Minute to Win It games have become a go-to for parties because of their simplicity, high energy and universal appeal. These short, timed challenges require minimal setup, making them perfect for gatherings where you want to keep everyone entertained without a lot of hassle. The fun is in how quickly these games escalate into laugh-out-loud moments and the fact that anyone—regardless of age or skill—can participate.
In this guide, we’re stepping up the excitement by improving on some of the classic games you may have seen elsewhere. We’ll fill in any gaps left by other lists, add variations to keep things interesting and make sure you have the most engaging lineup for your next event. So, gather some household items and let the games begin!
Easy Minute to Win It Games
1. Face the Cookie
What You Need: Cookies (any kind will do)
How to Play: Place a cookie on the forehead of each player. Without using their hands, they must move the cookie down their face and into their mouth using only facial movements.
How to Improve It: Add a rule that if the cookie falls, they have to start over—but for an extra twist, introduce a penalty such as making a funny face for 5 seconds before restarting. This way, even the fails are fun!
2. Keep It Up
What You Need: 3 balloons per player
How to Play: Each player must keep all three balloons in the air for an entire minute. If any balloon touches the ground, they’re out.
Upgraded Challenge: To make it harder, limit players to only using their heads or elbows. You can also add a “wild card” balloon that, if touched by any other object, instantly knocks the player out. This adds an unpredictable element to the game, making it even more competitive!
3. Choosing Cups
What You Need: 25 cups, water, stickers
How to Play: Set out 25 cups, some with stickers on the bottom. Players must pick up one cup at a time to find as many stickers as possible within a minute.
Upgrade the Fun: Instead of only looking for stickers, place small prizes or silly dares under the cups to keep players on their toes. You can even add a layer of strategy by allowing players to “steal” a cup from their opponent if they find the wrong one.
4. Wrap It Up
What You Need: Streamers, toilet paper, or ribbon
How to Play: One player must wrap their partner entirely in streamers or toilet paper within one minute.
Make It More Exciting: Create themes like “mummy,” “superhero,” or “holiday gift” to encourage creativity. After the minute is up, have everyone vote on which team’s wrapping job is the most hilarious or impressive.
5. Bottle to Bottle
What You Need: Two 2-liter bottles, filler items (e.g., beans, sand, candy)
How to Play: Tape the necks of two bottles together and fill one with small items like jelly beans or sand. The goal is to transfer all the items from one bottle to the other within one minute.
New Twist: Change the size or type of the filler items to make the game more challenging. For example, using sand or tiny beads requires more precision, while something bigger like small plastic balls makes the transfer more frantic.
Quick Fun Games to Play
6. Stack Attack
What You Need: 36 plastic cups per player
How to Play: Players must stack all 36 cups into a pyramid, then unstack them back into a single column—all within one minute.
Extra Fun Factor: Make the challenge harder by requiring players to use only one hand to stack and unstack the cups. You can also introduce a penalty if the pyramid collapses, like making them rebuild it from scratch or giving a time penalty.
7. Chandelier
What You Need: 15 empty soda cans, 4 paper plates
How to Play: Players must stack soda cans in layers with paper plates between them, trying to build the tallest “chandelier” possible in one minute.
Upgrade Idea: Give players different-sized cans (like soda and energy drink cans) or make them use non-flat surfaces to increase the challenge. You can also make it a team game, where one player stacks while the other provides instructions.
8. Penny Tower
What You Need: Pennies (at least 25 per player)
How to Play: Players must stack as many pennies as possible in one minute, but here’s the catch—they can only use one hand.
Add Some Difficulty: Have players stack the pennies on an uneven surface, like a cushion or a book held by another player. This not only tests their stacking ability but also their balancing skills.
9. Noodling Around
What You Need: Uncooked spaghetti, uncooked penne pasta
How to Play: Players hold a single piece of spaghetti in their mouth and try to thread six pieces of penne onto it—without using their hands!
More Fun Tips: Add a rule where if the spaghetti breaks, they have to start over. You can also make it a race between players to see who can thread the most pieces of penne in the shortest time.
10. Cereal Scramble
What You Need: Cereal boxes (cut into equal-sized pieces)
How to Play: Cut the front of a cereal box into 16 pieces and scramble them up. Players must put the puzzle together in under a minute.
Creative Spin: Add a time penalty for each incorrect piece placed in the puzzle, or use multiple cereal boxes mixed together to increase the difficulty. You can also create a “speed round” where players compete head-to-head to see who finishes first.
Super Fun Minute to Win It Games
11. Puddle Jumper
What You Need: Plastic cups filled with water, ping pong balls
How to Play: Players blow a ping pong ball from one cup to the next, using only their breath. The goal is to get the ball through as many cups as possible within one minute.
Improved Gameplay: Add obstacles between cups to make the ball jump more difficult. For extra challenge, limit players to only using a straw to blow the ping pong ball, making it harder to control the direction and speed.
12. Peep Face Game
What You Need: Marshmallow peeps (or any soft candy)
How to Play: Stick as many marshmallow peeps to your face as possible within one minute.
Enhanced Fun: Instead of sticking the peeps directly on the face, add a rule that players must toss them into the air and catch them on their face, which adds more unpredictability and excitement. You can also create a team version where one person tosses while the other catches.
13. Go Fish
What You Need: Straws, crackers or mini marshmallows, 2 plates
How to Play: Players must transfer as many marshmallows or crackers as they can from one plate to another using only a straw.
Advanced Variation: To add more difficulty, use smaller items like grains of rice or tiny candies. You can also time each round and reduce the time limit to make it more competitive. For a fun twist, use colored candies and make them sort by color as they transfer.
14. Keep It Up (Feather Edition)
What You Need: 2 feathers per player
How to Play: Players must keep two feathers in the air for as long as possible using only their breath. The player who keeps both feathers up the longest within one minute wins.
More Challenging Options: Use a straw to blow the feathers up, or increase the number of feathers per player. You can also introduce penalties for stepping outside of a designated area or using hands.
15. Penny Hose
What You Need: Pantyhose, pennies
How to Play: Place one penny in each toe of a pair of pantyhose. The player must use one hand per leg of the pantyhose to retrieve the pennies within one minute.
Make It Harder: For a more intense game, add multiple small objects inside the pantyhose so players have to find the pennies by touch. Or, add a “no stretching” rule where players can’t pull on the pantyhose, forcing them to manipulate it creatively to get the pennies out.
Even More Exciting Minute to Win It Games
16. Mad Dog
What You Need: 2 open Tic Tac boxes, a ruler
How to Play: Attach the two Tic Tac boxes to each end of the ruler, then place the ruler in the player’s mouth like a dog bone. The goal is to shake the Tic Tacs out of the boxes without using hands, within one minute.
Improved Gameplay: Use different sizes of boxes or containers to change the weight and balance. You can also make it a team game where one player shakes while the other counts how many mints fall out. For more fun, have players shake to music to add rhythm and laughter!
17. Human Ring Toss
What You Need: Hula hoops or pool floats
How to Play: One player stands still while their teammate tries to toss hula hoops or pool floats over them. The team with the most rings around their partner in one minute wins.
Add Some Fun: To make the game more challenging, change the distance between the thrower and the “post.” You can also have players rotate around slowly or jump to catch rings, making it more dynamic. For larger groups, make it a relay race!
18. Straw Race
What You Need: Marshmallows or cotton balls, straws
How to Play: Players use straws to blow marshmallows or cotton balls across a race line within a minute. The winner is the one who gets the most items across the line.
New Challenge: Instead of just blowing with straws, add different obstacles like ramps or barriers on the course. You could also use larger objects like ping pong balls to increase the difficulty or add a blindfold to make it more unpredictable.
19. Scoop It Up
What You Need: Ping pong balls, spoons, bowls
How to Play: Players hold a spoon in their mouth and try to transfer as many ping pong balls as possible from one bowl to another within one minute—no hands allowed!
Fun Twist: If a ball drops, players must go back to the starting point. You can also use spoons of different sizes to make it more challenging or add multiple players transferring balls at the same time to make it more chaotic and fun.
20. Nut Stacker
What You Need: Hex nuts, a wooden skewer
How to Play: Thread five hex nuts onto a wooden skewer. Using only one hand, players must stack the nuts on top of each other in under a minute.
Make It Harder: For more difficulty, use smaller nuts or require players to stack them on an uneven surface. You could also have a “blindfold round” where players have to stack by touch alone, making the game even more challenging and exciting.
21. Shake It
What You Need: Empty tissue box, ping pong balls, a belt
How to Play: Attach an empty tissue box to a belt and fill it with ping pong balls. Players must shake the tissue box as much as they can to get all the balls out within one minute.
Enhanced Fun: To make this game even more hilarious, add challenges like requiring players to hop on one foot while shaking. You could also use different sizes of balls (like tennis balls for harder gameplay) or have players shake to music for extra entertainment.
22. Junk in the Trunk
What You Need: Tissue box, ping pong balls, belt
How to Play: Similar to “Shake It,” attach the tissue box filled with ping pong balls to the player’s back. The player has one minute to shake all the balls out of the box without using their hands.
Extra Challenge: Add a rule that the player must keep their feet in one spot, or add a small obstacle course they have to navigate while shaking. This adds a layer of difficulty and ensures that even the audience has a good laugh!
23. Balloon Blow
What You Need: Balloons, cups
How to Play: Set up a line of plastic cups and give each player a balloon. Players must blow up their balloon, then release the air to knock over as many cups as possible within a minute.
More Fun: Add different-sized cups for various levels of difficulty, or add small prizes hidden under some cups for extra motivation. You can also make it a team game, where players alternate turns blowing up their balloons.
24. Paper Dragon
What You Need: Crepe paper streamers
How to Play: Players must unravel a long streamer of crepe paper as fast as possible using only their hands. The player who unravels their “paper dragon” the fastest within a minute wins.
Level It Up: To make the game more intense, use different materials that are harder to unravel, like wrapping paper or ribbon. You can also introduce a rule that players must tear the paper off with just one hand for an extra challenge.
25. Egg Roll
What You Need: Hard-boiled eggs, a spatula
How to Play: Players must roll hard-boiled eggs across the floor using only a spatula. The player who rolls their egg the farthest within one minute wins.
Upgrade: Add obstacles like cones or other items that the egg must navigate around. You can also make it harder by using raw eggs, adding the extra challenge of avoiding a mess if the egg cracks!
Conclusion
Minute to Win It games are the perfect way to inject excitement, laughter and competition into any gathering. Whether you’re hosting a birthday party, a family get-together, or a corporate event, these games are easy to set up and guarantee a good time. By adding twists, obstacles and creative variations, you can keep the games fresh and fun, ensuring that no two rounds are the same.
So, next time you’re planning a party, try out these 25 crazy easy Minute to Win It games and watch the fun unfold in under 60 seconds!
FAQs
- Can these Minute to Win It games be played by kids?
Yes! These games are designed to be fun for all ages. Just adjust the difficulty level for younger players by simplifying the rules or using safer materials. - Do I need special equipment for these games?
Most games only require common household items like cups, balloons and paper. You won’t need to spend a lot to set up these activities. - Can I play these games with a large group?
Absolutely! Many of these games are adaptable for teams, making them perfect for large groups and adding a fun competitive element. - How long does it take to play all the games?
Since each game lasts only a minute, you can fit a lot of them into a short period. However, setup time and taking turns may add to the total time, so plan for about an hour to get through all 25 games. - What’s the best way to score these games?
You can assign points for each game or just play for fun. If you’re making it a competition, award extra points for creativity or speed.
