21 Best Games to Play When Bored | Gaming Escapades

There’s nothing more annoying than a boring Sunday, staying in and having no idea what to do with the time on your hand.

Well, instead of getting into an existential crisis, you could spend your time playing fun games. As opposed to what our parents told us, games are not a waste of time – at least totally. 

Besides killing boredom, games stimulate your senses and release dopamine – the happy hormone. So when you have the time and the means, why not play some fun games?

In this post, I share some of my favorite games that have helped me through boredom on multiple occasions, both for individuals and families. I am spilling some treasures here, so make sure you make good use of the information you find here. 

Boredom – The Enemy of Adventure and Challenge

In this digital age, nobody should have to say they’re “bored.” With so many games available at the tip of your fingers, there’s always an engaging and entertaining solution to your boredom.

Whether it’s a weekend afternoon, an evening with friends, or some alone time on a Monday night, games are versatile boredom killers that are perfect for every mood.

Here are some of the many benefits of playing games when you’re bored to death:

➡️ Mental Stimulation

Some games are quick to challenge your mind and wits. Puzzle and strategy games test your critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills, giving your brain the perfect challenge.

Such a challenge would be enough to distract you from your dull day and engage your mind in something fun.

➡️ Creativity Boost 

While some games use your logical side of the brain, some engage your creative side. These games let your creativity run free and keep you hooked for hours. If you have creative bones in your body, playing games like finger painting will stimulate you and decrease boredom manifold. 

➡️ Social Interaction

Man is a social animal; we interact with other humans to remain sane. However, the tragedy of socializing is that you may not always have “something to talk about.” Well, from now on, it’s less talking and more playing.

Multiplayer games allow you to interact with others without having to come up with small talk to break the ice. You get to talk about the game you’re playing, and the rest follows. Two birds, one stone.

➡️ Improved Mood

As discussed before, playing games trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and happiness. The happy hormone improves your mood and quickly pulls you out of boredom.

It can also make you feel content and happy. I can’t think of even a single downside of playing games.

Factors to Determine While Choosing Games

Choosing games to play is more challenging than picking out good tomatoes. If the game is unsuitable, you may feel more bored than when you started.

Here are some factors to consider while choosing the best game to play:

➡️ Genre and Theme

Different games fall into various genres, such as action, adventure, strategy, simulation, role-playing, puzzle, and more. Choose a genre that aligns with your preferences.

Additionally, consider the theme of the game – whether it’s fantasy, sci-fi, historical, or something else you find engaging. If you’re just playing to kill time, choose something easy rather than something that needs “getting used to.”

Also read: Best Puzzle Board Games for a Challenging and Engaging Time

➡️ Play Time

Don’t take up a game with long playtime to reduce boredom. Lengthy games may start getting boring after some point, which can kill the whole purpose of it. If you want to play something light and easy, pick something that doesn’t require much time or energy investment. 

➡️ Platform

Not all games are designed for phones, tablets, and laptops. Before choosing the game, pick the device you would be playing it on, such as a phone or a tablet. Go through games that offer your preferred device-compatible option.

➡️ Skill Level

Consider your skill level and the complexity of the game. Some games are beginner-friendly, while others might have a steep learning curve. Choose games that match your comfort level and desire for challenge.

Now that you know the factors for picking the perfect game, let’s dive into the list of games that’ll instantly pull you out of your boredom.

Truth Or Dare

Ah, the absolute classic. Truth Or Dare is an evergreen game that continues to keep people engaged, no matter the era. The digital era quickly capitalized on the hot game and came up with a mobile version.

The Truth or Dare game has some pre-loaded questions and dares that you and your group can take turns in answering and letting all the truths come out. You can pick from kids, teens, adults, and couples game modes, so people of all ages can kill boredom with this classic game.

➡️ Download: Android

Minute to Win It Games

Minute to Win It Games are designed to test how quickly you can solve problems since you only get a minute to win the game. These games are fun and can improve your lateral thinking skills. 

These fun games include standing eggs, where you have to balance as many eggs as possible on your bottom within a minute, or the cup pyramid, where you have to stack paper or plastic cups to make a pyramid within one minute.

There are also many other similar games, like The Marshmallow Challenge, The Balloon Bounce, The Oreo Cookie Stack, and The Cup-Coin Stacking Challenge. These games are fun, easy, and quick to play while engaging your mind and creativity. 

DIY Bird Feeder

Feeding birds is fun. If you’ve never done it, you’re totally missing out. They eat all sorts of food, from insects to seeds, nuts, and berries. Obviously, you can’t feed the birds from your hands (I wish), but you can make a DIY Bird Feeder for the job.

Making the feeder is fun, and the outcome is equally rewarding. Moreover, this project can improve your children’s creativity. 

So if you have nothing planned for Sunday, why not make a bird feeder and keep the birds in your locality happy while having a creative hour? I can’t think of a more wholesome way to spend an afternoon.

Rock, Paper, Scissor

The age of 2023 means you have an app for everything, including the iconic game Rock, Paper, Scissor. This game needs no introduction, so I won’t honor you with the rules. 

But I’ll tell you that you can install the game on your smartphone and have fun playing it with AI, which can be a real challenge while also playing hands at random. It’s a fun game to keep you hooked for hours and make you forget that up until now, you were having a pretty boring day.

➡️ Download: Android

Race a Paper Boat

Making a boat out of origami paper and racing it in the nearby pond is quite fun when you do it with your kids. Origami art is an excellent way to let your creativity out. There are various ways of making a boat, and that’s the fun part.

The fact that you have to make a boat that floats will also put your kids’ logical side of the brain to the test. The best part is you can play this game in pairs or groups. The more, the merrier!

If you want to kill 15-20 minutes, you can make origami paper boats, and take them out for a race with your friends and family in the evening.

Finger Painting

Coloring is easily one of the best and simplest things to do in life. Even if you’re an adult, coloring a simple animal or even a tree can give you so much satisfaction – I can’t even begin to explain.

Well, now you don’t need to run to a stationary store and buy yourselves some coloring supplies. The Finger Painting Coloring app is an easy-to-use coloring game where you can paint various objects, such as crocodiles, trains, or boats.

Drench them in a wide range of colors as per your liking. This game is perfect for kids, allowing them to play easily without feeling overly challenged.

➡️ Download: Android

Never Have I Ever

Never Have I Ever is a popular drinking game and is a go-to game for groups so bored to death that they have no idea what to play. The exciting part about this game is that it may start as a boredom killer, but it gets so interesting you engage it for the rest of the night.

Another amazing thing about this game is you can play the game online by creating private and public rooms. So, even if you’re not in the same room as your friends, you can kill time while knowing the most scandalous details of their life.

Moreover, it allows you to play with strangers, because why not! Create your own questions and share them with the world.

➡️ Download: Android

Blow Bubbles

If you don’t want to engage your brain cells or creativity in a game but still want to get out of boredom, I recommend playing the Blow Bubbles game. As the name suggests, you blow bubbles by entrapping them within a controlled circle.

The more bubbles you blow, the more points you get. Sounds pretty simple, right? While this game may not test your skills in anything, it’s pretty challenging and engaging.

➡️ Download: Android

Make a House of Cards

In this era of the digital age, receiving handmade greeting cards is the ultimate blessing. Nothing speaks of emotional connection better than a project in which you invest your time, energy, and creativity. 

If you’re sucked into boredom, why not make your time more productive by creating beautiful cards for the ones you love.

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	House of Cards: PAPERCRAFT WINNER OF THE CREATIVE BOOK AWARDS 2023: A step by step guide on how to...	No ratings yet	$14.95	Buy on Amazon

In House of Cards, you’ll learn everything you need to know about making creative cards using silkscreen printing, textile foiling, letterpress, and stitched motifs. You get all the instructions you need at your fingertips! 

Hopscotch

Hopscotch is universally accepted to be the best outdoor game in the world, and all it needs is chalk. They’re easy to make and even easier to play. The game is fun, takes you outdoors, and engages you physically.

I believe more people need to go out and start playing the legendary hopscotch again because there’s nothing quite like it.

For this one, you can search the internet for designs you’d like to make. Make the same design on the floor using chalk and step on the boxes to win the game. It also develops balance and coordination, so bonus!

Learn Jump Rope

Jumping rope is a fun and healthy exercise, so if you’re one of those who never learned to skip, now’s your chance. With Nintendo’s Jump Rope Challenge, you can watch and learn to hop over ropes.

Your Joy-con controllers serve as rope handles while you virtually jump them to get the hang of the game’s mechanism. It’s a fantastic way of learning it without running the risk of tripping over the rope. Once you’ve got a grip on the virtual skipping, you can try the real deal with plenty of experience under your belt.

Engage in Thumb Battles

If you’re a fan of Flash games and thumb battles, then I introduce you to Thumb Fighter on Poki. This multiplayer game is where you and your friend control two very angry thumbs and take each other head-on (or should I say, thumb-on) to exhilarating background music.

While the real-life thumb game can be quite brutal, this one offers a safe alternative while preserving the essence of the classic classroom boredom killer.

Play Charades

Charades is a household game that has liven up countless gatherings and parties over the years across the world. It’s a fun game where you get a word, which you have to act out in front of your teammates without uttering anything, allowing them to guess the word solely from your actions.

However, this Charades game comes with a little twist. Instead of just acting out, you can sing, dance, or describe the clues to your teammates before the time runs out. This adds way more fun to the game.

Once you begin, there’s no going back. It’s best to play the game in groups because that’s when the fun really happens!

➡️ Download: Android

Play Dance Freeze

Dance Freeze is a game where you have fun and dance in the same room. You dance until the music plays and freeze the moment the music pauses (just like passing the pillow.)

You have to hold the position until the music resumes, and in the meantime, you have to keep your facial expressions and body unchanged. That’s where it gets challenging. 

It’s a great game to play when bored but energetic enough to groove to some good music. If you have a large group, be prepared for a frolic hour, as this game is best played in groups.

Play Pattern Match

If you want to tease your brain a little, Pattern Match is an excellent way to pass the time and not let the boredom gnaw at you. It’s a pretty simple yet challenging game where you have to match color, number, shape, or letters with the provided patterns.

You can choose from easy, basic, hard, and tough levels, depending on the degree of challenge you’re looking for.

The tough levels come with serious brain-racking patterns, so if you’re looking for something light, go for the basics. I like matching color patterns because numbers aren’t my things, but you can try different game modes to see which one you like the best. 

Silly Rhyming

Silly Rhyming teaches your kids rhymes in a fun manner, where they also learn common spelling patterns and key sounds. If you want to introduce your children to a game that’s both frolic and educational, I can’t think of a better game than this one.

The hilarious tongue twisters will encourage your kids to practice the sounds of written words and learn about structured sentences. While they have their own, you can pick any game from the list for your amusement as well.

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	DK Games: Silly Rhymes (DK Games)	No ratings yet	$34.50	Buy on Amazon

Trivia

Exercising your brain is just as important as a physical workout. You don’t need any sophistication to train your brain, but simple trivia would do the trick.

This Trivia game includes a wide range of puzzles, brainteasers, quizzes, and word games that’ll keep you engaged. They’re highly challenging and teasing, and that’s what makes them so much fun. 

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	399 Games, Puzzles & Trivia Challenges Specially Designed to Keep Your Brain Young.	No ratings yet	$11.44	Buy on Amazon

These games can stimulate neurogenesis, the process through which new brain cells grow from the rejuvenation of the brain. If you like some good puzzles for leisure, you should definitely try Trivia to eliminate some of that boredom.

I Spy Bugs

One of the best family games that I’ve come across that you can play with your kids is I Spy Bugs. In this game, you have to collectively detect various insects, such as cockroaches, ladybugs, butterflies, and dragonflies.

The game can teach your kids the alphabet, as they would have to match the words with a suitable picture. For an enlightening yet fun game hour, I Spy Bugs is perfect. If you’re interested in more games of this kind, take a look at our list of the best educational video games for kids as well!

➡️ Download: Android

Brain Teasers

Brain Teasers will test your wits from left, right, and center. It’ll make you go “Seriously?” way too many times because the solutions to some questions are absurd, but they still make sense.

Even if you don’t get all the answers right, you can still have an entertaining time without feeling dumb. That’s the allure of the game. It just wants to trap you in the stupidest ways possible, so take nothing personally, and enjoy all the brain teasers the game throws at you.

In addition, it’ll also improve your critical thinking and logical reasoning skills.

Look for 4 Leaf Clovers

If you struggle to be patient, Look for 4 Leaf Clovers is not for you. On the contrary, give this a shot if you have what it takes to calmly sift through three-leaf clovers to find the lucky 4 leaf clover.

The game requires finding a specific number of 4-leaf clovers from a heap of leaves. You have to move your cursor around to detect the prize. Collect all the leaves needed within the stipulated time, and you win the round.

It’s an easy enough game, but it can be quite frustrating for some. It would indeed teach you patience, though. 

Quick, Draw!

You must have heard of Pictionary, where you get a word and make your teammate guess it by drawing it out. Quick, Draw is just like that, but the only difference is you play against AI. You’d get an object to draw, such as a toaster, a crab, or a hot dog, and you have to draw the object using the cursor.

Don’t worry about the right strokes or how good the drawing is. The computer will guess it if you have drawn the main features of the object. It’s an amazing pass time while also letting you unleash your creativity. This is also one of the best free Google games you can play today!

FAQs

Below, you’ll find the answers to some oft-repeated questions on the internet regarding games to play when bored.

Closing Thoughts

While there are always those high-end and complex games with unbeatable storylines available on consoles, there are times when you just want something simple to pass the time. The games listed in this post are exactly that – simple yet fun.

If you love puzzles and board games, be sure to check out our list of the best family board games to spend a weekend with your close ones!