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 self-introductions and team battles! 10 party games (31–40) to liven up welcome events
Russian roulette with candy
They look like delicious treats at first glance—but some are filled with wasabi or mustard! This “Candy Russian Roulette” is an easy-to-prepare game everyone can enjoy.
Just get some treats where you can’t see the filling and quietly add a bit of wasabi or mustard inside.
Have each participant pick one, and whoever ends up with the wasabi- or mustard-filled treat loses! Be careful not to use anything too extreme, and make sure to have drinks ready.
Slipper relay
This is a relay where team members line up side by side, hook a slipper onto the toes of the person at the end, and pass the slipper along to the next person using only their feet.
You must not drop the slipper or use your hands.
It’s a game that might test your team’s communication skills.
International Riddle Contest
Quizzes are a classic for party games and recreation.
Still, it’s easy to get stuck on what questions to prepare.
That’s why I’d like to suggest a World Riddle Tournament.
In this game, you take on riddles that are beloved in countries around the globe.
It’s not only fun—it also lets you discover each country’s unique values and culture.
Some riddles are quite challenging and can’t be solved without knowing English, so if no one can figure them out, be ready to give hints.
Ten people, ten colors game
Let me introduce a game that helps you understand others more deeply: the “Ten People, Ten Colors” game.
From a small group, choose one person as the respondent and have them think about the given prompt.
However, they must not say their answer out loud.
The remaining players will try to figure out the answer the respondent came up with.
Of course, you may ask the respondent questions.
The key to this game is to ask good questions that lead toward the answer.
Consider what the respondent is likely to think, recall what they like, and explore these ideas to arrive at the answer.
Gesture Song Guessing Game
You know charades, right? It’s a game where you use only gestures and the watchers have to guess what you’re expressing.
This is the “guess the song” version of that.
You act out a song with gestures and people guess which one it is.
It’s pretty tough.
How about starting with children’s songs and nursery rhymes?
Break the ice with self-introductions and team battles! Fun games for welcome parties (41–50)
Samurai sword-fighting (chambara) battle
It’s a large-scale mock sword-fighting game where teams clash on a battlefield.
Participants hold sponge swords and wear a ball called a “life” on their arm, aiming to knock off the opposing team’s ball with their sponge swords.
It’s advantageous to gang up on a single opponent with multiple teammates, so your strategy for how to press the attack really matters.
To keep things safer and more exciting, it’s recommended to set rules like only using the hand holding the sponge sword and only targeting the arm with the ball.
Word association game
It’s a game where you guess the theme, and I’ll give you three hints.
Using those hints, you try to infer what the theme is and guess it.
If the topics span too many genres it can be too hard, so it might be better to set a restriction like “types of animals” or “things sold at the supermarket.”