26 Road Trip Games for Kids and Adults

Car games to make long-distance travel more manageable 

Traveling long distances in a car can feel monotonous and leave everyone in a bad mood by the time you reach the destination, especially with children in tow. Fortunately, some good old-fashioned travel games can make your trip much better, whether you’re driving for a vacation or turning your long-distance move into a road trip. 

 

Family-friendly road trip games for passengers of all ages

Check out these games compiled by the moving experts at U-Pack® to keep everyone happy in the car.

1. Animal noises

Name an animal and see who can do the best impression. You could also have someone make the sound and let everyone guess the animal.

Age group: 2 and up

2. I Spy in the car

Pick something inside the car or just outside of it and describe it with a characteristic like a color, a shape or a starting letter. Most people say, “I spy with my little eye something red” or a similar phrase. The player who guesses correctly gets the next turn. In the car, it works best to allow each person one chance to quickly guess before moving on in case the item is no longer in view.

Age group: 2 and up

3. Shape hunt

Search for shapes like circles, triangles, squares and hearts on building signs or on bumper stickers. Keep track of who finds each shape the quickest.  

Age group: 2 and up

4. Car counting race

Choose a vehicle type or color to see who can find them the fastest. Whoever reaches a set number first gets to choose the next type.

Age group: 3 and up

5. Alphabet Game

Find letters from A to Z on signs and license plates. For some friendly competition, the first person to call out a letter and its location gets dibs on claiming it (everyone else must find another example)!

Age group: 4 and up

6. Simon Says (with rules for the car)

Take turns with a rousing game of car-friendly Simon Says. Think of car-safe things like sticking out tongues or making silly faces. Don’t do anything that might distract the driver, and that person should not participate! 

Age group: 4 and up

7. Compliment challenge 

Have all passengers take turns saying something nice about everyone else. Break out this one to stop sibling squabbles. 

Age group: 5 and up

8. Name that tune game

Play a sound or part of a song from someone’s phone (or sing it!) and have others guess what it is.

Age group: 5 and up

9. Category competition

Pick a category, like fruits, and have everyone take turns naming a different item until someone gets stumped. The last person to answer chooses the next category. Other example categories can include types of cars, animals, TV sitcoms, etc. 

Age group: 5 and up

10. Story builder

Have one player start a story with a sentence. Other passengers add to the story one sentence at a time. Note: This is fun to save with an audio memo on your phone.

Age group: 5 and up

11. Spelling bee

Challenge each other to spell words. Choose what you like or use things related to your destination. The difficulty of words can vary depending on players' ages.

Age group: 6 and up

12. Rhyme time 

Take turns coming up with words that rhyme. Combine with a spelling bee for more fun.

Age group: 6 and up

13. This or that? 

This activity is like “Would you rather?” Name two items or scenarios, and let everyone answer which one they prefer. Go from easy things like pizza vs. tacos to more complex ones like riding a rollercoaster vs. going water skiing. The possibilities are endless with this exciting activity. 

Age group: 8 and up

14. Vacation memory 

This memory game starts with the phrase “I’m packing for vacation and bringing…” Add one new item each turn and have players repeat the previous items. For increased competition, you could have items starting with each letter of the alphabet in order.

Age group: 8 and up

15. Two truths and a lie 

One player makes three statements, two of which are true. The others must guess which one is a lie.  

Age group: 8 and up

16. Mad Libs

Purchase a Mad Libs booklet, find prompts online or create your own. Fill in the blanks for the different types of words for a hilarious story. 

Age group: 8 and up

17. Fortunately/unfortunately 

This storytelling adventure gets silly fast, so be prepared for contagious and uncontrollable laughter. Start a story with one line, and then the next player has to continue it after using “fortunately” or “unfortunately.” Example: I adopted a dog. Unfortunately, he was covered in mud. Fortunately, my dog loved his first bath. 

Age group: 8 and up

18. Build a superhero

Create a superhero from scratch. Have each person add a characteristic such as hair color, strengths, weaknesses, the works! Have the best artist in the group draw the character.

Age group: 8 and up

19. Road trip scavenger hunt

This long-haul adventure includes a list of items to look for throughout the drive. Have a list to check off (pictures for younger players) and see who has the most items at each pit stop for a small prize. Choose a bigger prize for the overall winner.

Age group: 8 and up

20. 20 questions 

Twenty Questions is an old favorite that can be played in different ways. One way is to have a person think of something, and have other players ask up to 20 yes-or-no questions to guess what it is. Another option is to ask each person 20 rapid-fire questions, anything from their favorite color to the celebrity they admire most.

Age group: 8 and up

21. Debate Club 

Argue about lighthearted topics like whether cereal is soup or if a hot dog is a sandwich. Make sure everyone is respectful and provides proof for their points.

Age group: 10 and up

22. Finish the Lyrics 

Pause a song and see who can sing the next line with the correct lyrics. For more competition and hilarious results, match the tune with incorrect lyrics.

Age group: 10 and up 

23. Alternate endings

Choose a well-loved book or movie and come up with alternate endings. The driver gets to choose the best one.

Age group: 10 and up

24. Celebrity guess who 

Choose a celebrity (actor, athlete, etc.) and provide clues until someone guesses the celebrity. Whoever guesses correctly gets to choose the next one.

Age group: 12 and up

25. Never Have I Ever (clean version)

Share funny, harmless experiences to see who has had them.

Age group: 13 and up

26. Lottery fantasy

Each passenger can share what she would do with lottery winnings. Go from practical to outrageous with different jackpot amounts. 

Age group: 13 and up

Share your favorite game to play in the car

Which of the above games are you excited to try on your next road trip to prevent the dreaded question of “Are we there yet?” If you think we missed a good one, share it in the comments section!

Are you driving with your family for a move? Check out this resource for moving with kids.