28 Creative Games to Play with Pen and Paper

Are you looking for some fun and inexpensive ways to spend quality time with family and friends? Whether you’re planning a family game night, hosting a party, or just looking for some entertainment, pen and paper games can be a great option. Not only are they easy to set up and play, but they also promote creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills. Plus, with so many different types of games to choose from, you’re sure to find something that everyone will enjoy. In this article, we’ll share 28 pen and paper games that are perfect for all ages and occasions. So, grab some paper and pens, gather your friends and family, and get ready to have some fun!

1. Tic-Tac-Toe: A classic game played on a grid of three-by-three squares where players take turns to place X’s and O’s in a bid to get three in a row.
2. Hangman: A word-guessing game where one player chooses a word and the other player must guess the word by suggesting letters one at a time.
3. Dots and Boxes: A game played on a grid of dots where players take turns drawing lines to create boxes. The player who completes a box gets a point. Further instructions for this game.
4. Word Ladder: Players start with one word and take turns changing one letter at a time to create a new word until they reach a predetermined endpoint.
5. MASH: Players choose categories such as spouse, career, and number of children and eliminate options until they are left with one option in each category. Detailed Instructions
6. Categories: One player chooses a category, and players take turns naming items in that category. The first player who cannot think of an item loses.
7. Consequences: Players fold a piece of paper and take turns writing words or phrases to create a story. The final story is read aloud, often with hilarious results.
8. Battleship: Players draw a grid and place their ships on the grid. Players then take turns guessing where their opponent’s ships are located.
9. Pen and Pencil Football: Players take turns drawing and scoring a football game on a sheet of paper.
10. Fold-It: Players take turns drawing a picture, and each subsequent player must add to the drawing without seeing the previous player’s work.
11. 20 Questions: One player thinks of an object, and the other player asks yes or no questions to try to guess the object within 20 questions.
12. Bingo: Players draw a grid and fill in the squares with numbers or words. A caller calls out the items, and players mark them off on their grids.
13. Ghost: Players take turns adding letters to a word, trying not to be the one who completes the word.
14. Name, Place, Animal, Thing: Players take turns choosing a letter and then filling in categories such as name, place, animal, and thing that start with that letter.
15. The Exquisite Corpse: Players take turns drawing a portion of a picture and fold the paper to hide their drawing. The final picture is revealed at the end.
16. Paper Telephone: Players take turns writing a phrase or sentence, folding the paper to hide the writing, and passing the paper to the next player. The final phrase is read aloud.
17. Scattergories: Players choose a category and a letter and must come up with items that fit both.
18. Word Chains: Players take turns saying a word that starts with the last letter of the previous player’s word.
19. Picture Consequences: Players fold a piece of paper and take turns drawing a portion of a picture. The final picture is revealed at the end.
20. Crossword Puzzles: Players fill in a crossword grid with words that fit the clues provided.
21. Bulls and Cows: One player thinks of a four-digit number, and the other player tries to guess the number by suggesting four-digit numbers. The first player responds with the number of “bulls” (correct digits in the correct position) and “cows” (correct digits in the wrong position).
22. Word Search: Players find words hidden in a grid of letters.
23. Name That Tune: Players take turns humming or singing a portion of a song, and the other players try to guess the name of the song. The first player to guess correctly wins.
24. Haiku Battle: Players take turns creating haikus (3-line poems) on a given topic or theme, and then vote on the best one.
25. Alphabet Game: Players take turns naming items in a certain category (such as animals or food) in alphabetical order.
26. Mapmaking: Players create a detailed map of an imaginary world, including landmarks, terrain features, and even a legend.
27. Pictionary: One player draws a picture, and the others have to guess what it is before the time runs out.
28. True or False: One player writes down three statements, one of which is false. The other players have to guess which statement is false.