7 Games Like Would You Rather to Play With Friends
You've debated a few impossible choices, everyone has defended their answer, and someone asks, “What else can we play?”
If you like Would You Rather, try another game built around choosing, guessing, or telling a short story. These seven options need no special equipment. The rules below are simple versions you can adjust to your group.
Still happy choosing between two options? Keep our 50 fun Would-You-Rather questions for friends nearby for another round.
Pick a game for the mood
- For quick choices: This or That.
- For learning small surprises: Two Truths and a Lie.
- For a group that knows each other: Most Likely To.
- For swapping everyday stories: Never Have I Ever.
- For a guessing challenge: 20 Questions.
- For a little time in the spotlight: Hot Seat.
- For making something silly together: Story Chain.
Before starting, agree that anyone can skip a question or sit out a round. Keep the game comfortable for the people actually playing, rather than trying to make every answer revealing.
1. This or That
This is the closest option to Would You Rather. Instead of elaborate hypothetical situations, offer two everyday preferences and let everyone choose.
How to play: One person names a pair. Everyone answers, then the next person supplies a new pair. Add a short “What made you pick that?” when an answer makes you curious.
Try a round:
- A quiet bookstore or a busy street market?
- Cooking with a recipe or making it up as you go?
You can keep it fast or pause when a choice starts a conversation. If someone genuinely likes both, let them explain instead of turning the rules into an argument.
2. Two Truths and a Lie
Each person offers three statements about themselves: two true and one invented. Everyone else guesses which one is the lie.
How to play: Take turns reading your three statements. Let the group discuss briefly, ask one clarifying question each if you like, and vote before revealing the answer.
Example set:
- I once took a pottery class.
- I can name every stop on my old bus route.
- I've never eaten a strawberry.
For another set, try two real hobbies and one hobby you've never tried. Adapt the statements so exactly two are true for you; the examples aren't facts you're meant to copy.
Small surprises work well. Nobody needs an extraordinary travel story or a private confession to make the round interesting.
3. Most Likely To
The group chooses who best fits a lighthearted description. This works best when people know one another well enough for the choices to feel friendly.
How to play: Read a prompt, count to three, and have everyone name or point to their choice. Invite a kind explanation, then move to the next prompt. Ties are fine.
Try a round:
- Who is most likely to organize a picnic and remember an extra blanket?
- Who is most likely to befriend the neighbor's cat before learning the neighbor's name?
Choose descriptions people might enjoy hearing about themselves. Leave out appearance, money, relationships, or embarrassing incidents unless everyone has clearly agreed those topics are welcome. If one person keeps getting picked, change the prompts rather than piling on.
4. Never Have I Ever
Use this as a way to discover everyday experiences you share. You don't need drinking rules, penalties, or increasingly personal questions.
How to play: Someone says, “Never have I ever…” followed by something they haven't done. Anyone who has done it raises a hand and may share a short story. Take turns introducing statements.
Try a round:
- Never have I ever gone to a movie by myself.
- Never have I ever tried to repair something using a video tutorial.
Only use a statement if it's true for you. If you want to ask about something you've already done, simply switch to “Who here has…?” and keep going. Sharing the story is optional.
5. 20 Questions
One person thinks of something, and the others narrow it down with yes-or-no questions. It gives the conversation a shared puzzle to solve.
How to play: Agree on a category, such as everyday objects or animals. One person silently chooses an answer. The group gets up to 20 questions, with a direct guess counting as a question. After the reveal, choose a new answerer.
Example round: Someone chooses “umbrella.” The group might ask:
- Is it usually kept indoors?
- Can you carry it in one hand?
- Is it useful in the rain?
For another round, choose an animal and start with “Does it usually live in water?” Use a category everyone knows; the fun is following the clues, not catching someone out with obscure knowledge.
6. Hot Seat, with a pass option
One person answers a few questions chosen by the others, then the spotlight moves on. Keep this version gentle, especially if the group includes newer friends.
How to play: The person in the hot seat chooses a theme, such as food, hobbies, or small adventures. Each friend asks one question within that theme. The answerer can pass without explaining. Switch after three questions so everyone gets a turn.
Try a round:
- What food would you like to learn to make from scratch?
- What local place would you take a friend who's visiting for the first time?
Follow the answerer's level of detail. A short answer isn't an invitation to keep pressing. If everyone would rather answer the same question together, drop the hot-seat format and do that.
7. Story Chain
Build a fictional story one sentence at a time. This is a good option when you'd rather invent something together than answer questions about yourselves.
How to play: One person supplies an opening sentence. Go around the group, with each player adding one sentence that builds on what came before. After two or three rounds, ask the next player to give the story an ending.
Try an opening:
“The bakery opened on Monday with a new sign: all purchases must be paid for with a joke.”
Or:
“We arrived at the campsite and found a tiny door built into our picnic table.”
Try accepting the previous person's idea instead of undoing it. If someone gets stuck, they can pass or ask the group for a suggestion. A messy story can be part of the fun.
Keep the evening easy
Pick one game and try a few rounds before choosing another. You don't need to finish all seven or keep score unless everyone wants to.
If a round turns into a good conversation, let it. You can always return to the game later.
For more questions to use between games or during your next catch-up, try Questions For Friends on iOS.