[Simple Games] Recommended Indoor Recreational Activities for Adults
When a large group gathers indoors and you think, “Let’s do something fun!”, do you ever find yourselves surprisingly stuck for ideas? In this article, we introduce simple games that are perfect for getting everyone excited, including team battles and cooperative play.
From games that require almost no props to ones you can play easily with everyday items, we’ve gathered activities ideal for indoor recreation.
Games that you progress through by cooperating naturally spark conversation and deepen relationships! There are also slightly brain-teasing games that adults will especially enjoy, so be sure to give them a try together.
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Team-based/Co-op Games (51–60)
Lateral thinking quiz game: Umigame no Soup
A lateral thinking quiz game where you brainstorm freely from the quiz prompt to arrive at the answer.
In ordinary quizzes, you often derive answers based on common sense, preconceptions, or established notions.
In a lateral thinking quiz game, the solver asks questions about the presented problem.
The quizmaster responds using only three options: “Yes,” “No,” or “Irrelevant.” Using the questions and these three types of replies, you deduce the answer.
The solver must think carefully about what to ask.
Another characteristic is that the answers are often things you can’t infer directly from the problem statement.
Come up with various ideas and solutions to figure out the answer.
Sports and Exercise Recreations (1–10)
Reaction Game
@otnasobi_ehime Check Instagram for details 🔍#NightActivityBarFutsal#SportsEventRecreationIcebreaker#EhimeEhime Prefecture#AdultPlayground
♪ Original Song – Otona no Asobiba – Otona no Asobiba
Listen carefully to the instructions and move quickly—that’s the key! Here’s an idea for a reaction game.
It’s a great recreational activity for when you want to move your body even indoors.
All you need to prepare are items like color markers.
Once two people stand facing each other in pairs, you’re ready to go! When the game starts, march in place and touch the indicated part of your own body.
It’s a simple game where, when the caller says something like “elbow,” you grab the color marker.
Give it a try!
dodgeball
When you think of dodgeball, you might picture it as a sport for elementary school kids, but it actually gets super exciting when adults play it too.
If you gather friends and acquaintances to form teams, it feels a bit like a school club and is a lot of fun.
Above all, it’s nostalgic and unexpectedly gets everyone fired up—you’ll find yourself getting really into it before you know it, so it’s perfect for training or fixing a lack of exercise.
You can rent gymnasiums at community facilities for a low cost, so check them out.
Hula hoop relay
It’s a game where everyone stands in a single line holding hands and competes to see how fast they can pass a hula hoop from one end to the other.
Because you need your neighbor’s help to pass the hoop smoothly, teamwork—starting with clear communication—is put to the test.
Before it’s your turn, keep a close eye on the person ahead of you and think about more efficient movements; that’s a key to increasing speed.
Even in a head-to-head format that can make you feel rushed, it may be important to stay calm and move your whole body steadily.
Curling
When you think of curling, you might picture an ice sport, but nowadays there are indoor recreational curling sets that make it easy to enjoy in gymnasiums and on floors.
The rules are simple—just slide and aim for the target—yet it demands strategy and teamwork, making matches intense even among adults.
Mimicking sweeping and calling out unique commands add laughs, so it’s easy for first-timers to get into the fun right away.
Combining accessibility with depth, it’s an indoor sport especially recommended for adults.
Sports Chanbara
If you’re from your 50s generation or older, you’ve probably played make-believe sword fighting at least once.
Turning that into a proper sport is “Sports Chanbara.” It’s a discipline started by Tetsundo Tanabe, with official rules and large tournaments.
On rainy days, it’s a great way to really get your body moving.
For striking, you use sport-specific air soft swords made of soft materials, so a bit of contact is fine.
If you don’t have an air soft sword, you could lightly roll up a newspaper and use it as a substitute.
The rules are simple: if any part of an attack hits the body, you win.
Even small children around kindergarten age are likely to get excited about it.
Having a face protector will give you peace of mind.
Tag rugby
Have you heard of “tag rugby,” a game that kids in elementary school through adults can enjoy? It’s played with basically the same rules as rugby—such as “no forward passes” and “score a try in the in-goal area.” However, this game has a unique rule: participants wear a belt with “tags” attached on both sides, and when a tag is pulled off, they must immediately pass the ball.
This serves as the equivalent of a tackle in rugby.
As for the field, an area about the size of a line soccer court will do.
Give it a try—it’s fun and feels like a game of tag!