Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

How to play Worst job ever?

Many icebreakers involve simply answering a question, and this is a fun one to get the responses to. As everyone introduces themselves, have them say what their worst job ever was, and why. Laughter is sure to ensue and you might find out some amazing backgrounds of your coworkers.

Kick off a healthier routine with run & recharge! Form an office running club and go for group runs after work to promote both physical and mental well-being. It’s a low-pressure way to get everyone moving, destress after a long day, and bond as a team.

This activity is perfect for boosting morale, increasing fitness, and recharging your mind—while enjoying the fresh air.

How to play:

• Set a regular time for post-work group runs.
• Run as a team, encouraging each other along the way.
• Track progress together and celebrate small fitness wins!

Looking for more fun team-building activities for small groups? Browse our full guide for more ways to energize your team.

How to play:

Divide the team into pairs or small groups and provide them with a random scenario or prompt. The teams must improvise a skit or scene based on the given negative scenario, using their creativity and spontaneity to deal with the issue

For example; the scenario could be “Child screaming in a supermarket”. Teams have 30 seconds to act out deal with their scenario

Materials needed: None

Benefits:

• Quick-thinking superheroes: Tap into your team's mental agility as they come up with witty lines and hilarious improvisations on the spot. It's like a comedy club where your team's creativity takes center stage.
• Teamwork with a twist: Collaborate with your scene partners and build upon each other's ideas, creating a seamless and entertaining performance. It's like a theatrical ensemble where the final act is a testament to your collective genius.

Take things easy with picnic power hour! Head to a local park for a relaxed team picnic, complete with blankets, snacks, and good conversation. It’s a casual way to bond outside of the office and enjoy some downtime together.

This low-key activity encourages relaxation, conversation, and unwinding as a team in a peaceful setting.

How to play:

• Pack up some food, drinks, and blankets for a team picnic.
• Head to a nearby park and enjoy a laid-back hour of chatting and snacking.
• Use the time to bond casually and recharge in nature!

Find more fun team-building activities for small groups to bring your team together in meaningful ways.

Paper Chains is a simple game that can be played by small or large groups. The aim of the game is for teams to build the longest paper chain without talking while using ONLY their dominant hand.

Great for: Communication, problem-solving, leadership

Duration: 5-10 minutes

Players: 6+

You’ll need: A4 paper, sticky tape, scissors

How to play Paper Chains

Setup: Separate your group into teams of 4-5 players and hand each team several sheets of A4 paper, a roll of sticky tape and a pair of scissors. Then, ask each team to allocate a team leader.

To play: Escort the team leaders from the room and explain the rules of the game in private. The rules are as follows: Teams must attempt to build the longest paper chain without talking while using only their dominant hand. Once the leaders understand the rules, they have 30 seconds to convey them to their team and devise a quick strategy. Then, teams have just three minutes to start building their paper chains. The team with the longest paper chain at the end of the three minutes wins.

How to play Who am I? Game

One person writes a name on a piece of paper and sticks it on another person's forehead. They must ask yes or no questions to figure out who they are. If you have ever played the game 20 questions (or the fun iPhone game of Heads Up) then you’re familiar with the premise.

One-word check-in is a quick activity that helps gauge the mood and mindset of all team members. It’s ideal as a warm-up or to start a meeting with a pulse check.

Set up:

In a circle, ask each team member to describe their current feeling, focus, or attitude in just one single word. They might give you positive input like motivated or focused, but they might let you know how tired and overwhelmed they feel, so it’s important to listen closely. Once everyone has spoken, look for recurring themes and reflect on those as a group.

How to play Name that product

Remember the memory games that you used to play as a child? A variation of this activity can help new hires to learn about your product offerings. You don’t need anything besides a pen and paper! Begin by making a list of the products that your company sells. On the same page, list product features and price points. Then, on separate papers, write a short product description for each of the items. Have sales reps match the products with the short descriptions. Or, as another variation, instead of descriptions you can use customer needs or wants, or another indicator that would help people to better understand your product breadth and keep them straight.

How to play Blind square-build

This is a fun, problem-solving game that’s often used in business environments to support teamwork and critical thinking. To begin, tie a long piece of rope into a circle. Let attendees know that their job is to turn the circle into a square - while blindfolded. Break the session up into two, 15-minute sessions. In the first session, they can plot and plan but must not touch the rope. In the second session, they can work together moving the rope. This game is simple and effective and has materials that are easy to come across and cheap to buy.

How to play Moral dilemma

Similar to a “would you rather” game, this activity centers on ethical dilemmas. Players should try to flex their moral problem-solving muscles by tackling a social issue. For example, Scruples is a popular board game that can be played. Or, you can look online for versions of games like Dilemma or Quandary. This is a great way to learn more about your colleagues while getting a peek at the way they think.

How to play Share your superpower

Another easy variation on an icebreaker is to share what your superpower would be. As everyone stands and introduces themselves, ask them to include some information on the special talents that make them unique. They can use their imagination for most desired superpowers like teleporting, or they can list some actual talents such as speedy present-wrapping or fantastic filing. It’s a nice way to learn a bit more about the people around you and what makes them special (plus, you might learn about who you can go to when you need some help with certain tasks).

How to host Virtual hackathon

This is a great option for remote teams or teams who are spread out geographically. Online hackathons are one of the most popular and effective team competition ideas.  A hackathon is a marathon competition where teams compete to sketch or design a new product over the course of a few days. To host one, pick a theme (like sustainability or pop culture) and announce it at the beginning of the competition. Make sure to announce the contest in advance of starting it so that teams have time to gather supplies, implement the right collaboration tools, etc.

Divide your group into teams and let them get started! Then, at the end of the allotted time, wrap up the competition and set a time for everyone to present their finished products. Then judges will pick a winner and award a prize. Maybe the product ideas could even be implemented someday!

How to play Communication chain

This is a great game for a team and involves participants expressing activities through gestures. Have everyone stand in a line facing the same direction. The last person on this line is the lead. They should write down an action (such as “I was walking my dog and tripped and fell”). The person next to them in line acts out the particular action without any verbal cues, and then the next person in line does the same, and so on. The first person at the beginning of the line will have to guess what the action was.

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How to play River crossing

This game involves solving a hypothetical challenge. For this game, two teams work together to collect planks and get everyone in their group across a river. The trick is that the planks are magic and sink when not in contact with a person. This is a good way to facilitate critical thinking and work together as a team.

Explanation:

‍Teams brainstorm and design the ultimate office gadget that solves an everyday problem, like a self-cleaning desk or a coffee cup that never gets cold. The goal is to sketch out the concept and explain how it works.

In this hybrid version, remote and in-office workers team up to brainstorm their gadget ideas. Remote workers can use virtual tools to create digital sketches and presentations, while in-office workers can build mockups or create physical prototypes using whatever’s available. Everyone collaborates on how the gadget would work and why it would make office life easier (or just more fun). At the end, each team shares their gadget ideas via video call, showing off both the digital and physical aspects of their creation.

It’s a fun way to mix creativity and problem-solving across both work environments!

Explanation:

Someone in the office describes an abstract design made by remote workers, while those working remotely try to recreate it—without ever seeing the original! The goal is to see how close (or hilariously far) the recreations turn out.

This is a perfect game for connecting the office and remote workers. The in-office person gives a detailed but tricky description of a design that a remote worker has come up with (think: a robot unicorn or a house made of ice cream cones). Remote team members then try to recreate the design based solely on that description using whatever tools they have at home—whether that’s paper and pen or digital drawing software. Everyone compares the original design with the recreations, leading to plenty of laughs as teams see just how different (or spot on) the interpretations are!

In memory lane wall, teammates write down their fondest workplace memories and pin them on a designated wall for everyone to see. It’s a simple but powerful way to spread positivity and reminisce about shared experiences that have brought the team closer.

This is a heartwarming way to boost morale and remind everyone of the good times they’ve had together in the office.

How to play:

• Provide a space for team members to write down their favorite workplace memories.
• Pin the memories on a shared wall for everyone to read.
• Enjoy the positive vibes and walk down memory lane together!

How to play Confess then guess

This is a simple “getting to know you” game for groups of all sizes, especially people who are just getting to know each other. In every round, participants write down the answer to a prompt (that was previously created) and then put the answer into a bowl. A host will read out each reply and players have to guess which person wrote the answer. Some prompts to try are:

• Your greatest fear
• Your favorite animal story
• Who you were in a past life
• Your favorite activity for relaxing
• What you were voted in high school
• What you wanted to be when you grew up
• The first item on your bucket list
• Your personal hero
• Something you’re allergic to

How to play Workplace trivia

You can’t go wrong with workplace trivia, because it’s a great way to reiterate facts while having some fun. You can even bring out peoples’ competitive side which can be extra entertaining. Workplace trivia is especially helpful for new team members or as part of an onboarding process. Prior to your training session, come up with a list of questions to use in a trivia game. They should relate to the training material, your company, or your industry. You can also use trivia games in virtual training sessions.

Here’s one to spark your teams’ creative sides. “Pictures paint 1000 stories” morphs random photos into fun and memorable tales. Here’s how to set the game up:

Set up:

1. Have each person bring in their quirkiest photos, and the more random the better. Pets, street art, and even something from grandma’s old photo album will work well.
2. Create teams of 3 to 5 people. Tell them they’ll receive a handful of random photos, and their job is to create a story that links each photo.
3. Once the giggles settle, watch as your teams weave their pictures into a seamless story. Embrace the weird and wonderful as they craft their narrative masterpieces.
4. Each team takes center stage to spin their yarn. Let the crowd or a panel of discerning judges decide whose tale tickled their funny bones and crown your winners.

How to play Three-line scene

Anyone who’s played beginner improv games before may have encountered a game called “Yes, and”. In it, people work together to build an increasingly ridiculous story. For example:

• Person 1: “I went to the gym this morning.”
• Person 2: “Yes, and your arms look fantastic.”
• Person 3: “Yes, and they’d be perfect for arm wrestling.”
• Person 1: “Yes, and I want to tattoo my partner’s name on them.”
• Person 2: “Yes, and they’ll probably want to marry you after.”

Three-Line Scene takes that concept and simplifies it. This time, pairs of colleagues work together to say one line each, using “yes, and” to build on whatever the previous person said. Heads up, it works best when you say statements vs questions. For example:

• Person 1: “I went to the gym this morning.”
• Person 2: “Yes, and you’re making me feel guilty about eating this cake.”
• Person 1: “Yes, and I’m not going to stop until you become my gym partner.”

The aim is to move fast, think quickly, and not worry about saying the ‘right thing’. The game works well because it rewards creativity and is inherently positive. Those enthusiastic “yes, and” responses embolden new improvisers and make them feel comfortable thinking on their feet and contributing to the task.

We don’t have to explain how helpful that is to team collaboration! The fact teammates practice the art of agreeing with their colleagues (vs dismissing their suggestions) is useful too. With any luck, it’ll transfer into everyday conversations.

We love Fizz Buzz. A classic energizer game you may remember from your school days, it involves standing in a circle and taking turns to count upward from 1. However, there’s a mathematical twist that complicates proceedings…

How to play Fizz buzz

Every number that’s divisible by 3 is replaced with the word “fizz” and everything divisible by 5 is replaced with “buzz”; numbers divisible by both 3 and 5 are replaced with the words “fizz buzz”. For instance, a typical round would look like this:

“1, 2, Fizz, 4, Buzz, Fizz, 7, 8, Fizz, Buzz, 11, Fizz, 13, 14, Fizz Buzz, 16…”

The idea is to go around the circle as quickly as possible. If someone hesitates or makes a mistake, they’re eliminated. The last person standing is the winner!

How to play Pitch tournament

An important part of selling is understanding customer needs: what they want or what drives them to buy something. Help your team to hone these skills by pitching items to you or another panel of judges. Pick a few regular objects, such as things from around the office. Then, pair people up (or work as individuals if your group is already small) and have them take turns pitching the item to your judges. Give everyone a few minutes to come up with a unique presentation and make sure they understand the product. Add a prize for the winner to up the ante a bit.

If you had just one question to determine the suitability of your future spouse, what would you ask? The One-Question Game pressures your employees to determine theoretical suitability for a given scenario with just one question.

Great for: Communication, decision-making

Duration: 5-10 minutes

Players: 6+

You’ll need: Nothing

How to play The One Question Game

Setup: Start by dividing your group into pairs, leaving one person to act as the leader.

To play: The leader starts by posing a hypothetical scenario to the group. The leader could ask questions like, “What would you ask to determine the suitability of somebody to babysit your child?” Or “What question would you ask to determine whether somebody was capable of building your house?” This game encourages players to home in on what’s most important when determining the suitability of somebody to perform a given role.