The license plate game is a classic road trip game. You spot license plates from as many different US states as you can. The first person to call out a plate gets the point. Most plates wins. Track your game free right here. No app, no download, no sign-up.
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Tap a state on the map or in the list below, then pick who spotted it. First to call it gets the point!
🍁 Bonus: Canadian Plates
Canada plates count as a point for whoever calls them, but they don't count toward your 50.
Alice’s Pick
Our Travel Bucket List
The license plate game always ends on the drive home, right when everyone starts planning the next trip. Write it down while you’re still excited. Every state has spots for day trips, weekends, and longer trips, so your next one is already waiting.
Here’s how we play in my car:
- We yell it out the second we see it
- The farther away the state, the louder the yell
- Back home in Michigan, an Ohio plate gets a shrug. But a Michigan plate halfway to Arizona? That one got a yell and a wave out the window
The only problem was keeping track. Nobody could remember which states we already had. So I built this tracker. Add everyone in the car, tap a state, and pick who spotted it. It keeps score for you, so no more backseat arguments about whether you already got Oregon.
What Is the License Plate Game?
The license plate game is a car game where players look for license plates from different states. The goal is to find all 50. It’s free, it needs no supplies, and anyone who can read a plate can play.
- Who can play: kids, adults, the whole car. The driver can play too, as long as they keep their eyes on the road
- What you need: just your eyes. A way to keep score helps, like the free tracker above or the printable below
- How long it lasts: one trip, or a whole year. Some families keep one running game from January to December
- Why people love it: it turns boring highway miles into a hunt. Every car that passes might be the one you need
Most families never get all 50 in one trip. That’s part of the fun. Hawaii and Alaska plates are rare anywhere outside those states, so finding one is a big deal.
How Do You Play the License Plate Game?
You play the license plate game by calling out every new state plate you see. The first person to call it gets the point. Here are the basic steps:
- Pick your players. Everyone in the car plays for themselves.
- Watch the plates. Look at cars around you, in parking lots, and at gas stations.
- Call it out loud. Say the state name as soon as you see it. “Texas!”
- First caller gets it. If two people call the same plate, the first one wins it. Each state only counts once.
- Mark it down. Tap it on the tracker or check it off on the printable.
- Count it up. Whoever finds the most states by the end of the trip wins.
That’s the whole game. Simple enough for a five-year-old, fun enough for grandpa.
What Counts in the License Plate Game? (Our House Rules)
In our car, any real plate you see with your own eyes counts. Moving, parked, or on a trailer, it’s fair game. Every family argues about the rules, so here’s how we settle it:
- Parked cars count. Parking lots, rest stops, and hotel lots are gold mines
- Cars on trailers count. A car on a car hauler is still a plate
- Canada counts. Canadian plates are a bonus. They score a point but don’t count toward your 50
- You have to say it out loud. If you didn’t call it, you didn’t get it
- First caller wins. Two people yell “Florida!” at once? Whoever was first gets it
- You have to see it in person. A plate in a picture, on TV, or on a souvenir wall doesn’t count
- Each state counts once. Your tenth Ohio plate is worth the same as your first. Nothing
Set your house rules before you leave the driveway. It saves a lot of arguing at mile 200.
How Do You Use the Free License Plate Game Tracker?
The tracker above keeps score for everyone in the car. It saves on your phone, so you can close it at a rest stop and pick up where you left off.
- Name your game. Call it “Florida Trip,” “Summer 2026,” or just “2026” for a year-long game.
- Add your players. Type in everyone’s name. Up to 8 players, each with their own color.
- Tap a state. Use the map or the state list. The list is easier for tiny states like Rhode Island.
- Pick who spotted it. Tap the name of whoever called it first. The state fills in with their color.
- Watch the scoreboard. The leader gets a trophy next to their name.
- Fix mistakes. Tap a state again to change who got it, or remove it.
- Start over anytime. Reset clears the plates but keeps your players. New Game starts a fresh one.
Finish all 50? The tracker throws you a little party. Then it offers to start round two, like “2026 #2.”
Does Canada Count in the License Plate Game?
Yes, in our games Canada counts as a bonus. The tracker has a separate section for all 13 Canadian provinces and territories. A Canadian plate gives the spotter a point, but it doesn’t count toward your 50 states.
- The 10 provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan
- The 3 territories: Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon
- Easiest to find: depends on where you drive. Near the border, you’ll see a lot of plates from the province next door
If your family doesn’t count Canada, just skip that section. The game works the same either way.
Is There a License Plate Game App?
You don’t need an app to play the license plate game. Our tracker works right in your phone’s web browser. It’s free, and you never have to download anything or make an account.
- No download: open this page and start tapping
- No sign-up: no email, no password, no account
- Saves on your phone: your game is still there when you come back
- Works on any phone: iPhone or Android
- Multiple players: everyone in the car gets their own score
- Multiple games: keep a trip game and a year-long game going at the same time
Tip: add this page to your home screen before you leave. It’ll open like an app, and you won’t have to search for it at a gas station.
Where Can I Get a Free License Plate Game Printable?
You can print a free license plate game checklist right from the tracker. Tap the Printable Checklist button under the tracker. It opens a one-page sheet ready to print.
- All 50 states listed in order, with a checkbox for each player
- Player columns that fill in with your players’ names if you set up a game first
- Blank name lines if you print without setting up a game
- Canada bonus rows at the bottom
- A total line and a winner line so you can crown the champ at the end
Want a PDF instead? Choose Save as PDF when the print screen pops up.
Printables are great for kids without phones, or for spots with no signal. Put it on a clipboard so it doesn’t blow around when the window is down.
How Do You Share Your License Plate Game Results?
Tap Share Our Results and the tracker makes a picture of your game. You can post it straight to Facebook or text it to grandma.
- Your map filled in with each player’s color
- Your game name, like “Florida Trip”
- Your total states found, plus any Canadian plates
- The winner with a trophy
- Everyone’s score in order
On your phone, it opens your normal share menu. On a computer, tap Save Image to download it.
Which License Plates Are the Hardest to Find?
Hawaii is the hardest license plate to find anywhere outside Hawaii. You can’t drive to Hawaii, so a Hawaii plate on the mainland means someone shipped their car across the ocean. I have never seen one. Not once.
- Hawaii: the holy grail. If you see one, take a lap around the parking lot to celebrate
- Alaska: a long, long drive through Canada to get anywhere else. I think I’ve seen one, but I can’t promise
- Small states: fewer people live in places like Wyoming, Vermont, and North Dakota, so there are fewer cars to spot
- Far-away states: any plate from across the country is hard. In Michigan, a California plate is a big find
The easy ones are your own state and the states next door. That’s why our house rules say only the far-away ones get the big yell.
What’s the Difference Between License Plate Bingo and the License Plate Game?
License plate bingo uses a bingo card instead of a list of all 50 states. You mark states as you see them, and the first player to get a row wins.
- License plate game: find as many of the 50 states as you can. The game can last a whole trip or a whole year
- License plate bingo: fill a row on a card with a few states. Rounds are short, so you can play a bunch in one day
- Best for little kids: bingo, because a row is a goal they can actually reach
- Best for long trips: the classic game, because you keep finding new states the farther you go
What Should You Pack for Road Trip Games?
A few cheap things keep road trip games from turning into a mess of lost papers and dead markers. Here’s what lives in our car:
- A clipboard: keeps the printable flat so kids can write on it. It doubles as a lap desk for drawing, cards, and bingo
- A craft organizer tote: the kind with pockets all the way around. Markers, colored pencils, games, and a sketchbook all stand up where everyone can grab them. No more digging under the seat
- A stackable paper organizer: a flat plastic box that keeps printables from getting smooshed. It also holds tickets, maps, brochures, and the postcards you buy at every stop. No more hunting for the safest spot in the suitcase
- Dry erase boards: great for tic-tac-toe, hangman, and keeping a running score. Wipe it clean and play again. We also hold them up in the window to talk to other cars. “Your bike is falling off” is a real one. Once, four states from home, we saw a newer truck with a plate number almost the same as the one my niece had just gotten on her new car. We knew it was a brand-new truck, so we held up a “Nice truck!” sign and made his day!
- My travel bucket list journal: for the drive home. It always seems like you start planning the next trip on the way back from this one. I made Our Travel Bucket List so a trip plans itself while you jot things down. Each state has spots for day trips, weekends, one week, and longer. Add places as you hear about them, with the cost, the time of day, and how long you’d stay. When you have time off, flip to the table of contents and your trip is already waiting
- Good snacks: no game survives a hungry car. Grab ideas from our list of the 27 best road trip snacks
FAQ
Yes, parked cars count in most families’ games, including ours. Parking lots at rest stops, hotels, and tourist spots are some of the best places to find rare plates. Cars on trailers and car haulers count too. Just agree on the rules before the trip starts.
Canada counts as a bonus in our games. A Canadian plate gives the spotter a point, but it doesn’t count toward finding all 50 states. Our free tracker has a separate bonus section for all 13 Canadian provinces and territories, so you can track them without messing up your state count.
Hawaii is the hardest license plate to find outside Hawaii. You can’t drive there, so a Hawaii plate on the mainland means someone shipped their car. Alaska is a close second. Small states with fewer cars, like Wyoming and Vermont, are also hard to find.
Yes, you can play the license plate game without an app. Our free online tracker works in any phone’s web browser with no download and no sign-up. It keeps score for every player and saves your game on your phone. You can also print a free checklist instead.
Yes, there’s a free printable license plate game checklist on this page. Tap the Printable Checklist button under the tracker. It prints all 50 states with a checkbox column for each player, plus Canadian bonus rows, a total line, and a winner line. Choose Save as PDF to keep a copy.
The player who spots the most different state plates wins the license plate game. Each state counts once, and it goes to whoever calls it out loud first. Some families play for one trip. Others keep one game going all year and crown a winner on December 31.
Closing
Now you’ve got everything you need for your next drive. Set up your players, pack the snacks, and get ready to yell. And when the trip is over, fill in our States I’ve Been To interactive USA map to see how much of the country you’ve actually covered.
Author Byline
Hi, I’m Alice. I’ve been running Road Trip Owl for five years and taking 6+ multi-day road trips a year (plus more weekend escapes than I can count). The license plate game has come along on every single one, and so has the yelling.
