21 questions is a getting-to-know-you game. One player asks the other up to 21 questions, then they swap. The 50 questions above run from silly openers to a few personal ones, so you can pick the 21 that suit who you’re playing with.
How to play
The classic version is for two people, face to face, on a walk, on a long drive or over text. It also works in a small group.
- Decide who asks first. That player asks one question at a time, from this list or their own.
- The other player answers honestly or says “pass”. A pass still uses up one of the 21, so nobody is pushed to answer.
- After 21 questions, swap roles.
- In a group, the asker can direct each question at one player, or everyone can answer the same question in turn.
There’s no score and no winner. The game ends when both of you have had a turn, or sooner if the talk has wandered somewhere better.
Play it in rounds
If you don’t know each other well, split the game into three rounds of seven questions:
- Round one: easy openers. Quick answers, lots of laughing.
- Round two: the “what if” questions. People reveal a lot when they imagine.
- Round three: getting-to-know-you questions, and the deeper ones only if you both want them.
Asking the same question back is allowed, and often the best part.
With a crush or a new friend
Use the list as a starting point, not a script. When an answer has a detail in it, ask about that detail. The follow-ups below work after almost any answer. Save the deeper questions for when you’re both relaxed; a question about fears or what home means lands better on a slow evening than at a loud party.
For more first-meeting questions, try questions for a new friend or getting-to-know-you questions. If you want to guess a secret object instead, that’s 20 questions.