Road Trip Games for Adults: Talking Games for Passengers (and Nothing for the Driver to Read)
The games below are played by the passengers. One passenger holds the phone and reads aloud, nobody hands the driver a screen, and every game can stop at the next exit. They are grouped by trip length: 30 minutes, about 2 hours, and half a day.
Why the driver is not a player
NHTSA defines distracted driving as "any activity that diverts attention from driving". Its list includes "talking to people in your vehicle" alongside phones and the navigation system, and it adds that "any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction" (NHTSA, Distracted Driving). Passengers talking is part of that list, so in this guide the driver does not play, score or look at the phone, and can stop the game at any time with one word. Keep voices down, switch the game's Sound off (it is on by default and beeps during charades and in the last seconds of Imposter's timer), and pause for merges, junctions and anything else the driver needs to concentrate on.
Games by trip length
| Trip | Game | Passengers | Settings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes | Who's most likely to | 3+ (the game needs 3 names) | Friends set, 10 questions |
| 30 minutes | Twenty questions (no phone) | 2+ | One person thinks of something; yes/no questions only |
| About 2 hours | Imposter | 3+ | A category everyone knows, 2-minute discussion |
| About 2 hours | Charades, describing only | 4+ (two teams of two) | Buttons only, 90-second turns, no acting |
| Half a day | Imposter and Most likely to with your own list | 3+ | A My words list of places on your route |
Imposter and Most likely to need at least 3 named players, so a four-seat car has exactly enough passengers; with 3 players Imposter has one imposter, because civilians must always outnumber imposters. Charades needs two teams of two, so it is for a car with four or more passengers, such as a minivan.
Imposter in a car
Imposter is a talking game: everyone but the imposter knows the secret word, and each player says one word as a clue. The dealing is the only part that needs a screen. The phone goes round the passengers, each one holds it to see their card, and the card disappears when they let go. Nobody passes it forward to the driver. Then the clues and the vote are spoken. Set the discussion timer to 2 minutes so rounds stay short, and use the pause button when the road needs the car's attention.
Charades without acting
Acting in a seatbelt does not work, so play charades by describing only. The describer holds the phone, describes the word without saying it, and taps Correct or Pass; the guesser does not look at the screen. Choose Buttons only and 90-second turns. Avoid the Actions category, which is meant to be mimed; Places (48 words), Food (48) and Around the World (48) describe well.
Who's most likely to: read aloud, answer aloud
The passenger with the phone reads the question, everyone else says a name, and the reader taps the winner. Ten questions from the Friends set (81 in all, such as "Who's most likely to write a bestselling novel?") make a good game between two stops.
No signal? It still works
PartyDeck stores the game pages on the phone after your first visit, so a dead zone does not stop a round. Open the games once before you leave town. For a half-day drive, make a list on My words of places along your route (the towns, a national park, the diner you always stop at) and play it as an Imposter or charades category.
Next steps
- New to the game: how to play Imposter, with example clues.
- Every built-in word, for choosing a category before you go: Imposter game words.
- Arriving for the holidays: Christmas games for the whole family.
Sources
- NHTSA — Distracted Driving — https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving, read November 10, 2026