You may be wondering: why have another list of games for 3 people when we already have a list of drinking games for 3 people? The point is that not all of you want to get drunk while playing, we get that. Oh, and maybe you want to have a blast with your family members, so, it wouldn’t be that conscientious of you to play & drink alcohol with people younger than 21. Don’t worry tho’, these games are here to save you…
Straight to the point, we’re about to show you a bunch of different types of games (including outdoor activities, board games, cards, dice games, trivia, and similar) followed by playing instructions, a photo to represent the game, and even tips on how to have the best experience. We took our time and filtered the best out of them, so there’s no doubt you’ll find something you’ll adore.
- Outdoor games;
- Lawn Darts;
- Frisbee;
- Spud;
- Bean Bag Toss;
- Board & card games;
- Dune: Imperium;
- Great Western Trail;
- Cards Against Humanity;
- The Crew;
- Linkee!;
- Classics;
- UNO;
- Darts;
- Monopoly;
- 5 Seconds Rule;
- Games to help you connect with people;
- This Or That?;
- Most Likely To…;
- Top Five;
- Online games;
- Borderlands 3;
- Among Us;
- Fall Guys;
- Final thoughts;
Outdoor Games
No matter how far things go, a part of us will always want to go out and play, just like back when we were kids. If you’re willing to try a different game or simply need glimpses of games you already know, keep reading!
1. Lawn Darts
Recommended age: 6+;
Preparation: You’ll need the darts & rings. This equipment is available on Amazon for $27.99.
Lawn Darts is that type of game you could play with all ages of the family. The game could also be played in teams, but since you’re only 3 people playing, that isn’t possible. In simple words, you have to land the darts inside the rings, and for each successful shot, you get 3 points. But there’s a twist… If another player scores a ringer, yours get canceled. You get points in other situations as well, such as having your dart closest to the rings. The goal of the game is to score exactly 21 points, no more or less. The first player to do that wins the game.
2. Frisbee
Recommended age: 10+;
Preparation: A frisbee disk is required. If you don’t have one, you could find it in whatever toy or sports shop.
No guys, we’re not talking about Beersbee this time, classic Frisbee will do the job! The game is all about throwing and catching the disk. All you need to do is find a large space, stay at a distance, and start playing. Now, it’s up to you if you want to receive points, or if you just want to have fun and get yourself energized. Whatever you choose, end the game whenever you’re bored of it, since there’s no specific point. There’s also a thing called Ultimate Frisbee, which is a competition type of way, but that is not possible if there are only 3 players.
3. Spud
Recommended age: 8+;
Preparation: All you’ll need to play Spud is a ball.
If you haven’t ever played Spud before, you’ve missed a lot! Straight to the point, for each round, there will be a ‘boss’ player. That player secretly gives the other 2 players a specific number, color, animal name, or whatever, which they will be recognized with. Now, the boss player has to throw the ball as high as they can and call out the number of one of the players.
Next, everyone has to run away from the ball, except the player whose number was called. When that player catches the ball, they yell ‘SPUD!’ and that means that the other players should freeze. Then, he/she can move 3 steps forward and try to hit one of the 2 players with the ball. If they successfully do that, the hit player gets the ‘S’. Otherwise, the thrower gets the letter. Whoever gets ‘Spud’ first, loses.
4. Bean Bag Toss
Recommended age: 5+;
Preparation: You can make your own boards with a hole on them, and use some pillows that fit in that hole, or optionally purchase the full supplies on Amazon (30.95).
Typically, the game would be ideal if played in teams of 2 people. However, we don’t care about the ideal. We love experimenting! Now, 2 people will play at once, and each will have their board. Taking turns, one player at a time has to throw the bean bags into the hole. If you throw inside the hole you get 3 points, and if your bean bag lands on the board, you get 1 point. Whoever scores 12 points first, wins the round, and then competes with the remaining player. The target score once again is 12.
Board & Card Games
Our love for this category of games is unconditional. Just so you know, this is not about the classic card games for 3 people, we’ve already dealt with that! Below you’ll find our top 5 board & card games, speaking of experience!
1. Dune: Imperium
Recommended age: 13+;
Get the game: Amazon ($48.49) or Target ($48.49);
Dune: Imperium is a deck-building board game, which also deals with worker placement. You’ll play one of the 4 available houses (characters), and all of them have their own powers & traits. Every player fights to extend the planet and take control of the spice. Using your strategy, you’ll play cards, activate locations, gain effects, send agents to different regions, fight on the battleground, and more. The game usually ends when a player has scored 10 or more points, or after 10 rounds of playing are finished.
Here’s a video of instructions: How to Play Dune Imperium in 14 Minutes.
2. Great Western Trail
Recommended age: 12+;
Get the game: Amazon ($55.94);
Let’s head over to another amazingly interesting board game. Now, you represent one of the cattlemen. Based on that, you will move from one city to another, use
actions of specific locations, gain income, draw cards, pay fees, get private buildings, and many more cool actions. The board and the contents themselves are pretty unique. On the board, you’ll find different locations, including the job market, Indian trade section, station master spaces, railroad track, and more. During the game, you’ll also get victory points, which will determine the winner at the end. Hint: the board game deals with Kansas City.
To help you out, here’s a more detailed video to explain the game: How to Play Great Western Trail.
3. Cards Against Humanity
Recommended age: 17+;
Get the game: Amazon for $29.99 (but other packs could be found at our shop too).
Feels illegal that we haven’t talked about Cards Against Humanity in a while. It’s worth the hype. Even though you were told that it could be played only by 4 to 20+ people, we’ve found such a cool way for you to play it with 3 players only! The whole idea behind the game is that one of you, the Card Czar will have to read a black card, and the other 2 players must find a funny white card to make a good combination. Whoever the Card Czar thinks is the most hilarious answer, that player gets one point. You may play until you get bored, and obviously, whoever has the most points, wins. FYI, the game is not that innocent!
4. The Crew
Recommended age: 10+;
Get the game: Amazon ($9.99) or Target ($9.99);
Let’s welcome a cooperative game relating to science and astronauts specifically. Wait till you hear the best news. It is one of the games under $10! Now, the game is based on one main concept: there is the ninth planet in the solar system! All players, in one way or another, have to complete 50 missions, which together will tell a story. The most beautiful thing is that all players have to work together, and there’s a victory only if all missions are successfully completed. Therefore, you may also lose. The challenging thing is that you may not communicate with each other about the cards. You’ll find your way out!
5. Linkee!
Recommended age: 12+;
Get the game: Amazon ($30.41);
It’s finally that time of the article: a trivia game! Luckily, this game has a total of 357 cards, and each of them has a question on it. Here’s the thing: the point is not all about answering these questions. The goal is to find a common link for 4 answers at a time. Therefore, if your answers to 4 questions were butter, microwave, sweet, and toffee, your link might be popcorn. Now, you will have a clue and the link written, so this is how you’ll know if you got it right. For every correct link, you get a letter. Whoever gets the word ‘LINKEE’ spelled, wins!
Classics
Classic games age like fine wine. They work incredibly well with different groups of people, especially for small groups, in our case, 3 people. Each one of them is pretty unique, has interesting gameplay, and develops different skills.
1. UNO
Recommended age: 7+;
Preparation: Everything that is required to play this game is the UNO deck of cards. You can find them in your local shops, or at Amazon for $5.99.
As you may have noticed, UNO is one of our all-time favorites. After you all get your pile of cards, you can only play them if your card and the top discarded card match by number or color. There are also special cards that will help you challenge your friends. Wild, Draw +2, Skip, Reverse, and Draw +4, are just some of these cards. What makes it special is that once you have only 1 card left in your hand, you have to yell UNO, or else, you will get punished. A great edition of this card game is the All Wild Deck, so make sure to consider that!
2. Darts
Recommended age: 10+;
Preparation: You’ll need the dartboard and sets of darts.
Not only a fun game, but Darts also challenges our brain and increases hand-eye coordination. Even though there are many game variations, the classic one is pretty simple. Now, everyone’s goal is to reduce their points to 0. You may start at 501or 301 points, and whoever gets to 0 first, wins. All 3 players take turns throwing the darts, 3 darts at a time. On the dartboard, every part has a specific number of points, so that’s what you should be looking for. Pay attention so that everyone throws from the same distance and the game goes fairly.
3. Monopoly
Recommended age: 8+;
Preparation: Monopoly has its special board and cards, which are required to play. All the equipment is available at Target ($16.34) and Amazon ($27.99).
Appreciation post to all our real-estate & business games lovers! Monopoly is a board game where each player does their best to send other players to bankruptcy while remaining financially stable. Checking the number on the dice, you will move among the board, collect money, sell properties, pay fees, go to ‘jail’, get mortgaged, and more. Remember that each player starts with $1,500 in their bank, and God knows what you’ll end with by the end of the game. Use your strategy and get ready to compete!
4. 5 Seconds Rule
Recommended age: 10+ (depends on the questions);
Preparation: You may order the game pack for $13.99 on Amazon, but it isn’t required. You may ask your own questions and use a timer.
5 Seconds Rule is the game for you to see how your friends’ minds work. Long story short, the idea behind the game is that you have to name (most likely) 3 specific things in between 5 seconds. For example, a question might be to name 3 countries that start with P. Once you manage to name them all, you stop the timer and get one point. Otherwise, you don’t. If you don’t buy the game, take turns asking each other questions, and get as creative as you can. If there are only adults playing, you may play an uncensored version. It’s fun!
Games To Help You Connect With People
Games tend to be very powerful when it comes to helping you know people better. Since we’ve already discussed card games of this kind, what you’ll find below will be cardless & boardless (if these are actual words).
1. This Or That?
Recommended age: 12+;
Preparation: A list of questions is needed to play. Types of questions when you make people choose between 2 things.
This Or That? is the type of game that reveals everyone’s mindsets and all the things people like. Nothing extraordinary is required. All 3 of you take turns to ask questions, such as cats OR dogs, working 9-5 OR remotely, cold weather OR warm, and more. Of course, you can spice them up and even ask way deeper questions. Anyhow, everyone should answer all questions, because they will tell a lot. The most important thing is that everyone should be super honest and feel free to share their POVs. Questions as well may end up as conversation starters.
2. Most Likely To…
Recommended age: 13+ (again, depends on the questions);
Preparation: You’ll need to have a good list of Most Likely To… questions, and we already took care of that!
This game is usually played with people you already know some stuff about. In simple words, you have to guess which one of you three is most likely to do or relate to something. There are different categories of questions, from innocent to dirty, and you choose your thing. For instance, one of the questions might be: who’s most likely to go shopping in pajamas, you should guess which of the players fits best, including yourself. There’s also a drinking version where the one who gets voted the most has to drink, but the sober one is fun itself.
3. Top Five
Recommended age: 10+;
Preparation: You will need some Top 5 categories in order to play.
Top 5 will help you find things in common with people, about different topics. You may write down some categories or spontaneously ask the group. For example, you may talk about the top 5 TV shows, foods, albums, travel destinations, and all other ideas you may have. It would be even better if you discussed your choices, reasoning why they are your favorite, and this is how many cool conversations begin. When everyone gives their top 5 picks, you’ll find what things you commonly like, and your friendships become even stronger!
Online Games
Whatever we do, we can’t run that far from technology. We’re conscious that y’all enjoy video games, and that’s the reason we will now present to you 3 of the best video games for 3 players. They’re magical.
1. Borderlands 3
Recommended age: 12+;
Platforms: Xbox, PlayStation 4 & 5, Mac OC, Microsoft Windows, etc.
Borderlands 3 is a role-playing, action game, which has 4 playable characters: Amara, Moze, Zane, and FL4K. The story happens on the planet Pandora and it deals with Vaults’ amounts of treasure and technology. During the game, you may complete side quests, gain weapons, or even better, level up. The 3d edition is a continuation of the other Borderlands versions, so the plot is connected to one another. While completing different missions, there are 5 different ways the game could end. Aren’t you excited to try them all out?
If you’re interested to play, take a look at this video: Borderlands 3 Full Game Walkthrough
2. Among Us
Recommended age: 10+;
Platforms: IOS, Android, Microsoft, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PS 4 & 5, and more.
Among Us is proof that video games don’t need to be complicated to be fun! This one is a party social deduction game, where depending on the number of players, there will be a specific number of impostors, whose objective is to kill all the other crewmates. However, the latter have their own tasks which need to be completed. Once a player is voted out or rejected, even if they were impostors or not, they become ghosts. Even though the game can start only if there are 4 players, you 3 can go online and people from all around the world will join.
3. Fall Guys
Recommended age: Unlimited;
Platforms: PS 4 & 5, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo, and more.
It’s time to talk about a very lovely battle royale game, Fall Guys! All players are represented as jelly bean figures. All players will have to jump, move around, grab, climb, and survive, and the goal is to complete mini-games which come in different variations. Remember, during all times, the complexity will keep adding. Also, you may get eliminated while playing, and most likely, you’ll fall into pink slime. However, only a few will remain in the game. These last players will have a final challenge, and whoever is last on the finish ‘line’, is the winner of the game!
Final Thoughts
3 is the most perfect, the strongest number. That is proven. To make your friendship of 3 even stronger, the games we mentioned will definitely give you a hand. You get different types of games, with different levels of difficulty, but in all of them, you’ll get to see each other’s points of view. The most important step is for you to decide on the game category, and then pick your favorite (s) game of them all!