Fun Things To Do On A Rainy Day With Friends (Without Leaving The House)

The plan's cancelled, it's horizontal rain, and everyone's already in the house. This is not a problem - it's the best kind of afternoon, as long as somebody decides what's happening.

Ideas below, sorted by how much energy the group has.

Give the afternoon a shape

• A murder mystery box - three hours, everyone in character, and the rain becomes part of the atmosphere. The At Home Murder Mystery game needs nothing but a table.
• A games tournament with a written bracket and a daft prize.
• A quiz where everyone writes one round of five questions.
• A jigsaw on the table all day, that people drift back to.
• A film double bill chosen by whoever complained least about the weather.

Cooking and eating projects

• Make pasta, dumplings or pizza dough from scratch. Slow, messy, brilliant with four people.
• A bake-off with one ingredient everyone has to use.
• A long roast, with jobs shared and nobody rushing it.
• Afternoon tea properly: scones, sandwiches with the crusts off, the good teapot.
• A cocktail or mocktail experiment using only what's in the cupboard.

Cosy and low effort

• Blanket, sofa, a box set and nobody speaking. A real plan, not a failure.
• A listening session - everyone picks three songs and says why.
• Sort out the photos on your phones into one shared album.
• Write actual postcards to people you keep meaning to text.
• Plan a trip you might never take, in ridiculous detail.

If there are kids about

• Build the fort, then let the adults have the kitchen table.
• Indoor treasure hunt with written clues - twenty minutes to set, an hour of peace.
• Baking, which is craft and pudding in one.
• A family game that plays across ages: Uno, Dobble or Articulate.

Shop funny cards

How to write it so it lands

• Somebody has to pick. A decided plan always beats a better plan nobody chose.
• Start before three. Wet afternoons collapse if you leave it until the light goes.
• Keep one game permanently out on the table - it gets played far more than the ones in the cupboard.

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Frequently asked questions

What can you do on a rainy day with friends at home?

Give the afternoon a structure: a murder mystery box, a games tournament, a cooking project or a film double bill. Rainy days go flat when everyone waits for someone else to suggest something.

What's a good indoor activity for a group of adults?

A murder mystery game or a games tournament - both fill three hours, work round one table, and need nothing but people.

What can you do on a rainy day with no money?

Cook something slow from what's in the cupboards, run a quiz where everyone writes a round, start a jigsaw, or have a listening session. None of it costs anything.

Do you sell board games or murder mystery kits?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints, pin badges and party bits in the UK, so the games here are simply what we'd recommend to a friend. Some links go to other shops and may earn us a small commission, at no extra cost to you.