10 Team Building Games to Connect your Squad

After a long break (such as a vacation or a quarantine), most teams require a tiny bit of oil to get their cogs turning at full capacity. Of course, we are talking about team buildings, the thing every group or team should do, but very few end up doing it often enough, or perhaps don’t even do it at all. We’re going to help you pull it off just right. Here are some of the best team building games in our whole shop! 

T.I.M.E. Stories

Although most people choose to leave the best for last, I’m starting with this game because I could talk about it for hours. T.I.M.E. Stories is a cooperative game for the ages that creates terrific team building experiences through a narrative game. Being narrative, you can only play through the experience once, but after that, more than nine extensions await, all with the same amount of mystery juice. If you’re part of a large team, assign smaller groups to try and finish this game and then compare your scores. It’s not only a great way to build up a rapport, it’s a great story.

Unlock!

While T.I.M.E. Stories is a revolutionary narrative experience, Unlock is a simple concept that carries pristine care. Each Unlock box contains three decks that form escape-room-like puzzles, filled with moving pieces and decisions to be made. If your team used to bond over the booming escape room business, you’ll find yourself feeling the same joy by playing Unlock.

Pandemic

Next up is an all-time classic that packs an even more powerful punch nowadays, and that is Pandemic. This legendary game of curing disease was spreading viruses before it was cool! These imaginary viruses are much easier to contain, however, as a team of talented C.D.C. officials (the players) is on the task! Boasting a great collective experience and a brutal enemy to face, Pandemic is a game that has captured the hearts of critics and players alike. And we fall in line with those views. It’s an AMAZING game.

Arkham Horror

Not as narrative as T.I.M.E. Stories, yet not as game-y as Pandemic, Arkham Horror is the perfect middle ground of the two. The concept is simple: reveal mysteries and prevent the doom brought upon by Elder Gods and their followers. The game thrives on rising tensions and scary circumstances, in which you will try to take the best course of action, then be met with terrible events. Add to that the simple fighting system that uses dice, and the tidbits of lore peppered all around makes for a phenomenal game, if only a bit difficult!

Spirit Island

This next one is different from all others. While we’d openly recommend games such as Unlock and Pandemic to all players, Spirit Island is not a game for the weak of heart. It’s a gamers’ game through and through, best played by those with experience and a sharp mind. Aside from the difficulty of it, there is nothing in Spirit Island that we don’t like. Whether it’s the vibrant art, the cooperative and competitive experience, the incredible diversity, and the epic powers, Spirit Island will leave you breathless. And there’s no doubt as to why it ranks inside the top 15 best games on numerous websites.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Board Game of English Magic

If you’d ask us to summarize “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Board Game of English Magic” in one word, that word would be theme. This game is dripping in thematic integrity, ensuring a strong link between source material and mechanics. That source material, by the way, is a great fantasy book about victorian mages! The game carries itself in the same victorian esthetic. It adds onto it with point-to-point movement and cooperative conundrums that can glue any group into a tight-knit mage armada! Get your hands on it!

878 Vikings

878 Vikings is the only competitive game that we have included in this article, and that’s for a very precise reason. 878 is a wonderful team-based game, in which you’ll either play as the berserking Vikings trying to take over England or the stalwart British soldiers. Either way, the fighting dynamics are fantastic; the team play is simple and doesn’t leave room for backseat gamers. It’s a fast-paced, dice-filled experience with brilliant themes and cute small miniatures. If you’re looking to compete face-to-face with your team, this is the best game you can buy.

Betrayal Legacy

Betrayal Legacy carries within its name one of the most controversial words of the board gaming world. Legacy games slowly evolve, requiring you to keep components sealed and only open them when instructed, thus carving out a unique experience for every group. This, in turn, makes them perfect games for small teams. Such is the case for Betrayal Legacy, in which you’ll explore a haunted house, generation by generation, claiming heirlooms and trying your best to avoid the horrific experience of The Haunt. It’ll be the best 13 game sessions of your life.

The Grizzled

Next on the docket is a game that has become my go-to in the store. It’s a game I teach to most everyone and do so with the same appreciation as I did the first time. The Grizzled is a story about a few friends making it through the war, but cute art and simple mechanics make it perfect for any players. Simply put, this game has it all: beautiful illustration, luck, strategy, cooperation, and new ways to communicate. It’s one of my all-time favorites, and the expansion makes it even better! It’s one way to connect a group of friends through hardship.

This War of Mine

We’re ending this article with another game about war, but one WAY more somber and a fair bit more complicated. This War of Mine doesn’t focus on the soldiers, but rather on the civilians of a sieged city. It is a bleak and truthful adaptation of the “This War of Mine” videogame. Like the videogame, it is brutal, heartwrenching, and sometimes unfair, but it can unite groups. The civilians you’ll control are in desperate need of your help, and you’ll be doing your best to give it, exploring and resolving narrative experiences.

With that being said, we don’t want to end on the sad note of wars. Instead, we’ll end this article by telling you that all these games will be on a 20% discount in our store and online shop in September of this year, so there’s plenty for you to be happy about!