Office Party Games: 20 Ideas for Adults

[ГОЛОВНЕ ФОТО (прев’ю): колеги на новорічному корпоративі з хлопавками й ковпаками біля ялинки]

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Good games turn an ordinary dinner into a party colleagues talk about all year. Here are 20 games for corporate and New Year parties for adults: table games you can play seated, active games for the dance floor and team games for bonding. All of them are fun without being crude or awkward, so both the boss and the newcomer can join in.

More on this topic: New Year and office party toasts, corporate New Year flowers, kids’ party games.

Table games for adults

1. Never have I ever. Players take turns naming something they have never done; anyone who has raises a hand. Whoever raises it most gives a toast. 2. Office charades. Act out “deadline”, “a meeting that could have been an email” or “holiday” without words.

3. Who said that? The host reads funny quotes from the year’s work chat and guests guess who wrote them. 4. Year ahead. Everyone draws a slip with a joke prophecy: “This year you will finally master the printer.”

5. Word association. The host says a word, the next person a related word, round the table at speed. Whoever hesitates does a forfeit. 6. Guess the colleague. Collect baby photos in advance and show them on screen. 7. Three-word carol. Each team gets three random words and five minutes to write a verse to a well-known tune.

[фото: колеги за святковим столом сміються під час гри «Хто це сказав?»]

Active party games

8. Dance relay. The host plays snippets of different styles, from waltz to hip-hop, and teams dance along. 9. Toilet-paper snowman. Teams have three minutes to turn a teammate into a snowman. 10. Balloon stomp. Tie a balloon to each ankle; pop other people’s while protecting your own.

11. Musical chairs — a classic that works at any age. 12. Karaoke battle. Departments compete, with managers as judges scoring showmanship rather than vocals. 13. Living pictures. Teams recreate famous paintings or film scenes while others guess.

Team-building games

14. New Year quiz. Five rounds of six questions: the company, films, music, New Year traditions around the world and “guess from emojis”. 15. Build a tree. Teams build a Christmas tree from whatever is in the room: napkins, glasses, menus, scarves.

16. Sell the stapler. Each team gets an office item — a stapler or sticky notes — and three minutes to create a TV ad. 17. Murder mystery. Every guest gets a role and a secret goal, and together they solve the “crime” over the evening.

18. Secret Santa with a riddle. You only get your present after solving a riddle about yourself from the giver. 19. Photo scavenger hunt. A list of 15 shots — “everyone with the boss”, “a human pyramid”, “a 90s-style photo” — first team wins. 20. Awards of the year. Joke categories: “Always has a charger”, “Deadline King”, “Best coffee-machine small talk”. For toasts between games, see New Year and office party toasts.

[фото: команда будує ялинку з серветок і келихів на корпоративі]

How to keep games fun for everyone

• Participation is voluntary — never drag people up
• No crude tasks or forced physical closeness
• Joke about work and events, never looks or private life
• Alternate table games and active ones
• Keep each game under ten minutes
• Token prizes for every team
• Provide soft drinks and arrange taxis

Flowers and gifts for colleagues

The end of the year is a good time to thank your team and partners: small boxed arrangements are easy to hand out after the party, and a large bouquet will brighten the festive table or the office reception.

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See flowers for colleagues and gifts.

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FAQ

Which games work at the table?

Never have I ever, “Who said that?” with quotes from the work chat, speed word association, guessing colleagues from baby photos and joke predictions for the year.

How do you make an office party fun without a host?

Ask one or two colleagues to host, prepare a quiz and joke awards in advance, put on a playlist and set up a photo corner.

How many games do you need?

Six to eight per evening: three or four table games, two team games and one or two active ones, each under ten minutes.

Which games suit a small team?

A quiz, “Who said that?”, Secret Santa with riddles, a murder mystery and an awards ceremony work best for small teams.

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Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.