Games to play in your group chat

The games at a glance

1. Guess the answer (3 or more players)
2. Fake answers (4 or more players)
3. Would you rather (any number players)
4. Two truths and a lie (3 or more players)
5. Emoji titles (any number players)
6. Rank it (3 or more players)
7. Rate it 1 to 10 (3 or more players)
8. Most likely to (4 or more players)
9. Photo prompt (any number players)
10. Caption this (3 or more players)
11. Story chain (3 or more players)
12. 20 questions (2 or more players)

1. Guess the answer

Players: 3 or more · You need: A host and a reveal time

One friend answers a small question about themselves in secret, and everyone else guesses what they said. It is the simplest way to find out who actually pays attention.

How to play

1. The host picks a friend and a question, like "How does Sam catch up on a busy group chat?", and posts it with a few options.
2. Sam sends the host their real answer by direct message.
3. Everyone else posts a guess in the chat before the reveal time you agreed on.
4. The host posts Sam's answer. One point for each right guess; tomorrow it's someone else's turn.

Questions to try

• How do you catch up on a busy group chat?
  • Read every message
  • Skim to the end
  • Mute it and move on
  • Reply with one emoji
• How many alarms do you set to wake up?
  • Just one
  • Two for safety
  • A whole stack of snoozes
  • I wake up without one
• What do you do when a movie's end credits roll?
  • Leave right away
  • Wait for the bonus scene
  • Read every name
  • Already asleep

2. Fake answers

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

Like the party game Balderdash, but about your friends. One person writes their real answer, everyone else writes a convincing fake, and the group has to spot the real one.

How to play

1. The host posts an open question about one friend, like "What song does Priya skip every single time?"
2. Priya sends the host her real answer. Everyone else sends the host a fake that sounds like her.
3. The host posts all the answers in a shuffled, numbered list.
4. Everyone votes for the one they think is real. Two points for finding it, one point to a faker for every friend their fake fooled.

Questions to try

• What song do you skip every single time?
• What show do you rewatch over and over?
• How do you usually sign off your texts?
• What cartoon theme song can you still sing word for word?

3. Would you rather

Players: Any number · You need: The chat's poll feature, or just replies

Post two choices that are both tempting or both a bit ridiculous and let the chat argue. Polls make it one tap to play, and most chat apps have them.

How to play

1. Post one would-you-rather a day as a poll, or as a message people answer with A or B.
2. Make it a guessing game: before the votes come in, everyone predicts which side wins.
3. Ask the one person on the losing side to defend their pick.

There are 44 ready-to-post ones in our would you rather list. See the list.

4. Two truths and a lie

Players: 3 or more · You need: Nothing

One person posts three short statements about themselves, two true and one made up. Everyone replies with the number they think is the lie.

How to play

1. Keep the statements small and checkable by the group: "I've never seen Titanic", not "I once met a celebrity".
2. Give it a deadline, then reveal the lie and the story behind the strangest truth.
3. Whoever spots the most lies over a week posts next.

5. Emoji titles

Players: Any number · You need: Nothing

Post a movie, song or show using only emoji. The first right answer wins and posts the next one.

How to play

1. Pick a category so people aren't guessing blind: movies, songs, shows or places.
2. Post the emoji with no hints. Allow one hint after an hour if nobody has it.
3. First correct reply takes the next turn.

6. Rank it

Players: 3 or more · You need: Nothing

Post four things and ask everyone to rank them. For a guessing twist, everyone tries to rank them the way one particular friend would.

How to play

1. Post four options, like breakfast foods or vacation types.
2. Pick one friend. They rank the four in secret; everyone else guesses their order.
3. Two points for the exact order, one point for the right top pick.

Questions to try

• Rank these breakfast foods, favorite first.
  • Pancakes
  • Waffles
  • French toast
  • Eggs and toast
• Rank these superpowers, favorite first.
  • Flying
  • Teleporting
  • Invisibility
  • Reading minds
• Rank these vacation types, favorite first.
  • Beach
  • Mountains
  • Big city
  • Theme park

7. Rate it 1 to 10

Players: 3 or more · You need: Nothing

Ask how something applies to one friend on a scale of 1 to 10, then everyone guesses the number. Closest guess wins, which keeps it fun even when nobody gets it exactly.

How to play

1. Post the scale with a label at each end so 1 and 10 mean something.
2. The friend it's about sends their number privately to the host.
3. Everyone guesses. Exact or one away scores two points, two away scores one.

Questions to try

• How likely are you to read the instructions before building something?
  • 1: What instructions?
  • 10: Every page, twice
• How many shows do you have going at once?
  • 1: One at a time
  • 10: Twelve, all half done
• How competitive do you get during a friendly game?
  • 1: Just here for snacks
  • 10: Demands a rematch

8. Most likely to

Players: 4 or more · You need: A poll with everyone's names

"Who's most likely to..." with the group's names as the options. Keep the prompts flattering or harmless, like who would survive longest on a desert island, so nobody gets piled on.

How to play

1. Post a poll with one prompt and every member's name.
2. Votes are public in most apps, so the follow-up arguments start themselves.
3. Good prompts: most likely to adopt three dogs, show up early, win a cooking show, start a podcast.

9. Photo prompt

Players: Any number · You need: A phone camera

Post a prompt and everyone replies with a photo of whatever fits, right where they are. It's a low-effort way to see each other's days.

How to play

1. Prompts that work: the view from where you're sitting, the last thing you ate, something yellow, your desk right now.
2. Keep it to things and places, not people, so nobody has to ask anyone's permission.
3. Vote for the best one, or give the win to whoever posted first.

10. Caption this

Players: 3 or more · You need: One funny photo

Someone posts a photo (a pet mid-yawn, a strange sign, a cooking disaster) and everyone writes a caption. The person who posted it picks the winner.

How to play

1. One photo, one day for captions.
2. The poster picks a winner, and the winner posts the next photo.

11. Story chain

Players: 3 or more · You need: An agreed order

Build a story one sentence at a time, in a fixed order. It suits slow chats, because each person only has to add one line when it's their turn.

How to play

1. Someone posts an opening line, like "The fridge started talking on a Tuesday."
2. Go in alphabetical order by name. Each person adds exactly one sentence.
3. After ten sentences, the next person has to end it.

12. 20 questions

Players: 2 or more · You need: Nothing

One person thinks of a person, place or thing. Everyone else asks yes-or-no questions, and the chat has 20 between them to get it.

How to play

1. Say the category at the start: animal, food, famous person or object.
2. Number the questions as you go so nobody loses count.
3. Whoever guesses it picks the next one.

How do you keep a group chat game going?

• Play at the same time every day. A question at 7 pm and the answer at 10 pm becomes a habit; a random burst once a month doesn't.
• One message a day is enough. Games that flood the chat get muted.
• Always have a reveal. Guessing is only fun when the answer comes out.
• Keep score for a month, then start over, so people who join late can still win.
• Keep it kind. Skip questions about looks, money, dating history or anything someone might not want shared.

Where does Deja Who fit?

The first two games, guess the answer and fake answers, are the ones Deja Who runs for you, so nobody has to be the host. Every day it asks one question about one friend; they answer privately, everyone else guesses or writes a fake, and the answers are revealed at the hour your group picks. It keeps score across a monthly season and makes a yearbook at the end of each month.

It's free, plays in any phone browser from one link you post in the chat, and needs no app or account. The other games on this page need nothing at all, so mix and match.

Question lists to use

• Fun questions to ask your friends
• Would you rather questions
• "How well do you know me?" quiz questions

More games

• 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
• Games for your family group chat