It goes without saying that recently, keeping in touch with the people you love has become increasingly difficult. Luckily, whether you want to connect with a best friend, a long-distance partner, or your family, FaceTime has made it easier than ever.
However, chatting can sometimes get boring. If you want to get rid of the awkward silence or just want to change it up, there are many things to do on FaceTime that involve more than just talking. So, start up your device, do some pre-game stretching, and take your FaceTime calls to the next level with these simple and fun activities.
14 Things to Do on FaceTime
1. Charades
Charades is a classic party game, beloved by people for its simplicity. Since it requires no supplies, the game is very accessible to anyone. The only thing you need is quick thinking and a lot of reactivity.
The way it works is pretty simple. You take turns acting out movies, songs, sayings, TV shows, or other pieces of pop culture while everybody guesses what you are trying to say.
What’s amazing about this game is that it can be played in pairs or teams, making it a great bonding activity. And if you want an extra challenge, you can set a time limit on guessing.
2. Would You Rather?
Would You Rather is another fun game that requires no materials to play beside a list of questions. Players take turns asking each other to choose between two actions. Usually, the options are uncomfortable and even ridiculous, making a choice harder. The main appeal of Would You Rather is that you can tailor the questions to fit any audience, regardless of age.
Common Would You Rather questions include:
• Land your dream job or win the lottery?
• Have a rash or a pimple on your face?
• Run from aliens or zombies?
• Never gain weight or never have to do homework again?
• Would you rather be in jail for five years or be in a coma for a decade?
3. Never Have I Ever
Never Have I Ever is a popular party game that you can play with as many people as you want. The idea of the game is pretty simple, and it starts with each participant holding up ten fingers. Players take turns stating actions they’ve done and preface them with Never Have I Ever. When someone has performed the named act, they must lower one finger, and the last player with the most fingers up wins.
Remember that you need to tailor the questions from Never Have I Ever to suit your audience. For example, if you play with kids or coworkers, you should come up with family-friendly questions. But if you are playing with a romantic partner or your friends, you might get away with bolder statements.
Here are some sample statements perfect for all ages:
• Met a celebrity
• Visited another country
• Swam in the ocean
• Saw a parade
• Drank spoiled milk
• Owned a pet tortoise
4. Pictionary
Like Charades, Pictionary is a simple game that allows anyone to join in the fun. It requires a piece of paper, a dark-colored marker, and quick thinking. While some would argue that you need drawing skills to master this game, that’s far from the truth.
Ready to give it a shot? First, use a random word generator to choose the phrases or words that you will draw. Or, you can think of something on your own by looking around the room. Then, set the timer for 40 to 60 seconds and draw your word while the other players try to guess it. The game ends when one player reaches a set score based on how many times they have made a correct guess.
5. Truth or Dare
Truth or Dare is a great way to learn more about others as, during this game, players need to share something about themselves or complete a dare instead. But be careful what dares you come up with, as other players can take revenge with even harder or more humiliating dares.
Examples of truth questions:
• What is your biggest fear?
• Have you ever lied to someone you love?
• What is the most embarrassing moment in your life?
• Who have you stalked on social media recently?
Examples of dares:
• Act like a cat until your next turn
• Do 30 push-ups
• Send a risky message to your crush
• Show the last photo that you have taken
It’s important to mention that the aim of the game is not to hurt or humiliate but to have fun. So try to keep it mild and avoid harsh dares or questions.
6. Word Association
Word Association is a fast-paced game ideal for FaceTime calls. The point of the game is fairly simple. It involves one player having to say a word while the other replies with a related word.
However, you can mix things up by increasing the pace of the game and seeing who falters first. Or even better, player one can come up with two words instead of one.
To make things more competitive, the callers can use the stopwatch to measure which player lasts longer. The game keeps going until a player doesn’t say anything for more than five seconds or repeats a word that’s already been said.
7. Newlywed Game
The Newlywed Game is great for couples in long-distance relationships. Partners have to answer questions regarding their relationship by typing the responses on iMessage. The one that has the quickest correct answer wins.
Some common questions that you can ask your partner include:
• The first gift I got you
• My favorite food
• Where did I grow up
• Name of my pet
• Our best vacation
• When did we make the relationship official
• Location of our first date
• How did we meet each other
To make the game more interesting and fair, you can invite a friend or family member who will act as a neutral third party in the event of a tiebreaker. And while the Newlywed Game is perfect for couples, you can adapt the questions to play with family members, friends, and even coworkers.
8. Most Likely To
Most Likely To is one of the most entertaining FaceTime group activities. The game’s concept revolves around finding out which group member is most likely to do a specific activity. To play, one player needs to read off a couple of statements, and then the others will vote on the member that fits the description best.
So, for example, you might ask any of the following questions:
• Who is most likely to answer the phone while working?
• Who is most likely to fail at cooking?
• Who is most likely to appear on TV?
• Who is most likely to get lost in their hometown?
And, if you want to add a competitive touch, you can award points to the player with the most votes each round.
9. Two Truths and a Lie
Two Truths and a Lie is a great ice-breaker in groups of people that are not familiar with each other. However, it’s also fun to play with family and close friends, as you can always find out something new about them. So, if you want to learn something new about your call partners, this game is right up your alley.
When the game starts, you’ll have to write down three facts about yourself. Two of them must be completely true, while the third one should be fake. Try to choose a lie that’s not too obvious and some facts that might surprise other players. Your goal is to make it difficult for your partners to guess which facts are true and which are false.
For instance:
• I’ve been to a Madonna concert.
• I’m a chess expert.
• I can hold my breath for five minutes.
Once you’ve read your list out loud, your friends guess which statement is a lie. If they get it right, they receive a point. At the end of two or more turns, the player with the most points wins.
10. Read My Lips
In Read My Lips, players guess words or phrases by reading the lips of other players. In order to play it on FaceTime, one caller has to press the mute button and then speak a word or a phrase.
As the speaker, you can repeat the phrase as many times as you like and answer questions by nodding yes or shaking your head no. If the other players can’t guess the phrase in 60 seconds, you’ve won the round.
11. Masked Dancer
Masked Dancer is a game where players need to guess the identity of the dancer hiding behind a digital mask. The dancer uses the effects feature on FaceTime and selects an animoji to hide his identity. Then, he picks a song and dances to it.
During the performance, other players need to find the dancer’s identity based on music choice and moves. Once somebody guesses, the dancer reveals themselves, and it’s time for another dancer to give it a try.
Keep in mind that only people who have a version of FaceTime that supports the animoji effect can play this game. Additionally, you want as many people as you can in the FaceTime room to make it harder to guess.
12. Trivia
Trivia is a popular group game that works great on social platforms such as FaceTime. Even though you can play it one-on-one, the game tends to become more interesting when you increase the player count. If you want to give it a try, you need to prepare a series of questions and answers. Then, you need to designate a caller as the Trivia Master and have them read the questions.
The first team or player that answers correctly gains one point, which the Trivia Master will note. Once there are no more questions, the Trivia Master counts the points and announces the winner.
13. Yahtzee
Yahtzee is a dice game suitable for both adults and children ages seven and up. The point of the game is to roll combinations of numbers using five dice. While the game is based on luck, it also involves a bit of strategy.
Each participant needs five dice and a Yahtzee sheet for progress tracking. First, you pick a host who rolls their dice on camera, effectively playing their turn. Then, other players can either get the host to roll for them or roll their own dice. After thirteen turns, the player with the most points on their sheet wins.
14. Hangman
Everybody remembers playing Hangman in school. But have you ever tried to play it during a FaceTime call? The goal of the game is to try to fill in a word or phrase with a limited number of turns. Here’s how it works.
You start by choosing a word and drawing a dash for each letter in the word. Your partner tries to guess a letter they believe to be in the hidden word. If they are right, you write it on its appropriate dash. But if they are wrong, you draw one part of a gallows.
Each time your partner doesn’t guess a letter, you add another section. If you finish your gallows, you start drawing the hanged stick man. You win when you manage to draw the entire gallows, and the man before the other person guesses the hidden word.
