Communication within teams has been a hot topic recently, especially with an increasing number of companies going fully remote. Whether you communicate over Slack, Zoom, or in the office, nurturing communication, primarily offline, takes practice and dedication.
These 33 team-building games are designed for in-person team-building, incorporating fun and communication skills to help you and your team spark spontaneous conversation and improve company culture.
Activities that strengthen leadership skills
Even if your company has a hierarchical structure, helping your team strengthen its leadership skills is a great way to encourage confidence in the workplace. Employees capable of stepping up to the plate to lead projects or meetings are likely to feel more invested in the company and can also offer the higher-ups a chance to focus on other tasks knowing that their team is in good hands.
1. Leadership pizza
This game allows players to explore their potential leadership strengths by creating their pizza with “skill” toppings.
How to play: Participants draw out a pizza with six slices. They are then asked to put toppings on their pizza, but instead of mushrooms, it’s a skill that they believe they would excel at. Once the pizzas are complete, people present their pizza, explaining why they chose their skills and engaging in a group discussion.
After talking amongst one another, receiving feedback, and discussing their strengths and weaknesses, if you’re willing to take the conversation a step further, everyone revisits their pizza and updates their skills according to feedback.
Materials you’ll need: Paper and general arts and crafts materials. Tables and chairs for drawing surfaces
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
2. Blindfold trust game
This trust-building game is simple and requires only a blindfold and players willing to work together. While you don’t necessarily need a big field to play this in, it would be better to have an open area to avoid too many hazards getting in the way.
How to play: Break groups into small teams of two. One player is the leader, and the other wears the blindfold. The leader has to guide the blindfolded player to the endpoint while making sure they avoid bumping into objects.
For example, pick a start and end location; players start in the office and end at an outdoor seating area.
Materials you’ll need: Blindfold(s)
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
3. Building blocks
This simple card game is designed to get people talking. Building Blocks is a perfect icebreaker tool or exercise for growing teams.
How to play: The card game has six categories with questions aimed at “removing personal barriers and creating space for teamwork.” An example of a question in the deck is: What do you wish to spend more time on both in and outside the office”. If your team is remote, this can be played in person or over Zoom. The game is marketed for workshops, and meetings.
Materials you’ll need: Building Blocks card deck.
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
Games that encourage teamwork
Teamwork is essential to most industries. Even team members with highly specified roles that don’t require working with others should be included in company developments, even if that's their opinion on an upcoming change or project.
These games focus on bringing teams together so individuals can get to know each other and learn how to work together harmoniously.
4. The four quadrants
This team-building activity allows individuals to express themselves playfully and creatively. It’s an excellent game for helping team members get to know one another more intimately. It would be well suited for an onboarding exercise or bringing together teams that typically work remotely.
How to play: Split up into small teams and give each participant a piece of paper and drawing materials. Have them fold their paper into four sections and spend five to ten minutes drawing their responses to four questions. Questions can be personal or related to a workplace topic, such as “What do I expect from my team” or “What do I see in my professional future.”
After players finish drawing their responses, have them regroup with their team and discuss their visual answers.
Materials you’ll need: Paper and makers, general art supplies. Tables and chairs for drawing surfaces
How many people: Small to large teams (8-25+ people)
5. Perfect square
The perfect game for future leaders, Perfect Square pushes teams to communicate clearly and establish a leader who will help them complete the game. Another blindfold game that involves teams working together to, you guessed it, form a perfect square.
How to play: Break up into small teams, around four to six people, and give each group a rope. Team members pick up their rope, which is still a circle, and work together to create a perfect square, which isn’t easy to achieve when you can’t see anything! Teams form a circle with their rope on the floor, and everyone gets blindfolded.
This game encourages teams to establish a leader who can help focus and guide the other players to move in the right direction to achieve some four-sided perfection,
Materials you’ll need: Rope, material/ cloth for blindfolds.
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
6. Back-to-back drawing
The perfect game for the artists on the team, Back-to-Back drawing encourages play and communication and would be an excellent activity for a company retreat. This team-building exercise is less about problem-solving and relaxing and getting the chance to get to know one another.
How to play: Have players split into two teams and face away from one another. One player gets a picture, and the other receives paper and drawing materials. The person with the image describes what and how to draw the image without identifying it. After ten minutes, players swap roles.
After each team member has described the object and produced an image, they can compare their work and see who made the most accurate drawing.
Materials you’ll need: Art supplies and simple images (think flowers, cars, etc.) taken from a magazine or printed online.
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
7. Bull ring
Bull Ring is a popular game that demands teams work together on a shared goal. You will need to purchase some materials, but this is considered one of the best games to encourage cooperation and teamwork, so it’s likely worth it! Bull Ring is more involved than some previous games, which require little more than a blindfold or some markers.
How to play: Teams must transport a small ball from one post to another using a string system with a circle in the center. The ball rests in the center, and teams must ensure it doesn’t roll off during transport from one area.
Team members must communicate consistently throughout the process, as each body movement significantly impacts the ball moving, so each individual must listen carefully and be aware at all times.
Materials you’ll need: Strings, a small ball, and two stands to mark the start and finish.
How many people: Small to large teams (8-25+ people)
8. Build a bridge
We all loved arts and crafts when we were kids, and this game brings out our inner child while encouraging problem-solving and creative thinking.
How to play: Split the group into two teams. Make sure you have enough space to place people to be apart or use a sheet to divide the space. Teams work together to construct one-half of a bridge, which will eventually be together. It’s essential for each group not to be able to see the other’s progress. The two groups can communicate verbally to ensure the design will result in a stable, “functioning” bridge.
Materials you’ll need: Construction materials, like newspaper, tape, legos, cardboard, etc. Make sure you have a device for measuring, like tape or a long rule—enough space for teams to work privately.
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
Games for teams that spark conversation on company retreats
Teambuilding games prioritize getting together and strengthening bonds that promote healthy company culture. By encouraging group work, individual members get to know each other deeper. These types of activities are an ideal way to bring coworkers together on company retreats.
9. Shrinking vessel
Remember that game from childhood, “the floor is lava”? The one where you had to make it around the room without touching the floor. Good times. Shrinking vessel is somewhat similar, except you are working with a team. Strategy and Tetris skills will help me excel at this exercise.
How to play: Mark the boundaries of the areas where team members will be placed. Slowly, the edges of the borders are moved and made smaller, and team members must work together to ensure they don’t fall outside the lines. They cannot step out of the line.
Materials you’ll need: Anything temporarily marks the floor, like a string or tape, even a blanket, will do. Enough space to fit a small team of 4-5 people at a time is also needed.
How many people: Mid-size to large teams
10. Make the team with…
This simple game needs little material and is a perfect icebreaker—a perfect in-person game for company retreats and onboarding events.
How to play: One person from the group, ideally a team leader, calls out the facts or questions that team members just asked one another. Individuals have to make teams as quickly as possible based on the call-outs, like” people with one cat” or “people who play video games.”
Individuals must quickly figure out who meets the criteria and form a team. This exercise can be repeated with as many questions as you like.
Materials you’ll need Just yourselves and some places to sit. If you have a large team, ensure enough space to play.
How many people: Small to large teams (8 to 25+ people)
11. Minefield
How to play: Gather the whole team in a vast open space and split the group. Set up an obstacle course. Each sub-group will then pick a team leader, and the rest of the team will be blindfolded. Spin blindfolded members in a few circles to disorient them and then direct them through the obstacle course, leading them with five commands: left, right, forward, back, and stop”.
This game can be played multiple times, switching leaders to encourage leadership roles between different players.
Materials you’ll need: A wide open space, like a parking area—blindfolds and obstacles, such as traffic cones and various objects.
How many people: Mid-sized to Large teams (15-25+ people)
12. Charades
This classic game is derived from holiday parties and family get-togethers, making it an ideal match to play with employees on a company retreat. The competition promotes play and humor, making space for trust and helping team members get to know one another outside the professional landscape.
How to play: Split the group into two teams, teams 1 and 2. The game starts with team 1 taking a category slip from the opposite team's basket. The timekeeper starts the stopwatch and gives the player on team 1 three to five minutes to act out what is on the piece of paper, while other team members on team 1 have to guess what it is. The one thing you absolutely cannot do is speak!
The timekeeper keeps track of how quickly they can guess the answer correctly, and the team with the smallest score (least minutes) is the winner. Team 2 proceeds to play the same way.
One thing to note is that Charades has general rules and guidelines for acting out the category.
For a complete list of gestures and categories, see here.
Materials you’ll need: Paper and writing material for keeping score, a stopwatch or phone, and blank paper. Two baskets to keep various categories.
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
What to play to create understanding and empathy
We are with our coworkers a lot, sometimes more than our own families. For this reason alone, and many others, we need to understand that we all have our struggles and successes in and out of the workplace to maintain understanding and empathy.
These games help lay the groundwork for more empathy in the workplace, so you can deal with frustrations and misunderstandings before they create deeper issues.
13. Zen counting
This easy game is perfect for breaking up an in-person meeting with a quick exercise that encourages listening and concentration, depending on the size of your team, which can be done in a meeting or break room.
How to play: Set up chairs in a circle facing one another so your team members do not face to face. This game is about listening, so get ready to use your ears and not your eyes. Have your employees start counting from one to ten or higher if you’re a big group. Each person goes around in a circle saying a number, but since you are not looking at one another, you have to be patient and listen carefully for your neighbor to speak theirs. If you interrupt them, you start back at zero and start the whole game again.
Materials you’ll need: Just your team and enough chairs and space to have your whole team sit in a circle.
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8 to 16 people)
14. Phrase ball
This game is a fun and energetic game that gets the blood pumping, and its team members get to know each other in an informal way, which is essential to boosting workplace morale.
How to play: Stand in a group, and the first player answers one of the written prompts on the ball after reading it aloud, so the group knows what they’re answering. After they finish, they call out the next person's name to that they will be throwing the ball (they wouldn’t want to hit an unsuspecting player in the face), and they do the same as the first player.
The game continues until everyone has a chance to answer a question.
Materials you’ll need Enough space for people to gather comfortably and throw a ball.
How many people: An icebreaker thumbnail or a DIY version can be a soccer ball with phrases written on it.
15. Looks count
This card game challenges the psyche and asks employees to get outside their comfort zones. A fun game for a team that is making a company retreat and one that brings out the inner actor in everyone.
How to play: Split your team into large groups, around ten people, is ideal. Make a small deck of cards that includes an even amount of each suit (diamonds, clubs, etc.) which will then be evenly distributed. Team members draw a card, but without seeing it, the team-building organizer tapes it to their backs. Everyone is then instructed to go around talking to others based on the card on their back. The suit dictates the behavior:
- Spades are ignored
- Diamonds are treated well
- Act indifferent toward Hearts
After completing the game, sit down as a group and discuss how you were treated and how that made you feel. Group members will get the chance to acknowledge how they treat people as a marker of how others will perform and feel in the workplace.
Materials you’ll need: Desk of cards and ample space
How many people: Large teams (25+ people)
16. Elephant list
This game is about open and honest communication; even when it’s not an easy topic, teams that work remotely, or have been together for a long time, can take advantage of this game to avoid stagnant communication and encourage growth.
How to play: Leaders hand out a sheet of paper or sticky note for participants to write down one issue, or “elephants in the room.” Those leading the game then ask participants to address their elephants by applying “control, influence and accept” (C, I, A), asking them to decide which method would best approach the problem.
After everyone writes down their elephant and decides how they would address it, the notes are collected and then separated.
- Elephants that are “accepted” are put into one pile and accepted
- The remaining elephants are then discussed in a moderate group discussion to address how they should be dealt with as a team
Team leaders should encourage players to answer questions about the elephants in the room, such as, “why is this an issue, and how can we solve it as a team.”
Materials you’ll need: Sticky notes.
How many people: Small to large teams (8-25+ people)
17. Just listen
Listening is a huge part of communicating, and it’s hard to step back and hear what others say when we get stressed at work. This group exercise encourages teams to practice their listening skills, allowing others to speak and respecting their voice.
How to play: Team leaders will choose a topic that will be discussed in subgroups, ideally of two, with an assigned speaker and listener. After the speaker is done, the listener will summarize what they said and subsequently switch roles.
Afterward, the group gets back together to review the process and talk about what it felt like to speak without interruption and what positives came out of that experience. Listeners are also encouraged to give feedback on how it affected them.
Materials you’ll need: Just your team and various seating areas to break them up into groups and a stopwatch/timer.
How many people: Small to large teams (8 to 25+ people)
18. Guess the emotion
You've probably guessed what this game is about based on its name, but guessing an emotion can be trickier than you think. Practicing your ability to read people’s feelings can pay off in the long run, especially when it comes to reading the room at company meetings and asking the right questions if something feels off regarding an employee's emotional state.
How to play: Your team is split into two groups and draws a card from a deck with emotions written on each card. One team chooses someone to have the lead role and act out an emotion while the whole group tries to guess whether or not they're angry, sad, happy, etc.
If a team correctly guesses the emotion, they win ten points. The groups can rotate like this through as many emotions as possible, or at least until each team member gets the chance to act.
Materials you’ll need: A deck of cards with emotions written on them.
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
19. Stinky fish
Like the Elephant list, Stinky Fish is a game that helps teams bring up complex topics before they sit too long and start to stink up the place, like an old fish forgotten in the fridge. This is an excellent game for encouraging sharing and developing a culture of trust in the workplace.
How to play: Give each player a piece of paper with a fish picture on it. Make sure there is enough space inside the fish to write their concerns and issues, as that’s why the fish stinks, after all! Give each participant five to ten minutes to write their problems down.
After everyone has written their answer, bring the group back together and allow them a minute or two to discuss what they wrote down and why.
Materials you’ll need Paper/ a template with a picture of a fish that can be written inside and writing materials.
How many people: Small to mid-sized groups (8-16 people)
20. Pay it forward
This game is an interactive outdoor activity perfect for a company retreat. If you’re taking the whole team to Paris for a city getaway to boost morale, Pay it Forward is the perfect game that helps you get to know your surroundings and encourages team members to collaborate.
How to play: Split your workers into small teams, not more than ten a group. Each group will be given a small recording device or asked to designate one player as the videographer. Teams will be given an envelope that contains tasks. Each task is worth a certain number of points.
Each team is sent out into its surroundings, ideally a place where there are plenty of people to perform random acts of kindness for strangers. These random acts are found in the envelope given to your team at the beginning of the game. The person recording is documenting each task completed.
Examples of tasks could include:
- Paying for a strangers coffee at a cafe
- Telling someone they look great today
- Offering a small shopkeeper to help take out the trash
Once teams return to the home base, they tally up their points based on the number of tasks they completed.
Materials you’ll need: You’ll need plenty of space for your team to roam around, like a village or city center. A small recording divide like a GoPro or personal cellphone.
How many people: Small to large groups (8 to 20+ people)
Creative games for strengthening communication
Of course, it’s essential to be professional in the workplace, but there is a line where a work environment can feel too stiff, leading to burnout. These games prioritize listening, creativity, and play to help teams loosen up and get out of their heads.
21. Direction direction
Think you’re good at following directions? This game will test how good you are, testing your communication skills, so you follow the right directions.
How to play: Pick one person from your team who will pick a game or activity that is complex or hard to follow. After reading the directions out loud to the rest of the group, everyone else will attempt to play the game only based on what the speaker has told them. They will have to work together and communicate to figure out how to play correctly.
Afterward, the leader and team can briefly discuss where there were any communication breakdowns and what could have been improved.
Materials you’ll need: A game with complex directions
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
22. Communication origami
A relaxing game that helps you boost communication amongst team members. This exercise shows how well team members can listen and follow directions. You only need some paper and tables for people to make their shapes.
How to play: Hand out a sheet of A4 paper to each group member and then instruct them to close their eyes. Everyone must keep their eyes closed while one person reads the instructions to fold and create their piece of origami.
After you’re done instructing them, the whole group opens their eyes and compares their shapes.
Materials you’ll need: A4 Paper, seating areas with tables
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
23. Best and worst
This game relies on solid opinions, sure to get people talking. As the game's name implies, your team will get to know each other quickly, discussing the things they love and hate the most.
How to play: Team members go around and ask a question about the best thing they can learn from the group. After each participant's answer, they go to the next person who asks about the worst thing their team can talk about. That can be like, “what is the best meal you ever had.”
This continues until everyone has the chance to ask a question, and receive answer.
Materials you’ll need Just your team and a large seating area.
How many people: Small to large teams (8-25+ people)
24. Compliment circle
There’s something to be said about being kind and spreading positive vibes. While it may seem like “good vibes” is just tossed around flippantly, there is compelling evidence that being excellent and complementary is good for your health.
How to play: One person, likely the team leader, gets the ball rolling and asks team members to go around the circle and give a compliment to someone on their team. It can be as simple as thanking someone for being so knowledgeable and helping you figure out a computer malfunction, or more specifically, to a project the whole team is working on together.
Materials you’ll need: Just your team and, ideally, outdoor space
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
Icebreaker games for onboarding
Starting a new job or meeting the team in person for the first time can be intimidating for some.
These icebreakers aim to put everyone on an equal playing field, creating space to play and laugh, which is a great way to make new employees feel comfortable.
25. Twenty questions
A classic getting-to-know-you game, Twenty Questions is fun and easy to play, taking up minimal space and great for after-work activities or as a bar game on a company retreat.
How to play: Split into a team of two or small groups and assign one person who will think of an object, animal, etc. The other team members can ask twenty questions to determine the person's feelings.
Another way to keep score is to time how long it takes for those asking the questions to figure it out. If you ask 20 questions and still don’t know the answer, you lose, and the other person wins. Those who find the solution in less time are the winners and get a higher score.
Materials you’ll need: A list of topics and a timer
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
26. One word
A simple and low-stress icebreaker game that gets the ball rolling can be done on large and small company retreats.
How to play: Break your team into small groups with no more than five people. Give them the prompt, a simple question, like, “how would you describe your work day?” Each team has five or ten minutes to develop a one-word answer that sums up their response. After the exercise is finished, each team goes around and reads their answer out loud, facilitating discussion amongst the group.
You can play this game as many times with as many questions as you can come up with!
Materials you’ll need: Just your team!
How many people: Small to mid-sized groups
27. Jenga thoughts
This is a guaranteed good-time game that can be played after work on a retreat or at a weekend getaway with your team. It only requires the game Jenga and adequate seating and surface area for playing.
How to play: The same rules apply to Jenga Thoughts to the original Jenga. There is a tower made out of rectangular wooden blocks that players have to remove, so the whole tower doesn’t fall strategically.
With this team-building-friendly version, each block has a question the player has to answer. The objective is to keep the tower intact, but questions facilitate discussion and break down walls, bringing teams together while playing.
Materials you’ll need: A Jenga set, multiple, and seating areas with tables where people can play.
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams and a large one for setting up the game so everyone can play. If you have multiple Jenga sets, ensure you have several tables to seat and several small groups.
28. Two truths, one lie
Easy to play in areas with limited space and perfect for getting to know each other better. This game also helps more introverted team members have the opportunity to share something about themselves.
How to play: Each person gets a chance to tell three “facts” about themselves, two are true, and one is a lie. The rest of the players have to guess, ideally communicating with one another about which one they think is the lie.
Materials you’ll need: Your team and a comfortable place to sit.
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
Materials you’ll need: Just your team and a comfortable place to sit with tables.
29. Penny, for your thoughts
This simple game tests your historical knowledge and is a great way to spark conversation outside the office. While organizing a company retreat that emphasizes relaxation, this game is a great way to get people talking.
How to play: Hand out several coins, around five max, to each person. Go around in the group and have them start with one currency and tell a personal story that was meaningful for them.
If they are the only person with that experience, they can place the coin in the center of the table. If another team member shares a similar experience, they must put theirs.
The game is played until someone gets rid of all their coins.
Materials you’ll need A handful of pennies or equivalent coins in whatever currency you use. Just make sure the currency is recent (not older than 20 years old)
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8 to 16 people)
Listening games for better communication
There are a lot of teams that are immensely talented but need help communicating. Teams will only work together with solid communication, potentially stifling creativity and growth.
30. Freeze walk
Going back to the schoolyard days. This exercise is playful and gets people moving and communicating non-verbally.
How to play: People start walking slowly around the yard or where the game takes place. A person in the crowd is designated to start moving, and the rest must follow suit. They let people meander for a while and then shout “freeze” randomly. A designated person in the group starts walking again, and other players follow suit; players that are last to move to leave the game.
The last person standing is the winner.
Materials you’ll need: Just your team and enough space
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
31. Background noise
Background noise can be a common challenge if you work in an office or go to your desk in the living room daily. This game relies on an everyday challenge, asking players to listen with intention and remain calm, even if the environment is overwhelming.
How to play: Pick two people from your team to be the “speaker” and the “noise maker.” The person in charge of making noise is as loud as possible while others usually talk.
Team members listen carefully to try and retain as much information as possible. Many suggest that other team members close their eyes to try to hear as much as possible without visual distractions or prompts.
Materials you’ll need: No materials needed, just your team!
How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)
32. Telephone
Many people might remember this game from their childhood. Commonly used as an exercise to get kids to enhance their listening skills, this simple yet effective game still works just as well in adulthood!
How to play: Gather everyone on your team and have them line up or sit in a big circle. There is a group leader who whispers a sentence into the first person’s ear. That next person whispers that same (hopefully) sentence into their neighbor's ear, and the game continues as such.
This is a perfect game for large teams, as not much is needed, and it’s more challenging to get the message across perfectly the more people it goes through.
Materials you’ll need: Just your team and space to the lineup, or sit in a circle.
How many people: Small to large teams (8-25+ people)
33. Sandwiches and hamburgers
This game isn’t just a different name for “lunch,” It could be the perfect one to play just before you and your team sit down for a meal.
How to play: One leader will gather everyone in a circle and give them two cues; one is “sandwiches” and the other “hamburgers.” Depending on their title, each person is also given a corresponding movement to go with their category.
For example, Sandwiches raise their left hand, and Hamburgers do a little jump.
For the first round, every time the leader says the word, they will do their assigned action as well, but after a few plays, they will start switching the steps up to create confusion. See how many team members can catch on to changing commands and keep up!
Materials you’ll need: Just your team and space to the lineup, or sit in a circle.
How many people: Small to large teams (8-25+ people)
Add communication games to your next company retreat!
When planning your next team-building retreat, consider adding one or two, or all 33, communication games to your daily activities. Many of these can be used to break up the day and get the productive juices flowing.
Implementing activities encouraging coworkers and team leaders to bond is integral to creating a dynamic and trust-based work environment. All these games and exercises can be done with limited materials if any, so pick the ones that work best for your team and bring them along with you to your next company retreat.
If you’re still unsure what type of team-building retreat will be appropriate for you and your team, the Surf Office can help you decide what works best for you based on the needs and goals of your company.
