The best games are the ones that are quick to play and easy to learn. That’s where “Minute to Win it” games come in to play. These are quick challenges that are designed to maximize entertainment. Everyone is included because if you’re not good at one of the challenges, it’ll be over soon and you might be better at the next one. This makes them great games for birthday parties, family game nights, or any other type of social gathering.
What are Minute to Win it Games?
Minute to Win It Games are quick challenges where players try to complete a specific task in less than 60 seconds. These are games that can be played with household items, so they are incredibly easy to play at home.
Best Minute to Win It Games
The best part about minute to win it games is that they can be played with household items. You can start by seeing what you have around the house, and then choose the games based on that. You can also come up with your own games to play based on materials available and the interests of players. Here is a list of the best minute to win it games you can play at home. Feel free to add your own twist to the games, such as adding an element of trivia, or making teams.
1. Cookie Face
This game is very simple and delicious. All you need to play is a cookie. Players put a cookie on their forehead and try to wiggle it down into their mouth using only facial movements. If the cookie falls, you either lose or have to start over. The winner is the person who gets the cookie in their mouth the fastest. You can also play multiple rounds.
2. Cup Stacking
Each must stack plastic cups into a perfect pyramid, then break that pyramid back down into one single stack before time runs out. The objective is to complete the full build-and-collapse cycle correctly within 60 seconds. Whoever finishes first is the winner! This game can be played in a head-to-head format.
3. Junk in the Trunk Tissue Box
Players strap a tissue box filled with ping-pong balls to their waist and shake, jump, and wiggle to empty it without using their hands. The winner is whoever empties their box the fastest. If nobody completely empties their box, the winner is whoever has the fewest balls in their box.
4. Keepsies Upsies
Each player gets three balloons and must keep all of them in the air at the same time using only their hands. The objective is to not have any balloon hit the ground for 60 seconds. Anyone who lasts the full minute wins. If no one makes it, the player who kept all the balloons up the longest is the winner. This is one of the most fun and competitive minute to win it games of all time!
5. Suck It Up Game with Straws
Players use a straw to suck up candies like M&Ms, moving them from one plate to another without dropping them. The goal is to transfer as many candies as possible within one minute. The winner is simply the person who moves the most candies before the timer runs out.
6. Movin’ On Up
Each player gets a stack of identical cups with one cup of a different color on top; they must move the top cup to the bottom one cup at a time until the colored cup returns to the top. The objective is to complete the full rotation in under a minute. The winner is whoever finishes first, or if no one completes it, the player who got closest to finishing.
7. Cookie on Face Relay
Teams compete as each member performs the Cookie Face challenge; one player must finish before the next teammate begins. The winning team is the one that gets through all members first. If time runs out, the team with the most completed cookies. Depending on the number of players, you might need more than 60 seconds.
8. Pencil Flip
Players place pencils on the back of their hand and flip them into the air and catch them. You start with one pencil, and then increase the number of pencils with each successful catch. The objective is to catch the largest number of pencils at once within a minute. The winner is the player who successfully catches the highest number of pencils in a single flip.
9. Bottle Flip Challenge
Get everyone to stand behind a line and flip half-filled water bottles, trying to land them upright as many times as possible. Whoever gets the highest number of successful bottle flips in one minute wins.
10. Balloon Cup
Players line up several lightweight cups on the edge of a table, blow up a balloon, and use the air released to knock the cups off the surface. The objective is to clear the table using balloon air only before time runs out. The winner is the person who clears their cups the fastest, or the person with the fewest cups left when the minute ends.
11. Penny Tower
Each player gets a pile of pennies and has one minute to stack them into the tallest tower they can. The winner is the person with the tallest standing tower when time runs out. You can also make the game more challenging by only using one hand.
12. M&M Chopsticks
Get two bowls and a pair of chopsticks. Players must pick up M&Ms with the chopsticks and move them from one bowl to the other. The goal is to transfer as many candies as possible in one minute. The winner is the person who moves the most.
13. Marshmallow Toss Challenge
One player stands with a cup while their teammate tosses mini marshmallows toward them. The goal is for the catcher to catch as many marshmallows as possible in the cup without using their hands. The winner is the team with the most marshmallows in the cup after 60 seconds.
14. Paper Plate Nose Shuffle
Players must move a paper plate across the floor using only their nose. They can’t use their hands or feet. The goal is to push the plate all the way to a finish line before time is up. The winner is whoever reaches the line first.
15. Elephant March
This is one of the silliest minute to win it games on the list. To play, people must wear pantyhose on their heads with a tennis ball inside one leg. Using only head swings, they must knock down a line of standing water bottles. The goal is to knock them all over before the minute ends. The winner is the person who hits the most bottles down.
16. Ping-Pong Bounce
Similarly to pong, players bounce ping-pong balls across a table, trying to land them into a group of cups arranged in a triangle. The goal is to sink as many balls as possible in 60 seconds. The winner is whoever lands the most balls in the cups.
17. Cup Slide
Players slide plastic cups across a table and try to make them stop in marked zones worth different points. The goal is to score the highest total in one minute. The winner is the person with the most points when time is up. Think of it like a cup version of shuffleboard.
18. Noodle Pickup
Players hold a dry spaghetti noodle in their mouth and use it to pick up pieces of penne pasta without breaking the spaghetti. The goal is to lift and move as many pasta pieces as possible to a bowl. The winner is the player with the most pasta pieces moved.
19. Oreo Cookie Stacking Challenge
Players try to stack as many Oreo cookies as possible on top of each other using only one hand. The tower must stand on its own. The winner is the person who builds the tallest stack before 60 seconds end.
20. Cotton Ball Scoop Game
Blindfold players and get two bowls and a spoon. They must scoop cotton balls from one bowl to the other, but cotton balls are so light they’re hard to feel. The goal is to move as many as possible in one minute. The winner is the person with the most cotton balls transferred.
21. Balloon Waddle Race
Everyone must place a balloon between their knees and waddle across the room to the finish line. They cannot use their hands or drop the balloon. The winner is the first person to reach the finish line within the time limit.
22. Balloon Keep-Up Relay
Teams must keep a balloon in the air as they pass it down the line, with each person tapping it upward. The goal is to reach the end of the line without the balloon hitting the ground. The winning team is the one that makes it the farthest in the minute.
23. Ping-Pong Spoon Relay
Players hold a spoon in their mouths with a ping-pong ball resting on it and race to a finish line and back. The ball cannot fall off. The winner is the player who completes the distance the fastest without dropping the ball. Be careful when playing this game with children.
24. Sticky Note Challenge
Players try to stick as many sticky notes to their face as possible in one minute. They can’t use glue or wet their skin. The winner is the player with the highest number of notes stuck at the end of the time.
25. Flip Cup Challenge
This is one of the most classic minute to win it cup games. Players place a plastic cup on the edge of a table and flick it upward, trying to make it flip and land upright. The goal is to land as many successful flips as possible in one minute. The winner is the person with the most landed cups.
26. Puzzle Panic
Players get a small puzzle, like a 24-piece jigsaw, and must complete as much of it as they can in one minute. The goal is to put together as many pieces as possible. The winner is the person with the most completed puzzle pieces. If you don’t have a puzzle at home, you can print one out!
27. Bubble Pop
This game is best played outside, as it could get messy. You blow bubbles into the air and must pop as many as they can before they touch the ground. The goal is to pop the most bubbles within 60 seconds. The winner is the player who pops the highest number of bubbles.
28. Ring Toss
In this game, players toss small rings or rope circles onto standing targets, like water bottles or cones. Each target can be worth a different amount of points. The winner is whoever scores the most points in one minute.
29. Cup Shuffle Memory
One small object is hidden under a cup, and the cups are quickly shuffled. Players must guess the correct cup before the time runs out. The winner is the person who finds the hidden object the fastest or guesses correctly the most times. This can also be a great ice breaker game, as people bond over the guessing aspect of the game.
30. Yo-Yo Ball Knockdown
Players attach a yo-yo to their finger and swing it to knock over a set of lightweight objects, like empty cups. The goal is to knock down the entire set before time is up. The winner is the person who knocks over the most items.
31. Post-It Pickup
In this minute to win it game, you can only use their face to lift sticky notes off a table and stick them to their forehead. The winner is the player with the most sticky notes on their head at the end of the minute.
32. Tissue Pull
Players start with a full tissue box and must pull out every tissue one at a time as fast as possible. The goal is to empty the whole box. The winner is whoever gets the most tissues out or empties the box first.
33. Dizzy Mummy
Players hold the end of a roll of toilet paper and spin in circles until the entire roll is wrapped around their body. The goal is to unroll the whole roll in under 60 seconds. Whoever unrolls the most or finishes first is the winner.
34. Coin Drop
To play, hold coins at waist height and try to drop them into a narrow-neck bottle placed on the floor. The goal is to get as many coins into the bottle as possible before time runs out. The winner is the person with the most coins inside.
35. Blow It Down
Players set up lightweight cups on a table and use a straw to blow air at them to knock them over. The objective is to clear the table of cups within one minute. The winner is the person who knocks over the most cups.
36. Backwards ABCs
Everyone knows their ABCs, but can you say it backwards? In this challenge, players must say the entire alphabet backwards as quickly and smoothly as possible. They must speak clearly without skipping letters. The winner is the person who completes it correctly or gets the farthest before the minute ends.
37. Cotton Ball Blow Race
Players place cotton balls at the start of a table and blow through a straw to move them to the finish line. They can’t use their hands. The winner is the person who gets the most cotton balls across the line in one minute.
38. Balloon Pop
Players sit on balloons and try to pop as many as they can without using any sharp objects. The goal is to pop the most balloons in 60 seconds. The winner is the player who pops the highest number.
39. Dice Stack
Players balance a Popsicle stick in their mouth and must stack dice on the end of the stick without them falling off. The goal is to stack as many dice as possible in one minute. The winner is the person with the tallest standing stack.
40. Shoe Flick
Players place one foot on a shoe and flick it into the air, trying to land it in a marked target zone. The goal is to score the highest points based on where the shoe lands. The winner is the person with the most points in one minute.
41. Ping-Pong Zipline
Players pull two strings tight and place a ping-pong ball at the top, then guide it down to a cup at the bottom using only the strings. The goal is to get the ball into the cup as fast as possible. The winner is the person who completes the path in the shortest time.
42. Rubber Band Target
In this game, you shoot rubber bands at stacked cups or small targets from a set distance. Each target can be worth different points. The winner is the player who earns the highest score in one minute.
43. Marshmallow Chop Race
Players use a plastic card, like an old gift card, to “chop” mini marshmallows from one plate to another. They must slide them without lifting or throwing them. The winner is the person who moves the most marshmallows before time runs out.
44. Ice Cube Transfer
Use spoons or chopsticks to move ice cubes from one bowl to another. The cubes are slippery and melt fast, making it a challenge. The winner is the person who transfers the most cubes in one minute.
45. Cup-by-Cup Water Fill
Since this game uses water, it is best as an outdoor game. Players are given a small cup and must scoop water from a large container and pour it into a smaller one across the room. The goal is to fill the target container as much as possible in one minute. The winner is the person with the most water collected.
46. Napkin Unfold
In this minute to win it challenge, you get a crumpled napkin and must unfold it completely using only one hand. The goal is to flatten it out as quickly as possible. The winner is the player who finishes the task first or gets the farthest in the time limit.
47. Whipped Cream Catch
Players flick small dollops of whipped cream into the air and try to catch them in their mouths. The winner is the person who catches the most whipped cream blobs in one minute. This game usually results in laughs, as people get whipped cream on their face and miss their mouth.
48. Straw Tower
This game is great for teens interested in engineering. Teams build a tower using only drinking straws and tape. The tower must stand on its own at the end of one minute. The winner is the person with the tallest standing tower.
49. Balloon Balance
Players must balance a balloon on their forehead without using their hands and stay still or slowly walk. The goal is to keep it from falling for the full minute. The winner is the player who lasts the longest without losing balance.
50. Spoon Catapult
Players use a spoon to catapult mini marshmallows toward a cup placed a short distance away. By tapping the spoon handle, the marshmallow flies into the air. The winner is the person who lands the most marshmallows in the cup in one minute.