How to Make Your Own Trivia Game, Step by Step

TL;DR. To create your own trivia game: choose a format (teams or individuals, live or printed), plan 4 to 6 themed rounds of 8 to 10 questions, write short questions with one clear answer, decide scoring and a numeric tie-break in advance, then test-run it with one person before game night.

Why make your own instead of buying a box?

Boxed trivia games are fine until everyone has seen the cards. Making your own means the questions fit your crowd: your family's in-jokes, your class's current unit, your office's industry, your town's history. It is also the best alternative to trivia apps when you want everyone in the same room looking at each other rather than at their phones.

Step 1: Choose the format

Decide these four things first, because they shape everything else.

Step 2: Plan your rounds

Themed rounds keep the pace up and give everyone a turn to shine. A good default is 5 rounds of 8 to 10 questions:

Ideas for themes are in music trivia questions, movie trivia questions and sports trivia questions and answers.

Step 3: Write good questions

This is where homemade trivia games succeed or fail. Some rules that help:

Question formats that work in trivia

Step 4: Decide the scoring

Write the scoring rules down and read them out before round one.

Step 5: Plan a tie-break

Ties happen more often than you would think. Have two or three tie-break questions ready, each with a numeric answer, so the closest guess wins without argument. Examples:

Step 6: Run it in person

More hosting detail is in how to host a trivia night.

Step 7: Run it online

For game ideas that suit a call, see Zoom quiz game ideas.

Step 8: A printable version

A printable trivia game works for car journeys, classrooms, care homes and anywhere without screens.

Using a tool to speed things up

Writing 40 to 50 good questions takes a few hours. A trivia quiz maker can draft a round from a topic in a minute; you then edit, check the answers and share a link or print it. SimpleQuizMaker's free plan lets you generate quizzes of up to 10 questions, and you can edit every question before anyone sees it. Always check the answer key yourself before game night.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions should a homemade trivia game have?

For an evening event, 40 to 50 questions in 5 rounds is a comfortable length. For a family game after dinner, 20 to 30 is plenty.

What is a good alternative to trivia apps?

A homemade game with a printed answer sheet or a shared quiz link. It keeps everyone in the same conversation, and you control the topics and difficulty.

How do you break a tie in trivia?

Ask a question with a numeric answer, such as a year or a measurement. The team closest to the correct number wins.

How do you make trivia fair for mixed ages?

Use mixed-age teams, include rounds that favour different generations, and use multiple choice for younger players.

How long does it take to write a trivia game?

Writing and fact-checking 40 questions by hand usually takes a few hours. Drafting with a tool and then checking every answer is faster.

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