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 (31–40)
Know-it-all Game
When you hear “pretending to know,” it sounds a bit negative, but it can actually be used as a fun communication game! In this game, everyone pretends to know about a prompt that doesn’t exist and talks about it.
For example: titles of dramas or movies that aren’t real, foods, creatures, and so on.
The person who comes up with the prompt needs to put a little thought into it.
As everyone keeps the conversation going—saying things like “That one was like this” or “This one went like that”—if you end up laughing, you’re out.
Having a rich vocabulary is key, so give it a try when you want to expand your word bank!
Does an English conversation telephone game work?
Let’s try playing a game of telephone in English, where each person passes along the same phrase to the next! First, present an English sentence as the prompt.
It’s recommended to have an AI tool read it aloud rather than a person pronouncing it directly.
The first person listens to the sentence and passes it on to the next person.
If the last person can accurately state what the original English sentence was and provide its Japanese translation, the group succeeds.
You could also make the sentence a question and have the last person give an appropriate answer to that question.
It’s a fun communication game that will make you laugh while also testing everyone’s English skills.
No equipment needed! Air catch ball
“Air Catch,” a make-believe game of tossing an imaginary ball without any props, is a very simple team-building activity.
Participants form a circle.
Someone calls another person’s name while miming a throw of the “air ball,” and the next person pretends to catch it and continues in the same way.
The rules are: make eye contact and call the person’s name before you throw.
Once everyone gets used to it, you can increase the difficulty by tossing multiple balls at once or speeding things up.
It builds communication skills and concentration and gets people laughing, making it great for training icebreakers and strengthening team cohesion.
It takes about 5–15 minutes, so give it a try!
From kids to seniors! A color-sorting game that gets everyone excited
This is the perfect game for anyone looking for a fun singing activity.
First, let’s all sing “Seagull Sailor” together.
After that, hand out bracelets made from construction paper to the participants and divide them into three color groups.
The host will show a piece of construction paper that matches one of the bracelet colors, and only the team wearing bracelets of that color will clap.
Because you have to sing while also watching the host’s actions, it’s a great way to build concentration!
10 party games that will liven up a drinking party
10 party games to liven up a drinking get-together can create a sense of unity across the whole venue and serve as a catalyst for conversation.
It’s best to start the games around the middle of the party, once the mood has warmed up.
Since alcohol can make it harder to think clearly, choose simple games with easy-to-understand rules.
Keep things moving at a good pace, minimizing downtime as you present each challenge.
It’s also a good idea to assign roles like someone to keep score of everyone’s points and someone to keep time.
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.
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.
Team Competition Bingo
How about turning the classic bingo game into a team competition? As usual, you mark off numbers on your card, and you get bingo when you complete a line vertically, horizontally, or diagonally… but you don’t win just by being the first to finish.
For example, you can set a rule like “the round ends when three people at the table get bingo,” which removes the “it’s over as soon as I win” scenario and keeps everyone on the edge of their seat until the end.
Whether you snag a lavish prize comes down to luck—let’s all cheer and groan together with every number that’s called!
Birthday line
A birthday line sorted by birthdates using gestures only.
Without speaking, everyone uses their hands to show their birthdate to those around them and lines up in order from the earliest birthday to the latest.
If you end up in the correct order, you clear the game! At welcome events for new students or new hires, it can take courage to start a conversation.
But with this game, you can communicate at close range without speaking and even learn each other’s birthdays, making it a great icebreaker that brings people closer.
It’s perfect for onboarding events, as it naturally leads to smoother communication afterward.
Quiz using puzzles
How about a groundbreaking game that combines puzzles and quizzes? All you need is a store-bought blank jigsaw puzzle and a permanent marker.
For preparation, assemble the puzzle in advance and write a quiz question on it with the marker.
On the day, proceed as follows: first, distribute the disassembled puzzle to each table and have the guests at the same table complete it.
The team that answers the quiz written on the completed puzzle the fastest wins.
Since too many pieces will take too long, the key is to choose a puzzle with a number of pieces that can be completed in just a few minutes.
