Who says guessing games are just for kiddos? Let's get real. Grown-ups need a break from the boring meetings and spreadsheets too. That's why guessing games can be the perfect way to get everyone in the office buzzing.

Not only do they provide a fun and engaging way to break up the workday, but they also foster skills in communication, teamwork, and creativity. Plus, they're low-prep and can easily be played during a coffee break, after a meeting, or at your teambuilding event.

So, take a break from the norm and try our 20 guessing games!

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1. Who Am I? 

Looking for a way to get your office crew bonding? Look no further than Who Am I? - the ultimate icebreaker activity. 

How to play:

1. Choose a category, such as movies or animals.
2. One person thinks of a famous person or animal from that category and keeps it secret.
3. Other players ask yes or no questions to determine who/what they are.
4. Players guess until someone gets it right.

This game is perfect for sharpening those communication and collaboration chops, while also giving a sneak peek into your employee’s inner lives (just try not to judge that one intern for picking a Kardashian). 

2. Charades 

If you’re looking to get your team moving and shaking in the office, you must give Charades a try.
By acting out random phrases or words in complete silence, you'll encourage creativity, teamwork, and a healthy dose of hilarity.

How to play:

1. Choose a category or theme.
2. Split into teams and choose who goes first.
3. Act out a word or phrase without speaking.
4. Teams guess the answer in a limited time.
5. The game continues until all teams have had a turn or a designated score is reached.

This game is perfect for team-building exercises, as it requires players to work together to accomplish a common goal. Plus, it's a great way to sharpen your nonverbal communication skills, which can come in handy during meetings and presentations.

3. Twenty Questions 

By challenging your team to guess the answer to a secret question in under 20 inquiries, you'll encourage communication, collaboration, and strategic thinking. Plus, it's a great way to sneak in some team building without resorting to trust falls or awkward trust exercises. 

How to play:

1. Think of an object, person, or place.
2. The other player(s) will have 20 questions to ask about your chosen item.
3. They can only ask yes or no questions.
4. After each question, you can only respond with yes, no, sometimes, or I don't know.
5. The players must try to guess what the object is before they run out of their allotted 20 questions.
6. If they successfully guess the object, they win.
7. If they run out of questions before they guess correctly, the player who chose the object wins.
8. If the game ends in a tie, you can play again to break the tie.

To supercharge the fun, try to set a theme for the game to boost the fun factor and creativity, while also allowing employees to learn more about each other. Make sure to check out our other question based games if this tickled your fancy!

4. Pictionary 

Ah, Pictionary, the timeless guessing game that has brought joy and frustration to households for decades. But have you ever thought about playing it in the office? Trust me, it's not just a game for family game night. 

How to play: 

1. Split into teams.
2. One player draws a word or phrase from a container.
3. That player must draw the word or phrase, while their team guesses.
4. The team has a limited amount of time to guess correctly.
5. If they guess correctly, they earn points; repeat until all players have had a turn.

Not only does it encourage teamwork and communication skills, but it also allows for a fun and creative break from the typical daily routine. Plus, it's a refreshing change from staring at screens all day.

5. Heads-Up!

Heads-up! No, we’re not talking about a safety warning, we’re talking about the app game that's taken the world by storm. And guess what? It's not just for playing with friends on a night out. This game can also be a hoot in the office.

How to play:

1. Split into teams.
2. One player holds the phone on their forehead, facing outwards.
3. Their team gives clues to describe the word or phrase on the screen.
4. If they guess correctly, swipe up; if not, swipe down.
5. Repeat until time runs out or all words have been guessed.

Heads-up! is a fantastic opportunity to promote better communication and teamwork, as well as help to break the ice among new colleagues. Current members will also benefit as it's a welcome change to ordinary office chit-chat.

6. Taboo

Next up is the game of “taboo”, a hilarious office game that is challenging and has the means necessary to improve  the entire teams communication and creativity skills.

How to play:

1. Divide into teams and choose a team leader.
2. The leader selects a card and tries to get their team to guess the word on the card without using any of the taboo words listed.
3. The team earns a point for each correct guess.
4. Rotate leaders and continue until each team member has had a turn.
5. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Playing Taboo in the office is a great way to foster collaboration and promote out-of-the-box thinking, while enjoying a few laughs and a break from the daily grind. Just be sure to keep the office-appropriate words flowing – we don't want any HR incidents on our watch!

7. Password

Next up is the lesser-known, but fun guessing game "Password". It's known for keeping your employees on their toes in an amusing and challenging way.

How to play:

1. Choose a password and write it down.
2. Players take turns giving one-word clues to help others guess the password.
3. Clues cannot contain any part of the password.
4. If someone guesses the password correctly, they get a point.
5. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

So why is this game perfect for the office? For starters, it's a great way to get people thinking creatively and working together. Plus, it's an easy way to inject some energy into meetings or downtime without spending a lot of time or money. 

8. Scattergories

Oh, Scattergories - that hilarious game that always leaves you scratching your head and laughing until your sides hurt. But did you know that this party favorite can be used in the office setting too?

How to play:

1. Choose a category and a letter.
2. Set a time limit for players to come up with answers.
3. Each player writes down as many answers as possible starting with the chosen letter.
4. Compare answers and eliminate any duplicates or invalid answers.
5. Award points for unique and valid answers. Repeat with a new category and letter.

Not only is Scattergories great for building team chemistry and boosting morale, but it's also a sneaky way to get everyone thinking outside the box and flexing their problem-solving muscles. So the next time you're stuck in a meeting that feels like a snooze-fest, bring out the Scattergories and watch the magic happen!

9. The Price is Right

The Price is Right is a legendary TV guessing game show where contestants need to guess the price of items to win prizes. But did you know, you can also adapt this for the office space?

How to play:

1. Gather your team in a room
2. Choose names out of a hat for the "contestants"
3. Gather office items or personal items of employees (make sure they are willing to let you handle them)
4. Showcase them on a table
5. Ask the contestants to guess the price of each item.
6. Whoever is closest wins!
7. Rotate contestants

This game is not only a fun way to break up the monotony of the workday, but it also helps strengthen teamwork and collaboration skills.

It can also provide an opportunity for employees to provide backstories on their items further improving presentation skills. You never know; some stories could be fascinating listen!

10. Guess Who? 

This guessing game is more than just a fun activity to pass the time; it’s a chance for your colleagues to learn about each other on a personal level.

How to play:

• Make a list of real-life or fictional characters that your employees are familiar with (celebrities, historical figures, or people in your industry). 
• Divide employees into teams and assign each team a character. 
• Take turns asking yes or no questions about the other teams' characters until you guess who it is. 
• Once a team identifies a character, they are eliminated. 
• Continue until only one team remains with a character that hasn't been eliminated. 

This game promotes teamwork, collaboration, and problem-solving skills in a lighthearted way. Additionally, it is a great way to add some fun to the workday while getting to know your employees.

11. Hangman

Hangman can be more than just a childhood pastime. It's a great way to break the monotony of the office and encourage team building.

How to play:

1. Choose a word or phrase and draw a line for each letter of the word.
2. The other player guesses one letter at a time. If they are correct, write the letter on the corresponding line.
3. If they are incorrect, draw a part of the hangman on the gallows.
4. The game ends when the word is guessed correctly or the hangman is completed.
5. Alternate roles and repeat.

Not only does Hangman sharpen vocabulary skills, it also allows colleagues to work together to solve a common puzzle. 

12. Hot Potato

Looking to spice up your office meetings? Look no further than the classic guessing game Hot Potato! Not only will it get everyone out of their seats and moving, but it can also be a fun and educational way to boost team morale and office knowledge.

How to play:

1. Gather a group and form a circle.
2. Take a small object, like a ball or beanbag, and pass it quickly around the circle.
3. Set a timer for a random amount of time.
4. Whoever is holding the object when the timer goes off is out.
5. Continue playing with shorter timers until only one person remains.

So next time you're feeling like your meetings are a little stale, toss in a game of Hot Potato and watch the office energy go through the roof! (Just try not to accidentally throw the potato at Jim from accounting's head...)

13. Trivial Pursuit 

Not just for family game night anymore, Trivial Pursuit can be a great way to inject some fun and friendly competition into your workday.

How to play:

1. Roll the die to determine your category.
2. Choose a card from the corresponding color.
3. Read the question aloud and attempt to answer.
4. If you answer correctly, roll again.
5. The first player to reach the center and answer a final question correctly wins the game.

Take a break from the daily grind and challenge your colleagues to a battle of wits. Trivia questions can be centered around your industry, office culture, or even global events. Not only will this get everyone's mental juices flowing, but it can also help build teamwork skills and encourage healthy communication.

14. Jeopardy

The classic TV gameshow Jeopardy can be adapted for an office setting with a few simple steps. 

How to play:

1. Create categories based on your workplace, such as company history, industry knowledge, culture, and team building. 
2. Develop challenging questions for each category and assign point values based on difficulty. Divide employees into teams and play the game. 
3. The first team to buzz in and provide the correct answer earns the corresponding points. 
4. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. 

Playing Jeopardy in the office is a fun way to test your employees' knowledge and promote teamwork. It's also a great way to inject some fun and excitement into your workday.

15. Family Feud

TV gameshows are not just for the TV! In this adaptation of the classic show Family Feud, your employees will be able to showcase their quick decision making skills, as well as their general knowledge and intelligence. 

How to play:

1. Divide into two teams.
2. One team member is chosen to compete as the captain.
3. The two captain are shown a survey question and must guess the top answers. Fastest “buzz in” first.
4. Points are awarded based on how many people in the survey chose that answer.
5. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
   

Surveys could be taken internally or taken from national survey websites to involve a whole range of different topics.

16. Would You Rather?

In this straightforward but effective game, an employee is asked what they would do in a difficult situation. It could be along the lines of “Would you rather be always cold or always hot?” or “would you rather listen to your least favorite music everyday or a baby crying everyday”. 

Make sure that you ask for their reasons as to why they chose a particular answer, as this will highlight their thought process and inject some personality into the game. 

It’s a fantastic way to really get to know the likes and dislikes of your employees which could be used to your advantage as you strive to make the office a place of enjoyment.
If you’re lacking on the creative questions to ask in the game, make sure to check out our extensive list of Would You Rather questions for inspiration!

17. Never Have I Ever

Ah, the classic game of Never have I ever. A staple at college parties and now...the office? Yes, that's right. This game can actually be a great team-building activity in the workplace.

How to play:

1. Gather a group of players and sit in a circle.
2. Each player takes turns stating something they have never done.
3. Anyone who has done that thing must take a forefit or lose a point.
4. The game continues with each player taking turns sharing something they’ve never done.
5. The winner is the last player left with points.
   

Now, you may be thinking, Why would we play a drinking game at work? Fear not, my friend. You can swap the drinks for something a bit more appropriate, like standing on one leg or raising both arms. It's a fun way to get to know your colleagues better and find out about their interesting experiences. Plus, it can help break down barriers and foster a more relaxed work environment. Just make sure you keep it professional and stick to appropriate topics. Cheers to that!

18. Jenga

You can turn this popular past time into something that you and your team will really benefit from!

Make sure that you have enough space to play this game and precautions are taken so there wont be any damage or injuries.

Follow the usual Jenga rules, but place your workforce into different teams.

In order to attempt to remove a block, a team member must answer a question based on the company, office life, other members of the team or company values.

This is a fantastic chance for your team to improve their knowledge on the company, especially new hires. It will also give you an idea about which members of the team need a little guidance on certain aspects of office life or just a refresh on company values. They’re able to learn through an entertaining medium and not forced to sit and watch a boring company video, for example.

19. Escape Room

Love the idea of an Escape Room but don’t have the space or materials needed to pull it off in the office? No problem! It’s time to adapt. 

How to play:

1. Divide your employees into numerous different teams
2. Create different types of puzzles, riddles or questions that the teams will have to answer 
3. and place them throughout the room. 
4. If they complete the task, they “unlock the door” and are able to move onto the next challenge 
5. The first team to complete all of the challenges the fastest wins.

This idea is sure to boost team work, as well as giving you an insight into the potential leaders in your group.

20. Twenty Minutes to Win It

This fast-paced game is perfect for your next office event, whether it's a team building activity or just a way to inject some fun into the workday.

Simply gather your employees together in groups, set the timer for 20 minutes, and start guessing the mystery word or phrase. It’s very similar to our Escape Room idea, but within a timed limit.

It's a great way to get everyone involved and working together to solve the puzzle. Plus, with the limited time frame, it adds a little pressure and excitement to the mix.

So why not spice up the office with this entertaining game? It's sure to bring some laughter and camaraderie to the workplace. Who knew guessing could be so much fun?

Key takeaways

Playing games at work can not only boost morale and relationships among colleagues, but also improve creativity, problem-solving skills and overall productivity. Whether you choose to play classic games like 20 Questions or pioneer new ones, the important thing is to have fun and let go of stress.

At Surf Office, we understand the importance of having a strong and motivated team, and that's why we offer an ideal space for teams to work, bond and play. Our venues are in beautiful locations around the world, providing a unique combination of work and leisure in a relaxing environment that will boost your team's performance and creativity.

Don't miss this opportunity to take your team to the next level. Contact us today to learn more about our venues and how we can help your team reach new heights.