Honestly, it’s a bit weird that we still care about games you can play over text. We have VR headsets that track our literal eyelashes. We have phones with more processing power than the computers that sent people to the moon. Yet, here we are, sending "Would You Rather" prompts to a person sitting three miles away. It feels nostalgic, but it's also incredibly practical.
Texting is low-stakes. It doesn't require a high-speed internet connection or a $70 disc. It just requires two people who are probably a little bit bored at their jobs.
Whether you’re trying to keep a long-distance relationship from getting stale or you’re just killing time in a waiting room, these games tap into something basic: imagination. You aren't limited by a graphics engine. You’re limited by how fast you can thumb out a reply.
The psychology behind the "Text Game" obsession
Why does this niche persist? According to digital communication experts, text-based interaction removes the "performance" aspect of face-to-face gaming. You have time to think. You can be funnier than you actually are in real life. It’s "asynchronous," which is a fancy way of saying you can play while you’re doing laundry.
Most people think of these as "icebreakers," but they’re actually intimacy builders. They fill the "dead air" of a digital relationship. Instead of the dreaded "How was your day?"—which, let's be real, nobody actually wants to answer—you're asking if they'd rather fight one horse-sized duck or a hundred duck-sized horses. It's a pivot from mundane to creative.
20 Questions: The undisputed heavyweight champion
Let’s start with the classic. Everyone knows 20 Questions. One person thinks of an object; the other person has twenty chances to narrow it down. But here is where most people mess up: they choose things that are too obscure. If you pick "the specific pebble I saw on the sidewalk in 2014," the game isn't fun. It’s annoying.
To make this work over SMS or WhatsApp, stick to categories.
- Person: Keep it to A-list celebrities or mutual friends.
- Place: Think "Eiffel Tower," not "that one deli in Queens."
- Thing: Stick to items found in a typical house.
The trick is the "Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral" starting point. It's old-school for a reason. It categorizes the entire physical universe into three buckets. Start there.
Why Word Games are the new "Sudoku" for Gen Z and Millennials
You’ve seen the squares. The yellow and green boxes that took over Twitter (now X) a few years ago. Wordle proved that we have a deep, almost primal desire to solve word puzzles with our friends. But you don't need an app for that.
Hangman is surprisingly easy to play via text. You just use underscores.
"_ _ _ _ _"
The other person guesses a letter. If they’re wrong, you tell them they have five limbs left. If they're right, you fill in the blank. It’s simple. It’s visual. It works.
Then there’s Unscramble.
Pick a word. Any word.
"T-E-L-P-N-A-E-H"
See how long it takes them to get "Elephant." It’s basically a digital fidget spinner for your brain.
Truth or Dare (The "Text" Edition)
This one gets a bad rap because of middle school memories, but games you can play over text often peak with Truth or Dare. It's the ultimate "get to know you" tool.
The "Truth" part is easy. You ask the deep stuff. "What's your biggest career regret?" "What's the last thing that made you cry?"
The "Dare" part is where it gets tricky. Since you aren't there to witness it, you need "Photo Proof."
- "I dare you to take a selfie with a kitchen utensil on your head."
- "I dare you to text your mom a random emoji and screenshot the response."
It adds a layer of accountability. It makes the digital space feel more physical.
Roleplaying and Collaborative Storytelling
This is for the nerds. And I say that with love.
Have you ever tried a "One Sentence Story"? You start with a line: "The door creaked open, but nobody was there." The next person adds: "Suddenly, a wet footprint appeared on the rug."
You keep going.
It’s basically Dungeons & Dragons without the dice or the three-hour commitment. It builds a shared world. Some people take this incredibly seriously, creating entire lore systems over iMessage. Others just use it to write a weird, three-paragraph comedy sketch. Both are valid.
The "Emoji Translation" Game
This is a newer entry into the pantheon of games you can play over text.
You send a string of emojis representing a movie, a song title, or a phrase.
🚢 + 🧊 = Titanic.
🐍 + ✈️ = Snakes on a Plane.
It sounds easy, but it gets complex fast. Try doing "The Shawshank Redemption" using only five emojis. It’s harder than it looks. It tests how well you and your friend think alike.
The "Would You Rather" Rabbit Hole
This is the king of conversation starters. The key to a good "Would You Rather" isn't the choice itself; it’s the debate that follows.
"Would you rather always have to shout when you speak or always have to whisper?"
The choice is fine, but the reasoning is where the gold is. You find out if your friend is a pragmatist or a chaotic spirit. You find out if they care more about social embarrassment or physical comfort.
Trivia: The Google-Proof Version
Trivia over text usually fails because everyone just Googles the answer. If you ask "What is the capital of Kazakhstan?" they’ll have the answer in four seconds.
To make trivia a game you can play over text that actually works, you have to make it personal or subjective.
- "Which of these three things did I actually do in high school?" (Two Truths and a Lie).
- "Guess what I’m looking at right now based on three vague clues."
- "Song Lyrics: I send a line, you have to guess the artist without looking it up." (Honor system required).
Avoiding the "Cringe" Factor
Let's be honest. Some people hate text games. If you try to force a game of "In My Suitcase" on someone who's having a bad day, you’re going to look like a clown.
Read the room.
Text games are best used during "transition times." The commute. The Sunday afternoon slump. The period after you’ve finished a Netflix show but aren't ready to sleep yet.
Also, don't be the person who sends 15 texts in a row because the other person hasn't guessed the word yet. Texting is supposed to be chill. If they don't reply for an hour, they’re probably, you know, living their life.
Games for Couples vs. Games for Friends
The vibe changes depending on who you're talking to.
If you're playing with a partner, games you can play over text often lean toward the "future" or "hypothetical" categories.
"What’s the first thing we’d buy if we won the lottery?"
"Where are we going on our dream vacation if money isn't real?"
With friends, it’s usually more competitive or absurd. You’re trying to out-funny each other. You’re trying to prove you’re the smartest person in the group chat.
👉 See also: Indiana Jones on Game Pass: What Most People Get Wrong
The "Never Have I Ever" Text Version
This works surprisingly well in a group chat.
Everyone starts with five points. Someone texts "Never have I ever been to Europe." Everyone who has been to Europe loses a point (or an emoji "life"). The last person standing wins.
It’s a quick way to learn the "deep lore" of your friend group. Just don't ask anything that’s going to get someone fired.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Conversation
If you’re ready to stop the "Hey, what’s up?" cycle, here is how you actually start one of these.
- Don't ask permission. Don't say "Do you want to play a game?" It sounds like a horror movie. Just send the first prompt.
- Keep it brief. If the explanation takes more than two texts, the game is too complicated.
- Use visual cues. Emojis and photos make the game feel more interactive than just plain blocks of text.
- Know when to quit. If the energy dies, let it die. A game shouldn't feel like a chore.
The best games you can play over text are the ones that don't feel like games at all—they just feel like a really good, weird conversation that happens to have some rules. Start with something low-stakes, like a "Would You Rather," and see where the thread takes you. You might find out your best friend is way weirder than you thought, which is usually the whole point.
Next Steps
Pick one person you haven't talked to in a while. Instead of the standard "Checking in" text, send them a "Would You Rather" or an "Emoji Movie Title" challenge. It breaks the ice instantly and gives them something fun to engage with rather than a social obligation to fulfill. Check your "Recently Used" emojis for inspiration on a puzzle—often the most random icons make for the hardest riddles. For more complex interactions, look into "Alternate Reality Games" (ARGs) that use text as a primary medium for storytelling, though these require significantly more commitment than a quick round of 20 Questions.