Games for your family group chat

The games at a glance

1. Question of the day (3 or more players)
2. Who said it? (4 or more players)
3. This or that (any number players)
4. Rate it 1 to 10 (3 or more players)
5. Weekly photo prompt (any number players)
6. Emoji movie titles (any number players)
7. Guess the childhood photo (4 or more players)
8. Fake answers (4 or more players)
9. Holiday countdown question (any number players)
10. Memory lane (any number players)

1. Question of the day

Players: 3 or more · You need: Someone to host

One question about one family member each day: they answer, everyone else guesses. It's how grandkids find out what Grandma was like at 15.

How to play

1. The host posts the question and who it's about, with a few options.
2. That person sends their answer to the host privately.
3. Everyone else guesses in the chat; the host reveals it after dinner.

Questions to try

• Where do you like to sit on a long family drive?
  • Window seat
  • Middle, near the snacks
  • Front passenger seat
  • Wherever I can nap
• What do you do with the last bite of a shared dessert?
  • Offer it around
  • Split it
  • Grab it fast
  • Leave it forever
• As a teen, how did you like to spend time with friends?
  • Watching movies
  • Walking around town
  • Gaming
  • Just talking for hours

2. Who said it?

Players: 4 or more · You need: A family with catchphrases

Every family has sayings. Post one and everyone guesses who it belongs to. Gentle teasing only: things people say fondly, not things they'd rather forget.

How to play

1. Collect a few phrases privately first, from different relatives.
2. Post one a day, like "Is that a jacket-weather jacket?"
3. Guess who says it. The owner gets to tell the origin story.

3. This or that

Players: Any number · You need: A poll, or replies

Two choices, one tap: pancakes or waffles, beach or snowy cabin, early bird or night owl. Polls make it easy for everyone to play, even people who rarely type.

How to play

1. Post one pair a day as a poll.
2. Predict before voting: which side will the family pick?

4. Rate it 1 to 10

Players: 3 or more · You need: Nothing

A 1-to-10 question about one relative, and everyone guesses the number. Closest guess wins, so even little cousins have a chance.

How to play

1. Post the question with a label at each end of the scale.
2. The person it's about sends their number to the host.
3. Closest guess wins and asks the next one.

Questions to try

• How fast do you reply in the family group chat, from 1 to 10?
  • 1: Days later
  • 10: Within seconds
• How competitive do you get at family game night, from 1 to 10?
  • 1: Just here for fun
  • 10: Plays to win
• How particular are you about loading the dishwasher, from 1 to 10?
  • 1: Anything goes
  • 10: There's a system

5. Weekly photo prompt

Players: Any number · You need: A phone camera

One prompt a week and everyone posts a photo: Sunday dinner, the view from your window, the oldest thing in your kitchen. It works especially well for families spread across cities.

How to play

1. Post the prompt on Monday; photos are due by Sunday.
2. Keep prompts about things and places, so nobody has to photograph anyone who doesn't want to be in the chat.
3. The best one gets to pick next week's prompt.

6. Emoji movie titles

Players: Any number · You need: Nothing

Post a family-favorite movie in emoji only. The first right answer wins. Mix old films and new ones so every generation gets a turn to win.

How to play

1. Post the emoji with no words.
2. First right reply takes the next turn.
3. Allow one hint if nobody has it by the next day.

7. Guess the childhood photo

Players: 4 or more · You need: Old photos, and permission

Post an old photo of a relative as a kid and everyone guesses who it is. Ask the person first, and let them choose the photo.

How to play

1. Collect a few photos privately from people who are happy to be guessed.
2. Post one a day and take guesses.
3. Reveal it, with a line about where and when it was taken.

8. Fake answers

Players: 4 or more · You need: A host who collects answers privately

One relative answers an open question, everyone else writes a fake that sounds like them, and the family votes for the real one.

How to play

1. The host posts the question and sends it to the person it's about.
2. Everyone sends the host a fake answer; the host posts them all, shuffled, with the real one.
3. Vote for the real one. Two points for finding it, one point to a faker per vote their fake got.

Questions to try

• What's a phrase you said all the time as a teen?
• What's a strange food combo you swear is delicious?
• What would you name the family car?
• What poster hung on your bedroom wall growing up?

9. Holiday countdown question

Players: Any number · You need: Nothing

In the weeks before a family get-together, post one holiday question a day. By the time you're all at the table, there's plenty to talk about.

How to play

1. Start two weeks out with one question a day.
2. Guess each other's answers, then check them in person.

Questions to try

• At a big holiday meal, what do you go for first?
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Rolls
  • The main dish
  • Straight to dessert
• When do you usually finish gift shopping?
  • Weeks early
  • The week before
  • The day before
  • Gifts? Oh no
• How do you open gifts?
  • Rip right in
  • Save the paper
  • Shake it first
  • Read the card first

10. Memory lane

Players: Any number · You need: Nothing

Post a prompt about a shared memory and everyone adds their version: the best family trip, the worst holiday meal, the car you all remember. The different versions are the fun part.

How to play

1. Post one prompt a week, like "What's the best view you've ever seen on a family trip?"
2. Everyone replies with their own answer and a line about why.
3. Save the best answers somewhere, like a shared note, for the next get-together.

How do you get the whole family to play?

• Make it one tap or one word to answer. Polls and multiple choice get grandparents in; long written answers don't.
• Post at the same time each day, after school and work, so people know when to look.
• Keep it kind. No questions about weight, looks, money, jobs, exes or anything that sparks the usual arguments.
• If relatives live in different time zones, put the reveal at an hour that's awake for everyone.
• Don't force it. Let people play when they want, and let the game skip the ones who don't.

Where does Deja Who fit?

The question of the day and fake answers are what Deja Who runs for families. Pick Family when you start a group and it uses a family question pack (big meals, chores, traditions, growing up) mixed with everyday questions. Photo questions stay off for families, and photo prompts never ask for pictures of people.

It works for 2 to 12 people, in any phone browser, from one link in the family chat, with no app and no account to set up for anyone. Each day one relative gets a question and everyone else guesses, with the answer revealed in the evening. It's for ages 13 and up; the games above that need only the chat suit any age.

Question lists to use

• Fun questions to ask your family
• Would you rather questions
• Road trip questions
• Games to play with long-distance friends

More games

• Games to play in your group chat
• How well do you know your friends? A quiz to play together
• Games to play with long-distance friends
• Games for couples to play over text