how we play!
2. 2 Truths & A Lie
“2 Truths & A Lie” is a fun game perfect for FaceTime. It’s really easy to play: each person on the call takes turns sharing three things about themselves—two truths and one lie.
Everyone else on the call takes a stab at figuring out the lie, with a bigger group with multiple people voting on what one it is.
Then, the person reveals the truth and shares a bit more about the true statements, telling some crazy or heartwarming stories.
It’s a great way to learn new, surprising things about each other and keeps the conversation flowing.
3. Pictionary
Playing Pictionary is a hilarious and engaging way to connect online, and you’ll probably find that some folks have hidden artistic talents—or maybe some amusingly questionable ones!
One person sketches something based on a chosen word or phrase while everyone else tries to guess what it is.
You don’t need the actual board game, either. You can use a whiteboard app on a computer or just an old-fashioned pen and paper held up to the camera.
Make sure everyone takes turns drawing, and keep score if you like a little competition. Our groups are often competitive, LOL.
4. iSpy
One of my favorite games to play with my kids over FaceTime is iSpy. It’s a super fun and easy way to mix up your video calls, especially with kids.
You can just pick something in your room and say, “I spy with my little eye something blue.”
Everyone else tries to guess what it is based on your clue. It’s a great way to keep the conversation lively and see who’s the best detective in the group.
I’ll even pop outside to make the game more interesting and give us more to explore!
5. Hangman
Hangman is a blast to play over FaceTime, and it’s super easy to set up. Have one person think of a word or phrase, jot down blank lines for each letter, and hold it up to the camera.
Everyone else takes turns guessing letters. When someone guesses right, the host fills in the blank; if they guess wrong, they start drawing the Hangman.
I create video chat theme nights for games, so Hangman words and phrases could follow the theme, too, so it’s easier for kids to play.
To make Hangman a bit friendlier for younger kids, you could also draw a petal to a flower and call it something like “Garden Grower.”
6. Most Likely To
“Most Likely To” is a super fun game to play over FaceTime. It really gets the laughs going, making it perfect for a group call with friends or family.
Gather your crew on a call, and kick things off by asking questions like, “Who’s most likely to go skydiving?” or “Who’s most likely to marathon a TV show in one night?”
Everyone picks who they think fits each scenario best and shouts out their name. It’s always a good laugh to see what everyone thinks and hear the wild reasons behind their choices.
It can also be adapted into a drinking game for a more adult-themed party with as many rounds as desired.
7. Charades
Charades is a total win for spicing up your FaceTime calls, turning an ordinary chat into an energetic night of playing games.
All you need to do is split into teams or play one-on-one. Someone acts out a word or phrase without speaking, while the others guess what it is.
Guess as many rounds of words/phrases as you can in your time limit and rack up points!
You can also easily choose themes around your charades—anything from movies and books to random everyday actions.
Watching your friends or family try to mimic something like “baking a cake” or “swimming with dolphins” is not only hilarious but also super engaging.
You just need to decide early if making noises is a no-go. I say charades are supposed to be quiet, but Kelan says making “eeee” noises for a dolphin isn’t cheating at the game!
8. 20 Questions
20 Questions is one of my favorite games to play on FaceTime that really gets everyone thinking and takes guessing gams to another level.
You start by having the first person think of something—anything at all, anything goes, which is what makes the game a bit harder.
Then, everyone else takes turns asking yes or no questions to try and guess what it is. But you have to be smart with your questions since you only have 20 to get it right!
We usually start with person, place, or thing. I have to use the nouns to narrow down my thoughts!
9. The Newlywed Game
The Newlywed Game is a hilarious and fun Facetime game, perfect for couples, close friends, or family members who think they know each other well.
Just fire up a call, line up some unique questions, and get ready to see who really knows who. You might ask stuff like what their go-to snack is or the funniest thing that’s ever happened to them.
Everyone writes down their answers, and then you see if they match up. There’s always plenty of laughs when you find out the unexpected things other players think about each other.
10. Storytelling By Sentence
Storytelling By Sentence is such a fun game to play over FaceTime, especially when you’re feeling creative.
Here’s how my family plays: the first person (usually me) kicks off with a single sentence to start a story, and then each of us takes turns adding a sentence to make a complete story.
It’s always a laugh seeing where the story heads, whether it spirals into something totally bizarre or ends up surprisingly deep.
11. Tic Tac Toe
Tic-Tac-Toe is a classic game I love playing when we play Facetime games, especially when younger kids are involved.
It’s super simple and quick to set up. One of us just sketches out the grid on a piece of paper and holds it up to the camera.
We take turns calling out where we want to place our X or O. It’s really easy for everyone to follow along, and even the little ones can get into it without any fuss.
12. Never Have I Ever
“Never Have I Ever” is super easy and can be played with friends and family of all ages, besides the drinking game we usually think of.
Here’s how we usually do it: everyone hops on a video call, and we each start with, say, ten fingers up.
We go around and say something we’ve never done before, like, “Never have I ever been to Canada.”
If you’ve done whatever was mentioned, you put a finger down. We keep passing the turn around the group, each person coming up with their own “never have I ever” statement.
The game can go on as long as you want, but usually, we play until the first person runs out of fingers.
13. Would You Rather
“Would You Rather” is a fun game to play on FaceTime, especially when you’ve got a bunch of people on the line.
You can just toss out a choice between two quirky or tough scenarios, like “Would you rather have the ability to fly or be invisible?” or “Would you rather eat only pizza for a year or never touch pizza again?”
Everyone picks which one they could live with and tells why they picked it, which can lead to some really funny conversations.
14. Scavenger Hunt
A virtual Scavenger Hunt is definitely one of the more fun games to play on FaceTime, and it gets all the other players super involved.
It’s a fun game of virtual hide-and-seek with stuff from around your house. It’s hilarious to see what everyone digs up, and there are always plenty of laughs.
Here’s how it goes: you create a list of items to find or tasks to do around the house, like “find something red” or “show your favorite mug.”
Then, everyone scrambles to find the items and show them on camera. We vote on who found the best item and who missed the goal.
15. The Alphabet Game
If you’re looking for a quick-paced activity to do with friends or family over FaceTime, The Alphabet Game is an absolute winner.
Players take turns naming items in a chosen category, following the alphabetical order of the items’ first letters.
Each player quickly thinks of things like “apple” for A, “banana” for B, and so on. This game really keeps other players on their toes and sparks creativity as you try to come up with unique answers.
16. Read My Lips
One of my favorite Facetime games to play is “Read My Lips.” The game starts with one person muting their microphone and silently mouthing a phrase or sentence.
The challenge for everyone else is to guess what’s being said just from the lip movements.
It’s hilarious to see the guesses that come up—some might be way off, while others could be surprisingly close.
17. Word Association
The last game on my list is Word Association. The first player says a word, and the next person has to say a different word that’s somehow related to the first.
For instance, if I say “beach,” the next person might say “sun,” and then someone else could say “hat.”
It’s entertaining to see how many words people come up with and where the words lead, and sometimes, the connections get pretty creative!
FAQs
How can I entertain kids over Facetime?
Keeping kids entertained by playing Facetime games can be super fun with a few creative activities. Start with a storytime session, reading a book, or making up stories together.
You could also have an art session, drawing or painting on a theme and showing each other your creations.
Simple games like I Spy, charades, or Pictionary are great too—just act out clues or draw and let them guess.
What games on Facetime are better for kids over 5?
For kids over 5, FaceTime games that blend fun, creativity, and a bit of challenge are perfect. Here are some great games to play:
- Pictionary: It’s an easy game that helps kids with their drawing and guessing skills.
- 20 Questions: Think of an object, and let the kids ask up to 20 yes-or-no questions to figure out what it is. Deduction is a valuable life skill!
- Charades: Perfect game to act out different books, movies, animals, or actions without speaking.
- Scavenger Hunt: Create a list of common items for them to find around their house.
- Story Building: Start a story with one sentence, then have the kids add to it one sentence at a time.
Will pre-teens like Facetime games?
Definitely! Pre-teens will totally dig FaceTime games, especially ones that let them chat, challenge their brains, or just be silly with their friends. Here’s what might catch their interest:
- Would You Rather: This game is always good for some laughs. The players choose between weird or wacky scenarios, which can lead to some pretty hilarious debates.
- Gaming Together: If they’re into games like Minecraft, they can play together while hanging out on FaceTime, which makes it feel like they’re all in the same room.
- Trivia Time: Who doesn’t love showing off a bit? Set up a trivia game with cool topics like celebrities, sports, or the latest TikTok trends.
Can I make these games educational?
You can definitely make FaceTime games educational and fun for pre-teens. Spice up trivia by including questions from their school subjects, such as history or science.
Word games like Scrabble or Boggle are great for vocabulary and spelling.
Adapt Pictionary and Charades to include academic terms, which helps visually reinforce learning.
Add math challenges to games like scavenger hunts to practice arithmetic, or use geography-based games to enhance students’ knowledge of places and capitals.
Final Thoughts
Games like Tic Tac Toe and quick-thinking games like Pictionary can keep the fun rolling during a FaceTime call.
Whether you’re setting up a board game between screens or just playing games using paper and pen, FaceTime makes it easy to stay connected and enjoy some playful competition.
So next time you’re on a FaceTime call, why not try one of these games and turn your call into a virtual party? Have fun and create memorable experiences!
