Break the ice with intros and team battles! Party games to spice up your welcome event
It’s about time for welcome parties, isn’t it?
With new students and fresh graduates coming in, many of you are probably planning welcome events.
In this article, we’ll introduce party games and fun activities that will liven up your welcome party.
If you’re thinking, “I want games that are fun even with people meeting for the first time,” or “I want to plan simple, easy-to-run games,” this will be a great reference.
In particular, games that help you learn about each other through self-introductions, and team-based cooperative games, are recommended because they make it easier to get to know one another and create a friendly atmosphere.
Now, let’s take a look at our recommended games!
- Games to Liven Up the Freshers’ Welcome Party
- [Self-Introduction & Games] Icebreaker Ideas Collection
- Fun games recommended for making friends with people you’ve just met
- Team-based recreational activities for adults that are fun even with large groups
- Games you can play with just conversation. Classic and popular activities you can enjoy without any props!
- A simple and fun co-op game that enhances teamwork
- A great way to get to know each other! Entertainment and performances to liven up a welcome party
- Ideas for team-based games to enliven a party
- [Let’s Get Closer] A Collection of Engaging Questions for Self-Introductions
- [Simple Games] Recommended Indoor Recreational Activities for Adults
- [For University Students] A Roundup of Fun Games and Recreational Activities
- A roundup of recommended icebreakers for college students
- Games that liven up social and networking gatherings
Break the ice with intros and team battles! Party games to spice up welcome gatherings (21–30)
Training icebreaker
In training settings where you meet people for the first time or feel tense, using various icebreakers is recommended to ease the nerves.
For example, in the classic game where teammates try to give matching answers, matching responses help you find common ground, and even when they don’t match, discussing why you chose your answer encourages communication.
In a game where participants line up in ascending order by something like birthday or height without speaking, you can foster cooperation.
During introductions, asking slightly unusual questions can reveal unexpected sides of others.
Choose icebreakers that suit the group you’ve gathered.
Picture matching game
Let me introduce a conversation-friendly “Picture Pairing Game.” Prepare sets of matching pictures according to the number of players.
Everyone holds their picture face down and the game starts without showing it to anyone.
Using conversation only, players discuss what their own picture might be like and whether they share common features with others, trying to find their matching partner.
Gestures are also forbidden.
Through free remarks and questions, players deepen their imagination, and at the end, they take turns guessing who has the same picture as they do.
By talking through similarities and differences, the game nurtures observation, active listening, and cooperation.
Each round takes just 10–15 minutes.
It’s an ideal team-building game for communication practice and as an icebreaker.
Break the ice with self-introductions and team battles! 10 party games (31–40) to liven up welcome events
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!
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.
6 icebreakers that will energize your training!
If you want to communicate more with your teammates or refresh your mind by playing games when things feel stuck, try enjoying a variety of icebreakers! For example, puzzle-solving games and marshmallow towers help build teamwork toward achieving a goal, while the “common-ground” game gives you a chance to learn more about your team members.
With all-out rock–paper–scissors and high-five games, you can forget your shyness and create moments where everyone shares joy and fun together.
Let’s use different games to improve the team atmosphere!
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.
Look that way, hoi!
Because the rules are simple, it’s perfect as an icebreaker game for a welcome party.
It’s the classic party trick “Acchi Muite Hoi.” You play rock–paper–scissors, and the winner points in any direction; if the loser turns to face that direction, they lose.
Even if you win at rock–paper–scissors, that’s not the end—there’s an extra step before the outcome is decided, which is the key.
Using Acchi Muite Hoi in place of rock–paper–scissors to decide turn order is also recommended, since the back-and-forth until a decision is reached is part of the fun.