Games You Can Play with 100 People! Fun Game Ideas for Large Groups
Getting together with a big group is exciting, but when there are 100 people, it’s hard to know what will get everyone hyped, right? If you know games that work well for large groups—like school events, company gatherings, or community meetups—they’ll come in handy when the time comes.
In this article, we’re introducing games you can play with 100 people! We’ve collected a variety of activities that are especially fun with large groups, including ones that don’t require any equipment and team competitions.
Use these ideas as a guide to create wonderful memories and bring everyone closer together!
Games You Can Play with 100 People! Fun Large-Group Game Ideas (1–10)
Bamboo Shoot Gnocchi
Takenoko Nyokki is a game that gets harder the more people you have.
Participants sit in a circle and put their hands together as if saying grace.
When the game starts, players take turns, at their own timing, raising both hands above their heads and calling out “1 nyokki, 2 nyokki,” and so on.
If your call overlaps with someone else’s, you’re out, and if you’re the last one remaining, you’re also out.
You have to watch how the others play and aim for the perfect moment to make your move.
Treasure Hunt
Let’s hunt for hidden treasure! A treasure hunt is an exciting game for everyone from kids to adults.
It’s also great because all you need is the treasure itself to get started.
The basic rule is simple: when the game begins, everyone starts searching for the treasure, and whoever finds it wins.
However, you’re free to design the route and rules for reaching the treasure.
You can include puzzles, set missions, or even turn the hunting area into a maze.
Try creating your own fun treasure hunt game!
Real Run for Money
It’s the game that became hugely popular on Fuji TV’s variety show “Run for Money: Tosō-chū.” Players called Hunters—wearing suits and sunglasses—chase down and capture the Runners.
It’s basically a game of tag, so everyone from kids to adults can enjoy it.
However, if Runners just stay hidden the entire time to avoid being spotted by the Hunters, it gets less exciting, so make sure to spice things up by giving the Runners occasional mandatory missions.
If you can keep evading the Hunters until the game ends, you’ve successfully escaped!
Werewolf game
In the Werewolf game, players are divided into werewolves disguised as villagers and real villagers.
During the day, all participants discuss who they think the werewolf is and choose one person to execute.
At night, it’s the werewolves’ attack time—the villager they attack is eliminated from the game.
If the werewolves are executed, the villagers win; if the villagers are reduced to the same number as the werewolves, the werewolves win.
There are roles other than werewolves and villagers as well, so if you have many players, it’s a good idea to include those roles.
Conversation is essential in this game, but be careful: talk too much and you may be suspected, and depending on what you say, you might reveal your own role.
Finger Catch
No equipment needed! When it comes to easy games you can play with a big group, “Finger Catch” is the one.
Participants form a circle and extend their left hand, palm up, toward the person on their left.
Place your right index finger on top of the left hand extended by the person on your right.
When the leader says “Catch!”, quickly close your left hand while trying to pull your right index finger away so it doesn’t get caught.
It’s fine to fake out with “Ca, ca…” or say a different word like “Caster!” too.
It’s a fun game that tests your reflexes and decision-making.
Line Demon
We’d like to introduce a game called “Line Tag,” where you draw several white lines to make a court and then chase or flee along those lines.
Once the court is ready, split into taggers and runners.
Set up multiple taggers equal to or slightly fewer than the number of runners.
When the game starts, the taggers chase the runners.
Both taggers and runners must move only along the lines and may not jump across intersections.
Also, when a tagger catches a runner, they must trap the runner from both sides and point at them while declaring, “Oni!” The caught runner then becomes a tagger and chases the remaining uncaught runners.
Hide-and-seek
Hide-and-seek is a classic children’s game.
You choose one player to be “it,” and they search for the others who are hiding.
If “it” finds everyone within the time limit, they win; if not, the hiders win.
It’s a very simple game, so both kids and adults can join and have fun.
However, with many players it can take a long time, so it’s a good idea to have multiple seekers or set boundaries for where players can hide.
Finding a spot where you won’t be discovered is part of the fun—and those spots change depending on where you play.
Try it out in different places!
Cops and Robbers
A popular game with various regional names, “Keidoro” is like a game of tag played between police and thieves.
The police catch the thieves and put them in jail, while the thieves try to escape from the police and rescue teammates who have been jailed.
If the police manage to catch all the thieves, they win; if they can’t do so within the time limit, the thieves win.
You don’t need any equipment, and you can play as long as you have a large open space.
However, if you have many players, it’s better to wear numbered vests or similar markers to clearly show which side each person belongs to.
Samurai sword-fighting (chambara) battle
Chanbara battles are fought using soft swords and a life ball attached to your arm.
The more players you have, the more exciting it gets, enveloping you in the intensity of a Sengoku-era battlefield.
Form formations, devise strategies, and work together as a team to defeat your opponents.
It can get heated and you may end up using more force than intended, so be careful not to injure anyone.
This is a game you can enjoy both indoors and outdoors—under a clear blue sky on sunny days, or in a gymnasium when it rains.
Tail Tag Game
“Tail Tag” is a game of tag played with “tails.” You can use anything as a tail—headbands, colored strings, etc.—and attach it around each participant’s waist.
When the game starts, everyone runs around trying to grab other people’s tails while protecting their own.
Whoever still has their tail at the end wins.
If there are many players, team play can be fun too; in that case, the team with more players who haven’t lost their tails wins.
Be careful—when you’re reaching for someone else’s tail, you’re the easiest target!