You found our list of strategy games for teams.
Strategy games for teams are activities that enhance teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. For example, games such as Mafia, The Great Race, and Zombie Escape use strategic thinking and cooperation. The purpose of these games is to foster a sense of unity and improve productivity within a team. These games are also known as “group strategy games” and “strategy team building games.”
These strategy games for teams are similar to problem solving games, collaboration games, and competitive team building games.
This list includes:
- collaborative strategy games
- games for team strategy
- strategy team building games
- group strategy games
- strategy board games
Let’s get to it!
List of strategy team building games
These activities encourage teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills. Here is a list of our favorite team building strategy games.
1. Mafia
Mafia is a popular strategy game that can enhance team building skills within a group. In this game, players take on roles as either members of the Mafia or innocent townspeople. Mafia members have hidden identities. These players eliminate the townspeople one by one. Through discussion and deduction, the townspeople try to identify the Mafia members. The group with the most members left standing wins! This game encourages communication, critical thinking, and teamwork.
2. Zombie Escape
Zombie Escape is a fun twist on a scavenger hunt! To play this game, players form a group and choose one player as the “zombie.” The rest of the players are survivors. The survivors start in a designated safe area while the zombie waits in another area. When the game begins, the survivors have a set amount of time to find items or clues scattered around the playing area to escape.
Meanwhile, the zombie tries to tag the survivors. If the zombie tags a survivor, then they become a zombie and join the pursuit. The game continues until either all survivors turn into zombies or they successfully escape within the time limit. This thrilling game features strategy, teamwork, and quick thinking. Survivors must work together to avoid the zombie and reach safety.
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3. The Great Race
The Great Race combines relay races with fun challenges! Players split into teams and choose a starting point and a finish line. Each team must come up with a creative mode of transportation, like hopping on one foot or rolling on a skateboard. When the race starts, teams go from the starting point to the finish line using their chosen method.
Along the way, teams must complete various challenges or tasks. Examples include solving puzzles or performing silly tasks. The first team to reach the finish line and complete all the challenges wins The Great Race. Cooperative games for teams like these promote teamwork, creativity, and quick thinking.
Check out more Great Race activity ideas.
4. Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel puts communication skills to the test. Players form teams of three and choose specific roles. One player can talk but not build, one can build but not talk, and one can gesture but not build. The goal is for each team to work together to build a tower using blocks or other materials provided. The player who can talk gives instructions and plans. The player who can move carries out those instructions by moving the blocks. Finally, the player who can gesture communicates nonverbally to help with coordination.
Teams must use their abilities to construct the tallest or most stable tower within a time limit. Whoever can build the best tower wins! This challenging and entertaining game encourages communication, teamwork, and creativity.
5. Capture the Flag
Capture the Flag is a classic team building game. This exercise promotes strategic thinking and teamwork among participants. The goal is to capture the opposing team’s flag from their territory while defending your own.
This game encourages communication, planning, and coordination among team members to achieve victory. By strategizing and working together, teams can enhance their problem-solving skills and foster a sense of unity.
6. Laser Tag
Laser Tag is one of the best collaborative strategy games. Players gather at a laser tag arena or playing area. Each player gets a laser tag gun and a vest. The goal is to tag opponents by aiming and shooting the laser tag gun at their vests or targets. Meanwhile, participants need to avoid getting tagged. Players earn points for every successful tag. The game lasts for a set amount of time, and whoever earns the most points wins!
Team members will develop communication, teamwork, and strategic thinking. Players work together to achieve a common goal in a fast-paced and fun environment. The game encourages participants to think critically, make quick decisions, and adapt their strategies. Overall, Laser Tag is an engaging activity that fosters collaboration and camaraderie.
7. Radioactive Transfer
Radioactive Transfer challenges groups to work together effectively. Teams get a ball that represents radioactive waste. Using only a set of strings, participants must move the waste from one container to another. Members cannot touch the waste with their bare hands. The goal is for folks to think critically and come up with innovative solutions.
This activity promotes communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills among team members. By strategizing and coordinating their movements, teams can finish the task.
8. Charades Relay
Charades Relay is a fun and engaging team building game. This exercise promotes communication and teamwork among colleagues. Players split into teams and stand in a line. The first player on each team reads a word or phrase to act out without speaking. When the game starts, the first player acts out the word or phrase to their teammates, who must guess what it is.
Once the team guesses correctly, the first player runs to the back of the line. Then, the next player in line receives a new word or phrase to act out. The game continues in this manner until all players have had a turn to act out words or phrases. The team that correctly guesses the most words or phrases in the shortest amount of time wins the relay. This game encourages quick thinking, creativity, and collaboration.
Here is a Charades generator to use for the game.
9. Apple Stack
Apple Stack is a fun game where participants work together to stack apples on top of each other. The goal is to build the tallest apple tower possible using only the apples provided. Hosts will set a short timer for the build, and whoever creates the tallest tower in the time wins!
This game promotes communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills among team members. By strategizing and coordinating their efforts, teams can achieve success. Apple Stack encourages teamwork and fosters a sense of unity within the group.
10. The Blind Polygon
The Blind Polygon is a fun team game where the whole group wears blindfolds. The team stands in a circle, holding onto a long rope. Without seeing, players work together to shape the rope into a perfect polygon, like a square or triangle.
Teammates communicate with each other to figure out where to move and how to hold the rope to make the shape just right. To make the exercise more challenging, you can also set a time limit. This game is a test of trust and teamwork as colleagues rely on each other’s directions to complete the challenge successfully.
List of strategy board games
These tabletop games test players’ planning, tactics, and decision-making. Players aim to achieve objectives and outsmart their opponents. Here are some of the best strategy board games.
11. Risk
Risk is among the most classic group strategy games and challenges teams to conquer territories and dominate the world map. Each player controls armies representing different countries divided into territories. Players take turns deploying troops, attacking enemy territories, and fortifying their own. The goal is to conquer continents, control territories, and eliminate opponents.
Playing Risk can enhance teamwork skills, decision-making abilities, and strategic thinking. By playing this game, teams can learn how to plan ahead and adapt to changing circumstances.
Learn the rules to Risk.
12. Settlers of Catan
Settlers of Catan is a popular strategy game that requires teamwork and critical thinking. In this game, players trade and build settlements, cities, and roads. Participants take turns rolling dice to collect resources like wood, brick, wheat, ore, and sheep. Resources can build roads, settlements, and cities on the island of Catan. Players can also trade resources with each other to get what they need. The goal is to be the first to reach a certain number of victory points, which folks earn by achieving objectives.
This game helps teams develop communication and strategic planning skills. By playing Settlers of Catan, groups can enhance their cooperation and decision-making skills in a fun and engaging way.
Check out Settlers of Catan.
13. Ticket to Ride
A popular choice for team strategy games is Ticket to Ride. This board game challenges players to build train routes across various destinations. Players start with a set of train cards and destination tickets that specify routes they need to connect. On their turn, players can either draw train cards, claim a route by playing matching train cards, or draw new destination tickets. Folks earn points by claiming routes and completing destination tickets. The game ends when one player is close to running out of train cars, signaling the final round. The player with the most points wins!
By strategizing and planning ahead, teams can work together to achieve their goals and outsmart their opponents. Ticket to Ride encourages communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills among team members.
Check out Ticket to Ride.
14. Clue
Clue is a classic board game that encourages teamwork and strategic thinking. In this game, teams work together to solve a murder mystery. Each player receives a character card, a weapon card, and a room card representing their involvement in the crime. Hosts shuffle the remaining cards and give them to players. Players take turns rolling dice and moving their game pieces around the board. Folks enter rooms and make suggestions about the murderer, weapon, and room. Other players must disprove these suggestions by showing one of the cards in their hand if they have it. Whoever correctly solves the case wins!
By collaborating and analyzing information, teams can sharpen their problem-solving skills. Playing Clue can be a fun and engaging way for teams to strengthen their communication and analytical skills.
Learn the rules for Clue.
15. Pandemic
In Pandemic, players work together as a team to stop the spread of diseases across the globe. Each player takes on a role with unique abilities. During their turn, players can move between cities, treat diseases, share knowledge, or find cures. Players aim to contain outbreaks, treat infected cities, and research cures before the diseases spread. If teams find cures for all four diseases, then they win. However, if outbreaks occur too frequently or the player deck runs out, then teams lose.
The game requires strategic thinking, communication, and collaboration. Playing Pandemic can help teams improve their problem-solving skills and enhance teamwork. This game is an engaging way for teams to bond while honing their strategic planning skills.
Check out Pandemic.
16. Diplomacy
Diplomacy combines strategy and history into an exciting game. Each player takes on the role of a European power during World War I. Gameplay features two phases, which are negotiation and movement. During the negotiation phase, players hold secret diplomatic negotiations with each other. Teams form alliances, make deals, and plan military strategies.
In the movement phase, players move armies to capture territories and gain control of supply centers. Whoever ends up controlling the most supply centers on the map wins! Diplomacy is a game of negotiation, strategy, and betrayal. Players must form and break alliances to achieve their goals.
Check out Diplomacy.
17. Scythe
When looking for games for team strategy, consider Scythe. Each player controls a faction competing for control over a war-torn, alternate 1920s Europe. Players start with a unique player board, character, and abilities. On their turn, players take one action. Options include moving characters, gaining resources, building structures, or recruiting soldiers.
The goal is to earn coins, conquer territories, and achieve objectives to gain stars. The game ends when a player places their sixth star or when they complete a certain number of objectives. The player with the most stars at the end wins! This exercise helps players learn to think ahead.
Check out Scythe.
18. Terra Mystica
Terra Mystica is a game of civilization building set in a fantasy world. Each player represents a different fantasy race with unique abilities. Players aim to expand their territories, build structures, and terraform the land. On their turn, players can build dwellings, upgrade structures, or gain power.
Players earn points for building structures, reaching milestones, and fulfilling end-game scoring conditions. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins! Folks will get to stretch their communication and planning skills in a fun setting.
Check out Terra Mystica.
19. Dominion
In Dominion, players are royals trying to expand their kingdom and get wealth. Each player starts with a small deck of basic cards. Folks use their decks to get more powerful cards from a central supply. Cards have different abilities, such as providing resources, actions, or victory points.
On their turn, players draw cards from their deck, play action cards, buy new cards, and discard their hands. The game ends when a card piles run out or when a player accumulates a certain number of victory points. The member with the most victory points in their deck at the end wins!
Check out Dominion.
20. Agricola
Agricola is a game of farming and resource management. Players act as farming families in the early modern era. The goal is to expand farms, grow crops, raise animals, and build improvements to earn points. Each round, players take turns plowing fields, sowing crops, or expanding their family.
Players must also feed their families each round, balancing food production with other actions. The game ends after a certain number of rounds. Participants earn points based on their farm’s development, family size, and accomplishments. The player with the most points at the end wins!
Check out Agricola.
Final Thoughts
Strategy games are an effective tool in fostering teamwork and enhancing communication skills. These exercises provide a fun way to break the monotony of work. Plus, these games develop strategic thinking abilities. From playing board games to team building activities, teams will love these strategy games.
Next, check out our posts on leadership games, minute to win it games, and communication games.
