47 Ice Breaker Games That Will Get People Talking in 2025

Ice breaker games are more than just a fun way to kick off a meeting — they can help people connect, build trust and set a positive tone for collaboration. According to the WorkWell Center (University of Southern California), the right kind of ice breakers can encourage interaction, create a sense of community and even boost productivity by helping teams feel more comfortable and engaged.

No matter the size of your team, the right ice breaker games can shift the energy in the room and get people talking. A simple round of questions, a creative challenge, or even adding a few motivational quotes for work or some positive quotes can help people relax and open up.

So, what are the best ice breaker games to try? We’ve rounded up a range of options that work for teams of all sizes — from light and silly to thoughtful and creative.

Jump to Section

• Creative Ice Breaker Games That Get People Talking
• Foodie Ice Breaker Games That Taste Good Too
• Unique Ice Breaker Games for Teams That Do Things Differently
• DIY Ice Breaker Games That Get Everyone Involved
• Ice Breaker Games for Students To Get Off on the Right Foot
• Funny Ice Breaker Games to Get Everybody Laughing (and Relaxed)
• 5-minute Ice Breakers Games To Break the Ice Quickly
• Ice Breakers Games FAQS

Creative Ice Breaker Games That Get People Talking

1. Paint and Sip Your Way Into Conversation

Get your team off to the right start with a fun paint and sip class. Whether they’re a beginner or a pro, a talented artist will guide them through a beautiful masterpiece they'll be happy to hang in their home. And the best bit, they get to sip on their favorite drinks while they paint. With paint and sip classes in Denver, Chicago, NYC and anywhere in between, there’s bound to be a unique paint and sip near you to explore your team's artistic flair. 

2. Make Something Together With Pottery

Engage your team with one of the best ice breaker games for work: pottery classes. They’ll learn how to shape and glaze a one-of-a-kind bowl, mug or vase to take home — no experience needed.

If you’re looking for creative gifts for employees, why not let them create their own unique pieces? You'll find plenty of convenient pottery classes in a city near you, like those in NYC or Boston.

3. Dance Together to Get Things Started

Bust a move with your team with dance classes in Las Vegas, NYC or the Bay Area. Your team will learn energetic choreography from an experienced dancer and level up their skills on the dance floor, all while learning to let go and have fun together. Can't get everyone all in one place? No problem, choose an online dance class for hybrid or remote teams. Dancing together makes for a great team-building activity even if your team already knows each other.

4. Act It Out With a Round of Charades

Engage your team in one of the best ice breaker games for work. Split everyone into groups for a unique team building activity. Instruct your employees to write down examples of relatable office happenings for a fun game. From gossiping at the water cooler to frustrations with the printer, playing charades is quite a collaborative way to entertain any team.

If charades isn't your thing, there are tons of other top-rated ice breaker games out there that you can buy online and play anywhere!

5. Solve a Mystery as a Team

Everyone loves a classic whodunit. Assign people on your team a classic character, including a murderous villain. Invite your team to dress the part to take your ice breaker game to the next level. Enjoy playing these thrilling murder mystery games during a team meeting or over dinner for a memorable evening.

6. Pitch a Movie and Get Creative

Break your team into small groups as they brainstorm their own movie idea. Provide them with prompts to stimulate their creativity, or let them run wild with their ideas. After spending some time deliberating, invite everyone to share their pitch and crown the next movie mogul. Creating an original movie pitch is one of the most creative ice breaker games for work. Turn it into a competition and ask each team to create make their 1-minute beauties with their phones and accessible editing software. 

7. Tell a Story, One Line at a Time

Invite your team to build a creative story using elements in the office and the employees. Incorporate team values and the company’s mission for a great team-building experience. Split your employees into groups and ask them to brainstorm ideas after providing a theme for a creative ice breaker game.

8. Share an Embarrassing Photo

Ask employees to scour through their family photos to find one of their most embarrassing ones from their youth. Bath time bubbles, tantrum throwing screams, cutesy cuddles... This activity is a great way to share some laughs and deepen the bond with your small team. Share a blast from the past with one of the funniest ice breaker games for adults.

9. Six Word Memoirs

Have everyone write down six words that describe their life. They can describe their childhood, school life, work life or simply their life overall. Once everyone has their six-word memoirs, they can share the words with the group and give a quick explanation on why they chose those six words. This game is a great way to get to know people in a group on a more intimate level while also allowing everyone to get creative with their descriptions.

10. Roll the Dice Confessions

For this game, all you need is a pair of dice and a list of questions. Before the game, assign a get-to-know-you question to a number 2 through 12. Be sure to choose questions that are open-ended. Each person will roll the dice and answer the question, providing a story or explanation. It’s a great way to learn more about others in a group. And because people will answer the same questions, it’s a good opportunity to find commonalities.

11. Have You Ever

A simple game to learn more about your team. Create a list of phrases of things people might have done. The more specific the phrase is, the better. You can talk about experiences, travel, hobbies and more. Or you can have each team member submit a few fun facts beforehand to help choose your questions. Then, ask “Have you ever” or "Never Have I Ever" plus the rest of the fun fact. Those who have will stand up and give the story of the experience.

Foodie Ice Breaker Games That Taste Good Too

12. Cook Together and Swap Tips

Grab your apron and invite your team to exciting cooking classes near you. You may have some talented cooks already, but that's okay, they can share their expertise with the beginners. Apart from the budding cooks in the office, an experienced chef will walk them step-by-step through a delicious and curated menu. This is a fun activity for a holiday work party or even one of the best ice breaker games for teens.

13. Online Cooking Classes for Remote Teams

Remote or dispersed teams might be better off with online cooking classes. They'll receive the same level of hands-on guidance, just from the comfort of their home or office, or anywhere they're working from. Before they know it, after ice breaker activities like this, they'll be rolling authentic Italian pasta or making sushi together and talking about their new skills.

14. Online Mixology Classes to Stir Up Conversation

Looking for an ice breaker for adults that's a little bit different? Why not try in-person cocktail lessons or online mixology classes? A world-class mixologist will walk your team through how to make the best cocktails — and share their creations with teammates. Cocktail discussions encourage casual conversation during the class and give talking points even after it ends.

15. Virtual Wine Tastings That Break the Ice

Sip and sample an array of wines with one of the most entertaining virtual activities for adults. In virtual wine tastings, skilled sommeliers will guide your team through a live, interactive setting to discover the best pairings and blends of wine. Turn these into ice breaker games for adults by having a "blind tasting" — where participants will have to guess the varietal.

16. The Marshmallow Challenge for Some Sweet Competition

Whether you’re looking for unique team building activities or creative ice breaker games for kids, the marshmallow challenge is a great way to encourage a little friendly competition.

Break your team into small groups and supply them with a pack of spaghetti, tape, string and marshmallows to build a tall structure. They’ll put their creativity and innovative skills to the test for this fun ice breaker game.

17. The Candy Bar Game That Gets Everyone Rolling

These sweet treats provide one of the best ice breaker games for meetings. Fill a bowl with the most delicious candy bars and set a timer for five minutes. Invite your team to roll a pair of dice.

If they roll doubles, they can grab a candy bar from the bowl or steal a flavor from another teammate. The game ends when the timer goes off and your team is stocked with candy bars. This is also a great option for tailgate games to keep the kids occupied. 

18. Favorite Food Show and Tell

Get to know your group on a culinary level. Have everyone bring in their favorite food. The dish can be homemade, made by another person or purchased from a favorite restaurant. Heck, it can even be vegetarian fast food! Then, each person on your team will present their favorite food and why it’s their favorite before serving it to everyone else. With this game, everyone learns a bit about their teammates and gets to try tasty dishes.

19. Potluck and Questions

This game is a potluck idea with a twist. With this foodie icebreaker, everyone will bring in a dish, but they won’t tell anyone what they made. Each team member can bring their favorite dish from Asian potluck ideas to holiday classics — did someone say Turkey Day leftovers? Yep, we're talking about Thanksgiving and Christmas potluck ideas. Your team will then have to go around, asking their teammates questions about their dish, why they made it, and the story behind it, etc. They just aren’t allowed to ask about ingredients or anything that would directly describe the dish. Then, the team has to guess who brought what dish to the potluck.

Unique Ice Breaker Games for Teams That Do Things Differently

20. Play Online Trivia With a Twist

Invite your team to enjoy some healthy competition with one of the best ice breaker games online. No matter the size of your team, an entertaining host will guide your crew through an exciting live and virtual setting for an incredible experience.

Test your team’s pop culture or Harry Potter knowledge with online trivia games, or challenge your team to some thrilling virtual game nights for an event to remember. These also make for great road trip games if you're traveling with someone you barely know and need to break the ice. 

21. Race to Win a Virtual Scavenger Hunt

Discover one of the most entertaining ice breaker games for teens with virtual scavenger hunts. Race against the clock as you hunt for clues and decipher riddles. A delightful host will guide your team through a thrilling challenge in a live, interactive environment, perfect for any team size.

22. Get to Know Each Other With Two Truths and a Lie

Intrigue your employees with one of the most inquisitive team building games. Your employees will share two truths and one lie and the team must work together to decipher the difference. As one of the most exciting ice breaker games for meetings, your team will share laughs and know more about each other than they did before.

23. Break Out of an Escape Room Together

Beat the clock with virtual escape rooms. These are exciting for any team building virtual events or fun ice breaker games for teens. Explore a cursed forest or a supervillain's lair as an energetic host guides you through a string of riddles and clues to make your great escape.

24. Get Talking With Big Questions Like ‘Would You Rather?’

Discover a different side of your team with one of the most engaging ice breaker games for small groups. Lighthearted questions like Would You Rather?, Never Have I Ever or Who’s Most Likely To…? can spark laughter, reveal quirky preferences and get people talking in a low-pressure way.

Want more inspiration? Check out our roundup of creative conversation starters: questions to get to know someone, funny questions, deep questions, random questions and questions to ask your friends to help you get started.

25. Compare Personality Types Just for Fun

Take a deep dive into personality tests with one of the best ice breaker games for small groups. Encourage your team to take a personality quiz before the meeting. From Myers-Briggs, Enneagram or DISC, there are many tests to explore how your personalities work together.

26. Unleash Your Team's Competitive Nature With Bingo

Invite your team to an exciting game of bingo for one of the best ice breaker games for work. Create a board with team values and company mission statements to bring it all together. Or create a custom board encouraging your employees to mingle and build their relationships with one another. This one’s also easy to adapt for outdoor team building activities when you want fresh air and plenty of laughs.

27. Geography Guess

Put a world map up on the wall and then hand out pushpins to each person on your team. Ask questions like where their favorite vacation was, what their happy place is, any solo travel tips they have for the specific destination or a place they want to travel. Each team member will take turns placing their pin on the place that answers the questions. When they explain why they placed their pin there, it can help you learn about their values, travel style, and personality.

28. Invisible Show and Tell

In this game, everyone will choose an object without saying it out loud. After choosing their object, each person will present the invisible “object” to the group. They can use descriptive words to talk about it without revealing what it is. The rest of the group has to guess what the person is showing off. It’s a great icebreaker game to help improve communication and creative thinking.

29. Brand Manager Game

This unique icebreaker will have your team bringing an imaginary brand to life. Break into teams of 3 to 5 people and have each group come up with a way to market a new imaginary brand, including logos, products, slogans, color palettes and more. This will have your team thinking creatively. You don’t have to be in marketing or business to do this game; it’s simply a way to work on communication, teamwork and creativity.

DIY Ice Breaker Games That Get Everyone Involved

30. Virtual Flower Arranging to Find Shared Interests

Help your team discover a new hobby with relaxing virtual flower arranging classes. A talented florist will guide your crew through a live, digital setting where they’ll learn how to select the best pairings and create a bouquet. Regardless if your team has experience with flower arranging, they’ll enjoy creating a beautiful piece for their home.

31. Glass Blowing With a Built-in Wow Factor

Discover the thrill of glass blowing with this creative activity. A skilled glass blower will walk your team through how to melt and shape glass into beautiful pieces, such as bowls or ornaments. This unique activity is also perfect if you’re searching for fun work Christmas party ideas.

32. Sewing Classes That Get You Talking

Prepare your team to get out of any wardrobe malfunction with sewing classes. A patient seamstress will guide your crew through a series of stitches, so they can create bags or fun pillows for their home. No matter their experience, they’ll enjoy learning this useful skill.

33. Woodworking Classes That Go Beyond the Basics

Treat your team to one of the best employee appreciation gift ideas with woodworking classes. With the help of knowledgeable woodworkers, your team will learn how to measure, cut and create unique pieces for their home. From cutting boards to picture frames, these classes are a cool gift that just keeps on giving.

34. Get To Know Each Other With a Hometown Map

Try this hands-on ice breaker for meetings that encourages conversation and connection. Secure a large world map to the wall and give your employees pins and notecards. Invite them to mark their hometown to spark conversation with their teammates. Whether your employees are from near or far, this ice breaker game will give everyone something to talk about.

35. Human Billboards That Show Personality

Keep your team engaged with this unique ice breaker activity. Distribute large pieces of paper and colored markers to your team. Then, encourage them to draw pictures and shapes to describe themselves.

Cut two holes in the paper and attach string to hang over their shoulders like a billboard. Have a mellow social hour so your team can admire fellow billboards and learn more about their teammates.

36. The Heist

With this icebreaker game, your team will have to work together to pull off a heist. Break into small groups and have each group write down details of a heist, including time period, location, target object, security and challenges. Then place each detail in its own bowl, such as all the time periods together. If your group is larger, choose one detail from each bowl and discuss as a group how you would execute the heist with the chosen details.

37. Collaborative Masterpiece

This icebreaker game will get everyone working together to create artistic masterpieces. The group starts with their own canvas or piece of paper. They’ll start drawing or painting and, after five minutes, everyone will pass their paper or canvas to the left. Then, they’ll work off the previous person’s art for another five minutes before passing again. You can even incorporate prompts into this activity, so people have an idea of what to paint.

38. Make Trading Cards

Pass out plain cardstock to everyone along with markers or colored pencils. Challenge everyone to make their own trading cards of themselves. Your team can draw self-portraits and include stats and fun facts. After everyone has finished their trading cards, they can present them to the group. It’s a great way to learn names, interests, hobbies and more about your team. 

Ice Breaker Games for Students To Get Off on the Right Foot

39. Guess Who

Have students play their own version of Guess Who to get to know each other. Get the learning crew to share fun facts about their travels, hobbies and favorite things without their names on the cards. The more unique the fact is, the better. Then, have students pick a random fun fact, read it out loud and guess who they think it’s about. The student who the fact is about can share a quick story about the fact.

40. Quote Game

Break students into two teams and let each team come up with a list of quotes from popular songs, movies, TV shows or books. Then, have someone share one of the quotes. The opposing team can work together and discuss where they think it’s from. Teams get a point for each correct answer and the team with the most points wins.

41. People Scavenger Hunt

This icebreaker game will get students to mingle with each other. The young learners provide a list of fun facts, then compose a list of these ideas and concepts. Format them like, “Find a student who...” with options like has four sisters, has been to every state, plays on a championship baseball team, etc. Students will then circulate with their list, talking to one another and trying to find the person who fulfills the prompt. However, they can’t ask a direct question; they have to get the answers in natural conversations.

Funny Ice Breaker Games to Get Everybody Laughing (and Relaxed)

42. Jenga Questions

Write a bunch of icebreaker questions on Jenga blocks, then build the tower. As you play the game, removing blocks, you have to answer the question written on them. They can be funny get-to-know-you questions that will get all the players cracking up as they play. Plus, this is already a fun game, so everyone should be laughing as they build the tower or when it comes crumbling down. Need some guidance? Here are the Jenga rules explained. 

43. Pass the Handshake

This icebreaker game will test everyone’s creativity and memory. It’s like a game of broken telephone that will allow everyone break the silence with uproariously loud laughter. Have everyone stand in a circle and have one person turn to the right and do a unique handshake. That person has to turn to their right, do the previous handshake and add something to it. Everyone will be giggling as they try to remember all the parts of an increasingly ridiculous handshake.

44. Portrait Gallery

This icebreaker will test everyone’s artistic ability. Have your group sit in a circle so they can see each other. Each person in the group will pick a name out of a bowl. Then give everyone 15 minutes to paint a portrait of whoever they chose from the bowl. Each portrait will be created in a unique artistic style and may include details and hobbies that the painter is familiar with. Afterwards, they can present the portrait and explain their artistic process.

5-minute Ice Breakers Games To Break the Ice Quickly

45. Word Association

If you’re looking for a quick icebreaker game, play word association. With this game, someone will pull a word written on a piece of paper from a bowl. After reading it out loud, one player will say a word they associate with that selected word. The word they choose can say a lot about a player and you can even have everyone explain why that word came to mind.

46. Bowl of Questions

For this game, let everyone write down a get-to-know-you question on a piece of paper, fold it up and place it in a bowl. After mixing up the questions, have someone select a piece of paper. Then, the player has to answer the question they chose. Be sure to write down questions that require more than yes or no answers.

47. Common Ground

In this five-minute game, teammates can learn so much about each other. Have your team pair off and challenge each pair to identify three commonalities. They can talk, ask questions and find instances where they are similar to each other. Then, they can present what they have in common to the rest of the group and find out what other teammates might have those same details in common. Challenge your team to pair up with someone they don’t talk to often.

Ice Breakers Games FAQS

What Are Some Good Ice Breaker Activities?

Ice breakers don’t have to feel forced, the great ones all have a few things in common — and if you keep these in mind, you’ll never subject a group of innocent humans to the horror of “say one fun fact about yourself” ever again. First off, keep it light and silly. Nobody wants to bare their soul in the first five minutes of meeting strangers. The best ice breakers give people an excuse to laugh at themselves — think “would you rather” style questions or goofy scenarios. If people are giggling instead of sweating, you’ve already won.

Second, make it inclusive. Not everyone is outgoing, and not everyone wants to be put on the spot. The trick? Design activities where everyone can contribute without feeling like they’re in the spotlight. Quick pair-and-share questions, group challenges, or prompts that don’t require performance skills all work well.

Third, tap into curiosity. People love discovering weird little quirks about each other. A great ice breaker sparks those “no way, me too!” moments. It’s less about “let’s bond” and more about creating opportunities for those happy coincidences to surface — like finding out two people share the same irrational fear of geese.

And finally, don’t drag it out. Ice breakers are the appetizer, not the main course. Keep them short, punchy, and fun — long enough to melt the awkwardness, but not so long that everyone starts checking their watches. Think of them as the social equivalent of chips and salsa: tasty, easy, and meant to whet the appetite.

So, the secret sauce? Lighthearted, inclusive, curiosity-sparking, and short. Get that mix right, and your ice breaker will actually break the ice — not freeze everyone solid.

What Is the 5 Minute Ice Breaker Activity?

The “5-Minute Ice Breaker” isn’t one single game — it’s really a style of activity. The idea is simple: in just a few minutes, you want to take a group of people from stiff, polite strangers to at least mildly human with each other. It’s quick, low-pressure, and designed to shake off the awkward without eating up half the meeting.

A good 5-minute ice breaker usually checks a few boxes:

• Fast: No complicated setup, no long explanations, no props required (unless the prop is coffee, in which case… yes).
• Inclusive: Everyone can answer or participate without needing special skills.
• Lighthearted: The goal isn’t to spill your deepest secrets — it’s to laugh, share a quirk, or swap something unexpected.

Think of things like a lightning round of “Would you rather?” questions, an emoji mood check-in, or a quick “two truths and a lie.” Each person talks for maybe 20–30 seconds, so within 5 minutes the whole group has had a moment in the spotlight — just enough to feel connected before diving into the real agenda.

Basically, the 5-Minute Ice Breaker is your social WD-40: it loosens everyone up so the rest of the session runs smoothly.

What Is a Funny Ice Breaker for Team Meetings?

A funny ice breaker for team meetings is one that makes people laugh without making them cringe or feel put on the spot. The sweet spot is something quick, silly, and a little unexpected — the kind of thing that instantly lowers the “this-is-a-meeting” vibe.

One of the best? “Bad Superpowers.” Everyone goes around and invents the worst superpower they can think of. For example:

• The ability to refill any salt shaker… but only once a week.
• Invisibility, but only while humming loudly.
• Super speed — except it only works when you’re running in circles.

It’s hilarious because people get absurdly creative, it doesn’t require anyone to share anything too personal, and it sets a playful tone for the rest of the meeting. Plus, you’ll end up with a group of adults debating whether “endless pockets full of spaghetti” is a blessing or a curse — which, let’s be honest, is far more bonding than another round of “share your favorite hobby.”

Minefield is another funny icebreaker that will also help with your team’s communication. Push the tables and chairs to the side of a conference room. Place items like pillows, boxes or chairs randomly in the open space. Break your team into teams of two. One person wears a blindfold and the other has to guide their teammate through the minefield by giving directions. It’ll have everyone laughing while also listening and communicating. This game is a great way to bring people together and improve essential skills.

So, what makes a great ice breaker game? It’s something that gets people talking, thinking and maybe even laughing — whether you’re building trust with a remote team or kicking off a new project in person. The right ice breaker games don’t just fill time — they help teams feel more connected and ready to collaborate.

For even more fun game ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!