8 Best Review Games for High School Students in 2026

‘’Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.’’

Review games are an invaluable tool for high school educators. They go beyond simply making review sessions more fun. They ensure that students retain the material, think critically, and engage in the learning process actively. These games create an atmosphere of excitement and healthy competition, keeping students motivated and focused as they prepare for exams or projects. With the help of these games you can create a dynamic classroom environment where learning feels interactive and engaging.

Review Games for High School Students

Review games are a fantastic way to make classroom learning more engaging and fun. They encourage active participation, promote teamwork, and help students retain key concepts in a competitive or collaborative setting.

Quiz-Quiz-Trade

This game is a fantastic peer-to-peer game that encourages active participation and collaboration. It’s a great choice for vocabulary, definitions, or any concept that can be framed in a question-answer format. This game promotes student interaction, as they quiz each other, share knowledge, and learn together.

The collaborative nature of this game ensures that everyone is involved, reinforcing the material and helping students retain information through repetition. There are multiple board games also which are helpful for high school students.

How to Play?

Give each student a question card with the question on one side and the answer on the other.
Students pair up and quiz each other with the questions on their cards.
After each exchange, students trade cards with a new partner and continue the process.
Continue until all students have quizzed multiple partners.

Family Feud

Family Feud is a fun, fast-paced game that encourages students to think critically and quickly. This game is ideal for reviewing content that has multiple possible answers, such as facts, historical events, or broad topics with many related terms.

Students work together as a team to guess the most popular answers to a series of questions, creating a dynamic and interactive review session. The game’s competitive nature keeps students motivated and ensures that everyone is actively participating throughout the session.

How to Play?

Split the class into two teams.
Ask a question with multiple possible answers (e.g., “Name the planets in our solar system” or “List famous Shakespeare plays”).
Teams take turns guessing the answers. Correct answers earn points, while incorrect guesses give the opposing team a chance to steal the answer.
The team with the most points at the end wins.

Role-Play Game

It is an engaging and immersive way to review material. It allows students to step into real-world or historical scenarios, applying their knowledge in a hands-on, interactive way. Role-playing helps students develop empathy and a deeper understanding of the material by acting out situations rather than just reading or discussing them.

Whether reenacting a historical event, debating a topic, or simulating a scientific process, role-play games foster critical thinking and teamwork while making learning feel like an exciting challenge. Students gain a deeper understanding by stepping into different roles, making concepts more relatable.

How to Play?

Choose a scenario or event related to the lesson (e.g., a historical debate, a scientific experiment, or a literary analysis).
Assign roles to the students and have them act out the situation.
Encourage collaboration and problem-solving as they work through the scenario.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a classic game show format that’s perfect for reviewing material in a suspenseful and exciting way. Students answer a series of increasingly difficult questions, with the chance to use lifelines like “50/50,” “phone a friend,” or “ask the audience.” This format allows students to test their knowledge and apply strategic thinking to answer the questions.

How to Play?

Prepare a series of questions with increasing difficulty.
Students answer each question in sequence, earning points for correct answers.
Students can use lifelines (e.g., 50/50, ask the class, or phone a friend) to help answer tougher questions.

Escape Room Challenge

This game provides an immersive experience that requires teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Students work together to solve a series of puzzles based on the material they’ve learned. Each puzzle solved brings them closer to “escaping” the room, making it an exciting and engaging review activity.

How to Play?

Create a series of puzzles or problems related to the lesson material (e.g., math equations, historical facts, or vocabulary).
Divide students into teams and challenge them to “escape” by solving each puzzle.
The team that solves the most puzzles or escapes first wins.

Charades

It is a simple yet fun game that encourages students to act out key terms, concepts, or events. It’s a great way to review vocabulary, historical events, or any subject that can be visually represented. This game promotes creativity and teamwork while reinforcing learning in a light-hearted, interactive way.

How to Play?

Prepare a list of terms or concepts related to the lesson.
Students take turns acting out the terms while their teammates guess.
Points are awarded for each correct guess, and the team with the most points wins.

Lightning Scavenger Hunt

It is a fast-paced, exciting game that encourages students to think quickly and move around the classroom or virtual space. The game involves giving students a list of items to find or actions to complete within a short time frame. This game helps students engage physically and mentally, boosting their energy levels and keeping them alert.

How to Play?

Prepare a list of items or actions that students need to find or complete.
Set a timer for a short duration (e.g., 2-3 minutes).
Students race around the classroom or virtual space to find the items or complete the actions.
The student or team that collects the most items or finishes the tasks first wins.

Word Association Game

This game is a simple yet powerful tool to reinforce vocabulary, key concepts, or any other material students need to remember. The game involves one student saying a word or phrase related to the subject, and the next student must quickly respond with a word or concept related to the previous one. This rapid-fire game ensures that students stay on their toes and keep their minds active.

How to Play?

Choose a student to start by saying a word or concept from the topic you’re reviewing.
The next student must quickly say a word or concept related to the first word.
Continue until all students have participated or until someone hesitates or provides an incorrect answer.
The last student remaining or the team with the most accurate responses wins.

Conclusion

Incorporating review games for high school into your classroom is a powerful way to keep students engaged, motivated, and focused. These 8 review games offer a variety of fun and effective ways to reinforce knowledge and prepare for exams. Whether through friendly competition, teamwork, or creativity, these games make learning feel exciting and interactive.

The Top 8 Review Games for High School