6 Car Games For Adults Perfect For Any Road Trip

Memorial Day is the perfect chance to grab your friends and get away for the long weekend. And don’t worry, there is still time for you to take a last minute trip out of town! Many of you are probably planning to spend at least part of your weekend on a road trip to your destination — and I have some fun car game ideas for all you adults that will help the miles fly by.

When I was a kid, there were few things better than getting to spend a few uninterrupted hours playing Pokemon on my Gameboy, grooving to the latest NOW! CD, or playing tiny board games with my sister. But now, most of us spend our car trips either driving, or glued to our phones the whole time. That’s perfectly fine — we all know how important car selfies are. But isn’t taking a holiday road trip with your friends also an opportunity to, I don’t know, actually talk to your friends?

Game Boy Advance, $49, Amazon

I think we all have a good time playing games like Cards Against Humanity, but it’s hard to play in a cramped car while one of us is responsible for keeping the rest of us alive. So, play a few games that will have you laughing, and let you keep your eyes on the road (and yeah, take lots of selfies).

Cards Against Humanity, $25, Amazon

1. Never Have I Ever

This is usually a drinking game, but since safety and not getting arrested comes first, leave the alcohol until you arrive at your Memorial Day getaway. Instead, play the game as you usually would (if you have ever, take a drink), but with water, juice, soda, or whatever your drink of choice is. First one to have to use the bathroom, loses.

2. Swear Jar

Decide on a common word that will be off limits for the duration of the car trip. It doesn’t have to be a swear word, just a common word that everyone will use at least once during normal conversation. Try words like bathroom, cow, phone, etc. to try and trip people up. You can use real money, or have the offending passenger write their name on a scrap of paper and put it in the jar. The person with the most money or names in the jar has to buy the car a round of drinks at your destination, fill up the gas tank, or do something else of your choosing.

3. License Plate Game

Similar to good ol’ “Slug Bug,” every time you spot an out-of-state license plate, you can hit everyone else in the car. If you’re traveling with your significant other, you can turn the punches into caresses, instead. This game is perfect if you’re traveling to a tourist destination like Disneyland or Las Vegas.

4. Would You Rather?

We all know this game. Everyone takes turns asking whether the others would do something or another. Feel free to make it as gross, weird, and horrible as possible.

5. Story Time

Pick another car on the road, preferably one with a few passengers. Don’t be a creeper, but everyone in your car should at least get one good look at everyone. Once you’ve seen them, take turns deciding who these people are. Maybe they’re ex-circus performers on the run from the mob. Maybe they’re all sister wives on the way to a wedding. Whoever comes up with the most outrageous/accurate/hilarious story, wins.

6. Colored Cars

Everyone in the car has to choose an unusual color for a car (purple, yellow, mint green, etc.), and you get points for every car of that color you see. You could also make the game interesting by allowing passengers to steal points if they spot another passenger's color first. Or, you know, you could hit each other every time you see your color, because adulthood.

Image: Giphy