45 group games for adults at work and parties
Games a room full of grown-ups will actually play, each with players, time and steps. No-prep, party, big group and online picks.
Good group games for adults have three things in common: rules you can explain in 30 seconds, everyone playing at once and a reason to laugh within the first minute. Below are 45 of them, from no-prep games and indoor party games for adults to big group games for a crowd of 300 and online group games for a video call. Each one lists how many players it suits, how long it takes and what you need.
Quick picks by situation
Zero prep, start now
Biggest laughs
For 50 people or more
On a video call
No-prep group games
Nothing to buy, print or set up. Start any of these in the next five minutes.
1. One-word story
Sit in a circle and tell a story one word per person. Anyone who pauses for more than three seconds starts a new story.
4 to 15 players · 10 min · Nothing
2. Categories clap
Keep a steady beat: two claps, then the next person names something in the category, like airlines or breakfast foods. Miss the beat or repeat an answer and you sit out.
5 to 20 players · 10 min · Nothing
3. Twenty questions
One person thinks of a person, place or thing. The group gets 20 yes-or-no questions to work it out, and whoever guesses picks the next one.
3 to 20 players · 10 min · Nothing
4. Contact
The leader thinks of a word and says its first letter. Players give clues for other words with that letter; when two players say 'contact' and the same word before the leader guesses it, the leader reveals the next letter.
4 to 12 players · 15 min · Nothing
5. Fortunately, unfortunately
Go around the group, each sentence flipping the last one: 'Fortunately, the client loved the deck. Unfortunately, they loved the wrong deck.' Keep going until the story lands.
4 to 12 players · 10 min · Nothing
6. Alphabet chain
Pick a topic, like things in an office. The first person names one starting with A, the next with B, all the way to Z. Skip X if the group is merciful.
4 to 20 players · 5 min · Nothing
7. Never have I ever, work edition
Everyone holds up five fingers. Take turns saying something you've never done at work, like 'never have I ever replied all by mistake'. Anyone who has puts a finger down.
5 to 30 players · 10 min · Nothing
8. Werewolf
A moderator secretly picks a few werewolves while everyone's eyes are closed. Each night they pick a victim; each day the village debates and votes someone out. Full werewolf game rules.
7 to 20 players · 20 to 30 min · A moderator
9. Wink murder
With eyes closed, the host taps one murderer on the shoulder. The murderer kills by winking at people, who dramatically drop out a few seconds later. Everyone else tries to spot the winker.
8 to 30 players · 10 min · Nothing
10. Zip zap zop
Stand in a circle and pass the energy by pointing and saying zip, then zap, then zop, in that order, as fast as you can. Say the wrong word and you're out. More improv games for adults.
6 to 20 players · 5 min · Nothing
11. Common thread
Split into groups of four. Each group finds three things they all have in common that aren't about work or obvious from looking at them, then shares the strangest one.
8 to 100 players · 10 min · Nothing
12. Would you rather walk
Read a dilemma and point to two sides of the room, one per answer. People walk to their side, and one volunteer from each side makes the case in 20 seconds.
6 to 60 players · 10 min · A list of questions
Indoor party games for adults
A few supplies, a lot more laughing. Built for an office party, an offsite evening or a long lunch.
13. Sticky note who am I
Write a famous name on a sticky note and put it on someone's forehead without them seeing. They ask yes-or-no questions until they guess who they are.
6 to 30 players · 15 min · Sticky notes and a pen
14. Fishbowl
Everyone writes three names on slips for a bowl. Two teams play three rounds with the same slips: describe it, then one word only, then act it out in silence.
8 to 30 players · 30 to 45 min · Paper slips and a bowl
15. Paper telephone
Everyone writes a sentence at the top of a sheet and passes it on. The next person draws it and folds the sentence away, the next writes what the drawing shows, and so on. Read them out at the end.
6 to 20 players · 15 min · One sheet and pen per player
16. Charades
Teams take turns acting out a movie, book or song title from a slip in 60 seconds, no talking. Write work-safe titles ahead so nobody gets stuck.
6 to 30 players · 20 min · Title slips and a timer
17. Forbidden words
Describe a word so your team can guess it without saying three banned words listed on the card. Describe 'coffee' without 'cup', 'morning' or 'drink'. A buzzer for the other team helps.
6 to 30 players · 20 min · Index cards you write
18. Hum that tune
A player draws a song title and hums it, no words. The first team to name it scores, and the hummer picks the next player.
6 to 30 players · 15 min · A list of well-known songs
19. Category lists
Roll a letter, read ten categories and give teams three minutes to fill them all in. Only answers nobody else wrote score. Ready-made lists of categories.
4 to 30 players · 15 min · Paper and pens
20. Murder mystery party
Hand out characters with secrets, let people question each other over two or three rounds of clues, then everyone names the killer. Free printable murder mystery game.
6 to 20 players · 60 to 90 min · Printed character sheets
21. Spoons
Deal four cards each and put one fewer spoon than players in the middle. Pass cards around fast; when someone gets four of a kind they grab a spoon, then everyone grabs. No spoon, you're out.
4 to 12 players · 15 min · A deck of cards and spoons
22. Quiz parcel
Wrap a small prize in layers with a trivia question between each one. Pass it while music plays; when the music stops, the holder answers to unwrap a layer.
8 to 30 players · 20 min · A wrapped prize and music
23. Who packed this
Everyone writes three things they'd take to a desert island on a card. Read the cards out one by one and the group guesses who wrote each.
6 to 20 players · 15 min · Index cards
24. Balloon tower
Give each team 20 balloons and a roll of tape. The tallest tower that stands on its own for ten seconds after time is called wins.
Teams of 4 to 6 · 15 min · Balloons and tape
Big group games for 30 to 300 people
Everyone plays at once or in teams, so a crowd of 200 takes no longer than a crowd of 20.
25. Human bingo
Hand out cards with squares like 'has lived abroad' or 'can whistle loudly'. Find a different person for each square; the first full line shouts bingo. Make free icebreaker bingo cards.
30 to 200 players · 15 min · Printed cards
26. Rock paper scissors tournament
Everyone plays someone nearby. Losers join the winner's cheering section and follow them to the next match, until two finalists play in front of a roaring crowd.
30 to 500 players · 5 min · Nothing
27. Table trivia
Seat teams of six to eight, read three rounds of ten questions from the front and have each table hand in one answer sheet per round. How to host a trivia night.
30 to 300 players · 45 min · Questions and answer sheets
28. Heads or tails
Everyone stands and picks heads (hands on head) or tails (hands on hips). Flip a coin; the wrong side sits down. Keep flipping until one person is left.
30 to 500 players · 5 min · A coin
29. Survey says
Survey the group a week ahead with questions like 'name something people forget before a meeting'. In a Family Feud-style round, teams guess the most popular answers.
30 to 200 players · 30 min · A short survey form
30. Four corners quiz
Label the corners A, B, C and D. Read a multiple-choice question; people walk to the corner they think is right. Wrong corners sit down for the round.
30 to 150 players · 15 min · Four signs and questions
31. Silent line up
Teams of ten race to line up by birthday, then by years at the company, without saying a word. Check each line out loud.
30 to 200 players · 10 min · Floor space
32. Minute to win it heats
Each team sends one player per challenge: stack cups, flip a bottle, move candy with a straw. Sixty seconds each, points to the top three. 33 minute to win it games.
30 to 200 players · 30 to 45 min · Cheap supplies
33. Office scavenger hunt
Teams of four to six get the same list of things to find, photograph or do around the building. Most points in 30 minutes wins. Free printable office scavenger hunt.
20 to 200 players · 45 min · A printed list
34. Music bingo
Cards show song titles instead of numbers. Play 20-second clips; players mark the songs they recognize, and lines, then full cards, win.
30 to 300 players · 45 min · Bingo cards and a playlist
35. Egg drop challenge
Each team builds a contraption from straws, tape and paper to protect a raw egg. Drop them from the same height; every egg that survives scores.
20 to 100 players · 30 to 45 min · Eggs, straws, tape and paper
Online group games for Zoom and Teams
Games that use what a video call is good at: the chat box, cameras and breakout rooms.
36. Breakout room trivia
The host shares question slides, teams confer in breakout rooms and one captain per team submits answers in a form or private chat.
10 to 200 players · 30 to 45 min · Question slides
37. Fetch it
Call out something to find, like something older than you or something blue. First person back on camera with it scores. More virtual scavenger hunt ideas.
4 to 50 players · 10 min · Nothing
38. Guess the desk
Collect a photo of everyone's desk or view ahead of time. Show them one by one and let the group guess whose is whose in the chat.
6 to 50 players · 15 min · Photos sent ahead
39. Draw it on the whiteboard
One player gets a word in a private message and draws it on the call's whiteboard. Everyone else types guesses in the chat.
4 to 30 players · 15 min · A shared whiteboard
40. Emoji weekend
Everyone sums up their weekend in five emojis in the chat. Pick a few and let the group guess the story before the owner explains.
6 to 100 players · 10 min · Nothing
41. Chat waterfall
Ask a question, like the best snack ever invented. Everyone types an answer but waits to hit enter until you say go, then the answers pour in at once.
10 to 500 players · 5 min · Nothing
42. Online escape room
Teams work through a chain of puzzles together, each one unlocking the next, with a timer running. Play our free online escape room.
Teams of 3 to 8 · 30 to 45 min · A free game link
43. Online jeopardy
Share a board of categories and point values on screen. Teams pick a square, answer in the form of a question and keep a running score. Free online jeopardy game.
6 to 60 players · 30 min · A shared game board
44. Two truths and a lie
Each person shares three statements about themselves, one of them false. The group votes in the chat before the reveal. Rules and 100 example statements.
4 to 30 players · 15 min · Nothing
45. Lightning show and tell
Everyone grabs one object within arm's reach and gets 30 seconds to explain why it matters. The group votes for the best story.
4 to 20 players · 15 min · Nothing
How to run group games so adults join in
The game matters less than how you start it. Six habits that get a reluctant room playing:
- Match the room's energy. After lunch, pick something with movement. At 5 pm on a Friday, pick something people can play sitting down.
- Explain it in 30 seconds. Then play one practice round. Adults pick up games by doing, not by listening to rules.
- Make the teams yourself. Count off or draw names so the same five friends don't end up together and new people aren't picked last.
- Give everyone a way to take part. Some people don't want to act or run. Let them keep score, judge or be the timer.
- Stop while it's still fun. Two or three short games beat one long one. End on the round people are still laughing about.
- Keep prizes small and silly. Bragging rights, a trophy from the dollar store or first pick of the snacks. Big prizes make people tense.
Need shorter games for the start of a meeting? Try these team meeting games that take 5 to 15 minutes, or our guessing games for adults.
Want someone to run the games for you?
Our hosts run virtual game shows with Family Feud-style rounds, trivia and quick challenges, on Zoom by default (Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request). In person, they bring trivia and Feud Night to your office in 17 US cities. Planning for a crowd? See team building for large groups.
Hosted group games, virtual and in person, with today’s prices. Book about 2 weeks ahead.
Planning a party or an offsite? Get a free quote with your date and headcount.
