Car journey games

The best car games need nothing but a voice, work for mixed ages, and can be abandoned mid-round without anyone crying. Everything below meets those three tests.

Sorted by how loud they get, so you can start high and wind down as the journey drags.

Classic spotting games

• Yellow Car - spot one, call it, one point. Endless and infuriating.
• Pub Cricket - each pub sign passed scores runs for the number of legs in its name. The Red Lion is four, The Crown is out.
• Alphabet Hunt - find each letter of the alphabet on road signs, in order.
• Number Plate Bingo - first to spot plates from five different years.
• Cows on your side - count cows in fields; a graveyard on your side wipes your score.
• Colour Count - each player picks a car colour and counts them for ten minutes.

Word games

• I Went to the Shop and I Bought - each player adds an item and repeats the whole list.
• The Minister's Cat - describe the cat with adjectives, working through the alphabet.
• Fortunately, Unfortunately - build a story alternating good and bad turns of events.
• Word Association, with no repeats and no hesitation.
• Categories - pick a topic, go round naming examples until someone stalls.
• Rhyme Chain - each player rhymes with the last word offered.

Guessing games

• Twenty Questions - one player thinks of a thing, everyone else asks yes or no questions.
• Who Am I - guess the famous person from yes or no answers.
• I Spy, which still works and always will.
• Guess the Song - hum it, no words allowed.
• Two Truths and a Lie, which gets surprisingly revealing on hour three.
• Would You Rather, with increasingly ridiculous options.

Quiet games for the last hour

• The Quiet Game - longest silence wins. Shameless, effective, universally used.
• Spot the Colour - find five red things without saying anything, then point.
• Story in your head - each person invents a story and tells it at the services.
• Count the bridges. Genuinely calming.
• Audiobook or podcast, with a quiz on it afterwards.

Making them work

• Set a scoring system before you start or the arguments become the game.
• Rotate who chooses, so nobody sulks.
• Play in ten minute rounds rather than open-ended.
• Give the driver a role that does not need looking away from the road.
• Have one physical backup - a pad and pen - for when voices have had enough.

Browse cards

How to write it so it lands

• Agree the scoring before the first round or you will spend the journey arguing about it.
• Ten minute rounds beat one long game. Stop while it is still fun.

Where to shop next

• Car journey games
• Waiting room games
• Games for a pub table
• Kids' party games by age
• Games for older relatives
• Best board games for families
• Charades word lists
• Pictionary word lists
• Old fashioned party games
• Rainy day activities for families
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What are the best car games for young children?

I Spy, Yellow Car and colour counting work from about four upwards because they need no memory or reading. Save alphabet and memory games for seven plus.

How do you play Pub Cricket?

Each pub sign you pass scores runs for the number of legs in its name - The Red Lion scores four. A sign with no legs, like The Crown, is a wicket.