Instagram story game ideas might just be your secret weapon to getting people actually interested in what stories you’re posting, if the same old “here’s my oat milk latte” content isn’t hitting the mark. No one wants to see their engagement flatline, and thankfully, you won’t have to once you unlock the true potential of instagram stories.
Instagram Stories disappear in 24 hours, but the engagement boost from interactive games? That sticks around. They work for brands trying to build community or creators looking for participation and engagement.
Without further ado, let’s check out some fun instagram game ideas that will keep your Instagram audience entertained and engaged!
What are Instagram story games?
Instagram story games are interactive content formats that encourage your followers to stop and participate rather than just swipe past. These often include mini-challenges, polls, or activities that turn passive viewers into active participants.
These games tap into something pretty basic about human psychology: we’re curious, love to participate in friendly activities, compete, and show off what we know. When someone sees a “this or that” question in your Story, they’re way more likely to tap through and engage than if you just posted another sunset photo.
The beauty of story games is that they work for everyone. Personal accounts can use them to connect with friends, while businesses can leverage them to build brand awareness and gather customer insights. Plus, Instagram’s algorithm loves engagement, so these games can help boost your overall reach.
Also Read: All You Need To Know About Instagram Candid Stories
Where to find Instagram story games?
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. Instagram’s built-in features like story stickers are actually your starting point, with polls, quizzes, and question stickers being literally designed for this. But if you want to get creative, there are tons of free templates floating around on Pinterest and design blogs.
Apps like Canva and Unfold also have pre-made story game templates that you can customize with your own questions and branding. Some creators even share story game templates in their highlights, so don’t be shy about borrowing inspiration, but don’t be that kid who copies homework down to the name! Make it your own.
How to make Instagram story games?
It’s pretty easy to create an interactive Instagram story game. Just open your Instagram and click on the ‘+’ sign to create a Story. You can add an image from your gallery relevant to the game you want to create. From there, click on the smiley face icon at the top of your story.
Here you’ll find a couple of stickers, such as the Quiz, Poll, Questions, and ‘Add Yours’ stickers. Any of these can be used to create an IG story game.
Here’s what these four stickers are specifically for:
- Polls allow users to ask a question and offer two possible answers for their followers to choose from. This is a great way to gather feedback, opinions, or preferences from your audience.
- Questions allow users to prompt their followers to ask them a question, which can be a great way to encourage engagement and conversation. Users can choose to respond to questions publicly or privately.
- Quizzes allow users to create a series of multiple-choice questions that test their followers’ knowledge or preferences on a particular topic. This is a fun way to engage with followers and create a sense of competition.
- Add Yours encourages viewers to add their image in response to what you’ve shared in the story.
21 fun Instagram story game ideas
Now for the fun part, we’ve jotted down 21 Instagram story game ideas that will have your followers stopping mid-swipe to join in on the action. It’s nothing too complicated; you just have to brainstorm how to make these ideas fall in tune with your brand, give it some of that personalized sparkle, and you’re set.
1. This or that
The classic for a reason. Present two options and let people choose. “Coffee or tea?” “Netflix or Disney+?” “Beach vacation or mountain getaway?” Use Instagram’s poll sticker to make it interactive, or create a visual template with a whole list for people to mark up.
Pro tip: Make the choices actually difficult. “Pizza or salad?” isn’t fun because everyone’s picking pizza. But “Pizza or tacos?” and you’ve got people thinking.
2. Two truths and a lie
Share three statements about yourself or your brand, with one being false. Let your followers guess which one is the lie in the comments or DMs. This works especially well for personal branding because it reveals interesting facts about you while keeping people engaged.
Make your truths genuinely surprising and your lie believable. “I’ve never broken a bone, I once ate 47 chicken nuggets in one sitting, and I speak three languages” hits differently than obvious setups.
3. Quizzes
Instagram’s quiz sticker is perfect for this. Create a pop quiz about your niche, pop culture, or general knowledge. The key is finding that sweet spot where questions are challenging but not impossible.
For businesses, product knowledge quizzes work great. “Which of our products launched first?” or “What’s the main ingredient in our bestseller?” turns marketing into entertainment.
4. Bingo
Create a custom bingo card relevant to your audience. “Monday morning bingo” with squares like “spilled coffee,” “forgot to set alarm,” or “wore mismatched socks.” Let people mark off their squares and share their results.
Holiday-themed bingo cards are pure engagement gold. “Holiday movie bingo,” “Summer vacation bingo,” or even “Dating app bingo” if that fits your brand vibe.
5. Trivia
Similar to quizzes but with a more competitive edge. Share interesting facts or ask challenging questions about topics your audience cares about. Mix easy and hard questions to keep everyone playing.
Industry trivia works well for business accounts. If you’re in fitness, ask about exercise myths. Food brands can quiz people on cooking techniques or ingredient origins.
6. Fill in the blank
If you’re a content creator, come up with blanks like “The best part of my day is ______” or “I can’t live without ______.” These games reveal personality and create opportunities for your followers to share relatable moments.
For brands, try “Our customers love us because ______,” or “The first word that comes to mind when you see our logo is ______.” It’s market research disguised as entertainment.
You could also try a fill-in-the-blank word version instead of statements to switch things up.
7. Guess who?
Share lyrics, movie quotes, audio clips, or simply emojis and let people guess the source and break the code. This taps into people’s love of showing off their pop culture knowledge.
Make it challenging but fair. Obscure indie tracks might stump everyone, while “Don’t stop believing” lyrics are too easy. Find the middle ground where people feel smart for getting it right.
8. Word search
Create simple word search puzzles related to your content or industry. While you can’t make them fully interactive in Stories, you can challenge people to find words and share their answers through Q/A stickers.
Keep the grids small and words relevant. If you’re a travel blogger, hide destination names. Food influencers can use recipe ingredients.
9. Spot the difference
Post two nearly identical images with subtle differences. This classic game format works great for product photos, behind-the-scenes content, or any visual content you already have.
Don’t make the differences too subtle (nobody wants to strain their eyes on a phone screen), but don’t make them obvious either. Three to five differences is the sweet spot.
10. Scavenger hunt
Here’s a really fun instagram story game idea that we’re always down for; scavenger hunt! Create a list of items for people to find in their homes, neighborhoods, or your content. “Find something blue,” “Find a leaf bigger than your hand,” or “Find our logo in your house.”
This game gets people moving and creating their own content, which means more Stories featuring your brand. It’s really just a win-win situation.
11. Gif challenge
Challenge followers to respond with GIFs that match certain emotions, situations, or reactions. Here’s an example of what it could look like:
The beauty of GIF challenges is that they’re easy to participate in, and the responses are usually pretty entertaining. Plus, you get a feel for your audience’s personality through their GIF choices.
12. True or false
Present statements and let people guess if they’re facts or fiction. This works particularly well for brands that want to educate their audience about industry myths or interesting facts.
Mix obvious answers with genuinely surprising ones. “Bananas are berries” (true) paired with “Strawberries are berries” (false) will mess with people’s heads in the best way.
13. Pictionary
Channel your inner third-grader and draw the most questionable sketches known to humanity. Challenge people to guess what your artistic masterpiece is supposed to represent. Spoiler alert: the worse you are at drawing, the more entertaining this becomes.
Seriously, embrace the chaos. Your stick figures and unidentifiable blob creatures will have people laughing while they try to decode whether that’s supposed to be a giraffe or a horse.
14. Confessions
“Confess your most irrational fear” or “Admit the weirdest thing in your search history.” These games tap into that universal love of oversharing that social media was basically built on. People love spilling their harmless secrets when there are no real consequences.
Keep it light and chaotic rather than genuinely personal. You want people giggling at their own weird habits, not trauma-dumping their childhood issues in your Story replies. Think “I eat pizza with yogurt” confessions, not “here’s why I have trust issues” territory.
15. Caption this
Post a funny photo without context and challenge followers to provide the best caption. This is especially fun with behind-the-scenes content, pets, or any image with obvious meme potential.
Choose photos that naturally lend themselves to humor. A confused-looking pet, an awkward group photo, or a perfectly timed candid shot usually works best.
16. Quick draw challenge
Give followers 30 seconds to draw something specific, then share the results. “Draw your ideal weekend,” “Sketch your dream vacation,” or “Draw what you think our mascot looks like.”
The time pressure is what makes this pure comedy gold. When people can’t overthink their artistic abilities, you get the most wonderfully chaotic results. It’s like speed dating but with crayons and significantly more entertainment value.
17. Maze
Create simple mazes for your followers to solve: nothing too complex because nobody has time to become a maze master on their lunch break. You can design basic ones in Canva or even draw them by hand if you’re feeling crafty.
Maze games are satisfying without being overwhelming. People get that little dopamine hit when they find the solution, plus you can theme them around your content. Travel blogger? Make a maze shaped like a passport. Food influencer? Corn maze, obviously.
18. Crossword
Mini crosswords are having a major moment, and your Stories can ride that wave. Create bite-sized crossword puzzles with clues related to your niche, your content, or just random fun facts that’ll make people feel intellectually superior.
Keep it small. We’re talking 5×5 grids max. Any bigger and you’re asking people to squint at their phone screens like they’re trying to read the fine print on their lease contract. Nobody wants that kind of eye strain for entertainment.
19. Word guess
The idea is Wordle but customized for your brand content. Give clues about a mystery word and let people guess in the comments or DMs. You can theme it around your industry or current events, or just pick random words that’ll stump people in the best way.
The trick is finding that perfect difficulty sweet spot. Your audience is basically goldilocks in the bears’ house. Don’t make it so hard that people give up faster than they abandon their New Year’s resolutions, but don’t have the answers in plain sight either!
20. Unscramble
Jumble up letters and challenge your followers to unscramble them into real words. It’s like those word puzzles from airplane magazines, except your audience actually chose to be here voluntarily.
Pro tip: Start with shorter words and work your way up to longer ones. “FFCEOE” (coffee) is manageable, easy even. “RYTPSOIELNBI” (responsibility) is unusual yet likely to have people stopping to put their thinking caps on for a moment.
21. Solve the problem
Present brain teasers, riddles, or simple math problems that’ll get people’s mental gears turning without making them question their IQ. We’re aiming for “fun mental exercise,” not “intellectual existential crisis.“
Mix up the difficulty levels and throw in some lateral thinking puzzles that don’t have obvious answers. “A man lives on the 20th floor but only takes the elevator to the 10th floor on sunny days”-type stuff. Just weird enough to be interesting, not so weird that people question your sanity on top of their own.
5 tips to create engaging Instagram story games
Now that you’ve got the Instagram story game ideas you could try in your mind, let’s talk about execution. Because a great game idea with poor execution is just… poor execution.
1. Be original
Sure, you can use popular game formats, but put your own spin on them. If everyone’s doing “this or that” with basic choices, throw in some weird options. “Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?” hits different than “coffee or tea?”
Your audience can smell recycled content from a mile away. Original content creation takes more effort, but it’s what separates memorable accounts from forgettable ones.
2. Keep it simple and fun
Complicated rules kill the vibe. If you need a paragraph to explain how your game works, it’s too complex for Stories. People are scrolling through their feeds, not settling in for a board game tutorial.
The best story games have obvious rules and quick participation. Think “tap to vote,” not “solve this riddle to unlock the next clue.”
3. Use clean, eye-catching visuals
Messy, hard-to-read graphics get skipped. Use contrasting colors, readable fonts, and clean layouts. If you’re using text, make sure it’s large enough to read on a phone without squinting.
Your visual style should match your brand but prioritize clarity over creativity. A simple, readable game beats a beautiful, confusing one every time.
4. Stick to your brand personality
If your brand is professional and polished, don’t suddenly post chaotic meme games. If you’re known for being funny and casual, don’t create formal trivia contests. Stay consistent with the voice and personality your audience expects.
That said, don’t be afraid to show different sides of your personality. Just make sure they all feel authentically you.
5. Post when your audience is active
The best game in the world won’t get engagement if nobody’s online to see it. Check your Instagram insights to see when your followers are most active, then schedule your story games accordingly to match the best posting times.
Generally, evenings and weekends see higher story engagement, but your audience might be different. Social media analytics can help you nail down the perfect timing.
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Also Read: How to schedule Instagram posts, reels & stories in 2025
Conclusion
Use these Instagram story game ideas to help build connections with your audience that go beyond likes and shares, turning passive scrollers into people who genuinely care about your content and get excited to see your Stories pop up in their feed. The games that work best are the ones that feel authentic to your brand voice, so don’t force formats that make you feel like you’re cosplaying as someone else.
Start with one or two game types that feel natural, test them out, pay attention to what your audience actually responds to (not what you think they should respond to), then gradually expand based on real results.
FAQs
How do you start an Instagram story game?
Post your game format with clear instructions using Instagram’s interactive stickers (polls, quizzes, questions). Keep rules simple, use eye-catching visuals, and engage with responses to build momentum. Start with easy games like “this or that” before trying complex formats.
How do I make my Instagram stories more fun?
Use interactive stickers, vary your content types, ask questions that spark conversations, share behind-the-scenes moments, and respond to follower interactions. Mix educational content with entertainment, and don’t be afraid to show personality. Consistency matters more than perfection.