You found our list of the best team building games for adults.
Team building games are competitive activities that boost productivity and bring your team closer together at the office. For example, murder mysteries, escape games, and people Bingo. The purpose of these games is to give your employees time to bond and connect, which helps lead to better communication, job satisfaction, and retention. These games are also known as “team building activities.”
These games are similar to team building exercises, team building events, team meeting games, and office games. The activities are an offline equivalent of online team building games.
This list includes:
- fun team building games for adults
- free team building games without materials
- corporate team building games for the office
- team bonding games
- team games for work
- office team games
- DIY team building games
So, check out the list!
List of team building games
From games that keep you on your feet to ones that test your knowledge, these surprisingly fun team building games for adults are sure to be a hit at your office.
1. Forensic Sketch Artist
Forensic Sketch Artist is one of the top engaging office team games that tests your team’s communication and drawing skills. Split your team into two and set the scene by explaining that a robbery has just occurred. Appoint a forensic sketch artist for each team and name the other team members as witnesses to the robbery. Then, out of the sketch artist’s view, show the rest of the team a face created by a random face generator. The witnesses must describe the face to the sketch artist, who must try to recreate the face based on descriptions from the team. The sketch closest to the generated face wins!
2. Five Clicks Away
Similar to Six Degrees of Separation, Five Clicks Away is an online team building game where team members attempt to connect two seemingly unrelated Wikipedia pages in five clicks. To begin playing, select two topics that seem to have nothing in common, such as BTS and the Battle of Mine Creek. Then, ask your team to use Wikipedia internal links from the first page to navigate to the second. Five Clicks Away is a game that both educates your team on obscure topics and hones your team’s research skills.
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3. Random Storyboard
Random Storyboard is a storytelling activity for teams. Each participant brings a photo or drawing. Then, a leader splits the group into teams. Teams must arrange their photos and come up with a sensible story that ties all these disparate photos together. Each team takes a turn presenting their story to a judge, who then picks a winner.
4. Team Building Bingo
Team Building Bingo is one of the most exciting DIY team building games for learning more about the people you work with. Prior to playing, brainstorm a series of quirky experiences, organize your thoughts on individualized “bingo boards,” and distribute the boards to your team. During the game, players ask each other if they have experienced what is written in the spaces. If a player has had the experience, then that person signs the corresponding space on the asker’s bingo card. Like traditional bingo, the first player who collects enough signatures to form a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line across the board wins the round
Here is a Bingo card generator you can use for your game:
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by teams at FedEx, Amazon, Deloitte and 73,930+ others
And here is a full guide to icebreaker Bingo.
5. Plant Babies
With the mental health benefits of plants becoming more well-known, Plant Babies is an office game that encourages your team to grow plants at their desks. For this game, team members should each adopt a plant to care for. Then, as the Plant Babies surpass certain milestones, such as growing to certain heights or developing flowers, team members receive points. The team member who earns the most points by the end of every three-month period wins. Plant Babies invites your team to cultivate nurturing spirits and lets your coworkers create a more enjoyable office environment together.
6. Mystery Bag
If you are looking for a game that you can easily play with supplies from around the office, then check out Mystery Bag!
Here is how to play the game:
- Fill a bag with several random objects.
- Split the group into teams.
- Give a mystery bag to each team.
- Teams need to use each item in their bag to come up with a sketch.
- Participants perform their sketches, and a judge gives a prize to the best one.
This creative challenge brings out participants’ teamwork and imaginative skills.
7. Post-It Picasso
Post-It Picasso is a fun and collaborative art adventure!
Here is how to play the game:
- Choose a simple piece of art to recreate.
- Buy Post-It notes that match the painting’s colors.
- Give each color to a different team member.
- Set a timer for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Participants must place their Post-Its on a large wall and try to recreate the piece of art.
- When time is up, compare the Post-It art to the original.
This game is a creative and interactive way for teams to express themselves. Plus, this game teaches collaboration and communication skills.
8. Office Chair Basketball
Office Chair Basketball is an amusing game where teams go head-to-head in a friendly basketball competition. To set the game up, gather enough chairs for each player, a small basketball hoop, and a small basketball. Then, split the players into two teams. Players sit in the office chairs and scoot across the court to shoot the basketball. Teams score points for each basket. Whoever earns the most points wins! This game is a fun way to blend sports and office comfort for an entertaining team building experience.
Note: Be sure the basketball “court” is large enough that players have enough room to easily scoot around without running into one another.
9. Paper Bag Fashion Show
In the Paper Bag Fashion Show game, teams become fashion designers for the day!
Here is how to play this game:
- Gather supplies like paper bags, newspaper, bubble wrap, tape, and string.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes.
- Participants must use the materials to make their best one-of-a-kind outfit.
- After the time is up, have participants model their creations.
- Give a prize to the best outfit!
Optionally, you can give prizes out for more than one category. For instance, participants could win awards for being the most creative, the most high fashion, or the funniest. This lighthearted activity is a great way for teams to express their creativity and have fun.
10. No Context Pictures
No Context Pictures is a fun indoor team building game to discover more about your coworkers’ personal lives. Prior to the game, ask your team to submit an eccentric photo with no context. Then, post the photos in a place where everyone on the team can see them. Ask team members to submit short explanations of what is happening in the photos. The person who originally submitted the photo votes on which story they like the most. No Context Pictures is a great team building game because it helps paint a more complete picture of your coworkers by showing a different side of their lives that may not be visible in the workplace.
Here are more problem solving games.
11. Guess the Film Buff
Guess the Film Buff is an entertaining game. Prior to the game, team members submit photos of DVDs or home movie collections. If a team member does not have a physical film collection, then ask them to send a screenshot of their Netflix “My List.” Then, display the film collection pictures in a central location and have team members submit guesses for who the owners are by the end of the day. The person who guesses the most film collections correctly wins. Guess the Film Buff is a great game for teams because your team can learn about each others’ tastes, while also picking up new suggestions on what to watch next.
12. What’s On My Desk?
What’s On My Desk? is an office game where team members test how well they know each other. For this game, request team members submit photos of their desk setup. Once the photos are in, post the pictures in a shared space where everyone can see them. Then, ask your team to turn in guesses on whose desk is whose. The person who guesses the most number of desks correctly wins. What’s On My Desk? is a great game because your team can become more familiar with each other through desk memorabilia.
13. My Next Meal
If your team is hungry for new recipes to try, then My Next Meal is the activity for you to try. At the beginning of the week, a different member of the team submits a photo of what is inside their refrigerator. Then, other team members present creative recipes using the ingredients seen in the photo. Everyone votes for the best recipe, and the recipe with the most votes wins. My Next Meal reduces the pressures of meal prep and also helps bring team members together through a love of food.
14. Team Film Festival
Has your team ever considered dabbling in low-budget filmmaking? Based on the 48 Hour Film Project, Team Film Festival is a DIY team building game that challenges your team to produce a film in 48 hours. Prior to the festival, split your employees up into filmmaking teams. Reveal the festival’s overall theme and assign genres to each team using a random draw. Give the teams 48 hours to write, shoot, and edit a five-minute film. Then, invite everyone to watch the short films together by holding a film festival. After screening all the films, ask team members to vote for categories such as “Best Film”, “Best Actor”, “Best Actress”, and “Best Screenplay” and give rewards accordingly. Team Film Festival is an amazing team building opportunity because filmmaking is a team activity that requires a lot of planning and cooperation, which are treasured skills in the workplace.
15. Where in the World?
Where in the World? is a game that tests teams’ geography and travel knowledge.
Here’s how to play:
- Go to GeoGuessr.com.
- Start a game.
- The browser will show a random destination.
- Players must try to guess where it is.
For bonus points, you can ask teammates to wager whether any of their coworkers have visited that city or country and to guess who.
16. Secret Gifter
Based on Secret Santa, Secret Gifter is a gift exchange game that you can play any time of the year. Players submit names and receive a subject to buy gifts for. To keep gifts fair and of similar quality, set a price limit and sponsor the purchase as a company. Then, on the designated day, publicly exchange gifts. During the gift exchange, team members guess who their Secret Gifter is. If a team member guesses correctly, then they win! Secret Gifter is a great game because it encourages team members to learn more about each other to buy the perfect gift. Plus, who does not like to receive a fun surprise?
17. Workout Challenge
Inspired by the “See 10, Do 10″ viral Instagram challenge, Workout Challenge is a game for teams that encourages your people to invest in physical fitness. Every day, a team member starts by recording a video of themselves doing ten push-ups and sends it to a group chat, tagging another team member. The tagged team member then has to do ten push-ups and tag someone else, and so on and so forth. Anyone who neglects to do ten push-ups by the end of the day loses and must buy everyone else a coffee. The Workout Challenge is a fantastic team building game because it keeps your team active. Staying active is especially important since many office jobs require people to sit for long periods of time.
Here is a list of team building workout ideas.
18. Pub-like Trivia
Pub-like Trivia is a stellar corporate team building game that tests your team’s knowledge, even if your workplace does not allow alcohol. First, prepare a list of trivia questions. The best trivia questions span a variety of subjects and are little-known facts. After coming up with your questions, divide players into teams. Teams can privately discuss answers before responding. The team that answers the most questions correctly wins. This is a great game for team bonding because teams need to collaborate and pool knowledge to succeed.
Here is a list of the best trivia questions and a list of work-appropriate team names.
19. Guess the Baby
Guess the Baby is a charming game that asks team members to deduce whose baby picture is whose. Before the game begins, ask team members to submit a baby or toddler photo. Then, put the baby pictures up where everyone can see them and have team members submit a form or use Post-it notes to record guesses. The team member who correctly names the most baby photos wins. Guess the Baby brings the team together by inviting them to share their childhoods with fellow team members.
Here are more connection games to play.
20. Heads Up!
Heads Up! is an app-based party game that can also be fun at the office. Created by Ellen DeGeneres, you can play Heads Up! with any number of people, which makes it suitable for both large and small teams. First, players select a deck and then a team member holds a phone to their forehead so the screen is facing outward. A word will appear on the screen and the other players will give hints to help the team member with the phone guess what the word is. Heads Up! is an exhilarating teamwork game because it creates a fun situation where your team must work together to triumph.
Check out Heads up!.
Here are more hybrid activities you can do.
21. Codenames
Codenames is traditionally an in-person board game. However, there is also an online Codenames that makes for a great team building game for remote teams. At the beginning of the game, everyone can see a series of cards with words on them. The game then divides players into two teams, and each team nominates a spymaster. The spymaster’s job is to get their teammates to guess the words marked with their team color. The team that guesses all their cards first wins the game. Codenames is a fun team building game because your team must work together to succeed.
Here is an entire list of team building board games.
List of free team building games without materials
There are many team building games that don’t require materials. You just need a group of people and a few simple rules to guide your games.
22. My Superhero Backstory
My Superhero Backstory tests your team’s creativity by having team members invent fun superhero-like origin stories for coworkers. These stories should describe how the team member came to work for your organization and are based on true events. Then, team members vote for the best backstory. My Superhero Backstory is an effective game for teams because it builds your team’s mythology and creates inside jokes that help team members bond.
Here are more fun improv games for groups.
23. Never Have I Ever
A classic game often played at camp, teams can also play Never Have I Ever at the office. To start, players hold up five fingers. Then, in a circle, players name something that they have never done before. For example, “Never have I ever baked banana bread.” Any team member who has had the named experience puts a finger down. The last person still holding up fingers by the end of the game is the winner. Through Never I Have Ever, players learn many interesting and surprising things about their coworkers.
Here is a prompt generator to use for your game:
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24. Silent Interview
Silent Interview is a unique team building game where teams conduct a job interview without using any words. To start, pair up two participants and have one ask the other interview questions. The interviewee must answer questions using only gestures, expressions, and nonverbal communication. Meanwhile, the team tries to guess the “candidate’s” qualifications based on these silent interactions. At the end of the interview, the team will decide if they would hire this candidate or not. This game is a fun and challenging way to improve communication skills and teamwork in a nontraditional setting.
25. Number of Things in Common
Number of Things in Common is a twist on the game “Something in Common.” In the original game, teammates are looking for traits they all share. In this version of the game, players go one step further and look for qualities that a certain number of them have in common.
For instance, if your group has four members, then you must find the following:
- Something all four have in common
- Something three out of four have in common
- Something two out of four have in common
- Something that none of you have in common (for example, no one has the same favorite food)
Then, share your best finds with the rest of the group.
This version of the game requires slightly more discussion and strategy than Something in Common.
26. Popular Opinions
Popular Opinions is a game that encourages teammates to guess how the majority of their coworkers will answer. The game is simple. A leader gives a question, and players must answer not with their own personal preferences but with the answer they believe will be the most popular among their peers.
For example, if the question is “What is your favorite drink to order at happy hour?” and you know that your group frequents the Mexican cantina down the street, then you might answer “margarita.”
You can play in teams and come to a group consensus.
27. ABC Hunt
ABC Hunt is an amusing indoor team building game that gets your virtual team out of their seats. In this game, a host names three random letters of the alphabet, and the other team members scramble to find objects beginning with each letter. The person who finds three objects the fastest wins. ABC Hunt is also a versatile DIY team building game since teams can play it remotely and at the office.
Here is a list with more fun word games to play.
28. Pitch Me Your Business
If you want to spark your team’s entrepreneurial spirit, then Pitch Me Your Business is a wonderful game to try. For this game, team members have 15 minutes to come up with a basic business plan for an enterprise. Then, team members will present the business idea to a designated “investor.” The person who dreams up the most intriguing business wins. Pitch Me Your Business is a smart team building game without materials because managers can informally evaluate team leadership and entrepreneurial skills through this game.
Here are more competitive team building games to try.
29. Line Game
The Line Game brings teams together by showing colleagues unexpected commonalities. Before initiating the game, create a list of experiences that underscore the commonalities your team members may have, ordering the list from lighthearted to more serious. Then, gather your team and have team members keep track of every experience. At the end of the game, collect your team’s responses and display the results, showing your team how much they have in common.
30. Ambassadors
Ambassadors is a lively game where team members act as ambassadors for foreign countries. After assigning countries to players using a random country generator, each ambassador must describe the assigned country without revealing the country’s name. The winner is the player who guesses the most countries correctly. Ambassadors is a great game for team building because it is educational and requires your team to exercise creative and communication skills.
31. Work Limericks
Limericks are a whimsical form of poetry with a distinct rhythm. In Work Limericks, teams use creative muscles to write limericks based on work experiences. After familiarizing your team with guidelines on how to write limericks, give everyone a period of time to compose limericks. Then, have your team vote on which limericks are their favorites. The limerick with the most votes wins. Work Limericks is an excellent game because it lets your team exercise creativity and share creations with others.
32. Hangman
A game you’ve probably played as a child, Hangman, can also be effective for team building. Not only is your team already familiar with the rules, but Hangman also expands your team’s vocabulary and establishes shared references that can be great future conversation starters. Also, Hangman is exceptional for team building because it unites the team by pushing your coworkers to work together to successfully guess the word.
33. Alphabet Chain
Alphabet Chain is a terrific game for teams who wish to increase vocabularies. In this game, your team first settles on a topic. Then, team members must name words that fit in that topic. However, every word proposed needs to begin with the last letter of the previous one. If a team member is unable to think of a suitable word and breaks the chain, then that person must withdraw. The winner of the game is the last person still remaining. Since Alphabet Chain only requires an expansive vocabulary to play, no materials are needed, making it an easy game to start with.
34. Dance Off
Dance Off is a fun game that lets your team express themselves through dance. As the name suggests, the objective of Dance Off is for your team to compete and see who the best dancer is. Create a playlist of danceable tunes and clear a space for your team to move freely. Then, have your team make a circle and begin playing music. Each team member gets a few minutes to show off moves in the center of the circle. Everyone votes for the most impressive dancer, and whoever gets the most votes wins. Dance Off lets your team cut loose and stay active, which is great for stress relief.
35. The Human Knot
The Human Knot is one of the most popular free team building games. To play, teammates stand in a circle and grab the hands of coworkers across the way. Then, participants must detangle their arms without breaking their grip. This game improves problem-solving and communication skills among groups. The exercise requires no supplies or costs. Best of all, you can do the challenge repeatedly because the knot will be different each time, and new team members may have different approaches.
Learn how to do The Human Knot.
36. Two Truths and One Lie
Two Truths and One Lie is another fun way to learn more about your colleagues. Best of all, this game requires no materials! In this game, a team member presents two true statements and one lie. The other members have to guess which statement is the lie. If any of the team members guess correctly, then that person earns a point. However, if no one guesses correctly, then the person who presented the statements wins a point. The winner is the person with the most points by the end of the game.
Here are more quick icebreaker games.
Final Thoughts
Team building games are a great way to liven up the workplace and do something fun with your team. And it’s not all fun and games because there are a lot of benefits of team building, too.
Next, check out our list of morning meeting games for employees, these fun question games, and this list of games for large groups.
We also have a list of ideas for employee engagement, a list of summer team building ideas for work, ideas for executive team building, one for outdoor team building, and one for indoor team building.
For small groups, check out these ideas for small group team building, these fun group activities, and these quick team building ideas.
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing this. I read almost all of them and will try some in my classroom when school starts back up. I would love some ideas for intramural-type games with team or individual vs each other.