Hanging out with family and friends, whether at home or outside, is always a fun thing to do. But whether you’re easily bored or just wish to spice things up, playing games is the perfect way to ensure that everyone has a great time.
Playing against two people is always fun, but it’s even better when there are three people. Because then, the competition feels more varied, and you can even team up against a certain player first. And even though video games are a quick way to play together, not everyone enjoys them or always has something to play on.
Thus, we’ve created a list of the best games to play with 3 people in real life, which you can enjoy both at home and in outdoors. Whether you’re waiting for something, spending some time together, or stuck together due to something like covid-19 – these games will keep you three occupied!
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Games to Play with 3 People
What is the requirement for great games to play with 3 people? There are a few things that to keep in mind. First of all, it should be something that does not require effort to set up. Secondly, the rules should be easy for everyone to understand so that there isn’t any time wasted in the learning period. And lastly, it helps if it has room for more than 3 people in case you have a surprise participant.
With these things kept in mind, let’s get into our list for the best games to play with 3 people.
1. Cards Against Humanity
Some of the most fun that I’ve had with my friends included Cards Against Humanity. With the right amount of humor and a little bit of shock value, this game brings out some truly hilarious moments among friends.
Though you have to purchase it, the deck comes with a lot of variety, and you won’t run out of cards right away. And since the format makes you use your cards to answer those that are presented to you – there are many combinations to be made.
How it works is that players are given sentences that they have to complete. Once everyone has taken their turn, the players vote on each other without knowing who it belongs to. And eventually, the winner gets to keep the black card that they used.
At the end of the game, the person with the most cards wins. What sets Cards Against Humanity from other games to play with 3 people is its dark humor. You will often make sentences that are offensive. So, if you love jokes that go a little far – this game will be perfect for you!
On a side note, make sure to buy a version that suits your humor. For example, the UK one might feel confusing if you follow American lingo.
2. Ludo (Sorry)
Chess is an excellent game, but it takes a lot of time to learn. As an easier alternative, we have the popular board game Ludo which is extremely easy to get into. Two to four players can enjoy this and all you need are tokens and a die.
How it works is that every player starts off with four tokens in their respective section. You roll a die and if you get a six, you can start putting your tokens on the main part of the board. You must complete an entire lap around the board until you come back to your territory. And once you’re back – you can go to a special area which leads to completion of the game.
The excitement comes from the fact that touching a token will disqualify it. So, you and your opponents will always be trying to take each other out before they can win. The first person with all of their tokens qualified will be a winner – and others can keep playing until they’ve reached a conclusion too.
And if you wish to speed things up, you can use two dice at the same time too so that you can have higher number. And as an added bonus, most Ludo boards come with a reversible Snake & Ladders game – which adds extra value to the experience. It’s easily one of the best games to play with 3 people and is very famous in South Asia specifically.
It’s worth noting that this game is also known as Sorry in some countries. But we referred to it as Ludo based on our favorite version of the rules.
3. Exploding Kittens
Exploding Kittens is a fairly recent and unique card game that follows a very unique set of rules. Every player is given a few cards, which include unique things like a laser pointer, a catnip sandwich, and magical animals that can peek into the future cards in a deck.
The goal of the player is to draw as many cards as possible without exploding. If you get an explosion card, you need a card to defuse it or you lose. It’s comparable to a Roulette in the sense that you have no idea what you will get. Every player is at risk, and you will need to strategize in the best ways possible to stay alive, while some of it is left up to luck too.
What makes it so unique is that it has a specific theme, and the rules are very different to anything you’d play. And not only that, but it even comes in the form of a cheap mobile app. So, if you ever forget to take your deck, you can just play it on a smartphone too since everyone has one. It’s one of the best games to play with 3 people – and works perfectly with numbers that are more and less than that too.
4. Truth or Dare
Let’s back up to one of the classics, Truth or Dare. You don’t need any boards, cards, or mobile apps for this. Instead, all that you need to do is to sit down with people and begin playing.
The goal is simple: each player is given the choice of either accepting a truth or a dare. If they accept truth, you can ask them anything and they must give an answer. On the other hand, if they ask for a dare, they must do anything that you want them to. Due to the pressure of the game, you can force them to commit to the tasks to win.
If you ever had an awkward question that you wanted an answer to… or wish to have your loved ones do embarrassing things – this is one of the best games to play with 3 people. And you can spice it up with things like taking a shot for everything question or dare that you’d skip. Or establish a different type of penalty too.
5. Scrabble
Scrabble is an absolute classic that anyone who knows English would enjoy. And it keeps your brain active too since you’d constantly be figuring out what words to create.
How the game works is that you normally have a board with a formation of a few alphabets. The players receive tiles with alphabets on them. And then they have to come up with as many words as possible. There are a few different ways to play this, as some create their own grids and some even use normal papers to create a makeshift board themselves.
But one way or another, it’s one of the most elegant games to play with 3 people. People of any age can enjoy it and you can change the rules to your preference. And last but not least, guessing unique words in specific circumstances is always fun!
These are our top 5 games to play with 3 people. Our options include every type of situation. You can buy boards and cards – or you can try to make your own. And in some cases, you don’t even need anything.
So, no matter what situation you’re in – you can always play these globally available games with two other people. And as usual, we hope that you found this guide useful.
Check also: The Best 3 Person Card Games
