20 icebreaker games that actually break the ice

What makes a good icebreaker?

An icebreaker has one job: to get a group of people talking and laughing, fast. The best ones share four traits. They are short, usually five to ten minutes. They need no preparation or props. They give everyone a turn, so quiet people speak early instead of never. And they are low risk: nobody has to share something embarrassing or perform alone in front of strangers.

Below are 20 icebreaker games sorted by situation. Pick one from the right list, explain it in under a minute, and play.

Icebreakers for groups who have just met

1. Name and a gesture. Each person says their name and does a small gesture; the group repeats every name and gesture so far. It sounds silly, and that is the point.
2. Would you rather. Ask “Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?” People move to one side of the room, then explain their choice.
3. Two truths and a lie. Everyone shares three statements about themselves, one false. The group votes on the lie.
4. Find someone who. Hand out a list like “has a pet”, “was born in winter”, “speaks three languages”. People mingle to find a match for each line.
5. The one-word check-in. Everyone describes their day, week or mood in exactly one word. Fast and surprisingly revealing.

Icebreakers for classrooms

6. Word chain. The first student says a word; the next says a word starting with its last letter. Anyone who hesitates sits down.
7. Hangman warm-up. Put our hangman game on the board and let the class guess letters in teams. It is a gentle way to start a lesson and practise spelling. Our list of hard hangman words has easy words for younger classes too.
8. Word search race. Project a themed word search and let two teams race to find words on the same board.
9. Line up without talking. Students line up by birthday using only gestures. Teaches teamwork in three minutes.
10. Question ball. Toss a soft ball; whoever catches it answers a fun question, then throws it on.

Icebreakers for work teams

11. Show and tell, desk edition. Everyone shows one object from their desk and explains why it is there.
12. Best and worst. Each person shares the best and worst thing of their week. Builds trust quickly.
13. Desert island. “You can take three things to a desert island.” Answers tell you a lot about people.
14. Common ground. Small groups have five minutes to find three things they all have in common, not counting work.
15. Quick bluffing round. A short round of the imposter game (below) gets a quiet meeting laughing in five minutes.

One-phone games that break the ice

When a group already knows each other a little, a social deduction game is the fastest way to raise the energy. You only need one phone.

16. The imposter game. Everyone sees a secret word except the imposter, who bluffs through a round of one-word clues. Then the group votes. It works for four to twenty players and takes five minutes a round. Play the imposter game on one phone on our sister site, and use our imposter game word list to pick good words. Our imposter game guide explains the rules in a minute.
17. Football imposter. For sports fans: the same game with footballers as the secret word. Start a round of the football imposter game.
18. Charades. A random charades word generator gives the actors a word; the team guesses without any speaking from the actor.

Icebreakers for video calls

19. Emoji check-in. Everyone posts the emoji that best describes their week in the chat, then explains it.
20. Screen-share puzzle. One person shares a quick puzzle, such as a word search or a round of hangman, and everyone calls out answers.

How to run an icebreaker well

• Go first yourself. Your answer sets the tone and shows it is safe to join in.
• Keep it moving. Stop while people are still enjoying it, not when they are bored.
• Offer a pass. Let people skip a question; it makes everyone more relaxed.
• Match the group. Strangers need gentle games; friends can handle bluffing and competition.

Try one now

For a room full of people, the quickest win is a round of the imposter game. For a class, start with hangman. You will find more party games in our games with friends section.