Liven up even first meetings! A collection of fun games perfect for welcome parties
A welcome party to celebrate the arrival of new teammates.
It can be tricky to figure out what activities will get everyone excited.
In gatherings with many first-time meetings, the key to success is easing nerves and bringing out smiles.
In this article, we’ll introduce plenty of perfect games for welcome parties that warm up the atmosphere! From activities that can start easily without special props, to ones that deepen team bonds, to unique self-introduction games, we’ve gathered ideas that will bring participants closer together.
Find games that suit the size of your venue and the vibe of your group, and create a fun, memorable time!
Exciting even on first meetings! A collection of fun games perfect for welcome parties (1–10)
No-hands speed-eating contest
A hands-free speed-eating contest might sound a bit rude, but it’s not really.
You tilt your head back, place a cookie or biscuit on your forehead, and use your eyes and mouth to maneuver it down into your mouth.
You’ll end up making funny faces right off the bat at the welcome party, but it’s sure to get laughs!
Smartphone speed-typing showdownNEW!
In this game, each participant has a smartphone and opens either an email screen or a notes app.
When the prompt is announced and the start signal is given, you type the prompt exactly as it is.
Because you have to perfectly mimic the hiragana, katakana, and kanji, as well as the placement of punctuation, it seems easy but is surprisingly difficult.
Be careful not to make typing mistakes in a rush, and try to enter it as quickly as possible.
For typing, flick input is recommended!
Body clock guessing gameNEW!
As a game anyone can join, I recommend the internal clock guessing game.
Using a stopwatch or a smartphone, you try to hit a specified number of seconds exactly.
For example, for 30 seconds, press the start button, close your eyes, and count to 30 in your head.
Then, when you feel it’s the right moment, press the stop button.
The person closest to 30 seconds wins.
It’s fun because the sense of time you think is correct can be surprisingly off, and people have different ways of counting, so it’s entertaining even just to watch.
The Perfect Match Game
The game where you ask the other team questions and try to land exactly on a preset number is called the “Spot-On Game.” If the number is too small, the game ends quickly, so it’s best to pick a larger target like 100,000 or 1,000,000.
Split into two teams, decide who goes first, and take turns asking the other side questions.
Come up with questions that help you get closer to the target number, such as: “How much did living alone cost you?” “What’s the most expensive gift you’ve given a girlfriend?” “How many followers do you have on Twitter?” Hitting the number exactly might be tough, so it should still be plenty exciting if the team closest to the target number wins in the end.
Name Bingo
Here’s a recreation game that’s guaranteed to be a hit at welcome parties: Name Bingo.
Normally, bingo is played with numbers, but for a welcome party, try using the names of the new members instead! When someone is called at random, they give a self-introduction—so everyone learns their name and profile while the energy rises.
It’s a fun, two-birds-with-one-stone activity!
Speaking of 〇〇, games
This is the classic “What comes to mind when you think of ___?” game, where everyone must unite their answers—team cohesion is the key.
For example, the challenge is to see whether everyone can give the same answer to a prompt like “What’s an animal popular with children?” It’s also fun to tailor or tweak the questions to fit a welcome party.
Actually, a self-introduction
This is quite an interesting self-introduction game! In addition to a regular self-introduction, you add a sentence that starts with “Actually,” to draw out deeper conversation.
With that “Actually,” part, people’s impression of you might change—it’s a little scary, but it’s a thrilling game, isn’t it?