How to Play 20 Questions Over Text

One player thinks of a person, place, or thing. They text the other player something like "I got one! It's a thing." You can also use the classic categories: animal, vegetable, or mineral.
The guessing player sends yes-or-no questions one at a time. Start broad ("Is it bigger than a car?") and narrow down from there.
The player who picked the item answers each question honestly with "Yes" or "No." Keep a running count so nobody loses track.
The guesser wins if they name the correct answer within 20 questions. If they can't figure it out, the picker wins and reveals the answer. Then swap roles!

Rules

Only yes-or-no questions are allowed. If someone asks an open-ended question, it still counts as one of the 20.
The picker must answer honestly every time. No misleading answers.
The guesser gets exactly 20 questions, including their final guess.
The item must be something reasonably well-known. No picking "the third rock on my neighbor's driveway."
If there's a dispute about whether an answer was fair, the picker can explain after the round ends.

You

ok I got one. it's a thing 😏

Them

ooh let's go. can you hold it in your hand?

You

Yes

Them

is it electronic?

You

Nope!

Them

do you eat it?

You

Yes 👀

Them

is it a taco

You

HOW. that was only 4 questions 😭

Start with big categories first: "Is it alive?" "Is it man-made?" This eliminates half the possibilities right away.
Try a themed round where everything has to be from a specific category like movies, foods, or celebrities.
Play the "reverse" version: the guesser thinks of something and the picker asks questions to figure out what the guesser is thinking of.
Keep a scoreboard across multiple rounds. First to 5 wins gets bragging rights for the week.