Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

Office dynamics can often feel like a puzzle, and effective teamwork is the key to success. Enter "Office Intrigue," a game designed to transform your workplace into an engaging realm of active listening, collaboration, and, of course, a touch of intrigue.

How to play

1. Gather your coworkers in a suitable office space or conference room. The more, the merrier!
2. Divide the participants into two groups: "Employees" and "Intruders." The Intruders are the impostors in your office.
3. Employees receive a list of tasks or projects to complete, while Intruders get a list of tasks to sabotage. Both groups must keep their missions secret.
4. Everyone returns to their desks and starts working. Employees must complete their tasks while Intruders subtly hinder progress without being detected.
5. Employees can call emergency meetings if they suspect sabotage. During these meetings, team members discuss suspicious activities and vote on who they believe the Intruders are.
6. The game continues until the employees successfully complete their tasks or identify all the Intruders.
7. After the game, hold a discussion about the importance of active listening, clear communication, and teamwork in the workplace.

How to play Name that product

Remember the memory games that you used to play as a child? A variation of this activity can help new hires to learn about your product offerings. You don’t need anything besides a pen and paper! Begin by making a list of the products that your company sells. On the same page, list product features and price points. Then, on separate papers, write a short product description for each of the items. Have sales reps match the products with the short descriptions. Or, as another variation, instead of descriptions you can use customer needs or wants, or another indicator that would help people to better understand your product breadth and keep them straight.

How to play Pick an accomplishment

For most people, it feels really awkward to share their successes. For your next meeting, break the ice by having everyone on the call share their latest accomplishment. Whether that’s a work related achievement or a personal goal like their best time in a 10k, you can create a safe space for people to brag and learn more about what their co-workers care about.

How to play Balloon race

Grab a small bag of balloons for this game and make sure you have enough space to run a small to medium size race. Like the coffee run, this game requires that you place a balloon between your knees and make it to the finish line without dropping (or popping!) the balloon.

Like the other races in the Office Olympics, make sure there’s plenty of open space for teams to move and play until each member of the team gets a chance to run.

How to play Top ten things

In this quick and easy exercise, you simply go around the (virtual) room and have everyone list the first ten words that come to mind based on a prompt. You can pick really straightforward subjects or get more creative. For example, if the topic is “Top vacation destinations”, have each person list their top ten places they’d like to visit. Or, maybe you ask for top ten names for a new puppy, or the ten worst date night destinations.

It’s time for a verbal showdown. In debate duel, two players go head-to-head, debating opposite sides of a topic. The audience votes on the winner based on persuasion, humor, or pure passion.

This game gets the conversation flowing and lets people flex their public speaking and persuasion muscles. Whether it’s serious or silly topics, debate duels are a great way to sharpen communication skills while having a few laughs. Plus, it’s the perfect opportunity to settle those ongoing office debates once and for all!

How to play:

• Select two participants to debate opposing sides of a topic.
• The audience listens and votes for the most convincing debater.
• The person with the most votes wins!

How to paly Gibberish conversation

Two people have a conversation in “gibberish” (essentially made-up, nonsense language), and each person must try to understand what the other is saying.

Have your teams flex their teamwork muscles while experimenting with their engineering skills. Build a bridge uses small, nifty materials to set the stage for a group challenge.

How to set up:

1. Gather Your Gear. You’re going to need specific materials. Raid the supply closet for straws, tape, and popsicle sticks. Also, get them sorted into teams to save the supplies.
2. Rule check time! Explain that teams need to create the strongest free-standing bridge they can, and lay down some time limits to add a sense of urgency.
3. Time to test the strength of each bridge and see if it can handle pressure. Load the bridges up with weights and see which one stands strong at the end.

Office FM is an ongoing team-building activity that boosts morale and encourages employees to collaborate.

Great for: Company culture

Duration: N/A

You’ll need: Access to a music streaming service (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.)

How to organise:

• Create a collaborative playlist and invite everybody as a contributor. If you like, you can create a theme such as “90s Party Classics”.
• Ask each employee to contribute a maximum of two songs to the playlist.
• Hit “play” on the playlist whenever a morale boost is needed!

Get ready to sweat, strategize, and laugh together. The Obstacle Course Challenge throws your team into a physical adventure filled with ropes, walls, and adrenaline. But it's not just about conquering obstacles; it's about conquering them together. You'll shout encouragement, lend a hand, and celebrate each victory as a united front. Through the sweat and cheers, you'll find yourselves communicating better, trusting more, and learning that each member's strength boosts the whole team. It's teamwork, it's a workout, and it's a whole lot of unforgettable fun.

Instructions

• Nominate a team leader for organized coordination.
• Familiarize teams with the course layout and safety rules.
• Teammates support each other to conquer physical challenges.
• Offer encouraging words and provide guidance during tough spots.
• End the challenge with a triumphant team cheer to boost morale.

Ready, set, puzzle! In puzzle dash, teams race against the clock to complete a jigsaw puzzle or brain teaser. The fastest team to finish wins, promoting problem-solving, quick thinking, and a bit of healthy competition.

This game is perfect for sharpening your team’s focus, collaboration, and time management skills. Whether it’s a jigsaw or a tricky brain teaser, puzzle dash brings out the best in quick thinking under pressure—all while having some fun.

How to play:

• Divide into teams and give each team a puzzle or brain teaser (e.g., a 100-piece jigsaw or a Sudoku challenge).
• Set a time limit and race to complete it as quickly as possible.
• The team that finishes first (or makes the most progress) wins!

Our final minute-to-win-it cup game is a hilarious way to round off the list. It also takes a steady hand and a surprising amount of patience! You’ll need a few rolls of toilet paper, some cups and refillable water. Here’s how to play:

Set-up:

1. Prepare your contestants: Each player should be given 1 roll of toilet tissue. At the end of a long table, place one cup per contestant. Fill the cups up (it shouldn’t be too heavy, as the paper will rip). Under the filled cups, place the end of the toilet tissue roll, and let the toilet tissue unravel all the way to the other end of the table.

2. Wind the cup towards you: On your mark, each player then carefully rerolls the toilet tissue, slowly dragging the filled cup toward them. Things can get really fun when a player is losing halfway through the race. They start to panic and speed up the rolling process. This often causes a bit of spillage, tearing the paper. When that happens, they need to clear up and reset their roll.

This super simple game is a barrel of laughs, so try it out with your teams today. It’ll bring team members closer together and keep everyone on a roll!

The perfect game for the artists on the team, Back-to-Back drawing encourages play and communication and would be an excellent activity for a company retreat.  This team-building exercise is less about problem-solving and relaxing and getting the chance to get to know one another.

How to play:

Have players split into two teams and face away from one another. One player gets a picture, and the other receives paper and drawing materials. The person with the image describes what and how to draw the image without identifying it. After ten minutes, players swap roles.

After each team member has described the object and produced an image, they can compare their work and see who made the most accurate drawing.

Materials you’ll need: Art supplies and simple images (think flowers, cars, etc.)  taken from a magazine or printed online.

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)

How to play 6 word memoir

This is a challenging exercise that is good for creativity as well as getting more personal. To complete it, have each person use six words to describe their life up until this point, then share it with the group. They can pick six random words that describe their life, or they can create a sort of title based on experiences. It will be interesting to see the different approaches people take to this.

How to play Compliment train

This simple no-prep activity keeps the aim of positive reinforcement and maximizes a productive atmosphere. It is so simple it can be run during a virtual water cooler chat. Each person in the group simply chooses one other attendee, and then that person chooses someone who hasn’t been complimented yet and tells them something positive they’ve done.

The effectiveness of this simple activity comes from the fact the complimenting is done at a peer-to-peer level, rather than from management.

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The Innovation Scramble challenge is an exercise in resourcefulness, creativity, and teamwork. As you brainstorm, prototype, and iterate, you'll discover how diverse perspectives can lead to breakthrough ideas. This activity not only hones problem-solving skills but also fosters an environment of collaborative ingenuity.

Instructions

• Create teams with a mix of analytical and creative thinkers.
• Present a problem statement or challenge that requires an innovative solution.
• Teams scavenge for materials and brainstorm ideas.
• Collaborate to design and build a prototype of your solution.
• Present your innovations and discuss the collaborative process.

Ever heard of the drinking game 'Categories'? Ever thought it could be adapted to a game that helps with active listening? Well, take a seat, my sober friend, and let's get into this! This version of the game will help promote better communication and listening skills among colleagues.

How to play

1. Find a conference room or suitable meeting space to bring your team together.
2. Designate one person to kick off the game as the "Category Caller." This role will rotate as the game progresses.
3. Compile a list of work-related categories. These could range from types of project management software to company department names—whatever suits your workplace.
4. The Category Caller selects a category from the list and announces it to the group. Make sure the chosen category relates to your office environment.
5. Using a timer or smartphone, set a specific time limit (e.g., 15 seconds).
6. The Category Caller begins by naming an item from the chosen category. For instance, if the category is "Types of project management software," they might say "Trello."
7. The person to the right of the Category Caller takes the next turn. They must listen carefully to the previous response and provide another item from the category within the time limit.
8. The game proceeds clockwise. Each participant must actively listen to the previous response and contribute a new item to the category before the timer runs out. If someone repeats an item or fails to provide an appropriate one, they are temporarily out of the round.

Making a game out of training is a great way to get people more excited about the subject matter. And which game is better than Jeopardy? A quiz show format is an innovative way to introduce new material and understand how much your team has absorbed.

Here is how we suggest you play:

1. Find a Jeopardy template online using a site like Jeopardy Labs.
2. You’ll need five categories for questions related to your company. It’s best to stick with your company’s offerings or information like the organization’s mission, customer demographic, or latest marketing campaigns.
3. Use the premade questions from the online resource or come up with your own questions and answers. Make sure you’re able to share the screen with all your participants.
4. If you’re using a group format, let people discuss and share answers.
5. Proceed to gather everyone in a large space with a smart screen and ensure everyone can see, then divide people into either small groups (or individuals if the group is already small).

There’s nothing like a spot of mischief to bring colleagues closer together. With office makeovers, different teams within the company have the chance to “redecorate” another team’s space. From unraveling rolls of toilet paper to putting up posters of people’s favorite boy bands, the options are endless.

Set some ground rules beforehand to stop the pranks from going overboard though. The atmosphere should be light and full of laughter – not frustration at the state of your redecorated space!

How to play 10 ways to kill a new idea

If you want to be sure everyone really has an open mind and is ready to bring creative ideas to the table, start by having everyone talk about what not to do. You can use a whiteboard or even a poster-size sheet of paper. Ask everyone to share thoughts on the best ways to kill a new idea. Make a comprehensive list and then use discussion to narrow down the top 10.

Then, make a commitment as a group that you will not do these things as you complete the day’s work. This creates an environment where everyone is open to new ideas and ready to work together.

These days, 99% of our written communication is digital. Assigning Pen Pals revives the art of the handwritten letter and provides your employees with an opportunity to get to know each other on a deeper level.

Great for: Interpersonal bonding

Duration: N/A

Players: 6+

You’ll need: Nothing

How to play Pen Pals

Setup: Start by assigning Pen Pals and determining the frequency of the letters. To encourage interdepartmental bonding, try pairing employees who wouldn’t usually cross paths.

To play: The game is simple. Employees will exchange letters with their pen pals at regular intervals. Through this process, your employees will develop lasting relationships that reinforce the company culture.

You’ll need quick reactions if you want to stand a chance at winning this game! Ninja is a quick, light-hearted activity that’s great for energising your team.

Great for: Energising your team

Duration: 5-10 minutes

Players: 3-8

You’ll need: Nothing

How to play Ninja

Setup: Arrange your group in a circle, facing inwards, with about a metre distance between each player.

To play: The game starts when the players scream “ULTIMATE NINJAAA!” in unison. Upon hearing this, all players strike a dramatic, ninja-like pose. The first player then has two options: try to strike the hand of the player next to them, or make a movement (e.g. move their arm above their head). If a player attempts to strike your hand, you are allowed to evade the attack. If your dodge is successful, you must remain in the position you landed in until your next turn. If you are struck, you are eliminated from the game. The last person remaining is the winner and is awarded the coveted title of “Ultimate Ninja.”

How to play What would you do?

Another classic icebreaker, this game involves coming up with some scenarios that require brain power to address. Here are some prompts you can use with your group:

• What would you do if you were at the zoo and all the animals escaped?
• What would you do if you were the first person to find out about an upcoming zombie apocalypse?
• What would you do if you were in line for a really important item, and a person cut in front of you, getting the last item?
• What would you do if you were invited for dinner at the home of someone you really needed to impress, and the food was terrible?
• What would you do if an imposter that looks and acts just like you infiltrated your organization? How can you convince everyone that you’re the “real” you?

Body language is a big deal when it comes to active listening. It's like the unsung hero of effective communication. Think about it – when you're really listening, you naturally make eye contact, nod along, and maybe even lean in a bit. These little gestures show the speaker that you're engaged and tuned in. Plus, mirroring their body language can create a connection.

So, it got us at Surf Office thinking; What game could incorporate body language and active listening?

*Lightbulb ping moment*

Introducing Body Language Detective, a Surf Office exclusive!

How to play

1. Create scenario cards with various social situations or emotions. For example, "Job interview," "First date," "Conflict resolution," "Surprise party," "Job promotion celebration," and so on. Each card should describe the setting and the emotions or dynamics involved.
2. Gather the participants in a circle or sitting in a room.
3. One participant (the "actor") selects a scenario card without revealing it to the others.
4. The actor then starts enacting the scenario silently through body language and facial expressions only, without using any verbal communication.
5. The other participants (the "detectives") observe the actor's body language closely.
6. After a set period (e.g., 1-2 minutes), the actor stops the role-play.
7. The detectives then take turns discussing what they observed:

• What emotions or situations did they perceive?
• What specific body language cues led them to their conclusions?
• Did they notice any changes in body language during the role-play?

8. Once the detectives have discussed their observations, they collectively make a guess about the scenario being portrayed.