One has to go questions: 120 rounds to play at work
BreakfastRound 1 of 120
Tap the one that has to go.
One has to go is the simplest game you can play at work. Someone reads four things from the same category, and each player keeps three and names the one that has to go, with a reason. You may know it as one’s gotta go or one gotta go. The 120 one has to go questions below are sorted into eight sets, from food and office life to a hard mode where all four options are great. Every round is about things, never people, so it stays friendly in any meeting.
How to play one has to go
No supplies and no prep. In a meeting room, a round takes about two minutes.
- Read the round. Say the topic and the four options out loud, or put them on screen. Pizza toppings: pepperoni, mushrooms, pineapple, extra cheese.
- Everyone picks the one that has to go. Give people five seconds. On a count of three, everyone says their pick at once, so nobody just copies the first answer.
- One line of reasoning each. Go around and hear one sentence per person on why it had to go. The reasons are the game: that's where the laughs and the arguments live.
- Tally the room and move on. Count which option the room cut most and announce it like a verdict. Then deal the next round. Three or four rounds fill a ten-minute warm-up.
On a video call
- Share your screen on the round dealer above so everyone sees the same four options.
- Ask people to type their pick in the chat and hit enter on a count of three.
- Ask two or three volunteers for their reason, so the round stays under three minutes.
- In a big meeting, run a quick poll with the four options and read out the result.
120 one has to go questions for work
Eight sets of 15 rounds, numbered straight through so you can call out a round by number. Some groups call them one must go questions, and they play the same way.
Food and snacks
The easiest place to start: everyone has an opinion and nobody gets hurt.
1. Breakfast: Pancakes, Avocado toast, French toast, Breakfast burrito
2. Pizza toppings: Pepperoni, Mushrooms, Pineapple, Extra cheese
3. Movie snacks: Popcorn, Nachos, Gummy candy, Pretzel bites
4. Sandwiches: Grilled cheese, BLT, Turkey club, Meatball sub
5. Desserts: Cheesecake, Brownies, Apple pie, Ice cream sundae
6. Potatoes: French fries, Mashed potatoes, Hash browns, Roasted potatoes
7. Chip flavors: Salt and vinegar, Barbecue, Sour cream and onion, Plain salted
8. Condiments: Ketchup, Salsa, Mayo, Hot sauce
9. Fruit: Mango, Strawberries, Watermelon, Grapes
10. Takeout: Tacos, Sushi, Pad thai, Burgers
11. Ice cream flavors: Chocolate, Rocky road, Mint chocolate chip, Cookie dough
12. Cookies: Chocolate chip, Oatmeal raisin, Peanut butter, Snickerdoodle
13. Pasta dishes: Spaghetti, Mac and cheese, Lasagna, Ravioli
14. Warm drinks: Cappuccino, Chai latte, Hot chocolate, Peppermint tea
15. Soups: Tomato, Chicken noodle, Minestrone, Clam chowder
Office life
Meetings, perks, desk gear and the little rituals of a workday. Expect strong views on the sounds.
16. Meeting types: Daily standup, All-hands, Brainstorm, Project kickoff
17. Office perks: Free snacks, Standing desks, A nap room, A game room
18. Desk upgrades: A second monitor, A desk plant, Good headphones, A comfy chair
19. Places to meet: Conference room, Coffee shop, Walking meeting, Video call
20. Office sounds: Keyboard clacking, Phone ringtones, The printer warming up, Background chatter
21. Supplies: Sticky notes, Highlighters, Paper clips, The stapler
22. Office events: Potluck lunch, Trivia afternoon, Ugly sweater day, Field day
23. Office features: Big windows, A full kitchen, Phone booths, A rooftop terrace
24. Commutes: Walking, Biking, Taking the train, Driving
25. Kitchen staples: Microwave, Coffee maker, Ice machine, Toaster
26. Team rituals: Birthday cake, A shout-out channel, Team lunch, Friday demo
27. Calendar blocks: Focus time, A real lunch break, Inbox hour, Coffee chat
28. Where you sit: Window seat, Corner desk, Desk near the kitchen, Quiet zone
29. Company swag: Water bottle, Hoodie, Tote bag, Notebook
30. Meeting extras: An agenda in advance, Snacks on the table, A hard stop, Cameras optional
Tech and apps
Gadgets, features and the tools we all use, kept generic so nobody has to defend a brand.
31. Ways to reach you: Email, Phone call, Text, Chat message
32. Phone features: Flashlight, Calculator, Camera, Maps
33. Shortcuts: Copy and paste, Undo, Search, Screenshot
34. Video call features: Mute button, Background blur, Screen share, Raise hand
35. Gadgets: Smartwatch, Tablet, E-reader, Wireless earbuds
36. Work tools: Spreadsheets, Slide decks, Shared docs, Whiteboard apps
37. Notifications: Calendar reminders, Read receipts, Typing indicators, App badges
38. Phone settings: Dark mode, Do not disturb, Auto-brightness, Vibrate mode
39. Emoji reactions: Thumbs up, Laughing face, Heart, Party popper
40. Things to listen to: Music, Podcasts, Audiobooks, Radio
41. Laptop must-haves: Long battery life, Featherlight build, Big screen, Great keyboard
42. Phone apps: Weather, Notes, Alarm clock, Step counter
43. Retro tech: Flip phone, Portable CD player, Disposable camera, Handheld game console
44. Smart home: Robot vacuum, Smart speaker, Video doorbell, Smart thermostat
45. Typing helpers: Autocorrect, Spell check, Predictive text, Voice typing
Work habits
How people actually get work done. These start the best follow-up conversations of the whole list.
46. Morning routines: Checking email first, Making a to-do list, Coffee before anything, Checking the news
47. Note-taking: Paper notebook, Notes app, Index cards, Whiteboard
48. Focus helpers: Noise-canceling headphones, A lo-fi playlist, A timer, A closed door
49. Inbox styles: Inbox zero, Folders for everything, Flag it and forget it, Search when needed
50. Planning styles: Weekly plan on Monday, Daily plan each morning, Plan the night before, Wing it
51. Break activities: Stretching, A snack, A walk outside, Chatting with a coworker
52. Working from home: Kitchen table, Dedicated desk, Couch with a laptop, Standing at the counter
53. Feedback styles: In person, In writing, In the moment, Saved for the one-on-one
54. Deadline styles: Done early, Done exactly on time, Last-minute sprint, Asking for more time
55. Lunch habits: Lunch at your desk, Lunch with the team, Lunch out at a café, Lunch in a park
56. Asking for help: Ping a teammate, Search the docs, Ask in the team channel, Figure it out alone
57. End of the day: Clearing the desk, Writing tomorrow's list, Closing every tab, Logging off without looking back
58. Ways to learn: Online course, Reading, Shadowing a coworker, Learning by doing
59. Email sign-offs: Best, Thanks, Kind regards, Talk soon
60. Productivity methods: Time blocking, Hardest task first, Batching small tasks, Working in sprints
Weekends and hobbies
Life outside work, without asking anything personal. Good for learning what people do for fun.
61. Saturday mornings: Sleeping in, Farmers market, A long run, Big breakfast
62. Hobbies: Baking, Gardening, Painting, Jigsaw puzzles
63. Outdoor activities: Hiking, Bike rides, Paddleboarding, A picnic in the park
64. Game night: Board games, Card games, Word games, Charades
65. Lazy Sundays: Movie marathon, Reading a novel, A nap, The crossword
66. Creative hobbies: Photography, Pottery, Knitting, Calligraphy
67. Places to explore: Museum, Bookstore, Botanical garden, Flea market
68. Weekend chores: Grocery run, Laundry, Car wash, Returning a package
69. Classes to take: An instrument, Cooking class, Dance lessons, Improv class
70. Casual sports: Pickleball, Bowling, Mini golf, Ping-pong
71. Day trips: Beach, Lake, Small town, Big city
72. Live shows: Concert, Circus, Magic show, Sports game
73. Cozy nights in: Cooking a big meal, Watching a series, Writing in a journal, Calling a friend
74. Pets to look after for a weekend: Rabbit, Parrot, Hamster, Goldfish
75. Collections: Stamps, Vinyl records, Sneakers, Houseplants
Movie and TV genres
Genres and formats, never titles, so nobody needs to have seen anything to play.
76. Movie genres: Comedy, Action, Horror, Musical
77. TV formats: Sitcom, Reality show, Game show, Talk show
78. Documentaries: Nature, True crime, History, Food
79. Animation styles: Stop-motion, Hand-drawn, Computer-animated, Anime
80. Sci-fi plots: Space adventure, Time travel, Robots, Alien invasion
81. Comfort TV: Baking competition, Home makeover show, Travel show, Talent competition
82. Movie moments: Opening credits, Plot twist, Post-credits scene, Training montage
83. Mysteries: Whodunit, Heist, Spy thriller, Courtroom drama
84. Fantasy: Wizards, Dragons, Fairy tales, Superheroes
85. Watching habits: Rewatching favorites, Subtitles always on, Skipping the intro, Watching the trailer first
86. Classic genres: Western, Film noir, Silent comedy, Disaster movie
87. Adventure stories: Treasure hunt, Survival story, Road trip movie, Sports underdog story
88. Characters: The sidekick, The mentor, The villain, The comic relief
89. Where to watch: Movie theater, Drive-in, Outdoor screening, Couch at home
90. Endings: Happy ending, Cliffhanger, Twist ending, Open ending
Holidays and seasons
Seasonal rounds for any month of the year, from fall favorites to the office holiday party.
91. Fall favorites: Leaf peeping, Cozy sweaters, Apple cider donuts, Football weekends
92. Summer: Beach days, Ice cream trucks, Late sunsets, Pool days
93. Winter: Snowball fights, Fireplaces, Ice skating, Fuzzy socks
94. Spring: Cherry blossoms, Rain boots, Spring cleaning, Tulips
95. Halloween: Costumes, Candy, Haunted houses, Pumpkin carving
96. Thanksgiving table: Turkey, Stuffing, Cranberry sauce, Pumpkin pie
97. New Year's Eve: The countdown, Noisemakers, Party hats, Resolutions
98. Fourth of July: Backyard cookout, Parade, Fireworks, Lawn games
99. Winter decorations: Twinkle lights, Wreaths, Paper snowflakes, Garland
100. Holiday treats: Candy canes, Sugar cookies, Fudge, Cinnamon rolls
101. Days off: The Friday before a long weekend, The day after a big holiday, A random Wednesday, The last day before the break
102. Holiday traditions at work: Gift exchange, Decorating contest, Holiday lunch, Signing a group card
103. Weather: Snow, Thunderstorms, Heat wave, Fog
104. Vacation styles: Road trip, Cruise, Camping, City break
105. Long weekend plans: Staycation, Visiting friends, A short trip, Home projects
Hard mode: four great things
Every option is something people love, so letting one go actually hurts. Save these for when the room is warmed up.
106. Superpowers: Flying, Super speed, Breathing underwater, Talking to animals
107. Life upgrades: Never waiting in line, Never losing your keys, Always finding parking, Perfect weather on days off
108. Workday perks: A four-day week, A personal assistant, No meetings on Fridays, A desk with a view
109. Comfort foods: Pizza, Ramen, Fried chicken, Dumplings
110. Skills overnight: Fluent in five languages, Chef-level cooking, A great singing voice, A perfect memory
111. Travel perks: Free flights for life, Airport lounge access, Never getting jet lag, Packing in five minutes
112. Small joys at home: The smell of fresh bread, Rain on the roof, Clean sheets, Morning sunlight
113. Best work feelings: Finishing a big project, Crossing off the last to-do, A canceled meeting, A Friday with nothing scheduled
114. Office mascots: Penguin, Otter, Red panda, Golden retriever
115. Childhood treats: Ice pops, Fruit snacks, Cereal for dinner, Juice boxes
116. Home appliances: Dishwasher, Washing machine, Air conditioning, Refrigerator
117. Inventions: The wheel, The printing press, The light bulb, The internet
118. Ocean animals: Dolphins, Sea turtles, Octopuses, Whales
119. Music genres: Rock, Jazz, Hip-hop, Classical
120. Ways to be thanked: A handwritten note, A shout-out in a meeting, A surprise coffee, An afternoon off
Want two options instead of four? Our this or that questions and would you rather questions are faster, and none of their pairings repeat here.
5 ways to play one gotta go
Once the group knows the basic game, change one rule and it feels new again.
1. One has to stay
Flip it: the player keeps only one of the four and lets the other three go. It's harder than it sounds, and it works best on the hard mode rounds.
Comfort foods: pizza, ramen, fried chicken, dumplings. Keep one.
2. Team vote
Split into teams of three to five. Each team has one minute to agree on what goes and send one person to defend it. The other teams vote on the best argument.
3. Bracket
Play the same round three times. Cut one, then cut another from the three that are left, then pick between the last two. Finish with the champion of the round.
4. Speed round
No reasons, no discussion: read a round, everyone shouts their pick, next round. Ten rounds take about two minutes and wake up any meeting.
5. Write your own
Each person writes one round of four on a card or in the chat, then the group plays them. Rounds about your own office (meeting rooms, team snacks, tools you use) get the biggest reactions.
Want questions that get people talking about themselves? Try our hot seat questions, or keep the pace high with rapid fire questions.
Tips for a good round, and for writing your own
The game works because every answer is safe and every reason is a small window into how someone thinks. These five rules keep it that way.
- Keep all four options in the same category, so the choice is about taste, not logic.
- Make all four likable. If one option is obviously bad, the round is over before it starts.
- Never put people in a round: coworkers, teams or anyone's job. Things only.
- Ask for the reason, not just the pick. One sentence is enough.
- Stop while it's fun: four rounds in a meeting, ten at a party.
For a warm-up that asks something stranger, try our weird icebreaker questions.
Want someone to run this for your team?
If your team liked guessing what the room would cut, they’ll like a hosted game show. A live host runs the rounds, the scoring and the banter on your video call. See every virtual game show or get a free quote. Book hosted games about 2 weeks ahead.
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