A collection of simple indoor recreational games
Looking for team-based games that can get everyone excited indoors? Indoor recreational activities that use open spaces and simple tools actually hide a lot of charm.
From easy games using familiar items like balloons and plastic bottles to idea-driven challenges that make the most of teamwork, we’ll introduce a variety of fun options.
Why not discover new ways to play with your friends and family? Welcome to the world of indoor recreation, where everyone can smile!
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Team Competition Games (11–20)
Sukiyaki rock-paper-scissors
It’s a team-based rock-paper-scissors game.
But plain old rock-paper-scissors would be boring, right? In Sukiyaki Rock-Paper-Scissors, the winning team draws a card; each card has a sukiyaki ingredient on it, and you collect those ingredients.
The first team to collect all the ingredients wins.
If you lose the round, you can’t draw a card, and even if you win, you won’t necessarily complete your set so easily—you might keep drawing the same ingredient over and over.
It’s a suspenseful yet exciting game that keeps everyone engaged.
Beanbag Toss Battle
A game that’s easy to get everyone excited indoors is the Beanbag Goal Battle! Players split into throwers and blockers.
You’ll need beanbags, a basket or box to serve as the goal, and a handheld fan.
The rules are simple: throwers aim their beanbags at the goal, while blockers use the fan to block them.
You compete by the number of beanbags that end up in the box.
You can also swap the basket or box for a target marked with different point values to play it like darts.
It’s a fun activity that also allows participants to keep social distance!
Bingo Relay
When you think of a relay, you probably picture teammates taking turns running toward the finish line, where being a good runner gives you a big advantage.
This version adds a thinking element to the relay, making it more game-like and easier for people who aren’t good at running to join.
After running, you arrive at a set of spaces with holes in the middle; you place your team’s piece there and pass the turn to the next runner.
Repeat this, and the first team to complete a row wins.
It’s designed so that you can also block the other team and pull off a comeback by completing your row first.
Vinyl Umbrella Ball Toss
This is a game where you try a familiar sports day event—tamaire (ball toss)—indoors.
Use a vinyl umbrella upside down as the basket, and throw badminton shuttlecocks instead of balls.
That way, even small children can enjoy it.
The child holding the umbrella might get bored and start spinning it, but that could make it more challenging in a fun way.
Gesture Game
It’s a game where one person on the team looks at a prompt and acts it out with gestures, while the other members try to guess what it is.
It tests the team’s ability to cooperate—choosing movements that are as clear as possible and carefully observing even the small details.
Setting a time limit to push for quicker answers is also recommended; the rush to convey the idea might lead to some funny, unexpected movements.
If you gradually make the prompts more detailed and difficult, you’ll likely start to see each person’s unique style in which parts they focus on when they move.
Online sorting game
This is a game where team members line up on a single line drawn on the ground and try to quickly rearrange themselves into a specified order.
The rule is that all movement must be completed on the line, so work together to avoid stepping off while swapping positions.
Where you place your feet and what posture you take are also important, and it’s crucial to move carefully while keeping speed in mind.
Holding hands with people around you or other forms of cooperation may also be important for increasing speed.
Color Matching Relay
If you’re looking for a game where everyone on the team can work together, we recommend Color-Sorting Relay.
First, set up four colors of cones in four rows at random.
If you’re playing with two teams, prepare a set in front of each team.
At the start signal, a player takes two cones and swaps the positions of cones in just one spot.
Keep repeating this, and the first team to get all four rows neatly arranged with the four colors wins.
Since players must instantly adjust to the cones moved by other teammates once the run begins, it’s great for building quick decision-making and teamwork.
You can also increase the number or variety of cone colors to match the players’ ages.
[Tag] Keep holding hands and try to escape!
![[Tag] Keep holding hands and try to escape!](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Lt6t2ibEGj0/sddefault.jpg)
This is a variation of tag that tests teamwork and cooperation: everyone runs away from the tagger while holding hands.
The runners must keep holding hands as they flee, and the tagger chases them to make them let go.
For safety—since forcing hands apart could cause injuries—it’s recommended to use a foam rod or similar; if it touches a player’s hand, they have to let go.
It’s also a fun challenge because coordinating to run in the same direction without getting caught can be surprisingly difficult, which really livens up the game.
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.
Tic-tac-toe
https://www.tiktok.com/@soramame.sensei/video/7399617996366286098It’s a game where you place your team’s marks on a grid, aiming to be the first to line up three marks before the opposing team.
Since you switch to the next person after placing a mark, it also tests your ability to read your teammates’ intentions.
You can have at most three marks on the grid; after that, you can only move them, which adds room for tactical mind games.
Even if it’s hard to decide where to place a mark, the game can still heat up because a fast relay can create opportunities.