Wondermom ยป Entertainment ยป Indoor Games for Teens

Indoor Games for Teens

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Looking for fun and exciting ways to keep teens entertained indoors? Whether it’s a rainy day, a casual weekend hangout, or just some downtime after school, having a repertoire of indoor games for teens is essential.

A group of teenagers sit on the floor, laughing, as they engage in indoor teen games.

Unlike party games, which are all about the hype and energy, these games are perfect for those relaxed moments when teens just want to have some fun together. From strategic board games to creative DIY challenges, I’ve got a variety of options that cater to different interests and moods.

Board Games

When it comes to classic fun, you can’t go wrong with board games. They offer a great mix of strategy, luck, and social interaction, making them perfect for any teen hangout. Here are some top picks that will keep everyone engaged for hours.

A hand moves a game piece on a Catan board game.
  • Catan: A strategy game where players collect resources and build settlements.
  • Codenames: A word game where teams compete to identify their agents with one-word clues. My family loves this game so much, it inspired me to make this printable version of the game.
  • Pandemic: A cooperative game where players work together to stop global outbreaks.
  • Chameleon: A game of social deduction where players try to find out who the Chameleon is among them.
  • Secret Hitler: A hidden role game where players work to either prevent or enable a fascist regime.
  • Ticket to Ride: A game about building train routes across the country. This is the only one on this list we don’t own yet but so many people have recommended it to me, I’m adding it here.

Card Games

Card games are a staple for good reasonโ€”they’re easy to learn, quick to play, and tons of fun. Whether you’re into fast-paced action or strategic planning, there’s a card game for every teen.

Four teenagers sitting at a wooden table playing UNO, with a pile of UNO cards in the center.
  • Uno: A classic card game where players race to get rid of all their cards. My older kids play a version they call “Spicy Uno” where they introduce additional rules.
  • Exploding Kittens: A fast-paced card game where players try to avoid drawing the exploding kitten card.
  • Phase 10: A rummy-style card game with ten different phases to complete. Note: Although up to 6 people can play, keep in mind that the more players you have, the longer the game takes to finish.
  • Cards Against Humanity (Family Edition): A humorous card game perfect for teens.
  • Super Fun Family Card Games: Okay, this isn’t a card game but it is a book filled with 75 different card games written by yours truly (shameless self-promotion alert!).

Trivia and Quiz Games

Put those brains to the test with trivia and quiz games! These games are perfect for sparking friendly competition and learning something new along the way.

Trivial Pursuit game pieces and a dice on the game board, perfect for indoor teen games.
  • Trivial Pursuit: A classic trivia game with questions from various categories.
  • Heads Up!: A game where players guess the word on their head based on their friends’ clues.
  • QuizUp: A mobile trivia game with a variety of topics.
  • Trivia Crack: Another mobile trivia game but in this one, players compete to answer questions across six categories to collect characters.
  • Jeopardy!: The home version of the popular TV quiz show.
  • Tribond: A trivia game where players must find the common link between three clues. I love this one since it’s part trivia and part puzzle.
  • Catch Phrase: A word guessing game where players try to get their team to say the word or phrase displayed on the screen without saying the word itself. This is my 17-year old’s absolute favorite game.

Strategy Games

For teens who love a good challenge, strategy games are the way to go. These games require careful thinking and planning, making them both fun and mentally stimulating.

A box of the board game "7 Wonders"  on a black table perfect for  indoor teen games.
  • Escape Room in a Box: A game that brings the escape room experience to the living room.
  • Werewolf: A social deduction game, where players try to find the werewolves among them.
  • Risk: A strategy board game about world domination.
  • Trekking the National Parks: A strategy game where players travel across the U.S. visiting national parks, collecting stones, and earning points.
  • 7 Wonders: A card drafting game where players build civilizations and compete for points. This one is my personal favorite strategy game.
  • Dominion: A deck-building game where players strategically acquire cards to build the most powerful deck and achieve victory. This is the one we play most as a family now that the kids are all teens and older.

Creative Games

Unleash your imagination with creative games that let teens express themselves through drawing, storytelling, and building. These games are perfect for inspiring creativity and having a blast.

  • Pictionary: A drawing game where players guess the word based on sketches.
  • Telestrations: A game that combines drawing and guessing, similar to the game of “Telephone”. Somehow, this game is even more fun if the players are terrible artists. Hands-down one of my top picks.
  • Story Cubes: A storytelling game using dice with different images to create unique stories.
  • Concept: A game where players convey concepts and ideas using a game board with various icons.

Outdoor-Inspired Indoor Games

Who says you need to go outside to have some outdoor fun? These indoor games bring the excitement of outdoor activities into the comfort of your home, perfect for those days when going outside isn’t an option.

Three teenagers standing on a floor wearing socks.
  • Indoor Mini Golf: Set up a mini golf course around the house using household items.
  • Balloon Volleyball: Play volleyball with a balloon in a room with soft obstacles.
  • Sock Wrestling: Trying to remove the socks off your opponent while keeping yours on.
  • Indoor Scavenger Hunt: Creating a list of items to find around the house.

Interactive Story Games

Dive into exciting adventures with interactive story games. These games let teens become part of the story, making decisions that shape the outcome and keeping everyone on the edge of their seats.

Role-playing game board with blue and purple dice.
  • Dungeons & Dragons: A role-playing game where players create characters and embark on adventures.
  • Fiasco: A role-playing game that focuses on creating and resolving dramatic and often comedic situations.
  • Once Upon a Time: A storytelling card game where players create a story together using fairy tale elements.

Other Games

Whenever my kids are hanging out in a large group, they play a game they call “Family.” I couldn’t find any instructions online for it so here’s my best explanation of how to play:

Setup

  1. Players: This game works best with a group of 6 or more players.
  2. Materials: Small pieces of paper, pens, and a bowl or hat to collect the names.

Preparing the Game

  1. Write Names: Each player writes the name of a character, celebrity, or well-known person on a piece of paper. The name should be kept secret.
  2. Collect Names: All the pieces of paper are folded and placed into a bowl or hat.
  3. Read Aloud: The moderator or a designated player reads all the names aloud so everyone knows the list of possible names.

Gameplay

  1. Forming Families: Players sit in a circle. The game starts with one player (Player A) who will choose another player (Player B) to guess their name.
  2. Guessing: Player A guesses the identity of Player B. If Player A guesses correctly, Player B joins Player A’s “family” and sits next to them. Player A gets another turn to guess another player.
  3. Incorrect Guess: If Player A guesses incorrectly, the turn passes to the next player in the circle (Player B).
  4. Family Dynamics: Once a player becomes part of a family, they no longer guess but can help their family leader with future guesses by whispering suggestions or confirming suspicions.

Winning the Game

  • Largest Family Wins: The game continues until all players have been guessed and joined a family. The player with the largest family at the end wins.

Tips for Playing

  • Strategic Guessing: Pay attention to the names read aloud at the start and remember the identities of players as the game progresses.
  • Observing Reactions: Watch players’ reactions when names are guessed to pick up on clues.
  • Collaborate: Once in a family, work together to strategize and remember the remaining names.

This game is great for social gatherings as it encourages interaction, memory, and deduction skills, making it a fun and engaging activity for teens and adults alike.

Five teenagers sitting on a sofa, engaged in conversation and smiling.

And finally, since I love creating printables, I’ve converted several of my teens’ favorite games into a printable game pack.

10 thoughts on “Indoor Games for Teens”

    • If you’re interested in the Printable Teen Party games, just click on the “buy now” button.

      Reply
  1. Another gain that you could enjoy is that you’ve the liberty to enjoy having money or for free.

    Reply
  2. Do you do anything for teen dates? Lol, thank you for the ideas. They helped a lot!โค

    Reply
    • Hi Kadmi, I don’t have a post on that already, but it’s a great idea! I’ll work on one and add the link to it in this post once it’s done. Thanks for the suggestion!

      Reply
  3. I was looking for ideas to do at a picnic (indoor) with my students for the end of the semester and these are wonderful
    Thank you very much

    Reply
  4. I’m so thankful for this web-site. I clicked on it yesterday from a friend’s post on facebook. I can already tell that I’ll be utilizing it quite often. Thanks again!!!

    Reply
    • That makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know. Welcome!

      Reply
  5. Thanks for blessing me with such wonderful ideas they are awesome.

    Reply
    • I’m glad you liked them! Thanks for commenting.

      Reply

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