The 101 Best Ice Breaker Games to Play in 2025
While you've likely heard of and participated in activities involving ice breaker questions, have you ever played an ice breaker game? Aside from being a great way to warm up a group and get to know each other better, ice breaker games are also a lot of fun!
There is a reason that company outings and team building exercises are still being practiced. The more experiences a group has together, especially when they are upbeat, fun and interactive, the closer and more understanding everyone is with each other. This is precisely why ice breaker games and team building, in general, are essential in boosting a group's ability to bond while fostering open, engaging and energetic communication.
It's been proven time and time again that strong employee dynamics yield better team performance, according to Harvard Business Review. However, as effective as they are, ice breaker activities often get a bad rap because individuals feel pressured to participate in something awkward. This, ironically, proves that an ice breaker is necessary. Once any sort of awkward energy is forgotten, laughter and good conversation take its place.
As a founder of a company with nationwide operations in the U.S. and Canada, and a team across three continents, I have experience leading successful groups of employees with vastly different backgrounds. One of the key components to building a strong work culture for us is team building activities that bring everyone together in the name of entertainment and camaraderie, no matter where in the world they are.
If you’d like to do the same, use this list of the best ice breaker games to help your group get to know each other better, kick off meetings, boost team building or improve collaboration. Last but certainly not least, it’s a way to simply have fun!
Jump to Section
- How We Choose These Ice Breaker Games
- What Is an Ice Breaker Game?
- Why Your Team Should Play Ice Breaker Games
- The Benefits of Team Bonding
- Good Ice Breaker Games
- Virtual Ice Breaker Games
- Fun Ice Breaker Games
- Ice Breaker Games for Small Groups
- Ice Breaker Games for Large Groups
- Ice Breaker Games for Meetings
- Quick Ice Breaker Games
- Team Building Ice Breaker Games
- Easy Ice Breaker Games
- FAQs
How We Choose These Ice Breaker Games
At Cozymeal, we’re as passionate about helping teams bond and have fun as we are about culinary experiences, which comes as a result of the two going hand-in-hand. With over a decade of experience in connecting groups of all kinds to memorable food-related experiences, we’ve gained a deep understanding of group dynamics and the types of tasks that help strengthen teams and form better bonds.
We’re aware that, whether at corporate events or social gatherings, people experience moments of awkwardness while trying to connect with others. To avoid these sticky situations, guides and leaders use ice breaker games to help people break free from the shackles of anxiety.
With this knowledge in mind, we’ve leveraged our expertise in helping teams foster better camaraderie to curate a list of ice breaker games that are engaging, inclusive and effective.
Our extensive research process included considering insights from event planners, facilitators and leaders of various teams. Finally, we factored in opinions from people within our team. Our list of ice breaker games is additionally based on key criteria to make it as inclusive as possible.
Our list of the best ice breaker games:
- Prioritizes activities that can be adapted for various group sizes.
- Includes ideas that promote interaction to encourage meaningful conversation.
- Features games that require minimal materials to enhance accessibility.
- Comprises high-energy activities to boost enthusiasm and engagement.
- Showcases games that are suitable for corporate, social or virtual settings.
HR Consultant Review
To make sure our recommendations are as impactful as possible, we asked HR consultant Candace Beaty to review them. With over 18 years of experience in HR and business operations across public, private and non-profit sectors, she is well-versed in helping all teams from all backgrounds to bond and form long-lasting relationships.
Having an experienced HR consultant help us ensured that the ice breaker games we suggest not only initiate team bonding and kickstart strong relationships, but also provide teams with plenty of laughs from moments of pure entertainment.
What Is an Ice Breaker Game?
If you’re new to the idea of ice breaker games, these simple activities warm up groups by helping everyone get to know each other, relieve social anxieties and promote team bonding. The game aspect of these ice breakers allows individuals to relax and have fun while communicating and collaborating.
Organizing team building and activities that promote togetherness shows employees how important a priority it is, and sets the expectation that everyone will make an effort to get to know one another better. Plus, it demonstrates to your crew that you care about their well-being, as these beneficial ice breaker games for adults and other team-bonding experiences help people to unwind and de-stress.
Why Your Team Should Play Ice Breaker Games
The goal of ice breaker games and ice breaker questions is not only to have fun, but also to strengthen your team by presenting them with challenges that involve common goals and require creative thinking. Businesses can incorporate ice breakers into team building games as a way to warm up a group for conversation.
Doing this will help shake off any nerves and allow people to get to know one another better. Participating in ice breaker games for adults also fosters a sense of community and openness by giving everyone the opportunity to share opinions, stories, creative solutions and more.
For example, if your group is planning a fun culinary team building experience, you can toss around some ice breaker games before embarking on your adventure. Who can name all of the city's most iconic foods before kicking off on a local food tour near you? Who can remember the most different pasta shapes before a group cooking class near you? These are just a few simple examples of entertaining ways to initiate a day of entertainment and bonding.
The Benefits of Team Bonding
It is important to break down any communication barriers and social anxieties to add more personality and human depth to the work culture of a company, which can lead to greater comfort and connection within the group. Bonding as a team in fresh, casual ways is essential in maintaining a productive workflow, promoting creative thinking and helping coworkers find confidence in their work.
Additionally, team bonding also helps people understand each other in non-work-related situations, which, according to Western Governors University, is an essential part of improving communication. Once colleagues have learned how to communicate effectively outside the office, it will translate to work-related tasks and will ultimately contribute to the success of the company.
Ultimately, ice breaker games can help teams feel like they can participate freely, speak up and share their opinions and input without fear of ridicule. Peter Renner, author of “The Art of Teaching Adults: How to Become an Exceptional Instructor and Facilitator,” notes that the majority of adults are most productive and function best when in an atmosphere that offers respect and support — pillars that can be achieved through ice breaker games.
There are endless opportunities to kick off any social situation with ease, even if you're planning virtual team building activities for a remote team. If so, online team building activities like virtual wine tastings or online cooking classes are excellent ways to jump-start conversation and get everyone to come out of their shells, especially when preceded by some virtual ice breakers.
Good Ice Breaker Games
1. Have everyone think of two truths and one lie about themselves so that others can guess which is the fib after revealing all three.
2. Hold a note! Everyone must take turns holding a note with one breath. When they run out of air, the next person continues the note! How long can this ice breaker game keep your team holding their note?
3. Ask your team to identify themselves as an animal of their choice and explain why.
4. Have everyone share a little-known fact about themselves. Who knows, maybe this ice breaker game will reveal that someone’s uncle is a well-known celebrity.
5. Write a series of sentence prompts on slips of paper like “The scariest thing I have ever seen is…,” and have everyone take turns selecting one and finishing the sentence with something about themselves.
6. Play a word association game that is centered around a theme or even the topic of a meeting discussion.
7. Break your team into smaller groups and have them collectively decide on what five items they would want to have if they became stranded on an island.
8. Have everyone come up with a slogan that describes who they are. The more creative, the better.
9. Arrange everyone in a circle. Participants will call out another person’s name and pass a ball to them. The longer you play this high-energy ice breaker game, the more balls or other props get added into the mix.
10. Get everyone to write down something they have done in their life on notecards and turn them in anonymously. The group must guess who did what!
11. Plan a scavenger hunt in the office, around the neighborhood or even across town.
Virtual Ice Breaker Games
12. Write down a six-word memoir, something that sums up your life in a short six-word sentence.
13. Plan a virtual coffee shop meeting with casual chatting while everyone prepares their morning beverages.
14. Show-and-tell can be a blast for adults, too. Ask everyone to share something from their home with the group, with this get-to-know-you game also including an interesting story.
15. Play drawing games like Pictionary, which don’t require everyone to be in the same room. There are also plenty of websites that cater to virtual ice breaker games, should you need some help.
16. Test your team’s general knowledge during a game of trivia with any theme imaginable.
17. Play a classic game of charades.
18. Have everyone come up with a movie pitch, and the team lead will declare a winner of the best one by a group vote.
19. Tell a story using one word at a time from each member in your group.
20. Share a selection of riddles for everyone to solve.
21. Take a personality quiz and have everyone compare their results.
22. Set up virtual bingo and put a prize on the line — perhaps an extra day off?
Fun Ice Breaker Games
23. Try to remember the next lines of lyrics when someone hits pause on a popular song. This is a great ice breaker game to test everyone’s memory.
24. Send out a prompt of photo options, then have everyone take their own photo representations of the prompts to share with the group.
25. Play a few rounds of Never Have I Ever.
26. Comedy night (or rather, day)! Everyone can share a few of their favorite jokes.
27. Break your team into small groups for the marshmallow challenge. Every group receives 20 sticks of spaghetti, three feet of tape, three feet of string and one marshmallow to make the tallest standing structure they can.
28. Plan a murder mystery!
29. Set up a cupcake or cookie decorating challenge.
30. Take an online quiz to determine which fictional characters or inanimate objects everyone is for a good laugh.
31. Have everyone fill out an index card with a self-portrait, their name and some fun facts about themselves. Pass the cards around so that each team member can learn more about their colleagues, and together, you have all created a deck of trading cards.
32. In a speed-dating fashion, give folks five minutes to learn as much as they can about one another before swapping partners.
33. Fill the room with obstacles that people will have to navigate through blindfolded, with only the help of their teammate’s vocal directions.
Ice Breaker Games for Small Groups
34. Have a mindful moment of silence, and then ask everyone to write down some stresses they can share with the group.
35. Pass out a pop quiz that features fun facts about coworkers, details of the business or general pop culture questions.
36. Tell everyone they cannot smile for five minutes and see who can make it the longest without laughing.
37. Give everyone a few minutes to scroll through their social media to find an interesting post they would like to share with the group.
38. Plan a debate on mundane topics, such as pizza versus tacos or what color the office should be painted.
39. Try to find 10 things that everyone in the group has in common.
40. Every meeting, rotate to someone new and have them bring in or present their favorite ice breaker questions or ice breaker game.
41. Provide art supplies and have everyone create an artwork that can kick creative blocks to the curb.
42. Have everyone share a video tour of their home spaces to let their teammates learn more about them in a personal and casual way.
43. Learn how to do something as a team that requires everyone to play a part. Build a fire, change a tire or bake a cake from scratch.
44. Go for a bike tour or sign up for a marathon or walking challenge together.
Ice Breaker Games for Large Groups
45. Hang a world map on the wall and have everyone stick a pin in the location where they are from.
46. Ask everyone to write down what they would do if they could time travel. One by one, discuss your team’s plans and see what creative schemes they come up with.
47. Collect a variety of random objects and have the team rank them by importance, interest, aesthetics and other relevant factors.
48. Play Jenga with a twist — as each person pulls out a block, they have to answer a question written on it.
49. Standing in a circle, get each person to make a small gesture or movement, and then everyone must repeat the motion without altering it in any way.
50. Play “Red Light, Green Light.”
51. Have everyone make a bumper sticker that is based on a chosen theme or problem that needs solving.
52. Get your team to build their own houses or structures out of an assortment of snacks.
53. Play a sport outside, at an activity center or a modified version in the office.
54. Have everyone select a type of candy from an assortment and then answer a type of question that is assigned to the color of the wrapping.
55. Plan a field day!
Ice Breaker Games for Meetings
56. Ask everyone to share what skills they hope to improve in the next year.
57. Take turns praising a coworker for their work and dedication.
58. Have your group write down their top three suggestions for improving anything in their work environment.
59. Play a round of telephone that involves topics to be covered in the meeting.
60. Assign everyone a karaoke song to plan for the next group outing.
61. Select a secret word for the meeting that, when said, everyone has to stand up and do some kind of activity or dance.
62. Write out a list of questions of any kind for the boss to answer at the start of the meeting. You could also take turns doing this as an ice breaker game for future meetings.
63. Play a scavenger hunt with only things in pockets, wallets or purses. Get remote teams to join this ice breaker game by making it a virtual scavenger hunt.
64. Plan a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament.
65. Set up a meeting bingo sheet where the squares are filled with topics to be covered, gestures, phrases and anything else that commonly occurs during meetings.
Quick Ice Breaker Games
66. Ask everyone to share their favorite “knock-knock” jokes.
67. Give everyone 10 minutes to create their own decorated nametag.
68. Have everyone say their names backward when introducing themselves.
69. Get everyone to write their name and two questions they would like to ask another person on a paper airplane. Throw the airplanes and have everyone chat about their answers.
70. In a circle, get one person to say their name with an adjective starting with the same letter, for example, “Silly Shanna.” Each person who follows must repeat those before them and add their own name to the list.
71. Have everyone choose a song that summarizes who they are and explain why.
72. Ask everyone to take a coin out of their pocket and try to recall something that happened during the year marked on the coin.
73. Have each person in your group describe their ideal vacation.
74. Ask everyone to share a silly human trick they can do with the group.
75. Get each person to name a cartoon character, a car, a color and a cuisine that best describes their personality.
76. Simply have everyone say their name and where they are from!
77. Go around the group and ask each person to answer a fun “Would You Rather” question.
Team Building Ice Breaker Games
78. Give an object to one person on your team and have them act out a scenario or an action related to the object, and the rest have to guess what it is.
79. With your team standing in a circle, have everyone grab hands with two people across from them before trying to twist out of the human knot!
80. Provide a pile of office supplies and have everyone create a contraption around an egg that will prevent it from breaking when dropped.
81. Split off into smaller groups and see who can complete a jigsaw puzzle fastest.
82. Divide your group into pairs and have them sit back to back. Give one person a photo and have them describe to the other what to draw. Compare the two to see who wins this fun ice breaker activity with the most accurate drawing.
83. Have each person anonymously write down something that was frustrating during the week, and allow the rest of the group to offer words of encouragement and even solutions.
84. Plan an escape room outing or, better yet, set one up in the office!
85. See how well your group knows one another by having them line up in the order of their birthdays without talking at all.
86. Have your team stand on a sheet and then attempt to flip it over to stand on the other side without anyone stepping off the sheet.
87. Break up into groups and pass out a bag of random objects to be used as props. Everyone has 10 minutes during this improv-style ice breaker game to come up with a skit involving the objects.
88. Challenge the group to solve simple puzzles while blindfolded, relying only on the verbal guidance of their teammates.
89. Play a classic ice breaker game of tug of war.
90. In small groups, select random objects around the room and get each group to plan a comprehensive marketing plan for each one — brand name, logo, slogan and all.
91. Also, in small groups, show each team a structure built from Lego blocks for 30 seconds and then instruct them to recreate it from memory.
92. Make a list of things, objects, scenarios or people that need to be photographed and have small groups set up various photoshoots to complete the list.
Easy Ice Breaker Games
93. Working in teams, folks must use their bodies to form words that everyone else must guess.
94. Keep a beach ball or balloon in the air as long as possible without it touching the ground and without any person touching it twice in a row.
95. Have pairs sit on the ground, backs to each other. Then, as soon as the instructor says, “Go,” all partners must try to stand with their arms linked.
96. With a variety of ingredients, get everyone to make the best sandwich in one minute.
97. Collect fun facts about everyone in a bowl and then have the room guess who wrote each one.
98. Have everyone make three assumptions about another person, and then allow time for conversation on factual details.
99. Have each person take the time to interview someone else and then give a brief presentation introducing them to the rest of the room.
100. Create a set of celebrity and character name cards and stick them to everyone’s foreheads. Set a timer and see who can ask the right yes-or-no questions to help them win this ice breaker game by solving who is written on their card.
101. Learn a short dance routine together and have a dance party!
All work and no play can make coworkers feel down in the doldrums, which is why we recommend planning your next meeting with ice breaker games in mind. Spread the word about a special outing or competition and watch how excited your crew gets. Bringing the team together in a new way will certainly lead to a valuable sense of camaraderie that will impact productivity for the better.
What are your favorite ice breaker games? Did we leave one off the list?
FAQs
What Is an Ice Breaker?
An ice breaker can be an activity, game, event or conversation starter that allows a group of individuals to warm up to the atmosphere. It also gives people the opportunity to get to know one another a little better and literally break any tension, unease or anxiety in social or work settings.
What Is an Ice Breaker Game?
Games can be an excellent way to break the ice when meeting new people or bonding with coworkers. That’s why we love ice breaker games, because they open up new lines of communication, collaboration and employee engagement by getting everyone to work together on a common goal, uncover new information about one another, compete in a friendly atmosphere or test their knowledge on a variety of subjects.
How Do You Play Ice Breaker Games?
Whether a team is meeting for the very first time or a long-standing group is looking to boost morale, ice breaker games can get the ball rolling. Team leads can present game questions and rules to all and allow the group to have fun while collaborating and bonding through conversation.
How Do You Break the Ice Easily?
Communication is the easiest way to break the ice, even if it may feel awkward at first. Groups that spend time getting to know each other tend to have a strong bond and trust that, in turn, strengthens productivity and focus. Starting a conversation from a simple ice breaker question or planning an ice breaker game makes it easy to form lasting connections.
Why Is Team Bonding Important?
According to a study published by the NCBI, the result of work friends and teams knowing each other on a more personal level has a significant positive effect on group task performance. This is where ice breaker games become valuable, as they can improve communication, build team rapport and reduce feelings of isolation in the workplace.
Additionally, incorporating fun ice breaker activities for interaction into meetings enhances employee happiness by helping people feel positive and relaxed. Overall, team building and activities that promote togetherness are essential to becoming a trusting, open group that pulls in the same direction. As an added bonus, team building often results in a better employee retention rate as well.
This list of engaging ice breaker games will have your team bonding and having fun in no time. Try them one by one and watch as your group becomes a well-oiled machine.
For even more inspiration on team building activities, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.
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