Life
21 Games On Google Home That Are Fun, Fast, & Free
If you own a Google Home, then you already know they're masters at streamlining life. It can help you organize your calendar, give you step-by-step instructions on how to cook a new dish, and even take your mind off how you’ve been stuck on the same Candy Crush level for weeks. If you don't know what kind of games you can play on Google Home, you’re in for a sweet treat. (Or not. Now that my kids discovered these games, they won't stop begging to play them all the time.)
My favorite Google Home games are the ones that invite the whole family to huddle around a speaker and yell random words at it. Whether you crush it on trivia games, want to go on a fantasy quest, or need a digital DJ for a musical chairs session, your digital assistant is perfect for curing your family's boredom.
The activities are pretty simple to launch. You can start any game on Google Home using the “Hey Google, play...” or “OK Google, play...” command. Minus a few times where the device doesn't quite catch what you're saying no matter how well you enunciate, it's an easy way to pass the time.
121 Blackjack
What's a list of 21 Google Home games without 21 Blackjack? It's the classic card game that uses the virtual assistant as a dealer to "shuffle" or "deal" the cards. Whether you hit or stay, the speaker will keep score and tell you how you did at the end of the round.
26 Swords
In this epic fantasy challenge, you will lead a group of mercenaries on an adventure past monsters and treacherous lands to retrieve a stash of gold. Filled with engaging storytelling and, of course, swordplay, this game is a fun way to kill time.
3Akinator
The Akinator is a genie that claims to be able to read your mind, and will ask you questions to guess what you're thinking.
4Number Recall
The assistant will read you a series of digits that you will have to remember, adding a digit each time you get it right, and removing one if you get it wrong.
5Classic Hangman
You know it and love it well: This is the tried-and-true hangman where you guess the letters in a word before your hangman loses its head. Be sure to keep your wits about you and speak carefully so the virtual assistant understands you.
6Absurd is the Word
A game of "which would you rather," this party-friendly word activity asks players to choose between two "absurd" options and discover which one is the most popular.
7'Friends' Trivia
Think you remember all there is to know about the iconic group of TV buddies? Well, this game will be there for you with a chance to use all the random Friends knowledge you've been saving for this very moment.
8Guess My Age
Let Google Home figure out how young you are by asking you questions to narrow down your age.
9Ding Dong Coconut
In a game as off-the-wall as its name, the speaker will introduce different sounds and an unrelated word you must say after you hear each sound. Combining memory and listening skills, it gets challenging pretty quickly.
10'Star Wars' Trivia Challenge
Tapping Anthony Carboni and Andi Gutierrez, hosts of The Star Wars Show, to deliver the questions, this trivia game provides multiple-choice answers from across the galaxy and four Star Wars films.
11Mad Libs
The "world's greatest word game" on Google Home starts out by telling you it's pretending to get a pencil. Give the virtual assistant your favorite words for it to use in a ridiculous story.
12Musical Chairs
Tell Google Home how many people are playing, gather some chairs, and let the assistant play music until it’s elimination time. For an extra laugh, do all the silly dances it suggests.
13SongPop
Name that tune! This music trivia challenge asks you to choose a musical genre before it plays a snippet of a song for you to guess the name of the tune. The better you perform, the harder it gets.
14Never Have I Ever
Let Google Home get all in your business with these question prompts.
15Freeze Dance
A great activity for the kiddos, Freeze Dance plays generic dance music for a few seconds before randomly cutting it off so you can get your freeze on. Show off your dancing skills with the different silly dances it calls out, like the Moonwalk and the Sprinkler. With all the "ice cold" puns, they might melt into giggles before they're done playing.
16SoundPet
A SoundPet is a cross between a Pokémon and a Tamagotchi — only entirely made of cute sound effects. Relive your virtual pet owner glory days with this adorable game that puts your imagination to the test.
17Taylor Swift Lyrics
If you're a Swiftie, here is your stage to shine. Match up Taylor Swift's lyrics to the titles of her songs. When you get one right, the applause will make you feel like a queen.
18Sub War
For the RPG lovers, Sub War imagines you as the captain of a submarine whose mission is to evade or destroy the other subs in the Acton Straits. Limited ammo ups the ante for this clever action game.
19Lucky Trivia
Feeling lucky? Get into this trivia game that tests your knowledge on random facts like who Laura Palmer's killer was on Twin Peaks. (I totally guessed the right answer; you'll do fine.)
20Riddle Room
For older kids and adults, this game of riddles might leave you stumped until you realize the answer was easier than you thought.
21Truth Or Dare
This old-school game comes with an “offensive content” warning, so it’s not for the little ones. Play it at a grown-up party or with your partner to let the virtual sparks fly.
This article was originally published on