Lots of people take a yearly weekend trip with friends or family. To make it extra fun and unforgettable, adding a little friendly competition can be a great idea. Looking for ideas? These awesome minute-to-win-it games for adults are a perfect way to kick things off!
In these games, teams take on one-minute challenges to earn points. The team with the most wins overall is the competition champion.
Just pick the games that fit your group, and turn them into a championship. You and your friends can compete against each other to see who becomes the top team!
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Minute to Win it Games For Adults
This collection of hilarious minute-to-win-it games for adults is perfect for any setting and doesn’t involve drinking! Most of the games on this list require ping pong balls, balloons, party cups, or a combination of these. These are the only items you might need to shop for online, as you probably already have most other equipment lying around somewhere or can easily get it at your local grocery store. Enjoy the games!
Each game will specify what equipment is needed. Typically, these are items you likely have lying around, making your minute-to-win-it championships budget-friendly and easy to organize. Enjoy the fun!
- 1. Junk in the Trunk
- 2. Bounce that Ball
- 3. Whipper Snapper
- 4. Balloon Keep Up / Defying Gravity
- 5. Balloon Cup Blow Off
- 6. Head, Shoulders, Cup
- 7. Yank Me
- 8. Marshmallow Challenge
- 9. Pantyhose Bowling
- 10. Toilet Paper Mummy Game
- 11. Rubber Band Shooting Game
- 12. Face the Cookie Challenge
- 13. Thread the Needle
- 14. Whipped Cream Candy Game
- 15. Cup Blowing Challenge
- 16. Precise Penny
- 17. Suck M!
- 18. Wrap It!
- 19. Blow the Balloon
- 20. Potato Roll
- 21. Candy Toss
- 22. Card Blow Game
- 23. Bottle Flip Challenge
- 24. Balloon Twins Parkour
- 25. Clumsy Tower
- 26. Noisy Hourglass
- 27. Nose Dive
- 28. Separation Anxiety
- 29. Card Ninja
- 30. Extreme Hanky Panky
- 31. Paper Plane Race
- 32. Floatatious
- 33. Breakfast Puzzle
1. Junk in the Trunk
What you need:
- old belts or luggage straps
- ping pong balls
- empty tissue boxes
In this game, the objective is straightforward: wiggle your hips until all the ping pong balls drop out of a tissue box attached to your lower back. It’s a one-on-one matchup where players from different teams take turns.
The team with the highest number of successful wins scores points for their team!
Each player needs an empty tissue box with 8 ping pong balls inside, fastened just above their hips. You can secure it with tape or create more reusable sets using ropes, old belts, or suitcase straps.
2. Bounce that Ball
What you need:
In Bounce that Ball, players stand on top of a chair facing a triangle of three party cups placed about 3 feet apart. While on the chair, players drop the ball on the ground, attempting to bounce it into the cups. The first player to successfully bounce one ball into each of the three cups wins the game!
If no one manages to succeed within a minute, players should be allowed to continue until one player succeeds and earns points for the team. It can be quite challenging!
3. Whipper Snapper
What you need:
- ping pong balls
- towels
- heavy objects
- empty boxes or bowls
In Whipper Snapper, the goal is to launch ping pong balls into an empty box from a distance of 5 feet. Use a towel fastened to the ground on one side with something heavy like a rock. Have a teammate continuously place ping pong balls on your towel, then grab the free two corners of the towel and raise that side to launch the balls into the box!
The player with the highest number of balls in their box wins the round.
4. Balloon Keep Up / Defying Gravity
What you need:
- balloons
In the Balloon Keep Up minute to win it game, players have to use just one hand to keep two balloons from touching the ground for a minute. To make it more challenging, you can raise the difficulty by having four balloons per player.
We advise you to use different colored balloons for each team to make it easier to tell them apart. There is just one simple but important rule: No holding the balloons, only touching!
5. Balloon Cup Blow Off
What you need:
- balloons
- party cups
In this game, the goal is to be the fastest at blowing a row of cups off a table using a balloon. The player who finishes first wins the round. It’s a one-on-one game.
Place a row of 10 party cups upside down on a table or flat surface for each of the two players. Give them a balloon, and then let the game begin!
6. Head, Shoulders, Cup
What you need:
“Head, Shoulders, Cup” is all about testing reactivity. Both teams line up facing each other with a row of upside-down cups in between. Each 1v1 duo has one cup.
A referee alternates between calling “Head!” and “Shoulders!” Players follow these commands until the referee suddenly says “Cup!” At that moment, players must quickly grab the cup in the middle. The team with the highest success rate scores a point.
7. Yank Me
What you need:
- party cups
- pieces of paper
If you have a steady hand, you can shine in Yank Me. This game involves a tower of cups with a sheet of paper between each pair of cups.
The objective is as follows: carefully pull out the pieces of paper one by one, starting from the top. Each higher cup should fall into the lower cup without the tower collapsing. You win the game if you’re the first one to stack all your cups after pulling out the paper pieces, or if the other player makes their tower collapse.
8. Marshmallow Challenge
- Marshmallows
This minute-to-win-it game is easy and a lot of fun, even for adults! In just one minute, all players try to stuff as many marshmallows into their mouths as they can. The team with the most marshmallows wins!
9. Pantyhose Bowling
- panty hoses
- party cups
- tennis balls
The game Pantyhose Bowling says it all. In this 1v1 duel, players compete to knock down as many cups or bottles as possible in one minute. The twist? They have to use a tennis ball in a pantyhose attached over their heads.
Employ your stealth and coordination to be the first player to topple your row of 10 cups!
10. Toilet Paper Mummy Game
What you need:
- toilet paper
For this game, you’ll need plenty of toilet paper! In one minute, a player from each team aims to mummify one of their teammates as best as they can by wrapping them in toilet paper.
The team earns a point based on how much their player is covered after one minute!
11. Rubber Band Shooting Game
What you need:
- rubber bands
- party cups
Try your aim with this entertaining rubber band shootout! In this game, players engage in a 1v1 battle, attempting to hit a triangular tower of plastic party cups by shooting rubber bands.
The player who successfully knocks off the most cups from the table earns a point for their team!
12. Face the Cookie Challenge
What you need:
- cookies
In this challenge, players begin with a cookie on their forehead. Using only their facial muscles, they must try to maneuver the cookie into their mouth as quickly as possible.
The team with the most players successfully completing the task within one minute earns points!
13. Thread the Needle
What you need:
- needles
- thread
For this one, you’ll need a steady hand! In one minute, players attempt to thread as many needles as possible. The team with the most threaded needles wins the game and earns points for their team!
14. Whipped Cream Candy Game
What you need:
- whipped cream
- baking trays
In this game, players face off in a 1v1 challenge. Each player gets a plate of whipped cream with three pieces of candy hidden inside. Using only their mouths, they have one minute to find all three pieces of candy. Be ready for some messiness!
15. Cup Blowing Challenge
What you need:
We found this one on TikTok, and it’s a fun addition to your minute-to-win-it games for adults lineup, even though it doesn’t strictly adhere to a one-minute duration. The Cup Blowing Challenge involves a row of 7 party cups filled with water and a ping pong ball.
Players go head-to-head, aiming to blow the ping pong ball from the first to the seventh cup as swiftly as possible. The catch is, the ping pong ball can only touch the cups, so if it flies off the table, you have to start over, all while the clock keeps ticking!
One player times the challenge, and the team with the fastest player scores points.
16. Precise Penny
What you need:
- pennies
In the game “Precise Penny,” your stealth skills are unmissable. Players aim to stack 25 pennies using only one hand in under a minute. The team with the most successfully stacked penny towers scores points for their team!
17. Suck M!
What you need:
- M&Ms
- straws
- empty trays
In the game “Suck M,” all players begin with an empty tray, a pile of M&Ms, and a straw in their mouths. The challenge is to place as many M&Ms as possible into their tray within one minute, using only the straw and their mouth.
The team with the highest total in their trays wins the game!
18. Wrap It!
What you need:
- wrapping paper
- scissors
- adhesive tape
- empty boxes
In this game, players aim to wrap as many gifts as possible within one minute. The judge decides the winning player based on both the number of gifts wrapped and the quality of the wrapping.
19. Blow the Balloon
What you need:
- balloons
To play “Blow the Balloon,” you’ll only need two balloons—one for each team’s player. Players face off in a 1v1 battle, attempting to blow a balloon from one end of the area to the other.
The catch is that the balloon cannot touch the ground; otherwise, they have to start over. The team with the highest number of successful balloon flights scores points for their team!
20. Potato Roll
What you need:
- potatoes
In this hilarious game, players strive to be the first to roll a potato from one end of the room to the other, but there’s a twist—they can only use their nose!
It’s best played in 1v1 battles, unless you have a lot of space, as everyone needs room to move along the floor.
21. Candy Toss
what you need
- M&Ms
To play the Candy Toss, gather a large two-liter bottle and a bag of M&Ms. Players stand 5 feet away from the bottle, aiming to toss M&Ms into it. For easy counting, assign a specific color to each player.
This game can be played as a 1v1 or as a team game, depending on available space. For extra fun and chaos, consider having both teams positioned on either side of the bottle and allow everyone to play at once. Draw lines indicating where players can throw.
22. Card Blow Game
What you need:
- playing cards
- glasses
For this game, you’ll need two decks of cards and two glasses. Remove one Joker from each deck and place the rest of the deck on the glass, with the second Joker at the bottom.
Players take turns within their team blowing cards off the glass. The challenge is to prevent the Joker from falling off. The team that blows off the most cards while keeping the Joker on the glass within one minute wins the game! If one team accidentally blows off the Joker, the other team automatically wins.
23. Bottle Flip Challenge
What you need:
- small water bottles
You’ve likely come across the bottle flip challenge in the past decade, as it gained popularity on social media. However, it can also be a fun and competitive game, earning its place on this list of the best minute-to-win-it games for adults!
The goal is simple: try to successfully flip a half-filled water bottle as many times as possible within a minute. You can play it as a 1v1 or as a team vs. team game, as long as you have enough bottles. The team with the highest number of successful flips within one minute wins the game and scores a point for their team.
24. Balloon Twins Parkour
What you need:
- balloons
- cocktail sticks
For Balloon Twins Parkour, you’ll need plenty of space to create a balloon obstacle course. The concept involves being tied together with another player from your team and racing to pop all the balloons in the course.
Popping the balloons can only be done with a cocktail stick clenched between your teeth. The fastest duo earns points for their team!
25. Clumsy Tower
What you need:
For Clumsy Tower, each player needs six party cups. The goal of the game is to stack a tower of six cups on one hand. However, there’s a catch—the cups cannot be stacked inside each other. They must be alternated between rim on rim and bottom on bottom, and only one at a time!
It takes a fair amount of steadiness to keep the tower properly balanced on your hand!
26. Noisy Hourglass
What you need:
- marbles
- empty large soda bottles
Marble Rattle is a fun game where you shake it till you make it. Playing it as a 1v1 game requires minimal materials, but it can also be played team vs team. For each player, you’ll need two large, equally sized empty soda bottles without caps and 30 marbles.
Fill one bottle per player with 30 marbles and place it upright on a flat surface. Position the other bottle upside down on top of the first one. At the count of three, players grab the bottles at their necks and flip them over, allowing the marbles to start rolling into the other bottle.
The trick is to find a good shaking pace to transfer the marbles quickly. The player with the highest number of marbles within one minute wins the game!
27. Nose Dive
What you need:
- cotton balls or marshmallows
- petroleum jelly
- empty bowls
In this entertaining minute-to-win-it game, players compete to transfer cotton balls (or marshmallows) from one bowl to another using only their nose. Before starting, players dip their nose into a heap of petroleum jelly and then dive into the bowl!
The team with the highest number of successfully transferred cotton balls wins the game!
28. Separation Anxiety
what you need:
- multi-colored M&Ms
- empty glasses
In Separation Anxiety, players strive to be the fastest at sorting a bunch of M&Ms by color with one hand behind their backs. It demands quick thinking, which can be challenging after a long day of hanging out with friends.
Each player has a set of glasses or bowls matching the number of M&M colors in front of them. Within one minute, the goal is to be the quickest at separating all of them by color. It might sound easier than it is, really!
29. Card Ninja
What you need:
- watermelon
- playing cards
- empty salad bowls
This game, Card Ninja, requires a melon and playing cards, but it’s definitely worth trying! In Card Ninja, players compete by throwing playing cards at half a melon. The first person to successfully throw a card that sticks inside the watermelon wins the round, and then the next two players take their turn.
To achieve this, you need to throw the card from between your index and middle finger, making it spin at a high enough speed to puncture the juicy melon. Set up each half of the watermelon in separate bowls so that it stands upright, resembling real shooting targets. Enjoy the challenge!
30. Extreme Hanky Panky
What you need:
- full tissue boxes
In Extreme Hanky Panky, players engage in a 1v1 battle to pull out as many tissues as possible, as quickly as they can, from two tissue boxes.
Both players begin with two full tissue boxes, one at their left hand and the other at their right. When the countdown reaches three, they start pulling tissues out of the boxes with both hands, one by one. The player who finishes their boxes first wins the round for their team!
31. Paper Plane Race
What you need:
- sheets of paper
In Paper Plane Race, players compete to fold paper planes as quickly as possible and then fly them over a finish line approximately 10 feet away.
Whether they choose to first fold a number of planes and then throw, or fold and throw one by one, it’s entirely up to them! The team with the highest number of paper planes reaching the final destination wins the game.
This game definitely earns a spot on our list of minute-to-win-it games for adults because folding a paper plane under time pressure is undoubtedly a challenge!
Follow this paper plane guide in case you don’t know how to. It’s very simple, although it may be fair to let everyone fold some before starting the game.
32. Floatatious
What you need:
- empty beer or soda cans
- salad bowls
- plastic plates
To play Floatacious, gather 10 empty beer or soda cans, two empty salad bowls, and two plastic plates. Fill the bowls approximately 2/3 full with water and let the plastic plates float on top of the water.
The challenge is for players to stack 5 empty cans on top of each other on the floating plate within one minute. To win the round, the tower must still be standing at the end of the minute! Enjoy the balancing act!
33. Breakfast Puzzle
What you need:
- empty cereal boxes
In Breakfast Puzzle, quick thinking is key! Be the fastest at piecing together the front of a cut-up cereal box. It’s trickier than it sounds, especially under the pressure of time!
Minute to Win it Games for Adults – Wrap Up
A Minute-to-Win-it competition can be a great addition to your party or weekend away with friends or family. If you’re the organization, you could consider to have a prize for the winning team, so that everyone has something extra to battle for instead of just the honor.
These minute to win it games for adults are all quite active and require quite some energy! Afterwards, it’s probably nice to have some relaxation time with everyone. In this case, it can be really fun to play games that are real conversation starters where you just sit down and have a talk. Take, for example, the Fishbowl Game. In this game, you describe and act out words to your teammates that they must guess to score points. It extends the teambuilding but is very laidback.
