Key Takeaways
- Amazon Echo devices can be used for more than just smart home control.
- Echo games are a fun way to pass time and create social connections.
- Most games are free and easy to play, though there are a few that offer in-app purchases.
Amazon’s Echo devices allow you to control your smart home with simple verbal commands. While most people are aware of this feature, many don’t realize Echo devices also offer games that can help pass the time. To make finding these games easier, we’ve put together a short list of some of the most fun ones available right now.
Say, “Alexa, enable Mini Games.”
Likely deserving of its own article, Mini Games is more a collection than a single stand-alone title. When you enable this Alexa Skill, you’ll be treated to sixteen silly games that you can play on your Amazon Echo Show. These include variations on classic time wasters like rock, paper, scissors.
Beat the Buzzer, for example, is a familiar take on trivia-style true/false questions. Chocolate Factory, unsurprisingly, puts you in charge of production at a chocolate factory. Reindeer Racing allows you to saddle up one of Santa’s reindeer and race. Number Snake is reminiscent of the serpentine 8-bit game found on many handheld devices. And those few are just a sample of the total number of games you can play.
Say, “Alexa, play Would You Rather?”
Would You Rather? is a twist on the party game that aims to turn a boring gathering into a lively social event. This version of the old-school game makes its way to Alexa with a series of strange and entertaining questions.
If you’ve never played before, the premise is simple. After starting the game, you’re presented with two choices, and you have to decide which choice you’d rather make. The humor lies in the unusual hypothetical situations you’re asked to choose between.
Overall, Would You Rather? is a fast-paced and fun way to break the ice with house guests without the old-fashioned awkwardness of boring small talk.
Say, “Alexa, open Animal Detective.”
Fun for the whole family, Animal Detective by Azalea asks players to identify specific animals based on animal facts. It might sound simple, but some facts offered were actually pretty surprising. On the other hand, some were fairly easy to guess. However, that didn’t take away from the experience.
The real fun in this game stems from the fact that kids will learn numerous interesting tidbits about the animal kingdom in a way that keeps them entertained. Play it on your Amazon Echo Show for even more fun.
Say, “Alexa, open Family Duel.”
If you’ve ever watched daytime TV, you’re probably familiar with a survey-style game with a similar name. Only, instead of being hosted by Steve Harvey and his iconic mustache, this version is hosted by none other than your Amazon Echo device.
The big idea behind the game involves contestants trying to guess the top results of questions given to a 100-person survey panel. For every answer you guess correctly, you get points equal to the number of survey participants who answered similarly. The highest score at the end of the game wins. Survey says, “awesome.”
Say, “Alexa, open Escape the Room.”
Escape the Room is designed to test your powers of observation and inference. You start the round “trapped” in a room. To escape, you’ll need to search the room for clues, pick up items, and solve intricate puzzles. But don’t worry, if the puzzles prove too difficult, you can also ask for hints.
In this version, there are multiple rooms to choose from. You interact with the game using a string of verbal commands like “look,” “inspect,” and “use.” Study the contents of the room and employ them to make your escape. Rooms include: The Jail Cell, which poses the easiest puzzles; The Office, which is slightly harder; and finally, The Car, which is the toughest of the three rooms.
Say, “Alexa, open Deal or No Deal.”
Itching to play this massively popular game show from the comfort of your home? Well, with this Alexa Skill, you can. Deal or No Deal promises all the excitement of the former game show phenomenon right from the comfort of your own home.
Try your hand at winning $1,000,000, consider offers from a shadowy banker, and eliminate numbered briefcases as you draw ever closer to winning big bucks. And while the dollars may not be real, the experience is a wealth of family fun.
Say, “Alexa, play Head’s Up.”
The wacky card guessing game made popular via The Ellen Degeneres Show finds its way to Alexa. Start with one of three free card decks, or buy more via the in-app purchase of Head’s Up Gold. Either way, your guessing can begin immediately.
Play against a ticking clock and use your imagination to guess the meaning behind each card. Card clues range from celebrities and blockbuster movies to famous fictional characters. And Alexa can go from pretty vague to pretty on-the-nose. But that’s all part of the fun!
For a little racier action, there’s also an “adult’s only” deck with mature content not suitable for younger players. If that sort of thing is more your speed, then you may want to check out these other weird Alexa Skills.
Say, “Alexa, open Common Knowledge.”
Some things are just common sense, right? Not so fast. Common Knowledge tests you to find out how you rank among other people in the realm of common sense. It does so by asking fact-based questions that most people will know the answers to. Think you can answer them all?
Challenge your knowledge base, learn new information, and compete with your friends over who has the broader sense of common knowledge—all with this fun Echo game.
Say, “Alexa, open Twenty Questions.”
The final entry in our list of fun games to play on your Amazon Echo is the always-interesting Twenty Questions. Think of something, and Alexa will try to guess what you’re thinking by asking a series of questions. Is what you’re thinking of an animal? Vegetable? Mineral? Alexa is determined to find out.
If Amazon’s smart assistant is still stumped after it has asked twenty questions, then you win! But, if Alexa guesses your answer in less than twenty questions, you’ll have to start over. This game is a great way to keep your kids busy or just entertain yourself when you’re stuck at home alone.
Amazon’s Echo devices and Alexa offer many games across a range of genres. Whether you are on your own or with a group of friends, there is bound to be something in this list that will keep you engaged and entertained.
