3 Fun Role-Playing Games to Practice English Conversations

It must come as no surprise that English is the most widely spoken language in the world. Approximately 1.53 billion people are familiar with it, either as a native or a second language. That means there are still billions of others who do not speak English or wish to learn.

Given the importance of this language, it is crucial to master it for thriving in a globalized world. The challenge is to practice English in a way that is both engaging and effective. Traditional methods, like rote memorization and passive listening, do not push a learner to think in terms of real-life conversations.

This is where the importance of interactive, role-playing games comes in. This article will share three such games that will help English learners to communicate confidently in any situation.

News Reporter Interviews

As for a news reporter interview, it’s a dynamic and interactive game ideal for English learners who wish to build confidence in both listening and speaking. One learner will take on the role of a reporter while the other acts as a witness or an observer.

The reporter will ask questions and the other will respond naturally, giving complete answers and explanations. The back-and-forth format enables both learners to practice formulating questions and structuring relevant answers.

To make the exercise even more engaging, the reporter can ask about a real-world topic that’s much in the limelight. Take the example of a litigation that’s sending shockwaves through parenting circles, the Similac lawsuit. A popular baby formula turned out to be the cause of a serious gastrointestinal condition called Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) among infants.

TorHoerman Law shares significant developments in the litigation, including a landmark verdict of $495 million against Abbott Laboratories. Learners can focus on the key facts of the case as well as its severity, as highlighted by the said verdict.

Even without complex legal arguments, both parties can have an interview based on details like the alleged claims, responses from the defendants, etc. This game will improve the following key areas of English:

• Fluency for both parties, as the reporter must form clear, structured questions while the other party must summarize facts and describe events
• Vocabulary expansion, since interviews generally require event-specific terms, including legal phrases
• Sentence construction, as each party needs to form grammatically correct and coherent answers
• Critical thinking and organization, because structuring logical answers and follow-up questions does not happen on autopilot

A 2024 study on English learners found that interview-based activities considerably improved students’ confidence and speaking skills. So, news interviews are great, especially for those in the intermediate learning stage.

Now, there may be variations in the form of multiple reporters interviewing one witness or a panel discussion. The bottom line is that each variation will encourage learners to think critically for a well-rounded response.

Debate Duels

A lively and intellectually stimulating way to practice one’s English conversation skills is to participate in a mock debate duel. In this activity, two learners face off on the opposite sides of a topic, each defending a viewpoint.

Debating is a great way to practice real-time communication, something which is essential for daily conversations and academic discussions. It will push you to organize your thoughts quickly and express your opinions clearly.

Here’s how this game typically works: the students are divided into two groups. Then, a topic is chosen, which may be something as simple as, “Is technology helping or harming human relationships?”

Each participant gets a minute or two to prepare. Then, they must take turns to make their opening statements. All of this is followed by presenting supporting arguments and responding to the opponent’s points.

During the debate, it’s important to use discourse markers like however, on the other hand, or in addition to. The opponent can counter each point with phrases like, “I understand your point, but…” or “That’s valid, yet….”

The debate duel targets several critical areas of conversational English, including:

• Fluency and response speed, as learners must continuously speak under pressure
• Listening and comprehension, since learners need to understand arguments in real-time
• Practice of argumentative or opinionated language with words like evidence, claim, and justify
• The art of disagreeing politely while maintaining conversational flow

A recent study even illustrated the power of debate training, which extends beyond the classroom. Conducted in 2025, it found that participants of a nine-week structured debate training were 12% more likely to advance into leadership roles compared to those who didn’t.

Such a jump was attributed to stronger assertiveness and communication skills. So, debating is good and healthy. You won’t just improve your English but also your confidence and influence in real-world settings.

Storytelling Relays

This is again a fun and interactive game where learners can come together to create a story, one sentence and paragraph at a time. Each participant will add to the story, building on what the previous one said.

It’s a fun way to encourage active listening and spontaneous speaking since learners must understand the story so far to contribute relevant ideas. For instance, the group might start with something like, “Emma discovered a mysterious key in her garden….” Now, the first learner must take it from here.

Those who follow need to keep building the story, introducing new events, twists, and characters. This is also a challenging game because it requires thinking quickly while choosing the right vocabulary. The game can be conducted even in groups or pairs. Similarly, the story may be said out loud or written down for better understanding.

Let’s look at the areas of English this activity improves:

• Fluency is a first because learners need to speak sentences continuously in real-time
• Listening skills are required to understand the previous parts of the story and respond accordingly
• Creativity and expression of ideas are needed for the narrative flow
• Turn-taking and conversational rhythm, since learners must speak in sequences and build on others’ ideas

Again, a 2024 study supports the case of storytelling. It found that when digital storytelling was integrated into teaching, middle school students’ educational development improved. This was especially true in the case of language acquisition.

Thinking and responding naturally is difficult for someone learning a new language. What better way to make it happen than to cook up fun stories? Plus, it’s always exciting to know what spur-of-the-moment ideas can result in.

So you see, learning English doesn’t have to be tedious. Organize and participate in the fun games we just discussed to develop the art of thinking on your feet. Yes, these games are likely to be challenging, but don’t give up.

They will certainly stretch your imagination, expand your vocabulary, and help you have a great time in the process. What are you waiting for? Set up a small group, pick a game and a topic, and watch your English skills improve with time!