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While this was much needed about a year or two ago, games to play over text are a terrific way to pass the time while sick, stuck on a long car drive, or anywhere with a cell tower nearby. There's something about this generation - we just don't do phone calls. We will watch the phone ring and text a "you called?" later. Don't ask us why; that's just the way it is. Hence, texting games are an excellent option for those who still ask their mom to make their doctor’s appointments. Jokes aside (or jokes on me), you might not always have a stash of cards on you, but you will likely have your phone. Hence, fun texting games are always at hand. Literally.
Whether chatting with a friend who lives abroad or getting to know someone you met on a dating app, fun games to play over text can bring some much-needed light to your conversations. Other than that, games to play through text work great as icebreakers. In fact, when you are getting to know somebody (perhaps someone you matched on Bumble?), you will, either way, take turns asking each other questions. You can easily skip that awkward chatting stage by offering to play a texting game with them. Sure, "This or That" or "Would You Rather" are obvious (and great) options, yet there are quite a few more entertaining, even spicy, if you wish, text games you could play.
Below, we've compiled a list of the many fun games to play over text with your best friends, family members, co-workers, or potential dates. Hence, don't worry; we've included some flirty games to play over text as well. Any texting games you are willing to give a go? Make sure to give them an upvote! Also, do you and your friends have a preferred game to play over text? Let us know in the comments!

#1

What Would You Do?

What Would You Do?

All you imaginative storytellers out there, pay attention to this one! An entertaining texting game with many scenarios and questions is called "What Would You Do?" To begin, create a fictitious situation and send it to your friend or a group chat. Then, ask them how they would deal with the circumstance or how they would escape it!

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Nenyone_yay
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We call this game "wizards and Wannabes", where the one who makes the scenario is the Wizard and the players are Wannabes

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    #2

    Ghost

    Ghost

    This texting game asks players to add letters to an expanding word without actually finishing it. You can set some rules, for example, that the words must fit into a particular category or a certain length, but you must first have a specific word in mind. After each player has added a letter, the player who completes the word receives a "G." The game continues until one player collects all the letters to the word "GHOST."

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    #3

    Emoji Translation

    Emoji Translation

    Try this texting game with your pal if you both have an emoji keyboard on your phone. Or you can download one from the app store! The game's rules are simple: you send your friend an emoji (or a series of them), and they try to decode the meaning of it. For example, "🍺🦠" =  coronavirus!

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    #4

    Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon

    Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon

    For film enthusiasts, this texting game is IT. A quiz game called "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" is based on the idea that it takes a maximum of six steps to connect any two people on the Earth ("Six Degrees of Separation" theory). Start by introducing your friends to Kevin Bacon and another actor or actress. Have fun watching them as they attempt to connect the two by tying in their respective movie roles in the fewest rounds possible!

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    #5

    Trivia

    Trivia

    Trivia is fantastic since you can play it anywhere, including on your phone! First, choose a category you and your friend are familiar with. It may be anything from TVvideo games, and art to something more specific such as country flags! Then, start asking different questions to one another from the selected category. Each accurate response is worth one point, and the first player to collect ten points wins!

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    #6

    Truth Or Dare

    Truth Or Dare

    Everyone has played this game at least once, and if it wasn't embarrassing, you probably weren't playing it properly (or with the right people). "Truth or Dare" played over text can be even more entertaining without the pressure of playing it in person. And still as fun! To play, whoever is going first will ask the other to pick a "truth" or "dare." After that, that player will ask them a question or give them a dare. If they refuse to answer or do the dare — they lose the game! Also, if you need ideas for fun dares over text, we've already done a post featuring 100+ of them!

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    #7

    Guess The Sound

    Guess The Sound

    This game is inspired by a comical TikTok that features two people attempting to recreate the sound a GIF would make. To play this game, you must imagine and then record a soundtrack for a GIF. Laughter is guaranteed with this one! Send your text buddy any GIF to start the game. By making a voice message, your friend should reply with the sound they think the GIF is making!

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    #8

    Name That Song

    Name That Song

    This texting game has simple rules. You text a lyric to your pal(s), and they must guess the song it belongs to. You can keep sending them parts of lyrics until they guess it correctly or have them admit defeat!

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    #9

    Make It Rhyme

    Make It Rhyme

    A word or phrase is submitted first, and the second participant must respond with a word or phrase that rhymes with the first one. You will exchange replies until one of you cannot think of a rhyme!

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    #10

    Emoji Translation

    Emoji Translation

    Using only emojis, decode what your buddy is saying! To play, send your friend a series of emojis concealing a message, then ask them to figure out what you meant. It’s their turn to send emojis once they make a correct guess. For example, can you figure out what this means: “❌😊✋🥪”? Let us know in the comments!
     
    HINT: It’s a popular saying!

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    #11

    What Movie Is This?

    What Movie Is This?

    If you and your friend are huge movie fans, you may choose a line from a film (or the theme song) and ask them to guess which movie it’s from. Just make sure you know that your friend has watched the film. Also, no googling is allowed!

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    #12

    20 Questions

    20 Questions

    This game combines inferential reasoning and creative thinking to identify what a player is referring to. To play the 20 questions texting game, one player must pick something from their imagination. It can be an object, place, celebrity, or even mutual acquaintance. Then, in no more than 20 "Yes or No" questions, your friend will try to guess the object you picked.

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    #13

    Would You Rather?

    Would You Rather?

    "Would You Rather," also known as "Either-or" and "This or That," can easily be applied to play through text! You and your texting buddy simply must choose between two rather complex options. If you are playing with your S/O, check out our post featuring flirty "Would You Rather" questions!

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    #14

    Story Time

    Story Time

    In Story Time, you and your friend(s) will create a story through text messages, one sentence at a time. The story starts with someone sending the first sentence and then another person resuming it by adding another line. This game can continue for as long as you like!

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    #15

    Questions Only

    Questions Only

    Play this texting game to pass the time with friends while having a blast! Rules are simple: questions only; nothing else is allowed! The only way to respond is by asking a question of your own. Also, you cannot rephrase a question that has already been posed. Players who take too long to respond are removed from the game!

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    #16

    Tell The Truth

    Tell The Truth

    This one is similar to the game of "Truth or Dare," with a slight alteration: tell the truth or do the punishment. First, decide on a penalty for each participant who dodges the question (e.g., sending everyone $5 via Venmo, sharing a cringe-worthy photo on Instagram, or texting their ex). After that, each chosen person has to answer personal questions posed to them. If they don't, they will suffer the consequences! P.S. you can also play this game via Facetime or Snapchat!

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    #17

    The Laughing Game

    The Laughing Game

    The exciting element in this texting game is that only pre-selected responses are allowed in reply! At the start of the game, you and your buddies will select the words/phrases that will serve as replies. It might be worms, yo mama, Harry Styles, Garfield, whatever you come up with. Following that, you will each ask the other questions, with the only possible responses being the words you picked earlier. Come up with fun questions, and laughs are guaranteed!

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    #18

    In Character

    In Character

    Have you ever wondered what it would be like living someone else's life, even if it's just for a short period? Well, in this game, you can text as if you were a celebrity! To play the game, players must pick a character they want to portray but keep it a secret from one another. Then, send each other texts with something your selected character would write, along with any oddball catchphrases they might use. The winner is the one who can remain in character the longest!

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    #19

    Backward Texting

    Backward Texting

    Reverse texting is not for the lazy. To play, one person texts something to the other in reverse, and, well, the other person tries to understand what they wrote and gives a reply. You can lead a perfectly normal conversation while playing this game with a twist that will test your patience.

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    C C
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    i’ve been able to read upside down and backwards, since I was a child.

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    #20

    What If?

    What If?

    This game will test your limits and assess whether the person you are chatting with is only a “friend.” To play, text a “what if” scenario and the receiver should then reply with what they would do in that situation. You decide whether or not to “go big or go home” with the questions. Just be creative; there are no right or wrong answers. Who knows, you might get yourself a bae out of this!

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    #21

    Acronyms

    Acronyms

    If you spend a lot of time on social media, abbreviating words has likely become the norm. This could be viewed as a texting game for people not used to conversing this way. For others, this might be a regular convo with a friend! To play the game, text an unusual abbreviation to the person you’re playing with. For example, instead of saying, “What are you up to tonight?” shorten it to  “WYD TN?” to see if your friend can figure it out.

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    #22

    Friendship Tag

    Friendship Tag

    Find out how well you and your friends know one another by playing this texting game! Simply ask your friend or loved one personal questions about you or your relationship over text. If you need ideas for what to ask, take a look at "170 Questions To Get To Know Someone Better"!

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    #23

    Kiss, Marry, Kill

    Kiss, Marry, Kill

    Give this timeless and enjoyable game a contemporary spin! You choose three people for the game of "Kiss, Marry, Kill," and your texting buddy then decides which one to kiss, which one to marry, and which one to banish to the shadow realm. Pretty straightforward! The three people you choose may be mutual friends, or they can also be A-list celebrities.

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    #24

    Most Likely To

    Most Likely To

    Save this one, because you can play this texting game with one person or a whole group chat! First, choose and send your "Most Likely To" question. In a group game, everyone will name the person they believe that question pertains to. If there are just two players, they pick between themselves whom the statement fits best.

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    #25

    Never Have I Ever

    Never Have I Ever

    This texting game is a fun way to get to know new people or your friends better. Bonus point, it may also be played over a video call! It's typical to drink alcohol when playing this game, but you can always use other punishments instead, including losing points or posting a humiliating picture to social media. Also, check out our "170 'Never Have I Ever' Questions" for query ideas!

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    #26

    Guess The Riddle

    Guess The Riddle

    Riddles are entertaining and intellectually stimulating. This texting game has very simple rules. Text a riddle to your buddy. Specify how many tries they have to get it right. Pro tip: Avoid choosing riddles that are too difficult to solve because they take the pleasure out of the game! Also, for puzzle ideas, check out our previous posts featuring riddles for adultsmystery riddles, and "What Am I" riddles!

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    #27

    Name Game

    Name Game

    To play this game, you and your buddy decide on a subject, for example, zoo animals. Then, the first player texts a word from the selected category. The second player then texts a word that starts with the last letter of the word that was just sent. For example, you text "wolf," your friend texts "flamingo," you send "otter" and so on.

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    #28

    Word Unscramble

    Word Unscramble

    The closest texting equivalent of Scrabble is this! You send a word, and your texting partner must come up with more words that can be made with the letters from the word you send them.

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    #29

    Unpopular Opinions

    Unpopular Opinions

    In this game, you and your text companion(s) will alternately share your unpopular opinions on various subjects, such as popular restaurants or movies, and then comment on one another's viewpoints. A game and debate at the same time! 

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    #30

    Take A Trip

    Take A Trip

    To start playing, text "I'm going to ___, and I'm taking ___." You and your  friend must complete this sentence by inserting two words starting with the letter "A" and working through the alphabet until you reach the letter "Z." For example, "I'm going to Argentina, and I'm taking apples."

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    #31

    Finish My Sentence

    Finish My Sentence

    We recommend playing this texting game with close friends or romantic interests *wink wink*. One player starts a sentence, and the other must finish it. The sentences can be silly, witty, or even a little naughty... Just to keep things interesting!

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    #32

    Hangman

    Hangman

    Although it's difficult to imagine playing Hangman without the stick figure, it is possible! To let your friend know how many letters are in the word you've picked, text them a row of underscores. Your friend will reply with a letter they think could be part of the word. Send the underscores to your friend once more, but this time fill in the correctly guessed letter. If they guess incorrectly, you can respond with the number of remaining guesses (in a regular game of Hangman, that is 6).

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    #33

    Where's Your Location?

    Where's Your Location?

    Examine your surroundings as you begin this texting game to identify what makes it special. For example, it might be a coffee table, a washing machine, or a study desk. Your text buddy makes a guess as to where you might be by using the hints you gave them. This game is similar to iSpy, but players describe a location instead of an object.

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    #34

    Text Strip Questions Game

    Text Strip Questions Game

    If you want to flirt a little with your recent Bumble match, this texting game might be just what you were looking for. You and your texting fellow will quiz each other on random facts, and whoever provides an incorrect answer must take off a piece of clothing. How will you know that they have done it? Well, we leave this up to you. Yet, we strongly advise keeping it text-only and refraining from sending photos to someone you just met online and barely know.

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    #35

    Lightning Fast

    Lightning Fast

    This texting game is a fantastic way to gain insight into someone's mind. It's a lot of fun and simple to play! Simply send your friend a word, and they must respond with the first thing that comes to mind after reading it. The response should ideally be associated with the word, but that isn't a requirement (unless you decide it is).

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    #36

    Gun To Your Head

    Gun To Your Head

    What would your friends do if a gun was pointed at their heads? Find out by playing this fun texting game! The game's rules state that you cannot fight your attacker and must respond to the question. For example, "Gun to your head, which VIP event would you sneak into?"

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    #37

    Categories

    Categories

    Playing the quick-thinking game "Categories" puts players’ reflexes to the test. Choose a topic for the game, and the players, taking turns, must name things that belong to that category. The game ends once one of the players takes too long to come up with an answer.

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    #38

    Unscramble

    Unscramble

    This game will make you scratch your head and take you back to your childhood at the same time. See if your friend can guess the word by rearranging its letters. To start playing, pick a word and rearrange its letters. Switch after your texting buddy gets it right.

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