You found our list of fun connection games and activities!
Connection games are activities meant to encourage interactions and help build bonds among players. Examples of games include personal trivia, photo challenges, and mingle Bingo. The purpose of these exercises is to make it easier for folks in large or distant groups to get to know each other and form relationships.
This list includes:
Here is a list of group connection activities to spark communication and establish common ground.
During tiny campfire, you can bring the great outdoors inside and indulge in delectable s’mores! This immersive camping adventure brings your team together through games, riddles, and mouthwatering snacks.
Key features of tiny campfire include:
For an added personal touch, you can customize your package by including an optional cocktail kit or an extra s’mores kit. With tiny campfire, you can enhance your team’s communication skills and cultivate strong bonds.
Mingle Bingo is one of the easiest ways to spark conversations and foster connections among large groups. You can play the game in person or on a video call. Simply give each group a Bingo card, and then send the teams into breakout rooms or separate areas of the room to chat.
The goal of the game is to uncover facts about group members during the course of the conversation. Upon finding a team member that matches the description in the square, players mark the name in the box.
The first player to get five consecutive boxes wins. However, you can continue the game and encourage teams to connect as many lines as possible. You could even play Blackout Bingo and challenge participants to mark every box on the board.
We made an example card you can use for your game:
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The Chain is a game that links players through common bonds. To start the game, the first player in line makes a statement. Another player that relates to the statement becomes the next link in the chain. For example, if the speaker says, “I have climbed a mountain,” then the next link in the chain must be another participant who has scaled a mountain.
Traditionally, the game is played in the same room, and players race across the space to physically link arms with the speaker. However, you can play this game during video calls by using the hand raise feature. The first player to virtually raise their hand joins the chain, and you can place their name or photo on the handy template we made below:
The game continues until all players are part of the chain.
Group Word Association is one of the best word connection games. A speaker rattles off a list of words, and participants share the first word that comes to mind. Players can either answer by typing in the chat or can write answers on a piece of paper. Each round, pause for a moment to look at the responses and note which players had identical answers. This game reveals which teammates’ minds work in similar ways.
You can use a random word generator to come up with prompts for the game.
Icebreaker races get teams talking quickly. You can either send attendees to breakout rooms, or, if your group is small, then remain in the main Zoom room. Next, put five minutes on the clock, and work through a list of icebreaker questions. You can only move to the next question once every participant has answered. The aim of the game is to answer as many questions as possible in the time frame. The team gains one point for each question with a unanimous response. If you are short even one reply for a question, then the team receives no points.
This exercise prevents overthinking and encourages equal participation from all team members. When the timer runs out, you can take an extra couple of minutes to discuss some of the more interesting answers.
Check out our master list of icebreaker questions.
Common Bonds is one of the simplest connection games for groups. To play this game, send groups into breakout rooms for three to five minutes. Each team must find one trait that all room attendees have in common. When groups return to the main room, teams take turns sharing their common bonds. If time allows, then you can play multiple rounds by randomizing the breakout rooms to reconfigure the teams.
This or That is a game of personal preferences. Participants must choose between two related options. Since the game moves quickly and involves many questions, participants are sure to discover many similarities between themselves and other players.
Here are a few example prompts:
To play on virtual meeting software like Zoom, you can use the polling software or ask players to respond by using emoji reactions.
Check out our full list of This or That questions.
Never Have I Ever is a game that reveals the extent of group members’ experiences. There are a couple of different ways to play the game via video call. Players can either go the traditional route by holding up ten fingers and lowering one every time a statement applies, or participants can start each round with their webcams on and stop the video if they have never performed the named action.
Here is a list of starter prompts:
Feel free to pause throughout the game and permit players to elaborate through stories. It can also be fun to target certain players you know well by picking very specific prompts.
Personal Trivia is a quiz game centered around players’ details. To generate questions for the game, send teammates a survey or form to fill out.
Example prompts include:
Using this data, create a tailored trivia game that tests players on their knowledge of teammates or their people-reading skills.
We recommend using Kahoot as your trivia platform. First, create the quiz. Then, invite participants to join the game during the call by providing a room code. Players will answer via mobile devices and will receive four multiple-choice options per question. You can put players’ names or pictures as the answer choices. Kahoot awards points based on the speed and accuracy of responses and names a winner at the end of the game.
Other ways to play trivia include asking questions out loud and having players respond by typing in the chat or virtually raising their hands, or sending teams to breakout rooms to discuss and submit group guesses.
Check out our guide to virtual trivia.
No One, Everyone is a simple game. Each player takes a turn naming one action they believe everyone in the group has done and one behavior they suspect no one else in the group has done.
Everyone ate breakfast this morning. No one bumped into Bill Murray at an ATM.
Everyone answered emails today. No one went scuba diving off the coast of Australia.
Other players either nod their heads yes or shake their heads no. If no, then other participants must guess which statement is false, and the dissenting player can elaborate with a story.
The game can reveal some surprising similarities and differences. For example, that there are three sets of triplets within the company, or that not every player knows the words to The Wheels on the Bus.
Photo challenges are picture connection games that ask players to share pictures based on prompts. The game leader calls for certain types of photos, and players respond by uploading pictures to an album, dropping files into the chat, or setting the picture as a virtual background during a video call.
Here are some example prompts:
Players can enjoy viewing each other’s photos and noticing similarities and differences between the scenes.
Polly is a Slack and Microsoft Teams app that can facilitate connection between remote teammates. The app delivers customizable polls that participants can answer with a single click of a button. Players can answer existing polls or send new questions to teammates. Polly is customizable, meaning you can create personalized quizzes with questions like “How tall are you?” or “What is your favorite workday snack?” By responding to polls and viewing results, group members can learn more about each other and discover similarities or unique features of coworkers. You can also use Polly to play games like Trivia or Hot Takes.
Learn more about Polly and check out more Slack apps and Slack games.
Habits and Hacks is an activity that involves teammates giving each other suggestions to try out. Each week, team members give each other recommendations. Every member of the team can contribute one suggestion per week, or you can assign teammates weeks to take turns giving assignments.
Examples of suggestions may include:
Suggestions can be silly or serious. We recommend giving participants a few different options to choose from. At the end of the week, the group gets together to share results and discuss outcomes.
Group playlists are one of the most fun connection activities for remote workers. To kick off the exercise, create a playlist on Spotify or Youtube and encourage each participant to add a song or two. The playlists can have themes like “Productivity Power Hour,” “Rainy Day,” or “High School Memories,” or you can ask participants to simply submit tunes they like.
You can either ask teammates to add songs directly to the playlist or gather recommendations via form or email thread. Once the list is complete, share the playlist with the group by sending a link. To turn the activity into a game, challenge listeners to guess which group member submitted each song.
This activity helps folks get to know each other, as well as discover music and score a new work soundtrack.
Two Truths and a Lie is one of the most popular connection games for students and coworkers. This exercise is a staple at orientations and team building events. The game asks participants to share two facts and one fiction with the group. Other players must then decide which claim is false. Telling the difference between reality and make-believe can be surprisingly difficult. Participants leave the game with a better understanding of their peers, along with fun facts and entertaining stories.
Most folks play the game out loud. However, you could also post statements in a Slack thread and ask players to vote via emoji. TeamBuilding uses Two Truths and a Lie as part of our company directory. Each staff member creates a card on a Trello board that contains a picture, description of the teammate’s role within the company, along with two true tidbits and one total fabrication.
People Passports turn interactions into achievements. To create your passports, dedicate a page to each employee. The passport can either be on paper or digital. Next, give every employee or student a copy, and set a time frame to complete the activity, for instance, two weeks. You can fill the pages with questions such as, “Number of siblings?” or, “Strangest food combination ever tried?” Questions can be unique for each participant or standard for all, or you can leave pages blank and ask that players come up with their own questions to ask.
Players receive a stamp in their People Passports every time they speak to another participant. Each player has a unique stamp, sticker, or digital badge to give to other players. At the end of the game, participants can turn in completed passports for a prize or can keep a copy to use as a reference.
When searching for connection activities for adults, consider Speed Dating! Speed Dating is a series of coffee chats on overdrive. During this activity, participants are paired up for short two to three-minute talks. When time is up, players move on to the next conversation partner. You can host this activity in person or virtually. If playing in person, then one partner switches seats every few minutes. If playing virtually, then a moderator posts new lists of pairings in a Slack channel every few minutes, and players direct message or video call each other.
These activities are an extreme version of virtual coffee breaks, which you can also hold at a more leisurely pace to foster connections between remote participants.
Person to Person is an in-person icebreaker game for large groups. Players gather in the middle of the room. An emcee shouts out a list of commands, such as elbow to elbow, finger to finger, or back to back. Participants find a partner and touch the aforementioned body parts. When the emcee shouts, “person to person,” the pairs turn to face each other and share three personal facts.
The pairs then split, players find a new partner, and the process repeats. The bodily contact breaks down barriers and eliminates jitters, and the speed of the game encourages players to share information without overthinking. Because the activity moves so quickly, participants are able to meet and learn about many other folks in a short amount of time.
In an era of technology and constant hustle, genuinely connecting with other human beings can be a struggle. When gathering in large groups, starting conversations can seem intimidating. It is often difficult to capture and maintain attention amidst the distractions of modern life. Connection games ease the friction of interaction and make it easy to discover common ground and share meaningful information in a short amount of time. These activities can be the first step to launching new relationships or just a fun way to pass the time.
Here are answers to commonly asked questions about connection games.
Connection games are activities that uncover similarities and lay down foundations for future relationships. Examples include Two Truths and a Lie, Personal Trivia, and This or That. The purpose of these games is to break down barriers and help folks interact more easily, effectively, and naturally.
The best connection games for adults include The Chain, Common Bonds, and Group Playlists.
To play connection games online, first join a video call or start a Slack thread. Then, name your game, explain the rules, and start chatting. If you are playing with a large group on Zoom or GoogleMeet, then you can send attendees to breakout rooms for more intimate conversations.
Virtual offices have fewer opportunities for casual interactions and informal conversations. Without run-ins in the break room or in-person meetings, it can be harder for remote coworkers to interact or get to know each other. At times, remote work can feel lonely or isolating. Connection activities help remote teammates bond faster, which can increase a sense of belonging at work.
Marketing Coordinator at teambuilding.com.
Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses.
