What's in the This or That deck
The deck has 200 quick picks in five categories of 40. Each card says “This or that…” at the top, with two short options and OR between them. The full deck takes 25 pages, and each category fills exactly 5. These are the same picks as five of the categories in our This or That game.
Food & drink
Breakfast debates, pizza crusts and dipping sauces. Pancakes or waffles? Thin crust or deep dish?
Everyday life
Small habits everyone has an opinion on. Early bird or night owl? Making your bed or leaving it unmade?
Travel
Flights, hotels and road trips. Window seat or aisle seat? The scenic route or the fastest route?
Fun & hobbies
Movies, books, sports and games. The book or the movie? Bowling or mini golf?
Fantasy picks
Magic, myths and outer space. Wizard school or superhero school? A dragon egg or a phoenix feather?
How to play This or That with paper cards
- 1Shuffle the cards and stack them face down.
- 2The reader takes the top card and reads both options out loud.
- 3On three, everyone points left for the first option or right for the second.
- 4Look around to see who matched you. Anyone who wants to can explain in one sentence.
- 5Pass the stack to the next reader and keep the pace quick.
This or That moves faster than Would You Rather. Nobody has to explain, so a stack goes quickly and works as a warm-up before a longer game.
Printing and playing tips
- Print on cardstock so the cards hold up to fast shuffling and passing.
- Cut along the dashed lines with a paper cutter or scissors. One page makes 8 cards.
- Laminate a set and keep it in the car, a classroom drawer or the game closet.
- Score with wrapped candy or bingo chips. Give one to everyone on the smaller side, so the unusual picks win.
- Each category fills exactly 5 pages, so print one category for a short warm-up.
- Keep each category together with a binder clip, so you can grab the right one fast.
Ways to use the cards
Walk to a side
Tape a THIS sign on one wall and a THAT sign on the other. Read a card and everyone walks to their side.
Match the reader
The reader writes down their own pick first. Everyone else guesses it, and each right guess earns a point.
Speed round
Read ten cards as fast as you can, with no pausing and no explaining. Then talk about the picks that surprised everyone.
Car ride
Keep a stack in the glove box. The passenger reads, and everyone answers at once. More ideas are on our road trip games page.
Morning warm-up
Read one card at the start of class or a meeting and take a show of hands. For a new pick every day, see our Question of the Day.
Write your own
After a round, everyone writes one new pick on the blank back of a card. Mix them into the stack for the next game.
For classrooms, offices, families and parties
This or That is the easiest question game to start with a group that doesn't know each other yet. Nobody has to share anything personal, and every answer takes a second. That makes it a good warm-up for the first day of class, a team meeting or a family gathering, and a quick break at a party.
Fantasy picks and Fun & hobbies are easy places to start in a classroom. Food & drink and Everyday life usually start the most debates at home and at work. For more ideas, see our icebreaker games, classroom games and family game night pages.
Play the same picks on one phone
No printer? Open our This or That game on one phone, pick a category and tap Next. It has these five categories plus a few more, with nothing to cut or shuffle.
When your group wants to argue a little longer, print the Would You Rather cards. For questions with longer answers, try the Get to Know You cards.
Questions
How many This or That cards are there?
200 cards in five categories of 40. They print 8 to a page, so the full deck takes 25 pages and each category takes exactly 5.
Can I choose which categories to print?
Yes. Turn categories on or off above the preview. The card and page count update before you print.
What's the difference between This or That and Would You Rather?
This or That gives two short options, like coffee or tea, and the fun is in how fast everyone picks. Would You Rather gives two whole situations to argue over. For those, print the Would You Rather cards.
Are the questions OK for school and work?
Yes. They're about food, daily habits, travel, hobbies and make-believe. Nothing is personal, so they work with a new class or a new team.
How many people can play?
Two is enough, and there's no upper limit. A whole class can play by walking to one side of the room or the other.
Can we play without printing?
Yes. Open the This or That game on one phone and pass it around. It's free and runs in the browser, with no app and no sign-up.