Find A Game That Fits Your Room
Set time, format, room setup, prep, and goal. Open the best run sheet instead of browsing the whole booklet.
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EPIC source
The original EPIC booklet is still here if you want the raw source material.
Quick facilitation reminder
If a game is not working, cut it quickly instead of dragging it out.
Top matches
Open a run sheet to act on one immediately.
Name 3
Players get five seconds to name three things in a category before time runs out.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Zip or Bang
The turn whips left or right around the circle, and hesitation gets you eliminated.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Toilet Roll Game
Students tear off however much toilet paper they "normally use" before learning each square equals one fact about them.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Catalog
70 games
Sorted by classroom fit first.
Full EPIC catalog
Run sheets
Open any card for the teacher lens, step-by-step run sheet, and prep checklist.
Name 3
Players get five seconds to name three things in a category before time runs out.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Zip or Bang
The turn whips left or right around the circle, and hesitation gets you eliminated.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Toilet Roll Game
Students tear off however much toilet paper they "normally use" before learning each square equals one fact about them.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Two Truths and a Lie
Everybody shares two true facts and one fake one while the group tries to sniff out the lie.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Sit Down If
Everybody starts standing, then one prompt at a time whittles the room down until only one person remains.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Tell Us What You Know
Contestants get a topic and only 10 seconds to spit out as many related words as possible.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Desert Island
Students choose one piece of music, one book, and one luxury item to survive a year in exile.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Mix and Meet
Grab colorful candy first, then discover every piece now represents a fact you have to share.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Never Have I Ever
Five fingers up. Say something you have never done and see who has to drop a finger.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
One Arm, Two Arms, No Arms
Students choose a stance while the leader cannot see, then get eliminated when they match the leader's surprise pose.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Penny for Your Thoughts
A dated coin becomes a prompt for sharing what was happening in your life that year.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Two Truths and a Tale
This variation asks everyone to prep one false statement and dares the room to detect the tale.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Gorilla, Man, Gun
A giant tournament riff on Rock-Paper-Scissors with physical poses and a clear winner chain.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Every loss turns into a new cheering section until the room becomes one giant championship crowd.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
The Great Detective Game
A volunteer leaves the room, then returns to identify both the missing item and the thief.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Who Wrote It?
Students write thankful statements ahead of time and then try to guess who wrote each one.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Captain's Orders
One captain barks nautical commands and the room has to respond instantly or get eliminated.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
Clusters
Students roam the room until you shout a number, then scramble into the correct-sized group.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
Communication Challenge
Students must line up correctly without talking or even holding up fingers.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
Human Knot
Students literally tangle themselves together and solve the puzzle without letting go.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
Scatterball
Dodgeball turns into survival mode once seated players can still get people out.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
Ultimate Duck-Duck-Goose or Duck-Duck-Goose-Inception
Classic Duck-Duck-Goose explodes into multiple games at once when tagged players start a new circle in the middle.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
If
Players draw an "If..." question card and answer it for the group.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Alphabet Pockets
Teams search their own bags and pockets to build an A-to-Z list from what they already have.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Works with desks in place.
- Stays within no-prep.
Quack-Quack
One player leaves while the room changes something, then the group quacks louder as the player gets warmer.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
Shadow Boxing
One partner points a direction and the other partner survives by not looking that way.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
- Stays within no-prep.
Secret Identity
Students wear a famous identity on their back and have to discover who they are.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Fits the whole class.
Bring Me A...
Call for a bizarre item and let students sprint to produce it first.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Fits the whole class.
Face the Cookie
Put a cookie on your forehead and move it to your mouth using only your face muscles.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
- Stays within no-prep.
Finger Jousting
Lock hands, keep one finger live, and try to land the first touch.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
- Stays within no-prep.
Movin' On Up
Race to move the stack one cup at a time until the hidden colored cup reaches the top.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
- Stays within no-prep.
Back to Back
Two people sitting back-to-back try to stand up without using hands, then the game keeps adding people.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
- Stays within no-prep.
Tap It Out Telephone
Telephone becomes tactile as a picture is drawn one back at a time down the line.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
- Stays within no-prep.
Hot Potato
A fast throw-and-catch scramble where nobody wants the ball when the music stops.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
- Fits the whole class.
Musical Statues
Dance hard while the music is on and freeze perfectly when it stops.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
- Fits the whole class.
Penny Chinny
Everyone balances a penny on their chin while trying to knock off everyone else.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
- Fits the whole class.
The Cat Chases the Mouse
Two objects move around the circle at once, and whoever gets stuck with both loses.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
- Fits the whole class.
Everyone's It!
Everybody can tag everybody, but only by touching elbows while keeping the non-preferred hand on their head.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
- Fits the whole class.
Land and Water
One line on the floor becomes a fast elimination game as the caller tries to trick players into jumping wrong.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
- Fits the whole class.
Line Up
Teams race to assemble the right people in the right order after a string of numbers is called.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
- Fits the whole class.
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Cups
A reflex duel where the room follows body-part commands until the caller finally yells "Cup!"
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
- Fits the whole class.
Draw It
A quick drawing relay where teams guess the prompt from what their artist sketches.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Name That Tune!
Play five seconds of a song and let volunteers battle for the fastest correct answer.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
What's Mine Is Yours
A handful of volunteers risk their own possessions as names are randomly pulled until one jackpot winner remains.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Winds of War
Two players use only their breath through straws to blow a ping-pong ball off the other end of the table.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Shake, Rattle, and Roll
Tie a tissue box full of ping-pong balls to the player and let the shaking begin.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
Knock Em' Over
Partners start back-to-back on one foot and try to stay balanced longer than the other player.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
Who Will Be Left Holding the Bag?
Pass an object around while music plays, but add a simple action each time before it gets tossed forward.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Stays within no-prep.
Anyone Who?
A mingle challenge where players hunt for people who match quirky criteria and collect signatures.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits the whole class.
Blow Wind Blow
Musical-chairs energy meets personal trivia as the middle player calls categories that force people to move.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits the whole class.
Fruit Basket Turnover
Everybody gets a fruit identity and scrambles for a chair whenever that fruit gets called.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits the whole class.
Flip Cup Tic-Tac-Toe
Teams can only mark the board after a successful cup flip, so speed and strategy both matter.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Works with desks in place.
True False Run
Call a trivia statement, then force everybody to sprint to True or False with no hiding in the middle.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Fits the whole class.
Pass the Present
Wrap a prize in many layers, hide mini-prizes inside, and make each unwrap come with a challenge.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
- Fits the whole class.
Ankle Balloon Pop
Tie a balloon to every ankle and let the popping frenzy begin.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Fits the whole class.
Red-Hot Poker
A circle push-and-pull game where everyone tries to avoid the danger object in the middle.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
- Fits the whole class.
Football Team Quiz (NFL)
Teams decode clue phrases into NFL team names and race to finish the sheet first.
Why this fits
- Works with desks in place.
- Fits the whole class.
Name Bingo
Players mingle to fill a grid with names that match personal descriptors, then can even keep playing bingo with the finished sheets.
Why this fits
- Good for building connection.
Spaghetti and Marshmallow Tower
Small teams build the tallest freestanding tower they can before time runs out.
Why this fits
- Works with desks in place.
- Fits the whole class.
Toilet Paper Battle Royal
Pairs hold one strip of toilet paper and survive the chaos without ripping it.
Why this fits
- Stays within no-prep.
- Fits the whole class.
Cotton-Headed Ninny Muggins!
Cotton balls, petroleum jelly, and frantic relay energy create a ridiculous face-first transfer race.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
Wave Hide and Seek
Hiders get a second life only if someone still hiding waves them back into the game.
Why this fits
- Fits a 5-10 minutes slot.
Chair Foosball
Students become human foosball rods, stuck in chairs while swatting the ball toward goal.
Why this fits
- Works with desks in place.
- Fits the whole class.
Seated Basketball
Teams freeze their chairs in place, then discover whether their layout actually works for offense and defense.
Why this fits
- Works with desks in place.
- Fits the whole class.
Minute to Win It
Pick a handful of one-minute challenge games and run a mini game show.
Why this fits
- Works with desks in place.
Tug of War
A classic strength showdown that gets better when the matchups are deliberately uneven.
Why this fits
- Fits the whole class.
Kickball
If the room is athletic and competitive, split into two teams and let classic kickball do the work.
Why this fits
- Fits the whole class.
Three Ball Soccer
Soccer gets wild when three balls are live and each one belongs to a different player set.
Why this fits
- Fits the whole class.
Battle of the Instant Dance Crews
Throw together a dance crew with only a few minutes to choreograph before the performance battle.
Why this fits
Pumpkin Bowling
Seasonal bowling gets funnier when the bowling ball is a pumpkin.
Why this fits
Secondary tool
Quick discussion questions
Use this when you need a fast prompt instead of a full game.
Read it and let students answer.
If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?
More options
More game sites
Still useful when you want more ideas, but the picker above should usually get you moving faster.
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