You guys seemed to love the Thanksgiving and Christmas Minute to Win It Games I posted, so I’m back with a New Years version! Minute to Win It games are the perfect way to countdown to midnight too. They’re fast-paced, easy to set up, and use simple supplies you probably already have on hand. Whether you’re hosting a big family gathering, a church party, or a cozy night in with friends, these New Year’s–themed challenges will have everyone cheering, racing the clock, and making memories before the ball drops. Here are the best New Year’s–inspired Minute to Win It games to ring in the fun!
You could set up a big tournament and introduce a new minute to win it game every 15 minutes. I’ve got 12 games for you here, so if you start the games around 9pm that should keep you busy till midnight! Or you could introduce a new game every 30 minutes and then you could start them at 7pm (is my math mathing?).
- The Countdown Stack:
- Supplies: 10 plastic cups per player, numbered
- How to Play: Players race to stack cups labeled 10–1 in the correct countdown order before the minute is up. Or you could have two players go at the same time and race to see who can complete the task first.
- Cup Flipping Tic Tac Toe:
- Supplies: Tape, plastic cups (two colors)
- How To Play: Tape a tic tac toe grid on a floor or table/counter (use painters tape so it comes up easily!). Then players race to get 3 in a row with their teams colored cups by flipping the cups into a tic tac toe grid. You can see a video of us playing this here.
- Midnight Confetti Blast
- Supplies: straws, confetti, tape
- Using only a straw, players must blow confetti across a table and into a designated “blast zone.” First person to get all their confetti there (without it all ending up on the floor) wins!
- New Years Kiss Toss
- Supplies: hershey kisses, cup
- Players toss Hershey’s Kisses into a cup from a short distance. Most Kisses in the cup wins.
- Midnight Marshmallow Toss
- Supplies: marshmallows
- Players team up and try to throw as many marshmallows into their teammate’s mouth in one minute.
- Ring in the New Year
- Supplies: new years party horn, cups, cotton balls
- Stack cups upside down along the edge of a table and place a cotton ball on top. Players must blow off the cotton balls using only the party horn and then stack all their cups before their opponent finishes. You can see a video of this game here.
- The Ball Drop Bop
- Supplies: Ping pong balls, broom, plastic cup, tape.
- Tape a plastic cup to the head of a broom. Players must bounce a ping pong ball and catch it in the cup—harder than it looks! Most in one minute wins!
- Musical Cups
- Supplies: plastic cups
- Plastic cups are placed along the edge of the table (one per player). Music is played and stopped at random intervals (like musical chairs). Players walk around the table and when the music stops they stop and flip the closest cup. Last person to flip their cup is out.
- Countdown Candy Sort
- Supplies: colored candies (m&ms, skittles…) and colored cups (one for every color of the candy)
- Players race to sort their candy in the corresponding colored cup before the timer runs out.
- Kiss the Year Goodbye
- Supplies: party horn, hershey kisses
- Line up hershey kisses on a table and then players take turns using a party horn to blow the kisses off the table. Most in one minute wins.
- Resolution Snatch
- Supplies: post it notes
- Everybody gets 3 (or however many you decide) post it notes to write new years resolutions on. They then put the post its on their back and the object of the game is to take everyone’s resolutions off their backs. Last one standing left with a post it wins.
- New Years Pop
- Supplies: balloons, string
- Players tie a balloon around their ankle. When the timer starts, everyone tries to stomp and pop each other’s balloons while protecting their own. Once your balloon pops, you’re out. The last person with an unpopped balloon wins!
Minute to Win It Supply List
Here’s a list of everything you’ll need to play all of these games! This list contains affiliate links, thanks for supporting my site!
- solo cups
- balloons
- string
- post its
- party horns
- hershey kisses
- candies (like m&ms or skittles)
- ping pong balls
- broom
- painters tape
- cotton balls
- marshmallows
- straws
- confetti
- colored cups
New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to bring everyone together for fast-paced fun, and these Minute to Win It games make it easier than ever. Whether you’re hosting a big family party, a church youth night, or a simple gathering at home, these quick and hilarious challenges guarantee lots of laughter and unforgettable memories. The best part? They use simple supplies you probably already have on hand, so anyone can join in. With these easy New Year’s Eve game ideas, you’ll keep the energy high and the countdown exciting right up to midnight. Try a few—or play them all—and kick off the new year with joy, connection, and a whole lot of fun!