Ready to turn your next virtual gathering into a whirlwind of excitement and fun? Then, we recommend you sign up for some “Minute to Win It” games with your remote team. These short (less than 60 sec) yet engaging games are perfect for adding an entertaining element to your virtual team-building activities, all with minimal preparation and props.
Here is our list of thrilling and engaging Minute to Win It games that are sure to bring your team together, enhance bonding, and inject a dose of energy into the rest of the day. Let’s dive in.
1. What is a Minute to Win It Game and How to Play It?
Virtual Minute to Win it games are inspired by NBC’s Minute to Win It show where contestants have one minute each to complete a maximum number of fun challenges to win a cash prize. These minute to win it team games are simple, challenging, and enjoyable at the same time.
Contestants can complete the minute to win it tasks using household items available at their homes and move on to the next challenge upon winning the same. Scores are allotted accordingly, and the individual/ team with the highest score in the end wins.
For each of these games, ensure that you set a timer (or a stopwatch depending on the game) and communicate clearly with participants. Have an on-screen timer if possible or show your phone’s timer once it has started and stopped. Keep a record of the timestamps for scoring purposes.
2. 25 Exciting Minute to Win It Online Games to Play with Adults
2.1. Face the Cookie
"Face the Cookie" is a riotously entertaining game designed to challenge participants' facial coordination.
How To Play: Players place a cookie on their foreheads. When the timer begins, they have to use only their facial muscles to move the cookie into their mouths. No hands allowed!
Game supplies needed:
- Cookies
2.2. Cup Tower
The "Cup Tower" challenge is a team-building activity that tests participants' communication and coordination skills.
How To Play: Each player has to form a 10-cup or a 15-cup pyramid and then stack it back. When the timer begins, start forming the pyramid from the stack of cups by placing one cup after the other, and placing it into a stack once it’s done. Make it more challenging by asking them to use one hand only. If a cup falls, the player has to start over.
Game supplies needed:
- Paper Cups
2.3. Toss ‘em!
"Toss 'em!" is an energetic team-building game perfect as an icebreaker thanks to the easy format.
How To Play: Place a cup on the table, in front of the laptop or computer. Players stand 5 steps away from the cup (make sure they are visible) and toss tic tacs or anything tiny (like M&Ms) into the cup from their spot. Whoever tosses the most tic tacs in the cup in under a minute, wins.
Game supplies needed:
- Paper Cups
- Tic Tacs
2.4. Peck like a Bird
Peck Like a Bird is a lighthearted and entertaining team-building game that encourages creativity.
How to Play: Place 10 toffees/ candies on the table in a horizontal line. When the stopwatch starts, the player has to use only their mouth (no hands allowed) to eat the candies one by one from the table. Whoever finishes the fastest, wins.
Game supplies needed:
- Toffees/ Candies
2.5. Keys to Success
Keys to Success, originally a fun graduation game has a format that can be easily adapted for team building to hone strategy and problem-solving.
How to Play: Place a chopstick and 5 keys with a key ring attached (preferably without any keychains) in a horizontal line on the table. As the timer begins, players have to put the chopstick in their mouth, and using only their mouth, they must place the keys onto the stick through the key ring one by one.
Game supplies needed:
- Chopsticks
- Keys with Keyrings
2.6. This Blows
This Blows is all about friendly competition and creative gameplay. Your goal is to ensure that you come first in this race.
How to Play: Place two cups on one side of the room on the floor like a goalpost. When the stopwatch starts, players must kneel (hands crossed behind the back) on the other end of the room and blow a paper ball in between the two cups. Whoever reaches the goal first, wins.
Game supplies needed:
- Paper Cups
- Paper Ball
2.7. Roll with It
The Roll with it game encourages creative and effective communication as teams try to knock the most number of paper cups.
How to Play: Place ten cups in a horizontal line on one end of the table. When the timer begins, players must stand on the other end and roll candies or tic tacs and aim to knock the cups off the table.
Game supplies needed:
- Paper Cups
- Tic Tacs
2.8. Sort the Cards
Sort the Cards is an easy game that helps teams enhance teamwork by emphasizing coordination and efficiency.
How to Play: Place a shuffled deck of cards in the middle of the floor. Create four corners around the deck about 3 feet away and place a tissue on each corner. When the timer begins, the player must sit in the middle and sort the cards according to the symbol (heart, diamond, club, spade) and place them on the tissue in the four corners. Joker cards can be excluded. Whoever finishes the sorting first, wins.
Game supplies needed:
- A Deck of Cards
- Tissue
2.9. Cup Flip
The "Cup Flip" challenge encourages friendly competition within the team.
How to Play: Place 5 cups filled with water in a horizontal line on the table. When the timer starts, players must drink the water from the cup. Flip it upright from the edge of the table, and continue the process with each cup until all cups are standing straight.
Game supplies needed:
- Paper Cups
2.10. Doodle Head
If you are looking for a fun minute to win it game, Doodle Head is a sure-fire winner. The goal is to try and balance your head on your shoulders under pressure while engaging in a drawing activity.
How to Play: Players must place a paper plate on top of their heads and balance it. When the timer begins, they’ll be given an object to draw. Whosoever’s drawing is close to the object’s image, wins
Game supplies needed:
- Paper plates
- Pens
2.11. Nose Dive
As a slightly unconventional yet quirky game, Nose Dive is sure to keep teams on their toes creatively challenging them to score a win.
How to Play: Players must apply Vaseline or lip balms on their noses. Place two bowls on the table - one filled with cotton balls, and the other empty. When the timer begins, players must transfer the cotton balls from one bowl to the other using only their noses (hands crossed behind).
Game supplies needed:
- Valesline/ Lip Balm
- Two Bowls
- Cotton Balls
2.12. Hanky Panky
If agility is what you want to check out in your team, this is the perfect game for it.
How to Play: Place a full tissue box on the table. When the timer begins, the player must pull out all the tissues one by one until it is an empty tissue box. The fastest player to do so wins. It's that simple.
Game supplies needed:
- A Full Tissue Box
2.13. Ping Pong Bounce
Teams jump into action, trying to outbounce each other as they land ping pong balls into cups, turning friendly competition into a bouncing fiesta!
How to Play: Place 5 cups in a horizontal line on one end of the table. When the timer starts, players must stand on the other end and bounce ping pong balls into the cups. Teams can decide the number of balls to throw into the cups accordingly.
Game supplies needed:
- Paper Cups
- Ping Pong Balls
2.14. Backflip
In the "Backflip" challenge, participants precisely flip pencils to win the game by using their creative landing strategies.
How to Play: Players must balance two pencils on the back of their hand, throw them in the air, and grab them with the same hand. There will be 6 rounds with two pencils added in each round. If a player drops a pencil(s), they are disqualified.
Game supplies needed:
- Pencils
2.15. Glass Road
Precision is the only way to go if you want to win in this game. Your team will need to hone their maneuvering skills as they try to get the ball across the treacherous glass maze.
How to Play: Place 5 glasses upside down in a vertical line (with a little gap) on the table and a sixth open glass at the end of the line. Players must blow a ping pong ball from the first glass into the sixth glass. The first/ fastest one to put three balls in wins.
Game supplies needed:
- Glasses
- Ping Pong Balls
2.16. Separation Anxiety
In the "Separation Anxiety" challenge, teams have to ensure they are quick and precise as they quickly sort the items to score the big win in the shortest time.
How to Play: Place a bowl full of M&Ms in a bowl and multiple empty cups around it. When the timer begins, the player must separate by color and put these into the cups using one hand only.
Game supplies needed:
- 4 Cups
- A Bowl
- 3-4 Packets of M&Ms
2.17. Fetch That!
Speed and awareness are your best friends as you go on an under-a-minute scavenge hunt with your teammates.
How to Play: Make a list of random household items you can ask employees to fetch like chili, a cushion, a slipper, a TV remote, a plant, or a hairbrush. When the timer begins, players must fetch the object as soon as the host announces the name. Whoever brings most of the items first, wins.
Game supplies needed:
- Depends on the list
2.18. ABC Conversation
Teams go on a linguistic rollercoaster in an "ABC Conversation," crafting sentences that journey through the alphabet.
How to Play: This is a group game. Players of the same team must keep up a conversation with words starting with alphabets in chronological order. For example, Alison, Brings Christmas Decorations Early Friday, and so on. No player must take more than 5 seconds to respond.
Game supplies needed:
- Your Wits
2.19. Keep it Up
Get ready to defy gravity with the “Keep It Up” challenge. It's a balloon-bopping adventure like no other.
How to Play: The player should have two or more balloons before the game begins. When the timer starts, they have to throw them up in the air and not let them fall to the ground. You could make it more exciting by asking them to use only one hand. The one who manages to keep them off the ground, the longest wins.
Game supplies needed:
- Balloons
2.20. Tic Tac Tweezer
Get ready for precision play in the "Tic Tac Tweezer" challenge, where teams use tweezers to transfer tic tacs.
How to Play: Place a bowl filled with tic tacs next to an empty bowl. When the timer starts, players must use a tweezer and transfer the tic tacs from one bowl to another. The one to have transferred the most tic tacs, wins.
Game supplies needed:
- Tic Tacs
- Tweezers
2.21. Thread the Needle
Let your team put their sewing skills to the test and let those nimble fingers get to work in this precision-based game.
How to Play: Place a needle next to 5 thread strings. When the timer begins, players must attempt to thread most of the strings into the needle. For safety purposes, cover the pointy end of the needle with an eraser or tape.
Game supplies needed:
- Needle
- Thread
2.22. Suck It Up
In the "Suck It Up" challenge, teams use straws for their mission, turning coordination, precision, and teamwork into a fun task.
How to Play: Place a plate filled with M&Ms next to an empty plate. When the timer starts, players must use a straw to suck and pick up the candy and transfer it to the empty plate. The one to have transferred the most M&Ms wins.
Game supplies needed:
- M&Ms
- Plate
- Straws
2.23. Cup Balance
How to Play: Players must balance a cup on their head from one end of the room to the other and form a 10-cup or 15-cup pyramid. If a cup falls midway, they have to pick it up and start from the starting point again. Whoever forms the pyramid first, wins.
Game supplies needed:
- Cups
2.24. Movin’ it Up
Get ready to move with your team and get the right cup on top in this fast-paced stack marathon.
How to Play: Make a mark with a marker on one of the cups. Now, place this at the beginning of a stack of 40-50 cups. When the timer begins, players must restack the cup one by one till the marked cup is on top of the stack again. Whoever does it first, wins.
Game supplies needed:
- Marker
- Paper Cups
2.25. This Blows
Brace yourselves for the ultimate blowing challenge! "This Blows" turns lightweight object-moving into a show of coordination and effective communication.
How to Play: Place 10 cups in a horizontal line on one end of the table. When the timer starts, players have to first blow into a balloon and then use that air to blow the cups off the table. Whoever knocks all the cups first, wins.
Game supplies needed:
- Paper Cups
3. How Remote Teams Benefit From Virtual Minute to Win it Games?
Virtual Minute to Win it game sessions offer an opportunity for remote teams to get to know each other outside of work meetings and calls. Minute to Win it online games can also act as easy ice breakers when it comes to large team gatherings. These virtual games have an easy format and encourage team building by involving everyone across different skill levels, departments, or groups. The best part of these games is that they’re brief, so no one can complain of it taking up too much time!
Minute to Win it games are great for promoting staff camaraderie, as are these other team-building activities we’ve gathered together to inspire your company’s virtual hangouts.
If you want to place the emphasis on fun, check out our lists of virtual game night pursuits, online jigsaw puzzles, office board games and scavenger hunt ideas.
4. FAQs
4.1. How to score a Minute to Win it game online?
To score easy Minute to Win It games online, set up a scoreboard listing games vertically and team names horizontally using either pen and paper or an Excel sheet for easy screen sharing. Assign points based on completion time; the first team gets 5 points, the second place gets 3, and the third place gets 1. Teams exceeding a minute or failing to complete a task receive 0 points. The team with the highest overall score at the end is declared the winner. Consider muting or unmuting participants to maintain focus during games and minimize cheering interruptions.
4.2. Which is the best platform to play Minute to Win it games online?
The best platform to play minute to win it games is Hooray Teams. This virtual team building platform helps companies host fun virtual events that can be enjoyed right from the comfort of their own homes. They curate events as per your team's needs. Also, all of their events are hosted. So, you too can join the event and enjoy it with your team.
4.3. How do you play a Minute to Win it game online on Zoom?
To play Minute to Win It games on Zoom, the host begins by explaining the rules and ensuring the timer is visible. Participants are reminded to keep cameras on and position devices for clear visibility. The host uses Zoom's spotlight feature to highlight players during games. Recording the session is recommended for scoring and post-event use, requiring an appropriate subscription for features like recording and audience engagement.
4.4. What are the best online Minute to Win it games for adults team building?
Some of the best online minute to win it games for adults team building include - online trivia quizzes, face the cookie, stack attack, and scavenger hunt.
4.5. What are the best office Minute to Win it games?
Some of the best office minute to win it games include - paper clip challenge, balloon pop, and ping pong madness.
4.6. What are the best Minute to win It games for groups?
Some great Minute to Win It games for groups include "Stack Attack", "Face the Cookie", and "Balloon Pop".