Pass packet memory
10–20 players 20–40 min Minimal materials
Pass the package = the package (a prize/gift) is passed around the circle and when the music stops, the person left holding the package unwraps a cape. In each layer there is a…
27 games
Icebreakers for 20 People
An icebreaker for twenty has about four minutes before it stops being a welcome and starts being an obstacle. The failure mode is the round-the-circle introduction: twenty people saying their name and one fact takes eight minutes, and nobody remembers any of it.
What works instead is simultaneous. Twenty people all talking to one other person at the same time covers the same ground in ninety seconds and produces conversations rather than announcements.
The second rule is not to ask for disclosure. A room of twenty strangers includes people who do not want to share something personal with a group that size, and asking them to produces compliance rather than warmth. Games built around something people did, noticed or decided work better than games built around something people feel.
Ordered so the ones that get a group of twenty talking fastest come first.
Last reviewed:
Bat and Moth
8–20 players 10–15 min Blindfold
The group forms a tight safety circle. Inside it, one blindfolded player is the bat and two or three players are moths. The bat hunts by echolocation: every time the bat calls "…
Make it out of a chair
8–24 players 25–30 min No equipment needed
First, you split up into groups of 3-5. You should have at least three teams to play. Each team gets a chair and the caller chooses any random tangible-object noun. Each team is…
Salt and Pepper
8–30 players 15–20 min Sticky notes, Pens
Write famous pairs on sticky notes — salt/pepper, Batman/Robin, thunder/lightning, peanut butter/jelly — and stick one note on each player's back without letting them see it. Pl…
Beach Ball Icebreaker
6–30 players 10–20 min Inflatable beach ball, Permanent marker
Write twenty short getting-to-know-you questions all over an inflatable beach ball with a marker. Toss the ball around the circle; whoever catches it answers the question closes…
Clap Pass
6–25 players 5–10 min No equipment needed
The group stands in a circle and sends a single clap around it: you turn to your neighbor and you both try to clap at exactly the same instant, then they turn and pass it on. On…
Dance Detective
6–20 players 10–20 min No equipment needed
All players stand in a large circle. One player is chosen as the detective. Detective leaves the circle as the rest of the players decide who their leader will be. All players i…
Two Rooms and a Boom!
6–30 players 30–60 min Two Rooms and a Boom game set
Two Rooms and Boom! is a social deduction game where players are divided into two rooms, and a "bomber" must be found before time runs out. Players are divided into two groups,…
Wah!
6–20 players 5–15 min No equipment needed
The samurai energy game. Standing in a circle, one player raises both arms and brings them down toward a victim across the circle with a mighty "WAH!" The victim throws their ow…
Candy Color Icebreaker
5–20 players 10–20 min Bowl of colorful candy
Pass a bowl of colorful candy around and tell everyone to take as many pieces as they like — but not to eat them yet. Then reveal the catch: each color is a question category (r…
The Toilet Paper Game
5–25 players 15–25 min Toilet paper roll
Pass a toilet paper roll around the group with a single instruction: "Take as much as you think you'll need." No further explanation. Once everyone is holding their wad, reveal…
Going up or Going down
4–20 players 15–30 min No equipment needed
This team-building activity starts by splitting participants into pairs. Each pair stands back-to-back with hands raised and attempts to sit on the floor without falling. Once s…
Mingle mingle mingle
15+ players 10–30 min Wrapped candies or popsicle sticks (optional scoring tokens)
Get the whole group together. The leader running the game calls out a category question (for example - what is your favorite color?). Everyone in the group would then have to st…
Birdie on a Perch
12+ players 15–30 min No equipment needed
Players should pair off into partners (girls with girls and guys with guys is usually better). One player will be the birdie and the other will be the perch. All of the perches…
Campers and tents
10+ players 10–30 min No equipment needed
Players pair up: one is the camper (usually the smaller partner), the other is the tent. Form a circle with the tents standing arms-raised like a roof and the campers sitting cr…
Giant Knot
10+ players 10–20 min No equipment needed
Make teams. Teams stand in a circle and join hands randomly with two different team members across the circle to form a giant knot. On "Go!", teams must unwind so that they are…
Mix and Mingle
10+ players 30–60 min No equipment needed
Get the group to stand in the middle of a hall area. The leader of the game will stand at the front of the hall, facing towards the group of people. The game leader will call ou…
Shuffle-Shuffle
10+ players 15–30 min Minimal materials
You get all the chairs in a circle and have the people playing sit on them. Make sure there are no empty chairs. Then pick someone to stand in the middle of the circle. The aim…
The shoe from behind
8+ players 10–15 min No equipment needed
The "shoe from behind", among all those who want to play, a draw is drawn to determine who gets the shoe. One comes out and keeps the shoe and the rest, holding hands, form a ci…
Who is In Charge Here
5+ players 15–20 min No equipment needed
In this game, most players stand in a circle and mimic the changing actions of a predetermined leader while another player in the center attempts to guess who's in charge.
Bible Quiz
4+ players 25–30 min Bibles, Prepared quiz questions, Projector or screen (optional)
A simple bible quiz is a great way to help kids comprehend bible passages and stories. It can be used a tool for learning in small groups, an ice breaker for a big group or mayb…
Rock Paper Scissors Race
4+ players 15–25 min Minimal materials
Lay a line of hula hoops across the ground connecting two teams' home bases. One player from each team starts hopping on one foot, hoop to hoop, toward the other side. Where the…
Zip or Bong
4+ players 10–20 min No equipment needed
Zip or Bong is a fast-paced, attention-focused game where players form a circle and pass the turn using the words "Zip" or "Bong." The direction of the turn is determined by the…
Find the Pattern
3+ players 15–30 min No equipment needed
Person stands in middle of a circle and points at people in the circle one by one. The person pointing has a pattern in mind. They answer either yes or no to whatever the people…
Hot Potato
3+ players 15–25 min No equipment needed
Participants sit in a circle and pass an object (the "hot potato") around while music plays. When the music stops, the person holding the hot potato is out. Continue until only…
Name Bingo
3+ players 30–40 min Minimal materials
Create a bingo grid (4×4 or 5×5) where every square is a personal statement — "has more than five siblings," "has broken a bone," "speaks three languages." Give every player a s…
Two Truths And A Lie
3+ players 10–20 min No equipment needed
Two Truths And A Lie, In each round of this game, participants will share two things about themselves that are true, as well as one thing that is not true. The job of the other…