Alexa is so much more than just a weather and trivia guru. Of course, you can ask your Alexa smart speaker to turn off the lights in your bedroom, turn the heating up and find out what the weather is going to be like for the next day. But, Alexa can also tell jokes – it’s pretty good at them too – and it can also be a games master.
We’ve got an entire guide on how to use Alexa which covers everything from setting up smart home devices to the kinds of commands you can ask from it. Here though, we’re all about the fun. These are our favourite 12 games to play on your Echo, Echo Show or Echo Dot speakers.
Either Or
The title of this game is pretty self explanatory – you have to choose between two situations. We aren’t talking life and death here, but more have the ability to fly but only at 5 miles an hour, or be able to teleport instantly but only to places you’ve never been. Perfect for family time, or to play by yourself to kill some time.
Skill to enable: Either Or
Commands: “Alexa, play would you rather”
Tic Tac Toe
We love a game of classic Noughts and Crosses – it’s fun for all the family from the littles to the adults. We recommend drawing on a piece of paper but if your brain can hack it, simply occupy three positions in a row to win. The 3 by 3 positions for Tic Tac Toe are referred to as follows:
- Top Left | Top | Top Right
- Left | Center | Right
- Bottom Left | Bottom | Bottom Right
Skill to enable: Tic Tac Toe
Command: “Alexa, ask Tic Tac Toe for a new game”
Escape the Room
A little like an Escape Room but much cheaper and you don’t have to leave your house. The premise of this game is that you’re trapped in a room and you have to get out. Search your room, pick up items, and solve puzzles to find your way out. There are six rooms to choose from, starting with the easiest – Jail Cell – and moving to Airplane as the hardest.
Skill to enable: Escape the Room
Commands: “Alexa, open Escape Room”, “Look Right”, “Inspect Door”
Freeze Dancers
In our day, this game was basically called musical statues and someone had to be in charge of stopping and starting the music. Well, with Freeze Dancers Alexa can do it all for you. When the music stops, you have to stop dancing until the music starts again. If you move when that music has stopped, you’re out.
Skill to enable: Freeze Dancers
Commands: “Alexa, start freeze dancers”
Song Quiz
Sticking with the music theme, Alexa’s Song Quiz tests your music knowledge across six decades. Compete with friends or guests to guess song titles and artists, with the ability to play specific genres or anything from the 60s to today’s hits.
Skill to embed: Song Quiz
Command: ”Alexa, start Song Quiz”
Skyrim Very Special Edition
Bethesda has brought Skyrim to Alexa. Yes, really. Explore a wacky voice-controlled version of the game. Slay dragons, cast spells, and raid dungeons using your Thu’um (voice). Expect classic Skyrim elements like sweet rolls, arrow-filled knees, and countless cheese wheels. Battle your way to up a mountain rather than around, or maybe just chase butterflies.
Skill to embed: Skyrim Very Special Edition
Commands: ”Alexa, open Skyrim”, ”Use shout”, ”Attack with weapon”
Twenty Questions
This one doesn’t need all that much introduction – the clue is in the name. Think of something in your head and Alexa will attempt to figure out what that something is within 20 questions. It’s recommended that you try and focus on boarder terms for animals, plants and objects. If you’re thinking of something that is not an animal or plant, say mineral.
Skill to enable: Twenty Questions
Commands: Alexa, play Twenty Questions”, ”Alexa, open Twenty Questions and use an animal”
The Queen’s Mathematician
The Queen’s Mathematician is a math game for kids aged 6-8. Players use their math skills to solve word problems and unlock charms that free the kidnapped Tree Queen. The game takes place in a quirky treehouse castle and offers endless combinations for replaying over and over (and over) again.
Skill to enable: The Queen’s Mathematician
Commands: ”Alexa, Open the Queen’s Mathematician”
True or False
True or False is an absolute classic of a game and with Alexa, it’s even better. This fast-paced trivia game allows you to challenge your friends’ knowledge, with up to 20 players able to take part. Simple rules hide tricky questions, making it a perfect party icebreaker.
Skill to enable: True or False
Commands: ”Alexa, play true or false”
Heads Up!
Play the Ellen DeGeneres game “Heads Up!” with Alexa for a great game for dinner guests or some Sunday family fun. Guess words from clues in categories including naming celebrities and identifying movies. Start with free decks like Family Fun, Music Stars and Animals Gone Wild, but you can unlock more with Heads Up Gold.
Skill to enable: Heads Up!
Command: ”Alexa open Heads Up!”
Mighty Trivia
Climb the Mighty Trivia leaderboard by guessing what Alexa is pretending to be with up to five hints. Faster answers, fewer hints, and harder guesses mean you get more points. The Trivia spans various topics with three tries per question. If you need help? Say “another hint.” If you get an easy question wrong, don’t worry, Alexa will reveal the answer so you’ll know for next time.
Skill to enable: Mighty Trivia
Command: ”Alexa, open mighty trivia”, ”Another hint”, ”Are you a lion?”
Hide and Seek
Alexa’s Hide and Seek lets you be the hider – perfect for the little people in your home if you don’t want to play Hide and Seek. Choose your spot, stay quiet, and Alexa will try to find you in three guesses. Make sure you speak up so she can hear you and if you want more hiding places, review the skill and suggest some – you never know!
Skill to enable: Hide and Seek
Command: ”Alexa, open Hide and Seek”
