Truth or Dare — rules, questions and dares

Truth or Dare has no score and no winner. It is the game you put on when a room has gone quiet and needs a reason to start talking.

The rules take one sentence. What actually decides whether it goes well is the quality of the questions and the one house rule below.

The rules

1. Sit in a circle and pick who goes first.
2. That player is asked: truth, or dare?
3. If they choose truth, the group asks them a question and they answer honestly. If they choose dare, the group gives them something to do.
4. Once they have answered or completed the dare, the turn passes to the next player.
5. Play until the group has had enough — there is no end condition.

The one rule that matters

Everyone gets one pass per game, no explanation required, and the group does not push. Without it, one badly chosen question makes somebody uncomfortable and the game ends for real. With it, people choose truth far more often, because they know they can stop.

Agree what is off the table before you start — usually anything involving other people's secrets, and anything nobody would want repeated tomorrow.

20 truth questions

• What is the pettiest reason you have stopped talking to someone?
• What is the biggest lie you have told to get out of plans?
• Which person in this room would you call first in an emergency, and why?
• What is something you pretend to enjoy?
• What is the worst haircut you have ever had?
• What is the most embarrassing thing in your search history this week?
• Who was your first crush and what happened?
• What is a compliment you were given that you still think about?
• What is the most money you have spent on something stupid?
• What rumour about you turned out to be true?
• What is a talent you have that nobody here knows about?
• Who in this room have you known the longest, and what was your first impression of them?
• What is the worst gift you have ever received?
• What is something you did as a child that you got away with?
• What is the last thing you cried at?
• What is your most irrational fear?
• What is the strangest thing you have done to avoid an awkward conversation?
• What is the most childish thing you still do?
• What would your teenage self be most disappointed about?
• What is a secret you kept for someone else that they would not mind you sharing now?

20 dares

• Let the person on your left post something from your account.
• Speak in an accent until your next turn.
• Call the last person in your recent calls and sing them happy birthday.
• Read out the last five messages you sent.
• Do your best impression of someone in this room until they guess who it is.
• Let the group choose your profile picture for the next hour.
• Text a friend the word "we need to talk" and wait for the reply before your next turn.
• Do twenty press-ups, badly.
• Swap an item of clothing with the player opposite you.
• Let someone else style your hair with no mirror.
• Say the alphabet backwards. One mistake and you start again.
• Balance something on your head until your next turn.
• Give a two-minute presentation on a topic the group picks.
• Let the group write your next message in the group chat.
• Do an advert for the nearest object in the room.
• Eat a spoonful of whatever the group combines from the kitchen.
• Whisper every word until your next turn.
• Let the person to your right draw on your hand.
• Compliment every person here, specifically, no repeats.
• Recreate a photo from your camera roll with the people in this room.

Variations

• Spin the bottle. Spin to choose who is asked, rather than going in order.
• Truth, Dare or Story. A third option: tell a story about a given theme. Good for groups where the dares are getting repetitive.
• Group dares. Everybody does the dare at once. Far more forgiving with a group that does not know each other well.
• Written truths. Everyone submits questions anonymously at the start and they are drawn at random, which stops the same two people being targeted.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Truth or Dare?

Sit in a circle. Each player in turn is asked whether they want a truth or a dare, then answers a question honestly or performs a task set by the group. There is no winner — play continues until the group stops.

How many people do you need for Truth or Dare?

Three is the practical minimum, since two people run out of questions quickly. It works well up to about ten, after which the wait between turns gets long.

What if someone does not want to answer?

Give every player one pass per game with no explanation needed, and agree before you start that the group does not push. It is the difference between a game people relax into and one that ends badly.

Is Truth or Dare suitable for a family game night?

Yes, if the questions are chosen for the room. Keep truths to embarrassing stories and childhood memories rather than anything private, and keep dares physical and silly.

Is there a free Truth or Dare app?

Yes. Truth or Dare is included free in WinkRoom on iPhone, iPad and Android, alongside Never Have I Ever, Impostor and Mafia. Friends join a private room with a 6-digit code.

More games to play together

• Never Have I Ever — rules and questions
• Party games for groups
• How to play Impostor
• Shtet Qytet — the Country–City game
• How to play Mafia
• Family games for all ages