Animal, Vegetable or Mineral (20 Questions)
8+Guess the mystery object with 20 yes-or-no questions.
All our car games
34 games, and 23 of them need nothing more than a window and a bit of imagination. Pick an age, pick a type, then open the rules.
Who’s playing
Type
Kit
Make Up a Story
8+Build a story one sentence each. Expect plot twists.
A to Z Game
5+Race to spot the whole alphabet, in order, on signs and number plates.
Countries
8+Each country has to start with the last letter of the one before.
Name Game
6+Take turns naming things in alphabetical order. Stuck? You’re out.
Alphabet Memory Game
8+“A is for…, B is for…”. Remember the whole chain or you’re out.
Coloured Lorries
2+Pick a colour, count the lorries. First to 25 wins.
Pub Cricket
8+Score a run for every leg in a pub name. No legs and you’re out.
Connections
4+Word association: dog… animal… donkey… keep the chain going.
Change a Letter
8+Change one letter at a time: games, gates, mates, mites…
Silly Messages
6+Five random letters, one silly sentence about an animal.
List and Look
ALLMake a spotting list together, then tick it off as a team.
Wheels Cricket
6+Count wheels for points, until a lorry ends your innings.
I Spy
2+The classic: “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…”
Car Registration Numbers
6+Turn number-plate letters into silly phrases.
Car Snooker
8+Pot red cars and colours in order. A silver car ends your break.
Categories
6+Name something in the category. Last one still thinking wins.
Rock Paper Scissors
5+Best of three. Settles most back-seat arguments.
The Silent Game
ALLWho can stay quiet the longest? A parents’ favourite.
Rhubarb
ALLAnswer every question with “rhubarb”. Laugh and you’re out.
Yes! No! Black and White
ALLAnswer quick-fire questions without saying yes, no, black or white.
Horse
3+See a horse, shout “sheep!”. The slowest pays a sweet.
Counting Game
ALLCount cows on your side of the car. A graveyard buries the lot.
Who’s Next Door?
11+Stuck in a queue? Invent life stories for the people in the next car.
How Many Uses For…
8+How many uses for a pair of pants? Most ideas wins.
Yellow Car
11+First to shout “yellow car!” wins. The last to shout pays the price.
Burp Tennis
11+Tennis scoring, burps instead of balls. One game is plenty.
Muppet!
11+Trick the others into looking at your secret hand shape.
Thumb Wrestling
5+“One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war.”
MINE!
6+Spot it, claim it (“MY tractor!”) and score it on the sheet.
Travelling Bingo
2+Picture bingo cards. First to finish a line wins.
Number Plate Bingo
5+Tick off the alphabet from the number plates around you.
First to 50
6+Score the next car: lorries 10, Euro plates 20, an Audi TT 50. Caravans cost you.
Squares
6+Dots and boxes, where the things you spot decide how many lines you get.
No game ticks all of those boxes. Try taking one filter off.
J1Which game when?
The same game can be brilliant on a country lane and hopeless on the M6. A rough guide to what works where.
Stuck in a traffic jam
Nothing to spot except the car next to you, so play games that come out of your head.
On the motorway
Lots of lorries and not much else. Colour and counting games work best at seventy miles an hour.
Country roads
Pubs, cows, horses and tractors: the best spotting ground there is.
In the dark
Once the street lights come on, switch to games you play with your ears.
When the driver needs quiet
Roadworks, a tricky junction, a new town. Games that keep the back seat busy without shouting.
Everyone’s tired and grumpy
Short, silly games that get a laugh out of the whole car. Sweets help.
Classic car games
The full rules of the 23 games that started the site, from I Spy to Car Snooker.
Games for teenagers
Yellow Car, Muppet and a few more that older ones will actually join in with.
Printable games
Bingo cards, score sheets and the original 41-page activity book to print before you go.