Best Travel Games for Adults (Updated 2022)

To make the classic game Clue travel-friendly, Hasbro cut out the board and pieces for a quick dice-rolling version that offers just as much fun and suspense as you try to crack the case. The game supports three to four players that are eight years or older, making this a family-friendly pick to pass the time camping, and at hotels and airports. At just over half a pound, it’s a lightweight option and the snap-shut compact case securely holds all the pieces.

Clue Diced! keeps the classic confidential case file envelope, and to play, you roll the suspect dice and bonus dice. Unlike the classic game, two of the six suspects are guilty — one using their brains and one using their brawn to commit the crime. Unlike the original, gameplay only runs about 20 minutes. Don’t worry, this easy-to-learn version of the game has maintained all your favorite characters from Miss Scarlet to Professor Plum and the tiny detective pad to keep track of your suspicions is downright adorable.

There are two game modes depending on the level of challenge you’re looking for. Detective Game is the basic mode and there’s a more challenging way to play called Master Detective Game for more advanced gameplay.

Read More

If you’re looking for the ultimate party game for a large group of adults, What Do You Meme? will fit the bill. This card-based game can be played by anywhere from three to 20 players over the age of 17 because of some mature — and hilarious — content. To make it more family friendly, you can easily remove any caption cards you find too risqué for younger teens, as the memes themselves are not inappropriate.

Each round of the game entails choosing the funniest caption for the image of one of 75 famous memes. The person judging rotates for each round. This game would be a fun icebreaker for a group of newly acquainted friends, but would be even better with a group that knows each other well, because knowing the judge’s sense of humor can help in the choice of caption. There are 375 captions, so the possibilities are nearly endless. For larger groups, the meme can be placed on a small easel that comes with the game, but it works just as well flat on a table if you’re playing in a busy bar or restaurant. The game runs from half an hour up to two hours. Get ready for some cry-laughing!

Read More

This simplified version of Monopoly is fast-paced, and it still offers enough of a challenge to ensure you end up with a Park Place-based grudge against friends and family. Unlike the three-hour slog that the original Monopoly can be, the game runs briskly for two players (as short as five minutes), although 15 is more likely. Scaling all the way up to five players, the game takes about 45 minutes, which is still hours less than a full-fledged Monopoly game.

The object of the game is to collect all the properties in three different colors. The action cards add a twist to the game, as you can earn money through rent, steal other players’ cards, and collect birthday money from them. One relief? There’s no banker in this version of Monopoly — but there are debt collectors! The durable set of cards are affordably priced and will more than earn a spot in your backpack, purse, or luggage. You can also still “pass go” with a special card, as well as force a deal, or build a house or hotel. The action cards can also be used as money if you prefer to keep the cash over using them for their action purpose.

Read More

Whether you’re a longtime chess player, got hooked after seeing The Queen’s Gambit, or you’re hoping to learn how to play, this folding travel set lets you easily take chess to a coffee shop or on a trip. The board measures just under 10 inches in each direction, folding in half for travel to bring the whole thing down to about 5 by 10 inches. It’s well sized to pack up but not too small for comfortable everyday play.

The well-formed plastic pieces are on the light side, keeping the weight of this set manageable enough to throw in a backpack. The board has tiny support feet to keep it stable and to prevent slipping on slick tabletops as well.

The felt-bottomed magnetic pieces work well to prevent scratching of the board and pieces from sliding into the wrong spot, making this is a good choice for moving vehicles like a plane, boat, or train. The magnetism also helps prevent players from knocking over a piece during gameplay. This well-priced set comes with a handy velvet bag to hold the pieces, which store inside the folding board itself for maximum portability. Instructions are included if you’re a little rusty on the rules or a first-time player.

Read More

Dutch Blitz has roots in the Amish country area of Dutch Pennsylvania. This card-based game eschews turns, making it a fast-paced romp that tests your hand-eye coordination as much as your strategy.

Each player has 40 cards in their own color and design (plow, pump, carriage, or pail.) The red and blue cards are the Pennsylvania Dutch Boy cards and the green and yellow cards are the Pennsylvania Dutch Girl cards. The goal of the game is to use up your cards in numerical order from one to ten in the central group Dutch Piles, using up your blitz pile as swiftly as possible. The hand ends when someone empties their blitz pile and yells “blitz!” Blitz cards left over at the end of a hand are deducted from any points you earned by playing cards into the Dutch piles.

Each player also has their own Wood and Post piles. The Wood pile is placed to the player’s right and is created from cards in the player’s hand. The three Post piles are kept on a player’s left side, organized in descending order and also boy-girl-boy arrangement, and they act as a replacement area throughout the game.

The first player with 75 points wins the game and the key is to move quickly, as all players are playing at the same time. While the rules are a little more involved than some card games, once you get the hang of it, it’s a unique game that will hold everyone’s attention.

Read More

This eye-catching game will remind you of tic tac toe — in a good way! GoTrio is the travel version of Otrio, a hit game meant for four players. The easy-to-teach rules are deceptively simple: get three in a row or in a single spot. Taking this game to the next level, the colored peg and two concentric circular pieces offer three different ways to win. Getting all of your pieces in one spot is one way to win, as is getting all your pieces in one size in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row. The third way to win is by getting one piece of each size in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row as well.

This travel game is can be used by two to three players, and this highly-rated, addictive game has a quick playtime of about 10 minutes. While it can be played by children as young as eight, it requires enough strategy and planning ahead to entertain and intrigue adults as well. Thanks to its limited number of pieces and handy carrying case (which snaps securely shut), this game is easy to tuck in a backpack or purse for hours of fun at restaurants and bars, or on flights, road trips, or camping.

Read More

Miss Blockbuster date nights? The compact VHS tape-themed packaging of this game will take you back in time. Grab a bowl of popcorn and curl up on the couch in front of the coffee table with this nostalgic teamwork-driven trivia game that is perfect to take on vacation. While only two players can play at once, it’s a great fit for nights where not everyone is up to playing a game.

The game can be played on its own or added on as an update to the hit original Blockbuster game. While you don’t need to be a major movie buff to win, it definitely helps to have seen a few movies! Speed is of the essence during your timed turns as you try to get your partner to correctly guess their mystery movie title by saying famous movie quotes, using charades-style acting, or describing memorable scenes.

Remember late fees? They are worked into the gameplay too — once you have three, the game is over. Yeah, we didn’t miss them either. Players are forced to get creative with the categories on the popcorn cards like “movies with sharks” and “movies that aren’t suitable for kids” before time runs out. An optional included app helps time the one-minute rounds for each popcorn card, keeping the game moving along nicely as you alternate who picks up a popcorn clue card. Setup and cleanup is a breeze with this game and all the components fit neatly in the box.

Read More

Farkel is a fast-paced dice game that’s perfect for camping and road trips. It can be played anywhere you have a small, flat surface to roll the dice, like a restaurant or bar. For maximum portability, Moose Farkel comes in a pocket-sized carrying case and weighs less than two ounces.

The rules to Moose Farkel are handily printed on the inside lid of the case, so there’s no worrying about losing them. Anywhere from two to six players can play, offering this game more flexibility as far as group size goes than many other travel games. While it can be played by anyone eight years or older, adults with a competitive streak will be just as engaged.

Gameplay involves rolling the six moose-themed dice with the goal of reaching 10,000 points before the other players. There are point values for individual dice and combinations of numbers (or moose) and a player can set aside dice from each roll to save that value and then re-roll the remaining dice in hopes of upping their score. However, this can be a risky venture. If a player rolls all non-scoring dice, they have “farkled” and lose all of their points from that turn. Once a player is happy with the score they’ve rolled or has farkled, they pass on the dice to the next player for their turn.

Read More

Challenge your friend or significant other to a duel with this travel-friendly twist on the original Bananagrams game. Each round is only about a minute long, as you and your opponent create a crossword-style set of words using any of the letters on your half of the dice. The aim is to use all 12 of your lettered dice in your crossword set, and the first player to do so yells “banana,” winning a banana card for that round. An optional version of the game lets you gain one extra banana for each pair of rhyming words in your set. Once you’ve won 10 banana cards, you’ve won the duel.

This is a fast, family-friendly game reminiscent of Scrabble that will bring out players’ competitive sides as they race against time — and their opponent. There are also a few different ways to play to keep things fresh. One is a themed version where one of your words must meet the theme of the category card for that round (think sports & games, fruits, etc.) Another more challenging way to play involves working with the letters as they’re rolled.

The small size of the carrying case and limited amount of table space required to play make it a no-brainer while you’re waiting for appetizers to come out or any time you have 10 minutes to spare.

Read More

While a game featuring tiny pigs may not seem like an adult game, this one truly brings home the bacon. Pass the Pigs challenges two or more players to roll tiny spotted pigs to score as much as possible, with points from each roll adding up to be a player’s score for that turn. The risk is that you’ll roll a “pig out,” which is when the two pigs are each laying on opposite sides. This roll forfeits all the points you earned on that turn, and it becomes the next player’s turn. Even worse is the “oinker” roll where two pigs are resting and touching, which brings your score for the entire game back to zero. Don’t be surprised is everyone is ducking to table-level to verify that roll was, in fact, a “double leaning jowler,” which is a rare and high-value roll.

This portable travel game features a clear carrying case that neatly keeps your pigs safe, as well as the instructions, a handy point card, a small pencil, and a scorecard. It fits well into a backpack or purse and can be a family friendly game to play with kids and teens — but it can be a cutthroat race to 100 points, regardless of players’ ages.

Read More