Once your Amazon Alexa device is set up, you can use it to remain informed (news and weather updates), connected (video calls), and entertained (podcasts and video content).
One of the most fun ways to use Alexa is to play some of its many excellent games.
Related Article: What can Alexa do for senior citizens?
This article features 13 of my favorite Alexa games for seniors, from Trivia and Quizzes to Puzzles and popular TV show games.
How to Play Games on Alexa?
Alexa has many built-in features but it can also get added features that are known as “Skills”. Skills are like apps on your smartphone.
There are 150,000+ Alexa Skills including thousands of games.
You need to “enable” a skill to use it. To get a game on your Alexa device, you can ask “Alexa, enable [game name]” or enable it using the Alexa app on your smartphone.
- Open the Alexa app on your phone and tap the Menu icon at the top left (3 horizontal lines)
- Tap on the Skills and Games option in the drop-down menu
- You can Search the game by its name or browse by Categories or use the Discover option (recommendations and editor picks)
- Tap on the game name and tap on Enable to Use option
- In the Skill Permissions screen, select the check box for the request and tap on Save Permissions.
Your skill (game) is now enabled. You can now play the game by asking “Alexa, play/start/open the [game name]”.
13 Best Alexa Games for Seniors
This list has our recommendation of the top 13 Alexa games for elderly. You will get the best of Trivia games, Quizzes, Puzzles, and classic options.
1: Twenty Questions
Think of anything and Alexa will try to guess it in 20 or fewer questions. You can think of something from the Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, or Music categories.
Ask “Alexa, play Twenty Questions” to start the game. Think of something and follow along. Alexa will ask you some questions. You can answer with “yes”, “no”, “irrelevant”, “unknown”, “probably”, “doubtful” or “sometimes”. Skip a question by saying “next” or “I don’t know” if you are not sure, but it will not count towards the 20 questions limit.
You may get some repeated and strange questions. Alexa wins if she guesses what you are thinking after 20 questions or less.
You will have loads of fun playing Twenty Questions, it is a game for all ages.
2: Akinator
Akinator can read your mind. Think about a real or fictional character and Akinator will try to guess. It is a form of Twenty Question where you have to answer questions with “yes” or “no” and try to stump Alexa.
Start the game with a voice command like “Alexa, start Akinator” and follow the prompts. This is a free game but offers premium in-app purchase. The premium version adds several other themes including animals, movies, and objects.
Akinator supports many other languages besides English. You will be surprised on how well Akinator can guess the character. His funny responses like “well well” and “hmmm” are hilarious, after you answer some questions.
3: Heads Up!
Heads Up! Is a fun game introduced by Ellen DeGeneres on her show. It is also available on Alexa. You can start the game by asking “Alexa, play Heads Up” or “Alexa, ask Heads Up to play Superstars” after it is enabled.
From naming a celebrity to identifying a movie name, Alexa will help you guess what is on the card. Guess the word before time runs out.
You can start a practice round by asking “Alexa, open Heads Up! And play a practice round”. The free decks include Superstars, Blockbuster Movies, and Fictional Characters.
4: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is one of the favorite Alexa games for seniors and the whole family. Get on the hot seat and answer the questions to climb the money tree (from $500 to $1,000,000).
Got stuck? Use the lifelines. One wrong answer and you are out of the game. The questions are updated every day.
Start the game with a voice command like “Alexa play Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and jump on the hot seat with your knowledge.
This is an ideal game for older adults to stimulate their brains and maintain cognitive skills.
5: Animal Game
Animal Game is another guessing game that is popular among older adults and all other age groups. Think of an animal and test Alexa’s knowledge and see if Alexa can guess your chosen animal.
Alexa will ask you some basic questions like what color is the animal and does it live in a hot climate. Alexa knows about more than 300 animals and you will love some interesting facts about the animals. I was amazed to know that rats laugh when they are tickled and no polar bear has ever met a penguin.
Start the game with the “Alexa, start Animal Game” voice command after it is enabled. Follow the prompt and have fun challenging Alexa.
6: Trivia Battle
One of the best Alexa games for elderly in the trivia category. It is a daily trivia game where players from different states compete to get their state on top of the leaderboard. Thousands of challenging questions on a variety of topics including science, math, history, general knowledge, and entertainment. The game provides loads of fun and learning at the same time.
You play 8 questions daily.
Your points count toward your individual score, but also toward your state score. Use a voice command like “Alexa, check state leaderboard” to check the points and position of your state and other states on the leaderboard.
You can also ask “Alexa, check player standings” to see other players’ scores during the game.
Once Trivia Battle is enabled on your device, you can ask “Alexa, open/play/start Trivia Battle” to get the game started.
7: Either Or
The next of the best Alexa games for seniors is a fun and addicting game, Either Or. You are presented with two silly and lighthearted situations. Choose one to see if the rest of the world agrees with your option.
There are hundreds of family-friendly questions to have fun and keep you entertained for hours. This is an ideal group game that you can play at parties, family gatherings, and sleepovers.
New questions are continuously added to keep the game fresh. Ask “Alexa, start Either Or” after enabling it on your device. You can ask Alexa to “skip”, “repeat”, “let’s start over and “help”.
The categories include Standard, Magic, Superheroes, Summer, and Animal.
8: Tic Tac Toe
Tic Tac Toe is a classic game, loved by all ages. Enable the Tic Tac Toe (a.k.a. Noughts and Crosses) on your Alexa device and have unlimited fun playing the game on your memory or sketching the moves on paper.
Alexa is quite sneaky but may have a lapse of concentration at times. Your goal is to snatch a win from Alexa. Start a new game by asking “Alexa, ask Tic Tac Toe for a new game”.
You have to be the first one to occupy 3 positions in a row to win the game. The 3×3 board is divided into 9 sections. Make your move by selecting a position using the commands as shown below.
9: The Daily Question
The next of the best Alexa games for elderly is The Daily Question, one of the most popular questions/ trivia games for Alexa. You will be asked a question daily and the right answer means you win $1000 of fantasy money.
For every 3 games played, you will get a mega-bonus question with the opportunity to win even more money. Once you have answered the daily question, you can come back throughout the day to see how many players got the answer right.
Here are some of the common voice commands for The Daily Question.
- To start the game “Alexa, open/play/start the Daily Question”
- To hear the question again “Alexa, repeat”
- To set a reminder “Alexa, remind me to play the Daily Question every day”
The sound effects add to the fun. Mega Bonus Question comes with a loud and exciting noise. The Daily Questions spins the wheel to get the worth of bonus questions. If you play the game on the Echo devices, you will love the exciting pictures.
10: Puzzle of the Day
If you like crossword puzzles, Puzzle of the Day is a must-have Alexa game for you. You get a five words daily puzzle. Every time you solve a word, a letter is revealed to help you solve the subsequent word. Guess the day’s theme by guessing all 5 words.
You get bonus points for speed and less reveals.
A comprehensive leaderboard means you can see other players’ performance. You can play solo or with friends who own an Alexa device. A customer-submitted puzzle is featured every Thursday, you can create a puzzle and submit it.
Here are some of the commands to help you play the puzzle.
- “Alexa, play Puzzle of the Day” to start
- “Alexa, repeat the clue” to repeat
- “Pass” to pass to the next unsolved word
- “Go to X” to go to an unsolved word
- “Reveal a letter” to reveal a letter in the current word
- “Reveal the word” to reveal the whole word (no point is awarded)
- “Brief mode on/off” shorter responses and smoother gameplay
This fun little puzzle is an ideal mind activity and puzzles like these keep your mind active and sharp.
11: Deal Or No Deal
Fun Alexa game based on the hit TV show Deal or No Deal. This is the official Alexa skill where you try to win the ultimate prize of $1,000,000.
Start the game by choosing a briefcase that you think contains the ultimate prize of 1 million dollars. Eliminate other briefcases one by one to reveal what you have lost. Consider the banker’s offers to quit during the game.
The free version gives one play each day. Access the game by asking “Alexa, open Deal or No Deal” after it is enabled, and have fun playing the game daily.
12: Truth or Dare
One of the most popular Alexa games for seniors, to play in a group. Sit in a circle and decide on the first player to start. The player has to ask Alexa for a truth or dare. If the players can’t complete the challenge, they are out. The last person still in the circle wins the game.
Use commands “Alexa, ask Truth or Dare for a truth” or “Alexa, ask Truth or Dare for a Dare” to play the game.
Expect hilarious truth-and-dare challenges. The content is regularly updated so you do not get repeated challenges. Make some memories together and have loads of laughs and fun.
13: True or False
Test your knowledge with the Trivia game True or False. The rules are simple but the questions can get hard. This multiplayer game is perfect for gatherings.
The multiplayer mode supports up to 20 players.
The game is updated every week so you can come back each week to test your Trivia skills. You can also share some facts to add to the game. The cool graphics make it a perfect Trivia game for Echo devices.
I hope you like the 13 Alexa games for older adults as much as I do. Have a look at other Alexa articles to get the most out of your Alexa devices.
- Best Alexa Commands for Seniors
- Best Alexa tips for seniors
- The Ultimate Alexa Guide with 15 Skills for Seniors
- Using Alexa to monitor parents
I don’t have an Alexa but I’ve really enjoyed your 10 TED Talks for Seniors!
Thanks for putting this website + helpful information together. I help a group of crafting seniors at our local library + I’m going to share your website with them. I am confident your information will be able to help quite a few of them!
But I had my identity stolen back in 2003 and so I don’t generally provide my info on sites like this. BUT – thanks again for doing this!
Thank you 🙂 that means a lot