Fun activities that liven up the office: recreation games
Here are some fun games and recreational activities that will liven up the office.
We interact with bosses and colleagues a lot at work, but many of us don’t have much contact in our private lives.
If you’re thinking, “I actually want to get closer to everyone…!” why not try playing a quick game when you have a little spare time?
We’ve gathered activities and games that are perfect for breaks or in-between moments at office parties, so feel free to use them for ideas.
Forget about work for just a bit, and let’s build camaraderie while having a great time together!
- [Simple Games] Recommended Indoor Recreational Activities for Adults
- Team-based recreational activities for adults that are fun even with large groups
- [In a Short Time] Icebreakers and Fun Games That Shine at Morning Meetings
- Games you can play with just conversation. Classic and popular activities you can enjoy without any props!
- Simple yet exciting! Recommended games and activities for year-end parties
- A collection of simple indoor recreational games
- [For Adults] Fun recreational games. Perfect for short breaks too!
- A simple and fun co-op game that enhances teamwork
- Office party games that get everyone excited
- Games that liven up social and networking gatherings
- Recommended indoor games and recreational activities for the workplace
- Break the ice with intros and team battles! Party games to spice up your welcome event
- Fun games recommended for making friends with people you’ve just met
Fun games to liven up the office: Recreation games (41–50)
human disentanglement puzzle
Let’s try a human version of a metal disentanglement puzzle! First, have several people stand in a circle, then each person holds hands with two different people who are not standing next to them—one hand with one person, the other hand with another.
If you connect with people farther away rather than those nearby, it gets harder and more fun.
Once everyone is linked, the puzzle begins! Work together, little by little, to untangle yourselves.
Of course, you must not let go of hands.
If you can fully unravel and return to a single circle, you’ve succeeded! However, on rare occasions, you might end up with two separate circles…?
NG word game
The “NG Word Game” is where you’re out if you say your assigned forbidden word! You can’t know your own NG word in advance.
Everyone else knows each person’s NG word, and the conversation is steered to make others say theirs.
Anyone who falls neatly into the trap and says their NG word is eliminated one by one.
As you keep playing, you might even start to get a sense of what your own NG word is.
Who will deploy the most skillful conversational tactics? It could yield some fascinating insights even in a business context!
Get everyone hyped with after-the-fact rock-paper-scissors and a song!
This is a game where “playing after” — which would be cheating in normal rock-paper-scissors — is the star! To the rhythm of “after-play rock-paper-scissors, jan-ken, pon, pon,” the person who throws their hand second must beat the person who showed theirs first.
If it’s a tie or you fail to win, you’re out! Be careful: if you miss the rhythm, you’re out too.
Having to keep the rhythm is the part that makes you panic! It’s even more fun (and confusing) if you mix in not only the winning-after-play patterns but also the losing ones.
Perfect Drink Pairing Game
A perfect-drink game you can play easily with a beverage and a clear cup! First, pour a drink into a clear cup.
Mark a line with a pen somewhere below the fill level.
It’s fine if the amount poured and the position of the line on each cup are different for everyone.
Once you’re ready, put on a blindfold and drink.
The person who stops drinking exactly at, or closest to, the line on the cup wins.
Anything Basket
A game adapted from Fruit Basket called “Anything Basket.” When the It/Tag calls out a prompt, anyone to whom it applies must stand up from their chair and move to a different one.
If the It/Tag says “Anything Basket,” everyone must change seats.
Because you can vary the prompts, it’s highly recommended.
Slipper relay
It’s a simple game using slippers commonly found in offices.
Using only your toes, relay the slipper to the next person.
Keep your feet off the ground the entire time as you pass the slipper from your feet to the other person’s.
You must not use your hands, though it’s fine to place your hands on a desk or something similar to support your body.
If the slipper touches the floor or you drop it, you’re out! You can also split into several teams and race to see which team can complete the relay the fastest.
Paper Cup Pyramid
It’s a game where you keep stacking paper cups like building a pyramid.
Think it sounds easy? If you’re just stacking, you might be able to do it without much trouble given enough time.
But this game has a time limit! Set a limit like 20 or 30 seconds, and compete to see how many paper cups you can stack in that time.
With a time limit, you’ll feel the pressure—you might drop cups or fail to stack them neatly, which makes it all the more exciting!