Hard Would You Rather Questions
Two options you would both like to keep, and only room for one.
- Time
- 10–30 min
- Players
- Two or more players
- Best for
- Road trips, dinner tables and team lunches
- Deck
- 150 questions in 6 categories
How to use these hard would you rather questions
- Pick a category from the menu under the card, or keep “All categories”.
- Read the top card aloud and let everyone answer it, going around the group.
- Swipe the card away, or tap “Next question”, for the next one. Questions do not repeat until you have seen the whole category.
- Tap the heart to save a question on this device, or tap “Make a 10-question list” for a list you can copy.
When to play hard would you rather questions
A hard choice takes a minute to make and longer to explain, so these cards suit times when nobody is in a hurry. Because there is no right answer, everyone has a reason worth hearing, and the quiet players often have the most careful ones.
A long drive
Travel and home and Time and memory give the car something to argue about for miles, from window seats to longer mornings, and the driver only has to say “one” or “two”.
A slow dinner with friends
Everyday sacrifices and Superpowers with a catch keep the table talking between courses, as people try to decide which small comfort they could really live without.
A team lunch
One card from Tough trade-offs or Skills and talents gets coworkers comparing priorities, like choosing neighbors or coworkers, without anyone sharing anything personal.
Ways to play hard would you rather
Ten seconds to decide
The reader shows the card and counts down from ten out loud. Everyone has to point left for the first option or right for the second before the count ends, and only then does anyone explain. Snap choices on hard cards often surprise the person who made them.
Change my mind
With two people, one picks an option and the other gets one minute to argue for the side that was left behind. If the chooser switches, the arguer reads the next card; if not, the chooser does.
Split the table
At a dinner table or on a video call, everyone who picks the first option says “one” and everyone else says “two”. Then one person from each side gives the single best reason for their pick, and anyone can switch before the next card.
Tips for tougher choices
- Ask what the other option would cost you. Hearing what someone could not give up says more than the pick itself.
- Superpowers with a catch work best when the group talks through the catch, not the power: who could live with stripes on every wall?
- Save the cards that split the room evenly, and bring them back next time to see if anyone answers differently.
All 150 hard would you rather questions by category
The complete list, grouped by category. The cards above draw from the same list, so you can read ahead here and play there.
Tough trade-offs
Two good things, or two small hassles, and keeping one means losing the other.
- Would you rather always know the way home without a map, or always know the time without a clock?
- Would you rather have the best seat at every concert but miss the encore, or the worst seat for the whole show?
- Would you rather plan every group outing yourself, or go along with every plan without getting a vote?
- Would you rather own a huge library with no comfy chair, or one perfect reading chair and only ten books?
- Would you rather win every board game but find it a little dull, or lose most games and enjoy every one?
- Would you rather be the best cook among your friends, or live next door to the best cook in town?
- Would you rather be great at starting conversations, or great at ending them politely?
- Would you rather be the first to hear all the good news, or always be the one who gets to share it?
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- Would you rather get blunt feedback on everything you make, or only gentle compliments?
- Would you rather have a closet with five outfits you love, or fifty you only like?
- Would you rather get to choose your neighbors, or get to choose your coworkers?
- Would you rather have a favorite café that is always packed, or a so-so café where your table is always free?
- Would you rather never lose your keys again, or never lose a sock in the laundry again?
- Would you rather be wonderful at choosing gifts, or wonderful at receiving them?
- Would you rather have every meeting end ten minutes early, or every meeting be truly worth your time?
- Would you rather be known as the friend who always shows up, or the friend who gives the best advice?
- Would you rather keep a spotless home that takes an hour a day, or a cozy mess that takes no effort?
- Would you rather have a dog that needs three long walks a day, or a cat that only likes your guests?
- Would you rather have your all-time favorite dessert once a year, or a decent dessert every single day?
- Would you rather see your favorite band play in your town once, or hear any album you like in perfect sound forever?
- Would you rather have every package arrive a day early, or every package come wrapped like a present?
- Would you rather always think of the perfect reply an hour too late, or a so-so reply right away?
- Would you rather have a coworker who brings snacks every day, or one who always fixes the printer?
- Would you rather have a car with amazing speakers and stiff seats, or soft seats and a radio that crackles?
- Would you rather finish every project early but never quite love it, or love your work but finish at the last minute?
Superpowers with a catch
Handy powers, each with one small, silly rule you would have to live with.
- Would you rather learn any skill by watching it once but forget it by morning, or learn slowly and keep it forever?
- Would you rather mend any shirt with a touch but leave a star-shaped patch, or tidy any room with a snap but never your own?
- Would you rather cook any dish perfectly but only once, or cook one dish perfectly every time and nothing else well?
- Would you rather turn into any animal once a week without choosing which, or into your favorite animal once a year?
- Would you rather walk on water but only in your socks, or jump over a house but only in the rain?
- Would you rather charge any phone with a touch but hum while it charges, or boost any internet signal but only on one foot?
- Would you rather make any meal appear but always slightly cold, or make any drink appear but only in a tiny thimble?
- Would you rather never get lost but always take the longest route, or always find the shortest route but get lost once a week?
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- Would you rather play any song you think of out loud for the whole room, or hear it alone but only ten seconds of it?
- Would you rather talk to furniture that only talks about itself, or talk to cars that only talk about traffic?
- Would you rather copy any voice perfectly but only in a whisper, or sing like a star but only in the shower?
- Would you rather take photos by blinking but only ten a year, or remember every view perfectly but never show anyone?
- Would you rather keep rain off you without an umbrella but only while skipping, or never feel chilly but only while humming?
- Would you rather chat with anyone from history but only about the weather, or write them one letter and wait a year for a reply?
- Would you rather read any book in a minute but forget it in a week, or read at normal speed but never lose your page?
- Would you rather fold laundry with a clap but into the wrong drawers, or make beds with a whistle but the pillows fall off?
- Would you rather send any letter anywhere instantly but upside down, or talk to anyone far away by thought for thirty seconds a day?
- Would you rather copy any object once a day but the copy is tiny, or make any object bigger but only for an hour?
- Would you rather make car trips half as long but never pick the music, or twice as fun but twice as long?
- Would you rather have a pen that never runs out but writes only in green, or a notebook that never fills but has tiny pages?
- Would you rather paint any room by looking at it but only in beige, or wallpaper it with a snap but only in stripes?
- Would you rather understand any machine by touch but it chats all day, or fix any machine by tapping it twice but only on Mondays?
- Would you rather have a coat that is comfy in any weather but bright orange, or shoes that never get wet but squeak?
- Would you rather get any delivery in a minute but only on Sundays, or have a fridge that refills itself with the same five foods?
- Would you rather have a car that parks itself but only plays marching music, or a bike that pedals uphill but rings nonstop?
Everyday sacrifices
Give up one small comfort for good: which could you live without more easily?
- Would you rather give up hot drinks for a year, or give up cold drinks for a year?
- Would you rather give up your couch, or give up your dining table?
- Would you rather never use a microwave again, or never use a toaster again?
- Would you rather swap your favorite mug for a plain one, or your favorite pillow for a plain one?
- Would you rather give up comfy pajamas forever, or your favorite pair of shoes forever?
- Would you rather give up bread for a year, or give up rice and noodles for a year?
- Would you rather never have a lazy Sunday again, or never stay up late on a Friday again?
- Would you rather live without a dishwasher, or without a washing machine?
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- Would you rather text with no emojis ever again, or never send a photo in a message again?
- Would you rather never ride in a car again, or never get on an airplane again?
- Would you rather never eat anything spicy again, or never eat anything sweet again?
- Would you rather give up your headphones, or give up your sunglasses?
- Would you rather only take showers from now on, or only take baths?
- Would you rather watch only movies from now on, or only series?
- Would you rather go a year without soup, or a year without salad?
- Would you rather never use a spell checker again, or never use a calculator again?
- Would you rather swap your bed for a sleeping bag for a month, or your kitchen for a camping stove for a month?
- Would you rather cook without butter for a year, or cook without salt for a year?
- Would you rather give up online shopping, or give up shopping in stores?
- Would you rather lose your phone’s camera, or lose its map?
- Would you rather give up ice cubes forever, or give up whipped cream forever?
- Would you rather give up the snooze button forever, or give up afternoon naps forever?
- Would you rather give up board games, or give up card games?
- Would you rather never wear anything with pockets again, or never wear anything with a hood again?
- Would you rather give up your favorite fruit, or your favorite vegetable?
Time and memory
Longer mornings, faster chores, a perfect recall of names or jokes: pick one.
- Would you rather relive your favorite day from last summer, or get one brand-new day that nobody can plan?
- Would you rather have every long weekend feel like a week, or every workweek feel like two days?
- Would you rather remember every dream you have, or never forget where you parked?
- Would you rather read your favorite book again for the first time, or get a brand-new chapter written just for you?
- Would you rather keep a diary that writes itself every day, or a photo album that fills itself every year?
- Would you rather remember every joke you have ever heard, or every recipe you have ever tasted?
- Would you rather have mornings last twice as long, or evenings last twice as long?
- Would you rather replay any conversation word for word, or replay any song you have heard perfectly in your head?
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- Would you rather get back every minute you spent on hold, or every minute you spent looking for lost things?
- Would you rather remember everyone’s birthday without a calendar, or every phone number you have ever dialed?
- Would you rather keep one small souvenir from every trip, or one handwritten page from every year?
- Would you rather have time slow down on vacations, or speed up during chores?
- Would you rather spend one evening in your childhood bedroom, or one evening in the home you will live in someday?
- Would you rather have a clock that counts down to your next meal, or to your next day off?
- Would you rather remember the first line of every book you read, or the last line?
- Would you rather skip every Monday morning, or live every Saturday morning twice?
- Would you rather never forget a name you hear, or never forget a face you see?
- Would you rather know exactly how long every task will take, or finish every task ten minutes faster than planned?
- Would you rather always remember where you put things, or always remember why you walked into a room?
- Would you rather remember every word of the songs you love, or every rule of the games you love?
- Would you rather spend a week where every day feels like Friday, or a week where every day feels like Sunday?
- Would you rather bottle the smell of a perfect day, or the sound of a perfect day?
- Would you rather spend an hour with your favorite toy from childhood, or an hour in your favorite childhood park?
- Would you rather give up taking photos for a year, or give up looking at old photos for a year?
- Would you rather remember your first day at every job, or your first night in every home?
Travel and home
Views, couches, flights and front porches, where every upside comes with a catch.
- Would you rather have a small apartment with an ocean view, or a big house facing a parking lot?
- Would you rather have a stylish couch that is a little stiff, or a plain couch that is the comfiest ever?
- Would you rather have a long layover in an amazing airport, or a nonstop flight with no movie screen?
- Would you rather always be the driver on road trips, or always be the one navigating?
- Would you rather have a front porch on a lively street, or a back porch facing a quiet forest?
- Would you rather live next to a bakery that starts baking at 4 a.m., or next to a pond full of noisy ducks?
- Would you rather take a vacation with perfect weather and a so-so hotel, or a dream hotel and gray skies all week?
- Would you rather have someone else pack for every trip, or someone else unpack after every trip?
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- Would you rather live a five-minute walk from work, or a five-minute walk from your favorite trail?
- Would you rather have a home with a walk-in closet, or a home with a guest room?
- Would you rather sleep under a skylight, or next to a fireplace?
- Would you rather fly overnight and arrive tired but early, or fly by day and lose a whole day to travel?
- Would you rather stay somewhere with a perfect bed and a tiny shower, or a huge shower and a lumpy bed?
- Would you rather keep a garden you have to weed every week, or have a balcony with no room for plants?
- Would you rather have neighbors who throw great block parties, or neighbors who keep everything quiet?
- Would you rather paint every wall a color you love that guests find odd, or keep every wall plain white?
- Would you rather stay at a cozy inn with a shared bathroom, or a plain hotel room with your own?
- Would you rather explore a new city with a local friend, or on your own with a good guidebook?
- Would you rather have a mudroom by the front door, or a pantry the size of a bedroom?
- Would you rather visit a famous museum on its busiest day, or a tiny local museum where you are the only visitor?
- Would you rather have every flight leave on time but in a middle seat, or always get a window but leave an hour late?
- Would you rather live on a street full of trees but no sidewalks, or one with wide sidewalks and no trees?
- Would you rather always stay with friends when you travel, or always stay on your own in a hotel?
- Would you rather have a bathtub with a view of the stars, or a kitchen with a view of the sunrise?
- Would you rather spend a week in a cabin with no electricity, or in a city apartment with no kitchen?
Skills and talents
Two talents you could have by tomorrow, but you only get to keep one.
- Would you rather play the piano beautifully, or sing beautifully?
- Would you rather bake bread like a pro, or grill like a pro?
- Would you rather dance any style perfectly, or be good enough at any sport to join a pickup game?
- Would you rather be a brilliant gardener, or a brilliant carpenter?
- Would you rather solve a puzzle cube in under a minute, or finish a thousand-piece puzzle in an hour?
- Would you rather write a song everyone hums, or a story everyone retells?
- Would you rather know how to sew anything, or know how to fix any bike?
- Would you rather back a trailer into any space, or carry six plates at once like a pro server?
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- Would you rather be a champion at chess, or a champion at table tennis?
- Would you rather explain anything so anyone understands it, or ask the perfect question in any conversation?
- Would you rather be a skilled photographer, or a skilled video editor?
- Would you rather cook a great meal from whatever is in the fridge, or follow any tricky recipe perfectly?
- Would you rather throw a perfect bowl on a pottery wheel, or carve a perfect wooden spoon?
- Would you rather be an amazing swimmer, or an amazing cyclist?
- Would you rather name every bird you see, or every star you see?
- Would you rather be great at making new friends, or great at keeping in touch with old ones?
- Would you rather be an excellent listener, or an excellent host?
- Would you rather fix any computer problem in minutes, or fix any leaky faucet in minutes?
- Would you rather wrap any gift so it looks professional, or write a card that makes anyone smile?
- Would you rather play any song by ear, or read sheet music as easily as a book?
- Would you rather tie any knot a sailor knows, or pitch any tent in two minutes?
- Would you rather always find a great restaurant, or always pick the perfect movie for the room?
- Would you rather pour perfect latte art every morning, or flip a pancake perfectly every time?
- Would you rather arrange flowers beautifully, or decorate a room beautifully?
- Would you rather be great at organizing any closet, or great at packing any suitcase?
Frequently asked questions
How many hard would you rather questions are there?
There are 150 questions, 25 in each of six categories: tough trade-offs, superpowers with a catch, everyday sacrifices, time and memory, travel and home, and skills and talents. The cards and the list on this page use the same set.
What makes a would you rather question hard?
Both sides cost something you value. Either both options are good, like an ocean view or a big house, or both are a small hassle, like giving up your couch or your dining table, so there is no easy winner. For lighter, quicker picks, try the everyday mix of would you rather questions.
Are these questions okay for work or a family gathering?
Yes. The stakes are things like comfort, time, travel, habits and skills, with nothing scary, unkind or private on any card. At work, one card from Tough trade-offs or Skills and talents makes a short meeting warm-up, and at a family gathering Travel and home and Everyday sacrifices give everyone at the table an opinion.
What should we play after hard would you rather questions?
Try funny would you rather questions for a round where the choices are silly and quick to answer. If your group liked talking through the reasons, hypothetical questions drop the two options and leave the answer wide open.