Games to play in person
The rest of this site is for a break on your own. This page is for the other kind: away from the screen, with the people you work with. Each game has who it suits, how long it takes, what you need and how to play, and most need nothing but a few cups, a whiteboard or a pen.
52 games
Cup games
A sleeve of paper cups from the kitchen is all the kit you need.
Cup bowling
Ten paper cups in a triangle, one ball of paper and a long stretch of floor. Ten-pin bowling for people who own lanyards.
- Players
- 2–10
- Time
- 10–20 min
You need: 10 paper cups, A soft ball or a wad of tape-wrapped paper, Tape for a throwing line
How to play
- Set the cups up as a 4-3-2-1 triangle at the end of a hallway or a cleared table.
- Mark a throwing line a few metres back with tape.
- Each player gets two rolls per frame; count the cups knocked over.
- Play five frames, reset after every turn, and keep score on a sticky note.
Cup and card tower
Build a tower of cups with playing cards as floors, then take turns pulling cards out without bringing it down. Jenga with office supplies.
- Players
- 2–6
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: 20–30 paper cups, A deck of cards or stiff index cards
How to play
- Build a tower: a row of cups, a layer of cards across them, more cups on top, as high as you dare.
- Take turns removing one card and placing it on the top of the tower.
- You may only use one hand.
- Whoever makes the tower fall loses the round and builds the next one.
Pyramid stack and collapse
Stack a pyramid of cups, then fold it back into one stack, against the clock. Sounds easy; your hands disagree.
- Players
- 2–12, in pairs or alone
- Time
- 5–15 min
You need: 6 or 10 paper cups per player, A phone stopwatch
How to play
- Each player starts with their cups in a single stack.
- On "go", build a pyramid (3-2-1 or 4-3-2-1), then collapse it back into one stack.
- First to finish with a standing pyramid and a neat stack wins the heat.
- Winners race each other until one is left.
Musical cups
Musical chairs, scaled down to a table. One cup fewer than players; when the music stops, grab one.
- Players
- 4–12
- Time
- 5–10 min
You need: Paper cups, one fewer than the players, Music from a phone
How to play
- Put the cups upside down in the middle of a table, players around it with hands behind their backs.
- Play music; everyone walks around the table.
- When the music stops, grab a cup. Whoever has none is out, and one cup goes.
- Repeat until one player holds the last cup.
Blow the pyramid over
Knock down a cup pyramid using nothing but a balloon’s worth of air. Loud, silly and over in seconds.
- Players
- 2–10
- Time
- 5–10 min
You need: 6 paper cups per player, One balloon per player
How to play
- Each player stacks a 3-2-1 pyramid at the edge of a table.
- Blow up your balloon and pinch it shut.
- Aim the neck and let the air out to blast the cups off the table.
- Refill as often as you like; first to clear their table wins.
Cup and paper roll relay
Teams drag a cup across the floor with a strip of paper towel, without touching the cup. Fragile, fast and very funny to watch.
- Players
- 4–16, in teams
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: A roll of paper towel or tissue per team, A paper cup per team, Tape for start and finish lines
How to play
- Tape a start and finish line a few metres apart.
- Each runner tears off a strip, sets a cup on one end and pulls it gently to the finish.
- If the paper tears or the cup tips, go back to the start.
- Hand over at the line; the first team to get every runner through wins.
Water cup relay
Pass water from cup to cup down a line of people, then measure what is left. Best outside on a warm day.
- Players
- 6–20, in teams
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: A paper cup per player, A jug of water, A clear glass per team to fill
How to play
- Teams stand in a line, each player holding a cup.
- The first player fills their cup and pours it into the next player’s cup, and so on down the line.
- The last player pours into the team’s glass, then runs to the front to start again.
- After three minutes, the team with the fullest glass wins.
Flip cup
Teams on either side of a table drink a sip of water, then flip their cup from the edge until it lands upside down. A relay where everyone is the bottleneck once.
- Players
- 6–16, two teams
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: A paper cup per player, Water, A long table
How to play
- Line both teams up on opposite sides of the table, a little water in each cup.
- On "go", the first players drink and set their cup on the table edge.
- Flick the bottom of the cup until it lands mouth-down; only then may the next teammate start.
- The first team to finish its line wins.
Word games
Played out loud or on paper, no setup, good for mixed groups.
First letter, last letter
Each word has to start with the last letter of the one before. Pick a theme and it becomes surprisingly hard.
- Players
- 2–12
- Time
- 5–10 min
You need: Nothing at all
How to play
- Choose a theme: cities, foods, things in the office.
- The first player says a word in the theme.
- The next player says another that starts with the last letter of it (Oslo, Ottawa, Amsterdam…).
- Hesitate for more than five seconds or repeat a word and you are out.
Hangman
The classic letter-guessing game, played on a whiteboard. Use office words for the inside jokes.
- Players
- 2–10
- Time
- 5–10 min
You need: A whiteboard or paper and a marker
How to play
- One player picks a word or phrase and draws a dash for each letter.
- The others guess one letter at a time.
- Right letters are written in; each wrong one adds a stroke to the drawing.
- Solve it before the drawing is finished; whoever solves it sets the next word.
Word pyramid
One player gives clues, the other guesses six words under a theme before the clock runs out. Teams race up a pyramid of categories.
- Players
- 4–12, in pairs
- Time
- 15–25 min
You need: Paper and a marker, A phone timer
How to play
- Write six categories in a pyramid on the board (Things in a desk drawer, Things you say on a call…).
- A pair picks a category; the clue-giver gets a list of words in it, kept secret.
- In 30 seconds, describe as many words as you can without saying them.
- Each word guessed is a point. Pairs take turns until the pyramid is used up.
Invisible bridge
Get from one word to an unrelated one in as few links as possible. Coffee to elephant in four steps: go.
- Players
- 2–10
- Time
- 5–15 min
You need: Paper and a pen
How to play
- Someone names two unrelated words.
- Everyone writes a chain of linked words from the first to the second (coffee, bean, grey, elephant).
- Each link must make sense to the group; the room votes on doubtful ones.
- Shortest valid chain wins and picks the next pair.
Synonym memory
Memory, the card game, but the pairs are words that mean the same thing. Office jargon makes great pairs.
- Players
- 2–6
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: Sticky notes or index cards, A marker
How to play
- Write 12 pairs of synonyms, one word per card (circle back / revisit, sync / meeting…).
- Shuffle and lay the cards face down in a grid.
- Take turns flipping two. A synonym pair is yours and you go again; otherwise flip them back.
- Most pairs when the table is clear wins.
Poetry improv
Make up a short poem on the spot from a random topic. Rhymes optional, applause mandatory.
- Players
- 3–12
- Time
- 10–20 min
You need: Slips of paper for topics, A bowl or a mug
How to play
- Everyone writes a topic on a slip and drops it in a mug (the printer, Mondays, the last team lunch).
- A player draws a slip and gets 30 seconds to think.
- Recite a four-line poem about it.
- The room claps; the loudest clap of the round wins.
Speed crosswords
Everyone builds their own little crossword from a pile of letter tiles, as fast as possible. The Bananagrams idea, played with Scrabble tiles or paper squares.
- Players
- 2–8
- Time
- 10–20 min
You need: Letter tiles from a word game, or 100 paper squares with letters
How to play
- Put all tiles face down; each player takes 15 (fewer if there are many players).
- On "go", build your own connected crossword with your tiles.
- When you use all of yours, call "draw": everyone takes one more tile.
- When the pile is empty, the first player to use every tile in valid words wins.
Drawing games
Bad drawing is the point. A whiteboard helps.
Draw and guess
One person draws, their team guesses, the clock runs. Pictionary on a meeting-room whiteboard, with office words if you like.
- Players
- 4–16, two teams
- Time
- 15–30 min
You need: A whiteboard or flip chart, Markers, Word slips, A phone timer
How to play
- Split into two teams and write word slips: objects, actions, office life.
- A drawer picks a slip and has one minute to draw it; no letters, numbers or talking.
- Their team shouts guesses. A right answer scores a point.
- Teams alternate; the first to ten points wins.
Blind sketching
Sit back to back: one person describes a picture, the other draws it without seeing it. A test of how well you explain things, disguised as a game.
- Players
- 2–20, in pairs
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: Paper and pens, Simple pictures to describe (printed, or on a phone)
How to play
- Pairs sit back to back; one gets a picture, the other a blank sheet.
- The describer explains the picture using shapes and positions, but never says what it is.
- After three minutes, compare the drawing to the original.
- Swap roles with a new picture. The room votes for the closest match.
Thirty-second portraits
Everyone draws the person opposite in thirty seconds, without looking at the paper. Then the gallery opens.
- Players
- 2–20
- Time
- 5–10 min
You need: Paper and pens
How to play
- Pair up and sit facing each other.
- Start a 30-second timer; draw your partner while looking only at them, never at the page.
- Swap partners and repeat a few times.
- Stick the portraits on a wall and let people find themselves.
Guessing games
Who, what or how much: you learn something about each other.
Guess whose desk
Photos of desks, no names. Work out who sits where from the mugs, plants and cable chaos.
- Players
- 5–30
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: Photos of willing colleagues’ desks, A screen or printed copies, Paper for answers
How to play
- Collect desk photos in advance from people who agree to join (home desks count).
- Show them one at a time, numbered.
- Everyone writes down whose desk they think each one is.
- Reveal the owners at the end; most right answers wins.
Baby photo match
Match colleagues to their childhood photos. Haircuts change, grins don’t.
- Players
- 6–30
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: Childhood photos from volunteers, A wall, a board or a screen, Answer sheets
How to play
- Ask volunteers to send a childhood photo to one organiser in secret.
- Number the photos and pin them up or show them on screen.
- Everyone writes down who they think each photo is.
- Reveal one by one; the most correct matches wins.
Office price is right
How much does a box of staples cost? Or the office chair? Closest guess without going over wins.
- Players
- 3–20
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: A handful of office items with known prices, Paper for guesses
How to play
- The host picks items and looks up their prices in secret.
- Hold up an item; everyone writes a guess.
- Reveal the price. The closest guess that is not higher than the price scores a point.
- After ten items, the highest score wins.
Celebrity lookalikes
Volunteers each pick the famous person they have been told they look like; the room has to match them up.
- Players
- 6–30
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: A screen or printouts, Answer sheets
How to play
- Volunteers privately send the organiser the celebrity they are most often compared to.
- Show the celebrity photos, numbered, beside a list of the volunteers’ names.
- Everyone writes who goes with which celebrity.
- Reveal the pairs; the most correct matches wins.
Mystery bag
Reach into a bag without looking and name the object by touch. Stranger than it sounds when it is a whiteboard eraser.
- Players
- 3–15
- Time
- 5–15 min
You need: A cloth bag or a box with a hole, Ten small objects from around the office
How to play
- The host fills the bag with objects in secret.
- A player reaches in, holds one object and has 20 seconds to name it.
- A right answer scores a point; the object goes out of the game.
- Take turns until the bag is empty.
Who am I?
One player thinks of a colleague, a famous person or an object; the rest have twenty yes-or-no questions to find it.
- Players
- 3–15
- Time
- 5–10 min
You need: Nothing at all
How to play
- One player picks someone or something everyone knows.
- The others ask yes-or-no questions, one at a time.
- Count the questions out loud. Guessing counts as a question.
- Solve it within twenty and the solver picks next; otherwise the picker goes again.
Animal pairs
Everyone gets a secret animal and finds their twin using only noises and movements. Nobody can stay dignified, which is the point.
- Players
- 8–30, an even number
- Time
- 5–10 min
You need: Slips with animal names, each animal twice
How to play
- Hand out the slips face down; everyone reads theirs in secret.
- No talking: make your animal’s sound or move like it.
- Find the other person who is the same animal and stand together.
- The last pair to find each other starts the next round.
Quiz games
Game-show rounds you can run from a meeting-room screen.
Survey says
Survey the office beforehand, then teams guess the most popular answers. Family Feud, with your colleagues as the survey.
- Players
- 6–30, two teams
- Time
- 20–40 min
You need: A short anonymous survey sent a few days before, A whiteboard or a slide per question
How to play
- Send a few questions ahead of time ("Name something people forget before a video call").
- Tally the answers and keep the top five for each question.
- Teams take turns guessing; each answer on the board scores its number of votes.
- Three wrong guesses pass the question to the other team. Most points after all questions wins.
Answer-first quiz board
A board of categories and point values; the host reads the answer and players reply with the question. Jeopardy-style, about your own company.
- Players
- 4–20, in teams
- Time
- 20–40 min
You need: A grid of clues on a slide or a whiteboard, Something to buzz with: a bell, a squeaky toy, a raised hand
How to play
- Prepare five categories with five clues each, worth 100 to 500 (Company history, Team trivia, Acronyms…).
- A team picks a category and value; the host reads the clue.
- The first team to buzz answers in the form of a question. Right adds the points, wrong takes them away.
- Clear the board; the highest score wins.
Trivia rounds
Pub-quiz style: a few themed rounds, teams write answers, the host marks them. Easy to run every week with a new quizmaster.
- Players
- 4–40, in teams
- Time
- 20–45 min
You need: Questions (10 per round), Answer sheets and pens
How to play
- Form teams of three to five and give each a team name.
- The host reads a round of ten questions; teams write their answers.
- Swap sheets with another team and mark them as the host reads the answers.
- Play three or four rounds and add up the totals.
Phrase puzzle
Guess a hidden office phrase letter by letter, Wheel of Fortune style, with a dice roll instead of a wheel.
- Players
- 3–12
- Time
- 15–25 min
You need: A whiteboard, A die or a dice app
How to play
- The host writes dashes for a phrase ("Let’s take this offline").
- On your turn, roll the die and call a consonant: each time it appears, you earn the roll × 10.
- Miss and the turn passes. You may spend 50 points to buy a vowel.
- Solve the phrase to keep your points; most points after five phrases wins.
Team challenges
Small groups, one goal, a clock. Talking is how you win.
Paperclip chain relay
Teams link paperclips into a chain against the clock, one player at a time. Longest chain wins; the whole drawer gets emptied.
- Players
- 4–20, in teams
- Time
- 5–10 min
You need: A box of paperclips per team, A phone timer
How to play
- Give each team a pile of paperclips.
- One player per team adds clips for 30 seconds, then hands the chain on.
- Keep rotating until the two minutes (or five) are up.
- Stretch the chains along the floor; the longest wins.
Build a bridge
Teams build a bridge between two desks from paper, tape and straws. It has to hold a mug. Planning beats panic.
- Players
- 6–30, teams of 3–5
- Time
- 20–40 min
You need: Per team: paper, tape, straws or skewers, Two chairs or tables as banks, A mug or a stapler to test with
How to play
- Set two banks a set distance apart, say 40 cm.
- Give each team the same supplies and 5 minutes to plan without touching anything.
- Build for 15 minutes.
- Test each bridge with a mug, then add weight until it fails. Strongest bridge wins.
Human snake
A line of blindfolded players, guided through an obstacle course only by the one at the back who can see. Taps on shoulders replace words.
- Players
- 6–20, teams of 4–6
- Time
- 15–20 min
You need: Blindfolds or scarves, Soft obstacles: chairs, bins, cones
How to play
- Teams line up, hands on the shoulders of the person in front. Everyone but the last player is blindfolded.
- Agree on signals: left shoulder tap turns left, right turns right, both means stop.
- No talking. The last player steers the snake through the course by passing signals forward.
- Fastest team through the course without hitting anything wins.
Sneak a peek
One player at a time may look at a hidden model for ten seconds, then the team has to rebuild it from their memory.
- Players
- 6–20, teams of 3–5
- Time
- 15–20 min
You need: Two identical sets of building bricks per team, A box or a cloth to hide the model
How to play
- Build a small model in secret and hide it under a cloth.
- One player from each team looks at it for ten seconds.
- They go back and describe it; the team builds. Then the next player takes a look.
- After ten minutes, the closest copy wins.
Invention afternoon
Teams invent and build a rough prototype of something that would fix a small office annoyance, then show it off.
- Players
- 6–40, teams of 3–5
- Time
- 1–2 h
You need: Cardboard, tape, string, markers, A list of small office annoyances
How to play
- Collect office annoyances beforehand: the cable mess, the lost stapler, the noisy fridge.
- Each team picks one and has an hour to build a prototype from scrap.
- Each team gets two minutes to demo it.
- Everyone votes for the most useful and the most ridiculous.
Creative games
Pitches and stories made up on the spot.
Pitch to the panel
Teams get ten minutes to invent a product and pitch it to a panel of "investors". Shark Tank, with play money.
- Players
- 6–30, teams of 3–4
- Time
- 20–40 min
You need: Paper and markers, Play money or sticky notes as investment
How to play
- Pick a panel of two or three judges and give them the play money.
- Teams have ten minutes to invent a product and plan a one-minute pitch.
- Each team pitches; the panel asks two tough questions.
- The judges invest their money; the team that raises the most wins.
Sell me this stapler
Grab something from your desk and sell it to the room as the greatest invention ever. Thirty seconds, no preparation.
- Players
- 3–15
- Time
- 5–15 min
You need: Whatever is on your desk
How to play
- Everyone grabs one ordinary object from their desk.
- Swap objects at random so nobody pitches their own.
- Take turns giving a 30-second sales pitch.
- The room votes for the pitch they would actually have bought.
Picture stories
Five random photos, one story that links them all. Each team tells theirs and the room picks the best.
- Players
- 4–20, in small teams
- Time
- 15–20 min
You need: Five random pictures per team (magazine cut-outs, phone photos)
How to play
- Give each team five unrelated pictures.
- They have five minutes to make a story that uses all five, in any order.
- Each team tells its story, showing the pictures as they go.
- Vote for the most inventive story.
Emoji stories
Retell a film, a meeting or a project using only emoji, and let the others decode it.
- Players
- 3–20
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: Phones, or a whiteboard to draw the symbols
How to play
- Everyone picks a film, a book or a well-known office event.
- Write it as a sequence of no more than eight emoji, in the team chat or on the board.
- The others guess what it is.
- A correct guess scores a point for the guesser and the writer.
Best match
A judge flips a describing word, everyone plays the card from their hand that fits it best, the judge picks a winner. Apples to Apples with office words.
- Players
- 4–10
- Time
- 15–30 min
You need: About 30 "describing" cards (Awkward, Urgent, Overrated…), About 80 "thing" cards (The printer, Reply all, Free cake…)
How to play
- Deal five thing cards to everyone. One player is the judge.
- The judge turns over a describing card.
- Everyone else plays a thing card face down; the judge shuffles them, reads them out and picks the best fit.
- The winner keeps the describing card; the role of judge moves on. First to five wins.
Active games
Get up from the chair. Clear the space first.
Hot potato
Pass an object around the circle while the music plays; whoever holds it when it stops is out.
- Players
- 5–20
- Time
- 5–10 min
You need: A soft object: a stress ball, a rolled-up sock, Music from a phone
How to play
- Stand or sit in a circle.
- Start the music with your back turned; pass the object around as fast as you can.
- When the music stops, whoever holds it is out.
- Keep going until two players are left; they pass it back and forth to decide it.
Steal the bacon
Two teams, numbered players and one object in the middle. Call a number and both players race to grab it and get home.
- Players
- 8–20, two teams
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: One soft object (a cushion, a scarf), Space to run a few steps
How to play
- Teams line up facing each other; number the players on each side 1, 2, 3…
- Put the object halfway between the lines.
- The caller shouts a number; those two players race to grab the object and run back to their line.
- Making it home scores a point; being tagged on the way gives the point to the other team.
Human hungry hippos
One player lies on a rolling board, the teammate pushes them into the middle to grab balls. The board game, life-sized, for a team day outside.
- Players
- 8–20, four teams
- Time
- 15–20 min
You need: Rolling boards or scooter boards, A laundry basket per team, Lots of soft balls, A large open space
How to play
- Put the balls in the middle; each team has a corner and a basket.
- One player lies on the board holding the basket; a teammate holds their ankles.
- On "go", push the player in to scoop balls, then pull them back to empty the basket.
- When the balls are gone, the team with the most wins.
Pin it on
Blindfolded, spun around, you try to stick a paper moustache or hat onto a poster. Pin the tail on the donkey for grown-ups.
- Players
- 3–20
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: A poster or a big printed picture, Paper accessories with tape, A blindfold
How to play
- Pin the poster to a wall and mark the target spot on it secretly.
- Blindfold a player and turn them around three times.
- They walk to the wall and stick their accessory on.
- Mark each attempt with initials; closest to the spot wins.
Conversation games
Questions and bluffs that start the conversations you never get to at work.
Would you rather
Two choices, no third option, and a short explanation. The why is more interesting than the answer.
- Players
- 2–20
- Time
- 5–15 min
You need: Nothing at all
How to play
- One player asks a "Would you rather…" question with two options.
- Everyone picks one, no fence-sitting.
- Go around the group with one sentence each on why.
- The next person asks a new question.
Forehead words
A word is stuck on your forehead and you have to work it out from your team’s clues and gestures.
- Players
- 4–20
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: Sticky notes and a pen
How to play
- Write a word on a sticky note and put it on a player’s forehead without them seeing.
- The team gives clues and acts it out without saying the word.
- The player guesses; one minute per word.
- Take turns; whoever guesses the most words wins.
Never have I ever (office edition)
Say something you have never done; everyone who has done it holds up a finger. Keep it about work and it stays safe for work.
- Players
- 4–15
- Time
- 10–15 min
You need: Nothing at all
How to play
- Everyone holds up five fingers.
- Take turns saying "Never have I ever…" with something work-related (…sent an email to the wrong person).
- Anyone who has done it puts a finger down.
- The last person with fingers up wins.
Two truths and a lie
Three facts about yourself, one of them made up. The others have to spot the lie. The best ice-breaker there is.
- Players
- 3–20
- Time
- 10–20 min
You need: Nothing at all
How to play
- Everyone thinks of two true facts and one believable lie about themselves.
- Take turns saying all three in any order.
- The group votes on which one is the lie.
- Reveal it; everyone who was fooled gives the teller a point.
One-word story
The group tells a story one word each, in turn. Nobody controls where it goes, and that is the fun.
- Players
- 3–15
- Time
- 5–10 min
You need: Nothing at all
How to play
- Stand in a circle and pick a title ("The day the coffee machine broke").
- Go around the circle; each person adds exactly one word.
- Keep the pace up; no long pauses.
- Whoever says "The end" with a straight face finishes it.
Quick games
Two to five minutes, nothing to set up. Start a meeting with one.
Count to 20
The group counts to twenty, one person at a time, in no set order. If two people speak at once, back to one.
- Players
- 5–20
- Time
- 2–5 min
You need: Nothing at all
How to play
- Stand in a circle; you may close your eyes.
- Anyone says "one", then anyone else says "two", and so on.
- No signals, no order. If two people speak at once, start again from one.
- Get to twenty as a group and you win.
Typing race
Same sentence, same start, everyone types it as fast and as cleanly as they can. Finally, a use for all that email.
- Players
- 2–20
- Time
- 5–10 min
You need: A computer each, A shared text to type
How to play
- Share one paragraph everyone can see.
- On "go", everyone types it into an empty document.
- Stop at one minute; count the words typed correctly.
- Most correct words wins; typos cost a word each.
Statues
Move while the music plays, freeze when it stops. Anyone who wobbles is out.
- Players
- 4–30
- Time
- 3–5 min
You need: Music from a phone
How to play
- Everyone moves or dances while the music plays.
- The host stops the music at random.
- Everyone freezes. Anyone still moving or laughing is out and becomes a judge.
- Last statue standing wins.
Rock paper scissors tournament
Everyone plays a round; losers become the cheering section of whoever beat them. In five minutes the whole room is shouting for two people.
- Players
- 6–50
- Time
- 3–5 min
You need: Nothing at all
How to play
- Everyone pairs up and plays one round of rock, paper, scissors (best of three).
- The loser follows the winner and cheers for them.
- Winners find another winner and play again, with their fans behind them.
- In the end, two players play with the whole room cheering. One wins.