Instagram ideas

Story games for Instagram, sticker by sticker

An Instagram Story game asks viewers to do one thing: guess, pick, catch the screen at the right moment or send you a word. Here are 53 games, each with the sticker or trick it relies on. The guessing games use a poll with the answer on the next frame, because the Quiz sticker isn’t on every account.

Updated 6 October 2026 · 53 ideas

Guessing games with a poll · 11

  1. Higher or lower: one number per frame, such as stitches in a cushion or grams of coffee in a cup, with a poll on whether the next one is higher.
  2. Memory test: a tray of twelve objects on one frame, the same tray with one missing on the next, and a poll on which one went.
  3. Emoji rebus: a dish spelled in emoji, such as 🧀🍞🔥 for cheese on toast, with four guesses in a poll.
  4. Three photos from “your trip”, one of them staged at home, and a poll on which is the fake.
  5. Which came first: two things from your field, such as two techniques or two products, with the dates on the next frame.
  6. Spell it: a word people in your trade always get wrong, with four spellings in a poll.
  7. Guess my answer: a poll on your own question, with your pick kept back until the next frame, so viewers try to read you.
  8. Will it work? Film right up to the moment of truth, like the cake leaving the tin or the van reversing into a tight space, and poll before the result.
  9. Local word: a word from your dialect or language, with four possible meanings in a poll.
  10. Whose hands? Close-ups of the team’s hands at work, with a poll on who each pair belongs to.
  11. Lip-read it: say a word to camera with the sound off, then give four guesses in a poll.

Polls and sliders that run all day · 8

  1. Snack tournament: eight snacks in four poll matches in the morning, semi-finals at lunch and the final at night.
  2. Choose your own adventure: a short story told a frame at a time, each frame ending in a poll and the next one following the winner.
  3. Desert island: ten items to take, one voted off each hour until three are left.
  4. Most likely to: a poll with two friends’ names, such as “Who’s most likely to miss the flight?”, with both friends in on the joke.
  5. Spice test: show the chilli, let viewers slide to predict how badly you’ll cope, then post the first bite.
  6. Confidence bet: an emoji slider on whether you’ll finish something by Sunday, with the result posted on Sunday whatever happens.
  7. Dare poll: a harmless dare on each frame, such as eating a lemon slice or singing in the car park, and you do whatever wins.
  8. Cook-off: two people at home make the same dish, an emoji slider goes on each plate, and the higher average wins.

Games played in the replies · 8

  1. Story chain: you write the first line of a short story, followers send the next line through the Questions sticker, and you post the best one to carry on.
  2. Word association: one word on the frame, followers send the first word it brings to mind, and you share the strangest.
  3. Pictionary with the pen tool: draw something in three strokes, and the first right reply gets a shout-out.
  4. Hum it: a clip of you humming a well-known tune, with replies guessing the title.
  5. Unscramble: a jumbled word from your trade, such as RUOLF for a baker, with replies until someone gets it.
  6. Twenty questions: you pick an object, followers ask yes-or-no questions, and you post the running tally each hour.
  7. Emoji plot: followers send a film’s plot in emoji only, and you guess the film on your next frame.
  8. Categories: a letter and a category on the frame, such as a food beginning with K, and a race to send one nobody else has.

Screenshot, hold and tap games · 9

  1. Screenshot to stop: a fast video flicking through 20 dinner ideas, and whatever the screenshot lands on is tonight’s dinner.
  2. Hold to pick: words flashing past in a short video; hold a thumb on the screen to pause, and that’s your word for the week.
  3. Pick a number from 1 to 4, then tap through to see what each number gets this weekend.
  4. Flipbook: ten frames of a doodle drawn one step at a time, so tapping quickly makes it move.
  5. Odd one out: a frame filled with one emoji repeated, with a single different one hidden among them; reply with where it is.
  6. Word search: a six-by-six grid of letters with three hidden words from your trade, and replies naming the ones they found.
  7. Count the shapes: a simple line drawing of overlapping triangles, a poll on how many there are, and the answer on the next frame.
  8. Stop the clock: a stopwatch running on screen; take a screenshot as close to 10.00 seconds as you can and share it with a mention.
  9. Countdown to the answer: a puzzle frame with a Countdown sticker set to the moment you’ll post the solution.

Templates people post on their own Story · 10

  1. Bingo card: a four-by-four grid of everyday moments (burnt the toast, missed the bus) for viewers to screenshot, mark and share with a mention.
  2. Get-to-know-me card with blanks (comfort food, last trip, hidden talent) for people to fill in with the text tool.
  3. Tier list: rows from S to D and ten items (snacks, chores, apps) for people to sort with the pen tool.
  4. Colour-in: a simple outline, such as a mug or a house, for people to colour with the pen tool and post.
  5. Finish the drawing: half a sketch on the frame for people to complete and share with a mention.
  6. Colour match: five paint swatches, and people post the photos from their camera roll that match each one.
  7. Add Yours: the ugliest mug you own.
  8. Add Yours: your handwriting, the whole alphabet on a scrap of paper.
  9. Add Yours: the oldest thing in your kitchen drawer.
  10. Pass it on: a five-question card about your week, filled in, posted and passed to two friends by mention.

Hunts that end in your DMs · 7

  1. Letter hunt: one letter hidden in each of today’s Stories, with the full word sent by DM before 9pm.
  2. Highlight hunt: an emoji hidden in one of your highlights, and the first three to DM which one get a shout-out.
  3. Reveal riddle: the riddle on the frame and the answer under a Reveal sticker, which opens once someone sends a DM.
  4. Code word: three Stories, each with a question, where the first letters of the answers spell the word to DM.
  5. Sticker trail: your last frame mentions a partner account, and the next clue waits in their Story.
  6. Escape room: four frames, each a small puzzle whose answer is a digit, and the four-digit code sent by DM at the end.
  7. Weekly game night: the same game at the same hour every week, with a leaderboard of regulars who are happy to be named.

Tips for using these ideas

  1. One game, one sticker, one instruction in big text. A frame that asks people to vote, slide and reply at once usually gets none of the three.

  2. Hold the answer back for the next frame or a stated time, such as “answer at 6pm”. The wait gives people a reason to come back, and your Story insights will show the back taps from people checking.

  3. Measure a game by sticker taps and replies against the number of people who saw that frame. If most viewers tap straight past, the instruction was unclear or the game took too long to read.

  4. Keep prizes small or skip them: a shout-out on the answer frame is enough. Once there’s a real prize, it’s a giveaway, and Instagram’s promotion rules apply.

  5. Screenshot games can’t be counted, because Instagram doesn’t tell you when someone screenshots a Story. Ask players to post their result with a mention so you can see who played.

  6. If a game asks people to DM you a word, be ready to answer. Messages from people you don’t follow can land in message requests, and on a professional account DMFast can reply automatically to Story replies that contain a keyword.

Questions people ask

What games can you play on Instagram Stories?

Guessing games with a poll, slider bets, screenshot and tap games, reply games such as word association, templates people fill in and repost, like bingo and tier lists, and hunts that end in a DM. All of them use the normal Story tools: stickers, the pen and text tools, and the way a Story pauses while you hold the screen.

Where is the Quiz sticker?

It isn’t on every account. In 2026 many people found it missing from the Story sticker tray while polls, questions and the emoji slider still worked. Every guessing game on this page works as a poll instead: ask the question, then show the right answer on the next frame.

How do screenshot games work?

You post a short video that flicks quickly through options, such as dinners or predictions. Each viewer takes a screenshot at a random moment, and whatever is on screen is their result. Instagram doesn’t notify anyone about Story screenshots, so ask players to share their result with a mention.

How do I make a bingo card or tier list template?

Make an image 1080 × 1920 pixels with the grid in the middle, away from the top and bottom edges where your name and the reply bar sit. Leave room in each box for a tick, post it, and ask people to screenshot it, mark it and share it with a mention.

Can I see who played my Story game?

For sticker games, yes. Swipe up on your Story to see each vote or slider answer next to the person’s name, while the viewer list is available (48 hours after posting). Replies arrive in your DMs. Screenshot games are the exception: you only see players who share their result.

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