So, you’ve matched with someone, you’ve been texting for a while, and now comes the big question:
“What are we actually going to do on our first virtual date?” 
A first video date can feel a little awkward at first. You don’t want it to feel like a job interview, but you also don’t want to spend the whole time staring at each other thinking, “Sooo… what should we talk about?”
The trick is to have something fun going on in the background.
The best first virtual dates give you something to laugh about, react to, or talk about without making either person feel like they have to carry the entire conversation.
Here are 10 easy first virtual date ideas for long distance relationships that can help you break the ice and actually enjoy getting to know each other.
1. Play Conversation Starter Roulette
If you’re worried about running out of things to talk about, start here.
Instead of trying to come up with questions on the spot, spin a wheel and let it choose a random conversation starter for you. You never know what topic is coming next, which keeps the conversation playful and takes away some of that first-date pressure.
The best part is that you don’t have to rush through the questions. If one starts a good conversation, forget about the wheel for a while and see where the topic takes you.
Try our Conversation Starter Roulette for an easy first virtual date.
2. Play Would You Rather
Would you rather be able to travel anywhere for free or never have to work again?
Would you rather give up music or movies?
Would you rather always be 10 minutes late or 20 minutes early?
You get the idea.
Would You Rather is great for a first virtual date because every answer gives you something else to talk about. Pick your answers, explain your reasoning, debate each other’s choices, and see how often you agree.
You might learn more about someone from one ridiculous hypothetical question than you would from asking, “So, what do you do for fun?”
3. Take BuzzFeed Quizzes Together
BuzzFeed quizzes are a fun way to get a little glimpse into each other’s personalities without making the date feel too serious.
Pick a few quizzes, answer the questions together, and compare your results. You might discover that you have surprisingly similar personalities, completely different preferences, or a mix of both.
The fun part is talking about why you chose certain answers and seeing where you agree and where you don’t. Even the silliest quizzes can reveal little things about your sense of humor, interests, habits, and how you see the world.
You might find out you’re weirdly compatible, total opposites in certain areas, or somewhere in between. 
Turn it into a date with our BuzzFeed Quiz Party.
4. Play Hues and Cues
If you’re worried about awkward silences, having a game to focus on can help a lot.
In Hues and Cues, one person chooses a color and gives clues while the other person tries to guess the exact shade.
Sounds simple until someone has to explain the difference between strawberry red, tomato red, and “the red from that one sweater I own.”
It’s creative, low-pressure, and gives you something to laugh about while you’re still getting comfortable with each other.
Check out the Hues and Cues date idea and give it a try.
5. See if You’re on the Same Wavelength
Want to find out how similarly you think?
Wavelength gives you a spectrum between two opposite ideas, such as hot and cold, overrated and underrated, or boring and exciting. One person gives a clue, and the other has to guess where that clue belongs on the scale.
The fun comes from hearing how the other person thinks.
You might immediately understand each other’s logic, or spend five minutes wondering how they could possibly think cereal belongs there on the scale.
Either way, you’ll have something to talk about.
Try the Wavelength virtual date and see how closely your minds match.
6. Try Intuitive Charades
Want to break the ice pretty quickly?
Try acting something out without saying a word while the other person attempts to figure out what you’re doing.
Unlike regular charades, Intuitive Charades is all about interpreting gestures, expressions, and whatever completely ridiculous performance the other person comes up with.
You don’t need to know each other well to play, and watching someone desperately try to act out a color, food, animal, or emotion over video call can get funny very quickly.
Here’s how to turn it into a date with Intuitive Charades.
7. Play the What Am I? Challenge
Here’s another easy one that requires basically no preparation.
Each person secretly thinks of a person, place, animal, object, or fictional character. Then take turns asking yes-or-no questions until you figure out what the other person chose.
Am I a person?
Am I real?
Would I fit inside a refrigerator?
That last question might not always help, but that’s part of the fun.
The game naturally gets you talking and laughing without requiring you to plan an elaborate date beforehand.
Try the What Am I? Challenge on your first virtual date.
8. Make a Tier List Together
Pick a topic like fast food, movies, TV shows, pizza toppings, candy, travel destinations, or fictional characters. Then rank everything from the absolute best to the absolute worst.
The real date is not the ranking itself. It’s the debates that happen along the way.
You might discover that you have exactly the same taste, or learn that the person you’re talking to has somehow put your favorite movie in C Tier. 
It’s an easy way to discover each other’s tastes and opinions without asking a bunch of traditional getting-to-know-you questions.
Make your own rankings with the Tier List date idea.
9. Play Catickory
If you want a first virtual date activity that’s fun, fast, and doesn’t require you to constantly think of what to talk about, Catickory is a great option.
Start by choosing a category, like foods, movies, animals, or countries. Then take turns naming something that fits the category.
The catch is that each answer has to start with a letter that hasn’t already been used.
For example, if the category is foods, one person might say pizza, which uses P. The other person could say sushi, which uses S. As more letters get used up, it gets harder to think of an answer before time runs out.
It’s simple to learn, quick to play, and gives you something entertaining to focus on so there isn’t pressure to keep a conversation going every second.
Check out the Catickory date idea and see how many letters you can make it through.
10. Make a PowerPoint About Yourself
Okay, this one requires a little more preparation, but it can be really fun if you both commit to it.
Before the date, each person makes a short PowerPoint presentation about themselves.
Add things like:
- Random facts about you
- Your favorite movies, music, foods, and shows
- Places you’ve traveled
- Your hobbies
- Things you’re obsessed with
- Your biggest pet peeves
- Your bucket list
- Funny childhood photos
- Memes that perfectly describe you
Then hop on a video call and present them to each other.
It takes the usual “tell me about yourself” part of a first date and makes it much more entertaining.
And yes, ridiculous transitions and unnecessary PowerPoint animations are highly encouraged.
See how to plan your PowerPoint Presentation date.
How to Make Your First Virtual Date Less Awkward
Here’s the secret: you don’t need to plan every second of the date.
Have a few questions ready, choose one activity you can do together, and let the rest happen naturally.
If the game leads to a 20-minute conversation about the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten, let it.
That’s the point.
And don’t freak out if there’s a little silence. You’re meeting someone new, not hosting a TV show. A few quiet moments are totally normal.
It can also help to keep the first date fairly short. If you end up talking for three hours because neither of you wants to hang up, awesome. But you don’t need to plan a three-hour date from the start.
The goal isn’t to have a perfect first date.
It’s just to finish the call thinking:
“Yeah… I’d like to do that again.” 
What Should You Talk About on a First Virtual Date?
If you’re worried about running out of things to say, don’t turn the date into a list of interview questions.
Instead, ask things that can actually lead somewhere.
Try:
- “What’s your perfect lazy Sunday?”
- “What’s a movie you could watch a hundred times?”
- “What’s something you’ve always wanted to try?”
- “What’s your go-to comfort food?”
- “What’s a place you’d love to visit?”
- “What’s something you’re weirdly passionate about?”
- “What’s a completely useless skill you’re surprisingly good at?”
- “What’s something you could give a 20-minute presentation about with zero preparation?”
Then follow the conversation instead of immediately jumping to the next question.
If they mention a favorite movie, ask why they love it. If they talk about a place they want to visit, ask what they’d want to do there. If they mention something they’re passionate about, let them nerd out about it.
That’s usually where the best first-date conversations happen.
And you might accidentally plan date number two while you’re at it.
If you discover a movie you’ve both been meaning to watch, grab some snacks, hop on a video call, and watch it together next time. Check out our long distance movie date ideas for some inspiration. 
What If the First Virtual Date Goes Really Well?
Well… that’s the good part.
If you finish the call and both of you are already thinking about when you can do it again, don’t overthink it.
Keep talking. Keep learning about each other. And keep finding little excuses to spend time together.
Your next dates can also become a little more involved once you’re comfortable with each other. Try cooking together, watching a movie, planning a virtual trip, playing a longer game, or choosing something completely random from our collection of long distance date ideas.
Long-distance dating doesn’t have to become repetitive just because you’re not in the same place. There are plenty of ways to make video calls feel like actual dates instead of another hour of asking, “So… what did you do today?”
If you’re ready to see where the relationship goes, check out our guide on how to keep a long distance relationship fun and exciting.
And if that first date went really well and you want to leave them with a cute little surprise afterward, we’ve got you covered there too.
Check out our surprise ideas for long distance relationships for some fun ways to keep the good vibes going.
