33 minute to win it games for adults at work

Quick picks for the office

Stacking and building games

Quiet concentration, then a collapse and a groan from the whole room. The best ones to watch.

1. 1. Cup pyramid sprint

   Build a 5-4-3-2-1 pyramid from one stack, then restack it into a single tower before time runs out.

   You need: 15 plastic cups

2. 2. Card tower

   Build the tallest freestanding tower. It has to stand for 3 seconds after the buzzer.

   You need: 20 business cards, index cards or playing cards

3. 3. One-hand coin tower

   Stack coins one at a time with one hand. Tallest standing tower wins.

   You need: 25 coins

4. 4. Dice on a stick

   Hold the stick in your teeth and stack all six dice on it. Keep them there for 3 seconds.

   You need: 6 dice and a craft stick or pen

5. 5. Paper clip chain

   Link the longest chain you can. Measure it when the timer stops.

   You need: A box of paper clips

6. 6. Rubber band ball

   Wrap as many rubber bands around the paper ball as you can. Count the bands at the buzzer.

   You need: 50 rubber bands and a crumpled paper ball

7. 7. Logo puzzle

   Assemble the logo face up. Fastest time under 60 seconds wins.

   You need: Your company logo printed and cut into 16 squares

Tossing and aiming games

Fast, loud and easy to score: count what lands.

1. 8. Paper ball hoops

   Crumple and shoot, one ball at a time. Most baskets in 60 seconds wins.

   You need: Scrap paper and a trash can 8 feet away

2. 9. One-bounce cups

   Bounce each ball once on the table and into a cup. Fill all five to win.

   You need: 5 ping pong balls and 5 cups at the far end of a table

3. 10. Flip cup row

   Flick each cup's rim so it lands right side up, left to right. Finish the row to win.

   You need: 6 plastic cups upside down at the table edge

4. 11. Bottle flip

   Flip it so it lands standing up. Most landings in 60 seconds wins.

   You need: A water bottle, about a third full

5. 12. Straw golf

   Blow the ball across the table into the cup through the straw. Most goals wins.

   You need: A straw, a ping pong ball or paper ball, and a cup on its side

6. 13. Pen in the bottle

   Tie the string around your waist so the pen hangs behind you, then lower it into the bottle with no hands.

   You need: A pen tied to a string, an empty bottle

7. 14. Coin bounce

   Bounce the coin off the table and into the cup. Most in 60 seconds wins.

   You need: A coin and a cup

Steady-hand games

Small objects, big pressure. Good for players who'd rather not run around.

1. 15. Straw candy transfer

   Move candies from one plate to the other by sucking through the straw. No hands.

   You need: A straw, 20 small candies, two plates

2. 16. Chopstick sprint

   Move them one at a time from bowl to bowl. Most moved wins.

   You need: Chopsticks, 20 candies or dry beans, two bowls

3. 17. Noodle fishing

   Hold the spaghetti in your mouth and pick up every penne piece with it. No hands.

   You need: One dry spaghetti strand and 6 pieces of penne

4. 18. Ruler balance

   Balance it upright on one palm for the full minute. Walk a lap of the room for a bonus point.

   You need: A ruler or yardstick

5. 19. Spoon walk

   Carry the ball on the spoon in your mouth to a line 20 feet away and back. Drop it and restart.

   You need: A spoon and a ping pong ball or a grape

6. 20. Cap match

   Put the right cap back on every marker before time runs out.

   You need: 12 markers in different colors, caps off and mixed

7. 21. Envelope stuffer

   Fold each sheet in thirds, stuff it and tuck the flap. Most finished envelopes wins.

   You need: 10 sheets of paper and 10 envelopes

Silly face and body games

The ones people film. Keep a phone ready.

1. 22. Forehead cookie

   Tilt your head back, put the cookie on your forehead and get it into your mouth using only your face.

   You need: A sandwich cookie

2. 23. Sticky note shake

   Shake them all off without using your hands or rubbing against anything.

   You need: 10 sticky notes stuck on your arms and shoulders

3. 24. Balloon keep-up

   Keep both in the air for the full minute. If one touches the floor, you're out.

   You need: 2 balloons

4. 25. Hot air

   Keep the tissue floating by blowing on it. Last the full minute to win.

   You need: One single-ply tissue

5. 26. Tissue sprint

   Pull out every tissue, one at a time, with one hand.

   You need: A full box of tissues

6. 27. Balloon fan race

   Fan the balloon across a finish line 15 feet away without touching it.

   You need: A balloon and a paper plate or folder

Brain games with no mess

Just paper, a pen or nothing at all. Ideal for meeting rooms, mixed abilities and video calls.

1. 28. Word sprint

   Write as many words of three or more letters as you can from the letters in TEAMWORK (team, work, tower, market...).

   You need: Paper and a pen

2. 29. Alphabet office

   Name an office object for every letter from A to Z out loud while a judge ticks them off. Most letters wins.

   You need: Nothing

3. 30. Memory tray

   Study the tray for 30 seconds, cover it, then list as many objects as you can in 60 seconds.

   You need: 20 small objects on a tray, a cloth to cover it

4. 31. Deck sort

   Sort the deck into four suits. Most cards sorted correctly at the buzzer wins.

   You need: A shuffled deck of cards

5. 32. Blind logo

   Draw the company logo blindfolded. The room votes for the best (or worst) one.

   You need: Paper, a marker and a blindfold

6. 33. Countdown by sevens

   Count down from 100 by sevens out loud: 93, 86, 79... Furthest without a mistake wins.

   You need: Nothing

How to run a minute to win it tournament

Teams, heats and a final turn a handful of games into a proper event.

1. 1Pick 6 to 8 games. Mix categories so everyone has a game they're good at. Test each one yourself first: if you can't do it in 60 seconds sometimes, nobody can.
2. 2Make teams of 4 to 6. Mix departments. Each game, a team sends one player; everyone plays at least once.
3. 3Run heats side by side. Set up one station per team so every team plays the same game at the same time.
4. 4Score 3, 2, 1. First place in each game scores 3 points, second scores 2, third scores 1. Ties share the points.
5. 5Finish with a final. The top two teams send their best player to a sudden-death final in a crowd-pleaser like forehead cookie.
6. 6Have a judge and a timekeeper. One person runs the clock out loud, one rules on what counts. Their call is final.

The shopping list

Everything for all 33 games. Half of it is probably in the supply closet already.

• Plastic cups (a sleeve of 50)
• Ping pong balls
• Balloons
• Sandwich cookies
• Paper clips, rubber bands and sticky notes
• Straws, chopsticks and small candies
• Dry spaghetti and penne
• Markers, dice, coins and a deck of cards
• String, scrap paper, envelopes and a box of tissues

Minute to win it games on Zoom

Almost every game here works on camera. Four changes make a remote round run smoothly.

1. 1Send a supply list a week ahead. Stick to things people already own: cups, coins, paper, a water bottle, tissues.
2. 2Play at the same time. Everyone plays each game at once in gallery view while the host runs the clock.
3. 3Show the result to camera. Players hold up their tower, count or chain at the buzzer. Honor system for the rest.
4. 4Use breakout rooms for teams. Teams pick their player in a breakout room, then come back to the main room to compete.

Want someone to run the games for you?

A live host can run the whole thing: Olympic-style challenges, music, medals and scoring, in about an hour on Zoom by default (Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request). See virtual office olympics and virtual game shows.

More free games for work: an office scavenger hunt, a printable murder mystery and team meeting games. Planning a bigger event? Get a free quote.

Minute to Win It is a trademark of its owner. KraftyLab isn’t affiliated with the show; the games above are our own write-ups of classic party challenges.