Simple yet exciting! Recommended games and activities for year-end parties
Many of you probably attend several year-end parties—at work, with friends, and in your neighborhood—every year, right?
Looking back on the past year and chatting with colleagues and friends makes for a great time.
And the entertainment games—like bingo and quizzes—might be part of the fun, too.
But when you’re in charge of the entertainment, it can be hard to decide what games to play.
Ideally, you want something simple that everyone can enjoy and get excited about.
In this article, we’ll introduce classic games that meet those needs!
Once you’ve decided on the games for this year’s year-end party, don’t forget to prepare the prizes!
- Simple mini-games that liven up a party
- Party games collection that get everyone excited in a big group
- Roundup of easy party tricks. A collection of ideas that require no preparation.
- Ideas for team-based games to enliven a party
- Party games to liven up your New Year’s celebration: a fun collection that will keep everyone laughing non-stop
- Entertainment ideas for year-end and New Year parties: games everyone can enjoy together
- Party Games That Will Liven Up Your Workplace [2026]
- Office party games that get everyone excited
- A fun, everyone-joins-in game that gets everyone excited!
- [For Kids] Popular party games. Fun games that get everyone excited
- Fun quizzes to liven up New Year’s parties: a collection of questions everyone can enjoy
- Get the office buzzing! A collection of recommended entertainment and performance ideas for year-end and New Year parties
- Popular ranking of entertainment ideas for year-end and New Year parties
Simple yet exciting! Recommended Games and Activities for Year-End Parties (31–40)
Waribashi Catch

A simple set of rules: two or three participants line up, the facilitator drops a chopstick, and the participants try to catch it! Since the facilitator can drop the chopstick at any moment they choose, it’s a game that tests the participants’ reaction speed.
Finding commonalities

Common-ground finding is a fun game that helps you talk with people you’re meeting for the first time and feel closer to them.
There are various ways to play: for example, participants form pairs or groups and, within a time limit, look for things they have in common through conversation; or they present common points they’ve written down in advance—those are standard approaches.
Conversations can stall without a prompt, so set simple topics like “How you spend your days off” or “Favorite foods.” It’s also a good idea to set a target number of commonalities to find beforehand.
Shake Shake Kaki-no-Tane Championship

We’d like to introduce a game that uses “Kaki no Tane,” a snack well-known as a staple treat and drinking companion.
Prepare a plastic bottle packed full of Kaki no Tane.
Participants take turns shaking the bottle to pour Kaki no Tane onto a plate.
The time limit is 5 seconds, so once 5 seconds are up, pass the bottle to the next person.
When everyone has had a turn, count the Kaki no Tane; the person with the highest number wins.
They look like they’ll come out easily, but they don’t come out as quickly as you’d think.
Since it’s a game where you’ll want time to think about the best shaking technique to get more pieces out, going later in the order might give you an advantage!
No Katakana Hint Quiz

Figuring out the answer from the hints is the same as in a regular quiz.
However, in this “No Katakana Hint Quiz,” there’s a rule that you must not use katakana in the hints.
For example, if the answer is “supercar,” you might want to say “faster than a sports car” or “has a cool design,” but katakana is not allowed, so you have to rephrase it as “faster than other cars” or “the shape of the car body is cool.” The quiz giver should make full use of their vocabulary and choose words that are easy for the solver to understand!
Tasting/Comparative testing of XX

A game where you put on a blindfold and taste several kinds of the same food or drink to guess which brand each one is.
Try coming up with unique challenges like blind tea tasting, instant cup noodles, cola, or convenience store pork buns! If you can pick up on the flavor differences and guess correctly, you might earn the title of Gourmet King!
Simple yet exciting! Recommended Games and Recreational Activities for Year-End Parties (41–50)
Pedometer rapid-shake game
@laviena_himeji [Laviena Himeji] This performance was so much fun! ✨ The couple incorporated a “pedometer speed-shake game” into their wedding 👀 Everyone competed to see who could rack up the most steps 💪 It turned into an exciting highlight that energized the whole venue! —————————————————— For inquiries about weddings or photo weddings, please call ☎︎0120-708-122 or send us a DM 🕊️🌱 @laviena_himeji .#RaveenaHimeji#HyogoWeddingVenueHimeji wedding venue#KansaiBride#HyogoBride#hyogo#KansaiPreBrideI’ve graduated from being a bride. (Commonly used to mean: I’m married now.)#mydressWeddingWedding venueWedding Preparation#prebrideWedding Report#Wedding#weddingWedding productionWedding Reception ProductionPedometer GameGuest-participation performanceentertainmentGame Direction
♬ Original Song – Lavina Himeji Wedding Venue – Lavina Himeji Wedding Venue
Some of you may be using pedometers for your health.
Since many smartphones now come with a built-in pedometer function, there may even be young people who have never seen a standalone pedometer.
This little game using pedometers seems like something people of all ages can get really into.
You might even see your department head or manager going all out, mindlessly shaking a pedometer or their phone! There are lots of variations: time-attack challenges, matching a target count exactly, shaking two at once, and more.
Just be careful not to get too carried away and accidentally throw the pedometer.
Rating Check Game
@artbellangenagoya What really gets the guests scratching their heads is… the ranking check game! 😆 Each table dives into lively discussions over the tricky questions… and the excitement keeps going even after the answers are revealed! 🥳 It’s a wonderful touch that really gets conversation flowing at each table. Definitely consider adding it! 🫶🏼#Arver-ange Nagoya#Arverl Ange Nagoya staff#AichiWedding#NagoyaWedding#BrideAndGroomDirection / StagingWeddingWedding production#NewEraWedding#NewWeddingWedding Reception Production#WeddingCakeSurprise#WeddingInvitationMarriage registrationWedding venue#NagoyaWeddingVenue#Nagoya City Wedding VenueWedding ceremony#BrideAndGroomChapel
♬ Athletic Meet “Heaven and Hell” (No Introduction) – Shinonome
We’d like to introduce the “Ranking Check Game,” a perfect party activity to test participants’ discerning eye! The host prepares two options, and players simply choose which one they think is the real deal.
If you’re correct, you stay top-tier; if you’re wrong, your rank drops—a simple yet thrilling set of rules.
Anyone can join, and the unexpected results are sure to spark laughter! It’s great as a team competition too, and the moment you reveal who remained “first-class” at the end is always a highlight.
Give this game a try to instantly liven up your event!



