The secret behind any good ‘minute to win it game’ is in its simplicity.
These games can also be bust out on any occasion, with many of the rules simple enough for kids to understand and great fun for adults to play too.
The concept of these games also inspired the tv show ‘Minute to Win It’, hosted by Guy Fieri, which just goes to show their mainstream appeal and popularity.
So either try to come up with some of your own or read our list below of 20 of our favorite ‘minute to win it’ games you should try with your friends and family.
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What Are ‘Minute To Win It’ Games?
It would be a good idea first to make sure you know exactly what a ‘Minute To Win It’ game is.
Take an easy-to-achieve objective, and use objects you would usually have lying around the house, and you’ve got the perfect ‘minute to win it game’.
As you would expect, players also only have a minute to complete each game or task. Which also explains how these games got their name.
The key is keeping everything simple – any games with too many rules aren’t welcome here.
SEE ALSO: 12 Fun Escape Room Game Ideas to Play at Home
How To Play ‘Minute To Win It’ Games?
‘Minute to win it’ games can be played in 3 ways depending on the number of people playing each game.
Playing Individually – ‘Minute To Win It’ Games
If you have less than 5 players, this will be the best way to play.
Individual ‘Minute to Win It’ games is where players attempt to beat the clock, trying to beat a particular game in under a minute.
Keep track of everyone’s time – the amount of time taken to complete the challenge if they manage to do so in under a minute.
Basically, in this version, players take turns on their own, trying to beat the other players.
Playing in Pairs – ‘Minute To Win It’ Games
If you have between 4-10 players, then this will be the version to go with.
Start each game with 2 players, who face off head to head to complete the challenge first. If neither player completes before the minute is up, then they both unfortunately lose.
Create a tournament-style bracket too, and see who has what it takes to come out as the winner.
Playing in Teams – ‘Minute To Win It’ Games
If you’re playing in a large group of more than 10 players, then consider going with a team format so that everyone has an opportunity to play.
Make sure that the teams are relatively small and have several games ready to play.
Teams nominate 1 player to play each game, and whoever gets the best time gets a point for their team. Most points at the end are the winning team.
Supplies That You Might Need For ‘Minute To Win It’ Games?
Pretty much every game listed will need supplies to play, and most of them can be found around the house.
Make sure you have:
- Ping-pong balls
- Plastic cups
- Plastic buckets
- Water balloons
- Cookies
- Candy
- Rope
- Playing Cards
- Digital Timer
20 Fun ‘Minute to Win it’ Games to Play
1. WATER BALLOON TOSS GAME
Players: 2+ players.
Ages: Kids, Pre-Teens.
Time to Play: 1+ minute/s.
Objective: Throw a water balloon and make sure that you don’t drop it and get soaked.
Water Balloon Toss Game in a nutshell:
The Water Balloon Toss Game is ideal for playing on a hot summer day. Simply fill up a water balloon, get all players into a circle, and start throwing! Players will need to make sure that they don’t throw the ball too hard so that everyone has a fair chance of catching it. The winner is the person who doesn’t cause a balloon to burst.
Tip: Have a bucket of water balloons ready before you play so that you can have multiple games in quick succession.
2. HOT POTATO
Players: 2+ players.
Ages: Kids, Pre-Teens, Teens.
Time to Play: 1+ minute/s.
Objective: Avoid being the person holding the potato when the music stops.
Hot Potato in a nutshell:
The Hot Potato game rules are similar to the Water Balloon Toss game, but with the bonus of not getting players wet so you can play at all times of the year. Either play some music or use this mechanical Hot Potato game and when the music stops, whoever is still holding the potato is out.
Tip: Use anything that is safe to throw around that you can find in your house if you haven’t got the musical Hot Potato game to hand.
3. MUMMY WRAP GAME
Players: 4+ players, try to have an even number.
Ages: Kids.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Be on the team who wraps a teammate in the toilet roll the most after a minute.
Mummy Wrap Game in a nutshell:
If you’re looking for a ‘minute to win it’ game that is ideal for the Halloween holidays, then the Mummy Wrap Game should be perfect. Split players into 2 equal teams and provide them with around 2 rolls of toilet roll. Teams need to wrap a player in the toilet roll within a minute. The team that uses the most roll after the time limit wins.
4. CHOOSING CUPS
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Kids, Pre-Teens, Teens.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Successfully find the cup with the sticker on the bottom in the quickest time.
CHOOSING CUPS in a nutshell:
Set up 25 cups in a 5×5 formation, one of which has a sticker or marking on the bottom. Challenge players to find the sticker-laden cup in both under a minute and with the least number of cups picked.
5. STICKY SITUATION
Players: 2 players +.
Ages: Kids + Pre-Teens.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Get the ping pong ball as close to the middle of a slice of bread smothered in peanut butter as possible.
Sticky Situation in a nutshell:
Place the peanut butter-covered bread on the far end of the table. Players have a minute to bounce a ball onto the slice of bread and get 3 balls to attempt to hit the bread. Wherever manages to get the closest to the middle of the slice wins.
Tip: Make sure everyone marks their ball with a different color, so it’s easier to see which player’s ball is which.
6. HOT SEAT
Players: 3+ players.
Ages: Kids, Pre-Teens, Teens, Adults
Time to Play: .1 minute.
Objective: Guess the most objects by successfully deciphering the other player’s clues within a minute.
Hot Seat in a nutshell:
Nominate a player to begin and start in the hot seat. Someone stands behind the player in the hot seat and holds up an object that the other player/s describe. The player has a minute to guess as many as possible until the minute is up. The player with the most successful guesses wins.
7. STACK ATTACK
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Kids, Pre-Teens, Teens.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Stack cups and unstack them within a minute.
Stack Attack in a nutshell:
Stack Attack is a simple game where players take it in turns to stack cups into a pyramid and take them down again before the minute is up. You’ll need a stack of cups to play with, but once you have those, you can begin. Quickest time to complete the challenge wins.
8. CHANDELIER
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Kids, Pre-Teens, Teens.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Stack empty soda cans and paper plates in a specific formation within a minute.
Chandelier in a nutshell:
Chandelier is a ‘minute to win it game’ that makes good use of empty soda cans and used paper plates once the party is over. Players have a minute to stack their garbage into a chandelier-like fashion with 4 cans on top of a plate and so on. The winner is whoever stacks theirs the highest at the end of the game.
9. PENNY TOWER
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Pre-Teens, Teens + Adults.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Stack pennies into a tower using only 1 hand. The tallest tower after a minute is the winner.
Penny Tower in a nutshell:
A useful game to play if you’re someone who likes to collect loose change. Give players an equal number of coins, lay them on a flat surface, and challenge players to stack them up. Players can only use 1 hand so they’ll need to be quick while also being precise. The player with the highest stack after the minute is up wins.
10. JUNK IN THE TRUNK
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Kids, Pre-Teens + Adults.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Players have a minute to shake ping pong balls out of a tub attached to them.
Junk In The Trunk in a nutshell:
You’ll have to create a fanny pack to play this, so make sure you have spare tissue boxes, ping pong balls, and a belt or rope to attach everything together. Once constructed, place an equal number of balls in the tissue box and attach them to the player’s back. Players will then need to shake and jump to get the balls out inside a minute. The player with the most balls successfully removed wins the game.
Tip: If you’re playing this game in a school, encourage the kids to construct their contraptions before playing this one.
11. SCOOP UP
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Kids, Pre-Teens, Teens + Adults.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Remove as many ping pong balls from a bowl as you can inside a minute.
Scoop Up in a nutshell:
Players will need to use a spoon to move ping pong balls from one bowl to another. The twist is that players will have to have the spoon in their mouths at all times and cannot use their hands. The player with the most ping pong balls moved over wins.
12. FACE THE COOKIE
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Kids + Pre-Teens.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Become the quickest player to move a cookie from their forehead to their mouth.
Face The Cookie in a nutshell:
Unsurprisingly, a game that is popular with kids. Place a cookie on the forehead of the play once they’ve tilted their head back. Start the minute timer, and see how long it takes a player to transport the cookie from the forehead to their mouth. Quickest player winner, anyone who drops the cooker is out.
13. SUCK IT UP
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Kids + Pre-Teens.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Move as much candy as you can from one bowl to another using a straw.
Suck It Up in a nutshell:
Place a bowl of candy next to an empty bowl and provide the participants with a straw each. They will then need to transport as much candy as possible within a minute. The winner is the player who moves the most over.
Tip: Use candy such as Smarties or M&Ms for this game as they will be the easiest ones to create suction to move.
14. PING PONG BOUNCE
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Kids, Pre-Teens, Teens.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Bounce as many balls into a cup as you can within the 1 minute time limit.
Ping Pong Bounce in a nutshell:
Set up a cup in the middle of a table and grab some ping pong balls. Players have a minute to bounce as many balls as they can into the cup. Count how many are in the cup after the minute and either try to improve on that score or see if someone can beat your record.
15. KEEP UP
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Kids + Pre-Teens.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Keep a feather in the air for as long as possible by just using your breath.
Keep Up in a nutshell:
Provide 1 feather per player from an old pillow or duvet. Start the timer and task players with the goal of keeping their feathers up for as long as possible. The player who keeps theirs up the longest wins the game.
Tip: If playing with younger children, make the game easier for them by allowing them to use a straw instead.
16. CARD NINJA
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Teens + Adults.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Throw cards into a watermelon like a ninja, most cards that stay in win the game.
Card Ninja in a nutshell:
Cut a watermelon in half and grab a deck of cards to start with. Stand the watermelon on a table and make sure it is secure in place. Throw cards at the exposed inside of the watermelon so that they stick inside. Time yourself for a minute and see how many cards you can successfully throw into the watermelon.
17. BALL DROP
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Kids, Pre-Teens, Teens + Adults.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Drop 3 balls into a cup from a height in the quickest time.
BALL DROP in a nutshell:
Set up a chair and a cup on the ground. Supply the player with 3 ping pong balls. That player will need to drop the ping pong ball while standing on the chair. They have a minute to get all 3 to stay in. The player who completes the task with the quickest time wins the game.
18. THIS BLOWS
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Pre-Teens, Teens + Adults.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Knock over as many plastic cups as possible with an exhaling balloon.
THIS BLOWS in a nutshell:
Set up between 10 – 20 cups in a row. Have a player blow a balloon up and pinch the end, make sure that the player doesn’t tie the end or let any of the air out until they’re ready. Players will need to use the balloon exhaling air to knock over as many of the cups as they can until either the air runs out of the minute is up whoever knocks over the most wins.
19. CEREAL SCRAMBLE
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Kids + Pre-Teens.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Fix a cut-up cereal box as quickly as possible.
Cereal Scramble in a nutshell:
Cut up a cereal box into equal pieces and mix them up so that they’re in no particular order. Challenge players to reassemble the box within the minute. If playing head-to-head, cut up a second box.
Tip: Cut the cereal box up into more pieces to make the game harder!
20. PUDDLE JUMPER
Players: 1 player/s +.
Ages: Kids, Pre-Teens, Teens + Adults.
Time to Play: 1 minute.
Objective: Blow a ping pong ball across a river up water-filled cups
Puddle Jumper in a nutshell:
Set up a row of cups filled to the brim with water. Place a ping pong ball on the one at the beginning, and players have a minute to get to the end cup by blowing the ball over the water. Whoever gets the ball the furthest or gets to the end in the quickest time wins the game.
Other Minute to Win it Games – Top 10 Party Games
Wrap Up
These are just some examples of the endless number of ‘minute to win it’ games that you can play with friends and family, but try to create your own if you can.
If you’re looking for games for kids that will keep them entertained for longer, however, be sure to check out our list of the top youth group games to introduce them to.
For ideas of games that are ideal for even younger kids, look at our suggestions of group games for preschoolers.
And if you have high school-aged children, we’ve got you covered there as well. Discover the different group games for teenagers that there are. Who knows, they may find a new hobby that they had no idea even existed.
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