Family Road Trip Games Everyone Will Love!

A black mom holds out her hand with an iPhone to take a selfie of her family.

It’s not an exciting vacation with kids until you play some family road trip games! One of the biggest benefits of traveling as a family are the memories you create. Luckily, playing family road trip games is an ideal way to make these lifelong connections! One of the challenges to planning a successful family road trip is knowing where to start. To help your family overcome this hurdle, we’ve collected the best family road trip games, as well as created an exclusive Families Love Travel Ultimate Road Trip Packet. Filled with our favorite family road trip games, download our ultimate guide to family road trip games for free, print it, and pack it for your next family road trip. Whether you download the Ultimate Road Trip Packet or draw from the list of family road trip games everyone will love below, your family is sure to have an unforgettable journey! 

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Family Road Trip Games to Purchase

Inside a car, father and child highfive while the other parent drives.

If you’re looking to invest in a few new family road trip games before you depart, look no further! From scavenger hunts to travel bingo, these games are sure to entertain the whole family. Of course, a road trip with kids is incomplete without playing a game of Would You Rather or engaging in a little Mad Lib fun as well! 

Travel Bingo

Four bing cards featuring travel themed bingo spaces. Travel Bingo is a highly entertaining family road trip game.

Travel Bingo will have your family looking out the window rather than down at a screen. Plus, the twist of this classic game is simple: the first one to find all of the items in a row wins! You can discover several convenient options for Travel Bingo cards by searching Amazon or other travel game companies. Get boards for everyone in the car and see who can find all the items first! Contributors to Families Love Travel love this classic Travel Bingo option. Additionally, Melissa & Doug offers cards focused specifically on vehicles, which your younger kids may love. If you want to save money, however, search for a printable Travel Bingo version before you leave for your family road trip. (Be ready: this game will get competitive!) Travel Bingo is a delightfully entertaining family road trip game for kids of all ages! 

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Travel Scavenger Hunt Card Games

A view of the Scavenger Hunt for Kids deck. Travel Scavenger Hunt games are the perfect family road trip games.

Next on our list of entertaining family road trip games, try a fun travel scavenger hunt! This creative challenge is sure to engage kids as they explore the passing world around them! It’s also great for helping develop motor skills. In fact, when you play this game, you’ll certainly use more than just your eyes! With the “hear it” and “smell it” cards, for example, children will encounter added puzzles that require using more of their senses. Parents will have a blast, too! A travel scavenger hunt will have everyone excitedly looking out the window, sniffing the air, and listening for sounds to try to find all of the items in their hand. Of course, these family road trip games work best in populated towns and bustling cities with lots of activity. With so many senses engaged, this game is also sure to inspire giggles and conversations the whole trip!

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Mad Libs

A view of the cover page of the Mad Libs game, available on Amazon.

Imaginative families will love playing a game of kid-friendly Mad Libs! Children can take the wheel with this pleasantly random word game, which promotes learning through vocabulary comprehension. Mad Libs also allows your little ones hours of creative expression and laughs! Buy a Mad Libs book or print out the page in our Ultimate Road Trip Packet before your road trip and you’ll be all set for this adventure. Creative parents may even be able to design their own with funky pictures and other imagery! Kids will especially love recording various word choices into the blanks, ranging from verbs to adjectives, proper nouns, and more. Finally, kids will also be tickled pink to read out the completed silly story to the whole family. Good luck keeping a straight face when they read it back!

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Would You Rather?

A view of the cover page of the Would You Rather Game Book, available on Amazon.

Would You Rather is perfect for chatty children! As a plus, the other great thing about this family road trip game is that it can be adjusted based on the age of your kids. An easy win, it’s enjoyed by 4-year-olds and 17-year-olds alike, regardless of your final destination! Or, you could even customize your Would You Rather game based on wherever you’re traveling. Use the questions in our Ultimate Road Trip Packet or purchase a book for inspiring questions to ask kids, for example, whether it’s concerning sightseeing experiences or foreign cuisine. This head-scratcher game is sure to amuse and fascinate everyone in the car, not to mention make you think. Overall, we’re sure you’ll experience a lot of laughs, making unforgettable family memories thanks to all your new ideas for family road trip games.

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Rubberneckers

A view of the cover page of the Rubber Neckers book, available on Amazon.

While taking a family road trip, you’ll notice there are so many things to see when looking out the window. Some of these things you might not have given a second look, had you not been playing a game like Rubberneckers! Essentially a mobile scavenger hunt, your family is sure to get a kick out of this super fun visual pastime, that uniquely adapts to your surroundings during travel. During Rubberneckers, families will explore the world around them while connecting, vying to see who can spot the most item first. Whether you’re a competitive bunch who plays to keep score or a family who works together to complete all of the cards, this is a great road trip game for your next adventure! Additionally, this versatile game is one of the best family road trip games for larger families.

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Family Road Trip Games You Can Play on the Fly

Two girls sit in the back seat with their large black dog.
Photo Courtesy: Dana Douglas Cirrone

Don’t want to worry about the hassle of lugging around various family road trip games? You’re in luck! There are also several amusing family road trip games you can play for free, often without any supplies. For example, the iconic License Plate Game is sure to provide endless fun. Then, don’t forget an old reliable, and friendly game of I Spy! What else could be more fun than challenging your kiddos to a fun family game?

The License Plate Game

Two boys cheer with arms up in the backseat of a car.
Photo Courtesy: Noelle Stockman MacGregor

There are so many family road trip games given the variety of license plates on the road! Start by checking out license plates on passing cars. Search for all of the letters in the alphabet in order. With each letter, kids can yell out what they have found. The first one to Z wins! Have more time on the road? Start from Z and go to A. Then, keep track of how many different states you can find on a piece of paper. Talk with your kids about how far each car must have driven to get to where you are on the road. Who has driven the farthest? (Pro Tip: Our Ultimate Road Trip Packet has a printable map of the United States that kids can color in as they identify different state license plates. Print it ahead of time for a different version of this game!)

I Spy

A young girl uses binoculars as she looks across a large body of water.
Photo Courtesy: Colleen Tran

This is a great game option that everyone can play, even the driver. I Spy is particularly fun with small children, though any age that wants to participate will likely enjoy it. First, take turns choosing something you see and then keep it a secret. Other players will have to ask questions that can be answered with “yes” or “no” to narrow down the item, like “is it in this car?” Keep guessing until the item is identified! Or, shake up the rules to make it more interesting. You can create an additional list (or download our Ultimate Road Trip Packet) for your kids to spy along the drive. Can they find a barn, a horse, or an orange car? This way, you can curate the one-of-a-kind list based on your journey. Finally, this classic game is especially engaging because even the youngest members of the family can play along! 

Invent A Story

Mother and son wear super hero masks while in the car. Inventing silly stories involving super heros or other topics is a great family road trip game.
Photo Courtesy: Jennifer Solomon

Inventing a story is perfect for creative families! With this family road trip game, one person starts off saying a word (or even a whole sentence). The game goes on from there as each passenger takes turns adding on to the last person’s word or sentence. Continue to go in a circle to create one hilarious story. If you have a car full of different age groups and personalities, this story will definitely become one to remember! (Pro Tip: Write the story down as each person speaks to record the hilarious story to share on the drive home.)

The Color Game

Two kids sit in their car seats coloring in the back seat. Try the color game for a unique family road trip game.
Photo Courtesy: Megann Bauer Skalka

Even your littlest ones can play the Color Game! To start, everyone in the car picks a color. Of course, kids will love selecting their favorite color. Is it pink, blue, green, or black? When they see a car in that color, they get a point. This game is super simple, but little kids are sure to stay entertained on the road. It is also a game you can play for the whole drive. Even while you are playing other games or resting, they can continue to watch for cars in their color. This family road trip game can even help littles learn their colors as you play! To make this game even easier, you’ll also find a printable version of it in our Ultimate Road Trip Packet

Alphabet Games

Two kids sit in the back seat of the car enjoying Asian take-out.
Photo Courtesy: Steph Yu

Don’t forget all of the alphabet-inspired family road trip games! One of the most iconic alphabet games for kids is the Sign Game. For this one, you’ll start with the letter A. Then, the first person needs to find a word on a billboard or building that starts with an A. Next, you move to B, C, D, and so on as you take turns to find the consecutive letters of the alphabet. Or, families can play where whatever letter the word ends with is the letter that person 2 needs to find. Additionally, you can change it up and start with Z. This way, you can do a series of rousing rounds of the Alphabet Game. Set a time limit for this one or decide you’ll play until you arrive at your destination! 

Another version of this game can be played by saying “We’re going on a picnic, what should we pack?” The first person packs an item starting with the letter A (apple, for example). Take turns going in a circle packing items that start with consecutive letters of the alphabet (bananas, cups, drinks, etc.). Then, try starting from the letter Z or changing the prompt. Additional prompts could include “We’re going on a road trip, what should we bring?” Or, “we’re planning a party, what do we need?” No matter how you play the Alphabet Game, you are sure to have a blast with these alphabet family road trip games!

Family Road Trip Games for Listening

Three young kids sit in the back seats all wearing headphones using their own tablets. Listening games are some of the best family road trip games.
Photo Courtesy: Stacy Levy

Listening comprehension games can make family road trips a breeze! Whether you are listening to an audiobook or playing DJ, your family is sure to have a blast and create lifelong memories. Listening games can also be great for rest periods during long car trips. While playing or resting, you can’t go wrong with family road trip games that involve listening to music or stories!

Audio Books

There are so many books you can listen to in the car! If your kids are younger, try Charlotte’s Web or Matilda. For older kids, a marathon of the Harry Potter or the Anne of Green Gables series could be fun. Teenagers may also enjoy TED talks geared towards their unique interests. Check out Audible’s list of the best family audiobooks for all ages. This way, you are sure to find one your whole family will love. Warning – you might find no one wants to get out of the car until you reach the end of a chapter! Pro Tip: Find audiobooks that are sure to fit into the length of one direction on the trip. This way you can fit in two or more! 

Take Turns Playing DJ

A mom and her two daughters smiling in the car, all wearing matching sunglasses.
Photo Courtesy: Moriah Schade Meisenheimer

When you’re in the mood for relaxing on the road, instead of just pressing the shuffle button on your Spotify account, why not pass the phone around? Kids will be enthralled by playing DJ! Each person gets to play one song at a time, getting a kick out of your family’s favorite tunes. You’ll also experience a great variety of music while doing this and there will be no complaints since everyone gets a turn. In addition to this, you can also give this family road trip game a surprise twist: families can play adults vs kids! Or, you can divide the family into teams another way. Before a team can get control over the phone, however, they’ll need to guess the song and artist of what song is playing. If they don’t get it right, the team with the phone continues to choose songs until they do.

Guess the Song

Two kids sit in the back seat, one holds a guitar.
Photo Courtesy: Ketut Subiyanto

Guess the Song is another one of the best family road trip games! Your kids will love trying to be the first one to shout out a song. Play songs your family will recognize and see who can guess the name of the song first! Bonus points if your older kids can guess who sings the song. If your family is musically inclined or just likes to sing, put away the devices and hum a few lines of the song yourself. The first person to guess the song wins a point! Families can play until a certain time or to a certain amount of points. This is a great family road trip game for music-loving families!

The Quiet Game

Three kids sit in the back seat, two are sleeping, while the third looks at a phone. Quiet time is one of the best family road trip games.
Photo Courtesy: Jason Carlton

Sometimes on a road trip, you just need it to be silent. Asking kids to be quiet might not work, but odds are you’ll be more successful if you turn it into the Quiet Game! Start the activity by saying “1-2-3 hush puppies” and your competitive ones will (hopefully!) stay silent until they just can’t keep silent anymore. The last person to remain quiet wins the game! Alternatively, you can also play the quiet game by giving everyone their own headphones for a few minutes of peace. This way, everyone wins because they get to listen to, play, or watch what they like.

Read Alouds

A young girl and older woman both read their own books in the back seat of a car. Reading aloud is one of the best family road trip games.
Photo Courtesy: Gunjan Prakash

What better way for kids to practice their reading skills than reading aloud? Bring along a book the whole family will love and take turns passing the book around the car! Each person gets to read a chapter, adding extra fun by encouraging dramatic readings and dialogue in the character’s voices! Kids will feel like a storybook has come alive in their own car! From Captain Underpants to The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Scholastic has a great list of 100 read-aloud books for your whole family to enjoy. (If you have passengers who get car sick, reading a book may increase the risk of getting sick, so be wary!)

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Thank You To Our Community! 

Four generations of women smile while riding in a car.
Photo Courtesy: Antonia Grant

Happy road tripping! We hope this list of family road trip games helps you not only survive, but actually enjoy your next family road trip! A special thank you again to our Facebook members who shared their favorite family road trip games. Join the Facebook community and the Instagram community to connect with other families who love the unique experiences travel has to offer.  It is also a safe place to ask questions and gather travel-related information specific to families. We welcome you! 

Looking for more ways to make the most out of your family road trip? Check out our suggestions to keep kids entertained on a family trip. Finally, don’t miss the chance to check out our Ultimate Road Trip Packet chock-full of free printable games to take on your next trip!

Which of these family road trip games will you try on your next trip? Let us know below!

Please note: We use some affiliate links. So we may receive a small percentage of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. All prices listed are accurate at the time of publication.

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Angie Reedy

Angie Reedy loves traveling and writing. When life brings opportunities to combine these loves, she finds much joy. Although she lives next to Normal, Illinois, life there with her family, which includes her husband, three children, an anxious dog, and a hedgehog named Megan, is anything but normal. Angie is a freelance writer and editor who mixes travel writing alongside her work on a true-crime book. She's always looking for the next adventure wherever in the world it might lead!