Party and drinking games to liven up a company welcome party
At many companies, when it comes to welcome mixers or onboarding parties, they often plan some kind of game as entertainment, don’t they?
It can be hard to break the ice just by eating together, so it’s great when a game helps deepen connections!
In this article, we’ll introduce not only classic party games that are sure to liven things up, but also games perfect for onboarding parties that double as self-introductions, as well as team-based cooperative games.
Use the ideas introduced here as inspiration to plan a wonderful event!
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Banquet and party games to liven up the company welcome party (21–30)
Truth or Lie Game
Friends you’ve spent time with up to now—how well do you all really know each other? At a thank-you party or graduation celebration, why not liven things up with a game that helps you reaffirm your bonds? The “Two Truths and a Lie” game is, in short, an icebreaker: each person gives four statements about themselves, but one of them includes a lie.
Everyone else listens and tries to figure out which statement is the lie.
“You had that side to you?” “We’ve been together all this time and I never knew!”—it’s a great way to deepen your connections.
Perfectly Choo-Choo
Set a “drink up to here” line on a glass and, while blindfolded, see if you can drink to exactly that line—Pittari Choo-Choo! It’s a party game that’s easy to get everyone excited about, and you get tasty juice too.
For the blindfold, we recommend a fun, quirky eye mask.
That way, even though the challenger is dead serious, it looks hilarious to the audience and everyone can enjoy it together.
If no one hits it exactly, the person closest to the line wins.
You can easily set the line using a rubber band.
Tasting Umaibo Blind (Flavor Identification)
Let’s enjoy the welcome party with a “Umai-bō Taste Test Showdown” that gets both the audience and the participants excited! As the name suggests, you rely solely on your sense of taste to guess the flavor.
Everyone knows Umai-bō, and there are actually quite a lot of flavors sold, so it’s perfect for this game.
Participants will eat the Umai-bō while blindfolded, then remove the blindfold, check the lineup of options, and give their answer.
You can also provide a list of descriptions for each flavor.
It might feel easy to guess, but once your vision is taken away by the blindfold, it turns out to be surprisingly challenging.
Ranking Battle
How about trying “Kakuzuke Check,” the TV program that’s become a New Year’s favorite, as entertainment for your welcome party? The rules are simple: participants choose between a luxury item and a cheap one using their sense of taste or smell, and they take on the challenge while blindfolded.
Prepare two rooms, A and B; have people enter the room that corresponds to their chosen answer, and once everyone has chosen, reveal the correct answers.
It’s a surefire way to get both participants and spectators excited.
Inviting the newcomers themselves to join in should also help deepen interaction.
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!
Telepathy Gesture Game
It’s no exaggeration to say that gesture games have long been a pillar of Japanese variety shows, and they’re always a hit as party entertainment.
Here, instead of a typical communication-style gesture game, we’ll introduce a telepathy-style version that tests whether two people are on the same wavelength.
First, present a prompt.
If the two performers make the same gesture, it’s a correct answer.
For example, if the prompt is “baseball” and one person acts as a batter while the other acts as a pitcher, that’s a miss.
It’s even more fun if you set up a screen so they can’t see each other’s gestures!
Kappa Plate Ball-Carrying Race
It’s also great to use paper plates at the party venue for an obstacle-course-style game! If you’ve got a large space, the excitement doubles.
Balance a paper plate on your head, hold it in place with your hands, and put a ping-pong ball on top.
The winner is the person who finishes with the most ping-pong balls still on their plate after clearing all the obstacles.
Simple obstacles made from tables and chairs are plenty.
Even just doing one lap around the venue along the walls works well.
You can customize the obstacles in many ways—like greeting the department head or playing rock-paper-scissors with a junior colleague.
Don’t forget to prepare classic sports day-style background music to play during the game!
Fun for communication! Pokan Game
Words that seem obvious to you can be completely unclear to everyone else—what do they even refer to? In the “Pokan Game,” you guess the true topic hidden behind such words through conversation.
First, the person who’s “it” gives a single-sentence line or phrase as the prompt.
The others then figure out what it refers to by asking the leader questions and proposing guesses.
It’s best to choose prompts that aren’t easily solved, ones that require some real thought.
Talk a lot and deepen your bonds as you play!
Let’s become friends through a communication game!
To get to know others, communication is essential! In this game, you talk a lot while discovering unexpected sides of each other—welcome to the “Unexpected Me! Game.” Find people who match the surprising prompts written on paper, and whoever finds the most wins.
Prompts like “Surprisingly, I like ___” or “Surprisingly, I can ___” are all fair game.
You won’t rack up points unless you talk to many people, so keep the conversations going and learn more about those around you!
Minority wins! The Minority Game
This is a game where the people who choose the minority—the less popular answer—win.
First, split into groups and set a prompt and two choices.
Since there are only two options, pick one based on your own thinking.
After choosing, hold a debate—i.e., a discussion—within your group about the prompt.
After the discussion, think again about which option to choose as your answer, then everyone reveals their choice at the same time.
If you picked the minority answer at that moment, you win; if you picked the majority answer, you lose.