12 Awesome Onboarding Game ideas to Break the Ice and Build Connections

A new job is exciting for employees, but let’s be real, it can also be overwhelming. Whether your new hires are fresh graduates or experienced professionals, those first few days come with a mix of anticipation and jitters. HR might go the extra mile to ensure a smooth transition, but well-planned onboarding game ideas make new hires feel like they are part of the team in no time. 

To level up your onboarding program, we have come up with 12 team-building game ideas that create instant connections between your fresh faces and senior employees. Trust us; these activities go beyond a one-and-done deal, leaving a lasting impact in the long run. Read on.

Table of Content 

Why Host Onboarding Games for New Hires?

Onboarding game ideas are a fun and engaging way to help new hires connect and feel welcome.  Instead of overwhelming with lengthy induction programs, onboarding games break the ice and kick-start conversation among new joiners. Interactive games like icebreaker questions, trivia, escape rooms, and murder mysteries encourage teamwork and clear communication. They are also a great way to avoid awkward silence and help freshers bond with their team. This can leave a lasting impact and set the foundation for strong, long-term workplace relationships.

Virtual Onboarding Game Ideas for Teams

While remote hires miss out on in-person interactions, virtual onboarding ideas build connections in the workplace regardless of their location. Here are some game ideas that guarantee the best employee onboarding experience for remote teams. 

1. Get to Know with a Trivia

Number of Participants: 10-1000

Duration: 60 minutes

Gather your new hires for a hosted Virtual Trivia event and see if they have what it takes to hit the ground running. A professional trivia master will quiz participants through 4 to 5 rapid-fire rounds of engaging questions. From industry-based to team-specific questions, your colleagues will have a brain-boggling time while bonding with each other. Additionally, you can customize the event based on specific preferences or interests. 

A little variety goes a long way! Mix up your trivia questions for an experience that’s way more exciting than a pop quiz.

• General trivia questions – pop culture, fashion, TV shows or sports
• Industry-specific questions- product, tools, technologies, and market trends
• Company-related questions – history, background, policies, and milestones 
• Personality quiz – hobbies, passion, hidden talents, fun facts and favorites

Top Tip: You can also join the Hooray Teams Virtual Team Jeopardy to turn up the fun meter. 

2. Solve the Mystery in Hollywood 

Number of Participants: 10-1000

Duration: 60 minutes

Looking for offbeat onboarding game ideas for your newcomers? Then, Hooray Teams Virtual Mystery in Hollywood has every ingredient to keep them glued to their seats. Participants need to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of Buster Chaplin’s latest film.

An expert game master will help teams hone their problem-solving skills and logical thinking by offering clues and hints. Teams will also get to interact with live actors who take on the roles of potential suspects, like Chaplin’s leading lady, stuntman, and agent. 

Top Tip: Ask your newbies to review the clues provided in advance.

3. Escape the Alchemist Room

Number of Participants: 10-500

Duration: 60 minutes

The Alchemist Escape Room by Hooray Teams will have your new teammates buzzing with fun and excitement. Participants will sneak into an old library room and locate the legendary philosopher’s stone before the powerful order of alchemists arrives. 

Our group of new hires in the team had a great time tackling Alchemist Escape Room, and we were amazed at the level of teamwork it brought to the table. Not to mention the host who guided the team through clues and provided extra hints as and when required.

Top Tip: Before diving into the puzzles, take a full 360° scan of the room- this will help you get a clear layout and recall important clues when needed. 

4. See What Newbies Think in Feud

Number of Participants: 10-1000

Duration: 60 minutes

Want to know if your new hires are on the same page as the rest of the team? Bring the fun of a classic Family Feud showdown with the Hooray Teams’ Coworker Feud event.  A dedicated host will guide participants as they compete to identify the most popular responses to a set of survey questions. 

Just make sure to gather the survey answers from your existing team members beforehand. Questions can be from a wide range of categories, such as history, fashion, music, movies, sports, pop culture, and more. The team that guesses the most accurate and crowd-favorite answers wins. 

Top Tip: You can request Hooray Teams to add a team-centric round and keep the content fresh and exciting.

5. Map Your Origin

Number of Participants: Customizable 

Duration: 30 – 60 minutes

Map Your Origin is a great way to connect with new teammates from diverse backgrounds. The host can create a blank world map using Google My Maps, Mapbox, or ZeeMaps and share it with the team via email. 

Participants can drop a pin or mark their hometown or place of origin on the map. Once the mapping is done, encourage everyone to share fascinating insights about local traditions, favorite foods, or a unique fact about their hometown.

Top Tip: To add an element of fun, include challenging questions or riddles about the pinned places.

6. Would You Rather?

Number of Participants: Customizable 

Duration: 30 – 60 minutes

Fun icebreakers like Would You Rather Questions can always get new hires laughing in no time. Participants will receive a set of prompts in which they have to choose between two challenging yet thrilling options. The questions can be about movies, music, travel, fashion, career – you name it. From light-hearted situations to thought-provoking scenarios, these questions spark hilarious laughter or even a lively debate. 

Here are some Would You Rather prompts to try out: 

Would you rather work in silence or with background music?

Would you rather have a team lunch or a team dinner?

Would you rather visit the mountains or the beach?

Would you rather explore a new city or relax at a resort?

Would you rather binge-watch “Friends” or “The Office” 

Would you rather go on a solo trip or travel with friends?

Onboarding Game Ideas for In-office Teams

Onboarding game ideas create a positive first impression and help employees feel valued right from the start. Here are some excellent onboarding game ideas that will elevate your team’s induction program. 

7. Set Out for an Office Scavenger Hunt 

Number of Participants: Customizable 

Duration: 60-120 minutes

What’s a better way for new hires to explore the ins and outs of office space than a scavenger hunt? Share a list of items for participants to seek out from the cafeteria, conference rooms, reception, break rooms, or even outdoor space. Some prompts require participants to crack codes, solve puzzles to locate clues or find hidden items. You can assign a moderator to guide participants and drop clues while keeping the energy high. 

Here are some prompts you can use for the office scavenger hunt: 

• A framed award or a trophy that represents a big company milestone
• An item with the company logo (e.g., a pen, notebook, or T-shirt)
• Markers with four different colors 
• An object that matches your company’s brand colors 
• A leftover party/ holiday decor from a past office celebration
• A parcel or product with eco-friendly packaging

Top Tip: Check out our article on office scavenger hunt ideas that offer a mix of fun, creativity, and friendly competition. 

8. Compete in Minute to Win it Games 

Number of Participants: Customizable 

Duration: 60-120 minutes

Ready to turn your onboarding game ideas into a whirlwind of excitement and fun? We recommend playing simple but engaging  “Minute to Win It” games with your newly hired colleagues. Inspired by the original NBC TV show, this event challenges participants to complete a series of fast-paced games within a minute. These tasks use everyday office supplies like paper cups, plates, or spoons, making them easy to set up and play.

Below are a few minute-to-win-it games that you can play with your new hires:

Cup Stack: Participants must stack and unstack a set of cups in a specific pattern as fast as possible. The fastest to complete the stack wins.

Candy Toss: Participants take turns tossing small candies into a cup or container from a set distance. The one with the most successful throws wins.

Ping Pong Bounce: Participants must bounce a ping pong ball off a table or surface and land it into a cup. The first to throw a set number of balls into the cup wins.

Top Tip: Don’t stop the fun here; find even more exciting, fast-paced challenges in our article on 12 Minute to Win It Game ideas.

9. Guess Right in Taboo

Number of Participants: Customizable 

Duration: 60 minutes

Taboo is a cool way to sharpen your newbie’s vocabulary and communication skills. To play, one participant must describe a given word to their team without getting buzzed for using the forbidden taboo words. The challenge? They have to think fast and be creative with their clues without saying the most prominent words. The team that guesses the correct words before time runs out wins.

Here are some fun Taboo game categories:

• Pop culture  (e.g., movies, TV shows, celebrities)

• Travel (e.g., countries, cities, landmarks, and vacation spots

• Sports ( e.g., famous athletes, games, Olympics)

• Food ( e.g., Popular dishes, ingredients, and beverages)

Top Tip:  You can even customize the game with key workplace terms and industry jargon to make onboarding both fun and insightful.

10. Break the Ice at Jenga 

Number of Participants: Customizable 

Duration: 60 minutes

Add an icebreaker spin to the classic Jenga game for a fun and engaging onboarding experience. Just like the traditional version, each participant removes a block from the tower and carefully places it on top without making it collapse. But here’s the twist—each block has a question or prompt written that participants have to answer before placing the block back on the Jenga set. The prompts can cover hobbies, interests, personal anecdotes, or cultural backgrounds, helping teammates learn more about each other in a relaxed setting. 

To get the conversation started, consider fun onboarding questions for new hires like:

• What’s the most interesting place you’ve ever traveled to?

• What’s the strangest food combo you’ve ever tasted?

• What’s the best prank someone has played on you?

• What is your favorite team building game to participate in?

• Is there a classic TV show you wish would come back?

• How many things have you checked off your bucket list?

Top Tip:  You can tailor the prompts to learn about newbies’ career goals, work experiences, or industry knowledge. 

11. Draw and Guess at Pictionary 

Number of Participants: Customizable 

Duration: 60 minutes

Pictionary is a lively and competitive way to test your new hires drawing and communication skills. One team member will receive a Pictionary prompt and must illustrate it on a whiteboard while their teammates try to guess it. But there’s a catch—no words, letters, or numbers allowed in the drawing. 

The challenge lies in how well the player can visually represent the prompt and how quickly the team can interpret their drawing. The prompts may include a variety of categories, such as movies, flowers, animals, and sports. Teams must race against the clock to make as many correct guesses as possible. 

Top Tip: You can upgrade the fun with Pictionary Air, where players draw in the air, and their sketches appear on a projector.

12. Challenge Teams to Cross the Minefield

Number of Participants: Customizable 

Duration: 60 minutes

If you’re looking for onboarding game ideas that build trust and teamwork among new employees, Minefield is an excellent choice. One member of the team is blindfolded and other participants guide them to cross an obstacle course set in a conference room or outdoor area. 

The rest of the teammates can only give directions to help the blindfolded person avoid the ‘mines’ in the minefield. Those who navigate the course without touching obstacles scattered around the area ( like paper cups, boxes, or balloons) win the game. 

Top Tip: Think outside the box and add tricky obstacles to make the game more entertaining. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are employee onboarding game ideas?

Employee onboarding games are fun, team-building icebreakers designed to help new employees feel welcome, comfortable, and engaged from day one. Whether it’s trivia, scavenger hunts, or murder mysteries, new hire onboarding games make the transition smoother while improving team spirit.

How to host online onboarding game ideas for employees?

To host online onboarding games, select a video conferencing platform like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Then, choose fun onboarding games for new employees, such as virtual icebreakers, trivia, or scavenger hunts to help new hires connect with their colleagues. Finally, send notifications to participants in advance with the date, time, and joining instructions. 

What are the best online onboarding games for teams?

Some of the best onboarding ideas for remote employees include trivia, escape rooms, and icebreakers like Would You Rather or Never Have I Ever. 

How do you make virtual onboarding ideas fun for new employees? 

To make virtual onboarding ideas fun and engaging for new employees, choose activities that are interactive, lighthearted, and easy to participate in. Mix up different game formats like trivia, virtual escape rooms, or icebreaker challenges to keep things fun and energetic. Personalize the employee onboarding activities by including industry anecdotes or fun facts about the team.