Fun games recommended for making friends with people you’ve just met
There are plenty of times when you meet people for the first time, like at a new workplace or a school you’ve just entered.
Many people wonder how to get along with someone they’ve just met.
In this article, we’ll introduce games that help you become friendly with people you meet for the first time.
We’ve gathered a variety of games, including ones where you form teams and cooperate to clear challenges, and others where you open up about yourselves while having fun.
Try incorporating them at your company, school, or any other gathering where you meet new people!
- Games you can play with just conversation. Classic and popular activities you can enjoy without any props!
- Break the ice with intros and team battles! Party games to spice up your welcome event
- A simple and fun co-op game that enhances teamwork
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- Recommended for upper elementary grades! Exciting indoor recreation and games
- [Simple Games] Recommended Indoor Recreational Activities for Adults
- Fun activities that liven up the office: recreation games
- A collection of simple indoor recreational games
- Games and activities everyone can enjoy together. A collection of fun play ideas.
- [For University Students] A Roundup of Fun Games and Recreational Activities
- A collection of hilarious questions that will liven up the conversation and might help you learn more about the other person
- [For Adults] Fun recreational games. Perfect for short breaks too!
Fun, recommended games to break the ice with people you’ve just met (11–20)
Helium ring
Helium Ring is a game where the whole team lowers a hula hoop to the ground while keeping it balanced on everyone’s fingertips.
There’s a rule that you must not let your fingers leave the hoop, so the key is to cooperate with your teammates.
Once everyone’s fingers are supporting the hoop, lift it up to chest height.
Then slowly move the hoop downward until it reaches the ground.
If the speed or timing is off, fingers will come away from the hoop, so communicate and coordinate as you play.
It’s also a competitive game, so it’s fun to race against other teams to see who can finish faster.
Lie or Truth Game
A lie-or-truth game where you find the fake story among three episodes.
Since each player can do it while introducing themselves, it’s perfect for meeting new people.
After the self-introductions and three episode talks are finished, think about which story is the lie.
Ask each other questions to uncover episodes that seem thin on details or show a lack of knowledge.
Finally, after the questions, say which episode you think is the lie.
It’s a game that brings people closer by talking about real things while thinking about the other person.
Fruits Basket
Fruit Basket is often incorporated in educational and childcare settings.
While it’s a familiar game for school events and play, it’s also great for team building at companies.
Participants sit on chairs arranged in a circle, and one person stands in the middle as “it.” When the person who’s “it” calls out the name of a fruit, the players seated whose fruit is called get up and move.
The person who fails to find a seat becomes “it,” and the next round begins.
With the cue “Fruit Basket!” everyone moves at once, making it a lively game.
It’s also fun to add variations, such as replacing the fruits with roles from a company or school.
YES/NO Quiz
A key point of “Yes/No Quiz,” where you work toward finding the answer, is that it’s a game enjoyed by splitting into a question master and questioners.
The question master chooses a topic and answers the questioners’ questions with only “Yes” or “No.” The questioners listen to the answers and try to figure out what the topic is.
To narrow down the answer, it’s important for the questioners to think carefully as they ask their questions.
It’s also a great game for team competitions, so let’s all have fun together.
Puzzle Escape Game
A puzzle-solving escape game where you aim to break out from various locations—like amusement parks and subways—by tackling games and quizzes.
Because role assignment and information sharing within the team are crucial, it’s perfect for situations where you want to build rapport with people you’ve just met.
Many of the games test a broad range of knowledge, making them a great opportunity to discover each person’s strengths.
It’s a game that leverages every participant’s advantages—whether someone excels at carefully reasoning through answers or responding intuitively.
By working together to accomplish a single goal, it’s an ideal activity for team building.
LEGO Serious Play
LEGO Serious Play, in which a single creation is built while dialogue among all participants expands.
Participants build a model based on a prompt given by the facilitator, and once it’s complete, they discuss the prompt and the model together.
By setting a broad theme—such as one related to a company or a school—participants’ free ideas can flourish.
It’s also good to weave in images and anecdotes related to the prompt, such as, “This block carries this kind of meaning.” It’s a game well-suited to situations involving first-time encounters, enabling the whole team to share their thoughts and perspectives.
Body Clock Game
The “Is Your Body Clock Accurate? Game,” which relies solely on your own sense of time, is exactly what it sounds like: trust your internal clock and measure 30 seconds.
Participants will be blindfolded.
The host will start the stopwatch on the cue.
Participants should raise their hand when they believe 30 seconds have passed.
The person who raises their hand most accurately wins.
The longer the duration, the higher the difficulty, so you can start with shorter intervals and gradually make them longer.
Ritz Fighter
A popular game for head-to-head battles is Ritz Fighter.
The rules are simple: you stuff Ritz crackers into your mouth all at once, and whoever finishes eating first wins.
Imagine it for a moment—Ritz crackers suck the moisture out of your mouth, right? That difficulty is what makes the game fun.
Try putting about five crackers in your mouth per person as a guideline.
Of course, drinking water partway through is not allowed.
That said, please only try it within a safe and reasonable limit.
Beef Tongue Game
The brain-teasing Gyutan game is perfect for group play, where focus and memory are key.
Players sit in a circle and say “Gyu” out loud, then on the “tan” part, they clap without speaking.
Pay extra attention because the final “tan” comes in succession.
After one round, move to the second, third, and so on, increasing the number of final “tan” claps by one each time.
As the rounds progress, the number of “tan” claps increases, so remember the count and try not to make mistakes.
Once you get used to it, picking up the tempo can make it even more exciting.
human disentanglement puzzle
The human knot game is a simple, crowd-pleasing activity that kids and adults can enjoy together.
Participants form a circle and hold hands—but you must hold hands with people who are not next to you, and you can only hold the same person with one hand.
Without letting go, twist and maneuver your bodies to untangle the human knot.
As everyone talks and works together to solve it, the excitement naturally builds.
When you succeed, the shared sense of accomplishment brings everyone together and strengthens team unity, making this a highly recommended game.