15 Hilarious Minute to Win It Games Using Cups You’ll Love
Looking for some quick and easy games to liven up your next party or get together? Look no further than the classic “15 Minute to Win It” games using cups!
These games are perfect for injecting some friendly competition and laughter (so. much. laughter.) into any party, game night, or get-together.
With just a few simple materials like plastic cups, you can create a variety of challenges that will test your guests’ skills, coordination, and wit.
Get ready for some fast-paced fun that everyone can enjoy!
What Are Minute to Win It Games?
Minute to Win It games are a blast – they’re fast-paced, one-minute challenges that you can play with friends and family using simple, everyday objects (like cups, straws, ping pong balls). These games are perfect for:
- Birthday parties 🎂
- Game nights 🎲
- Classroom parties
- Work events 💼
- Team-building exercises 🤝
The rules are easy: complete the task within a minute, and you win!
Minute to Win It is a surefire way to get everyone laughing, bonding, and having a great time.
Minute to Win It Games With Cups: Simple Supplies, Endless Fun
Cup games are a blast because they’re super simple but still get everyone laughing.
Whether you’re tossing marshmallows or building cup pyramids, all you need are some everyday items and you’re set for a great time.
Let’s check out what each game needs and what you’re supposed to do.
| Game Name | Supplies Needed |
|---|---|
| Marshmallow Toss | 30 marshmallows, 1 cup per pair |
| Cup Pyramid | 20 plastic cups per player |
| Cup Balanced | 1 plastic cup per player |
| Cup Shuffle | 20 cups in different colors per player |
| Cup Maze | 5 cups, 1 straw and 1 cupcake paper per player |
| Marshmallow Race | Marshmallows, 1 cup, tape, 1 straw per player |
| Cup Ping Pong | 6 cups, 1 ping pong ball per player |
| Cup Tango | 20 cups per player |
| Cup Catch | 10 cups per pair of players |
| Cup Scramble | 40 colored cups per player |
| Elephant March | Pantyhose, tennis balls, 12 cups |
| Air Hockey | 1 paper cup, 3 ping pong balls per player |
| Cup Flip Race | 2 cups, a long table |
| Mad Dog | Ruler, 2 cups, macaroni or rice |
| Toilet Paper Game | Toilet paper roll, 1 cup with water |
1. Marshmallow Toss
Toss marshmallows into your partner’s cup from a distance. Easy, right? Yo
Materials: Marshmallows (at least 30 per pair) and cups (1 cup per pair).
How to Play: Stand 5 feet apart with one person holding the cup and the other with a handful of marshmallows. Toss marshmallows at your partner and try to catch as many as you can in the cup. It’s all about aim and a bit of luck.
2. Cup Pyramid (Variation of Stack Attack)
Players have to build a pyramid using cups, but this time, they can only use one hand to stack the cups.
Materials Needed: Plastic cups (at least 20 per player)
How to Play: Set a timer for one minute. Players build a pyramid using the cups, but they can only use one hand to pick up and stack the cups. The player with the tallest, most stable pyramid at the end of the minute wins.
Is “Dude, how many ping pong balls did I get in the cup?” bringing your game nights down?
Grab the FREE Mad Minute Scoring Sidekick, so you can record every bounce, stack, and twirl of gameplay. No need to scribble out tallies on spare napkins and then night unable to read your own handwriting. Plus, you get to join my nifty newsletter of fun party tips and tricks.
3. Cup Balance
Test your balancing skills in this challenging game! Players tilt a cup onto their foreheads and keep it balanced for as long as possible.
Materials Needed: Plastic cups (one per player)
How to Play: Set a timer for one minute. Players balance a cup on their forehead and keep it balanced there without using their hands.
The player who can keep the cup balanced for the longest time wins. If it’s a tie, start adding challenges like: stand on one foot, touch your nose with one hand, etc. You know, get creative.
4. Cup Shuffle
In this game, players quickly rearrange a set of cups into a specific pattern or order.
Materials Needed: Plastic cups (at least 20 per player in different colors), a predetermined pattern or order
How to Play: Set a timer for one minute. Players rearrange the cups into the predetermined pattern or order as quickly as possible. The first player to correctly arrange the cups wins.
Create a themed playlist to pump up the energy. Choose songs that match the frantic pace of the games, like “Eye of the Tiger” or “Gonna Fly Now.” Believe me when I say, there’s nothing quite like frantically stacking cups while humming along to Rocky’s training montage.
5. Cup Maze
Use a straw to blow a cupcake paper through a maze of cups without sending it off the table. It’s like herding a tiny paper sheep through a cup corral.
Materials: Cups (5 per player), 1 straw per player, and 1 cupcake paper per player, a flat surface to play the game
Setup: Place 5 cups in a row on the table to create your maze.
Gameplay: Place 5 cups in a row on the table to create your maze. With a straw, you’ve got to puff your way to victory, blowing the cupcake paper in a zig-zag through the cup maze, trying not to let it fall off the table. If it falls off the table, you have to go back to the beginning and try again. Yikes!
6. Take a Knee
Put a cup on your head upside down and balance a ball on it. Then, go from standing up to one knee on the ground without dropping the ball.
Materials: A cup, a ping pong ball or a nerf ball, and your best “I’m-so-focused” face.
Gameplay: Stand up straight. Cup goes on your head, ball goes on the cup. Once the timer starts, Move slooowly from standing to kneeling.
If you want to make it easier, forget about the ball. And then just count the number of times a player can move from standing to kneeling in one minute. The player with the top number wins!
Ever had a game night where the only thing organized was the chaos? Same.
This Facebook group is like that one drawer full of random stuff in your kitchen; it’s a bit of everything and somehow EXACTLY what you need. Dive into the treasure trove of laughs, printable games and tips for moms who wish “winging it with style” was a recognized party planning strategy.
7. Cup Ping Pong
In this game, players bounce a ping pong ball into a cup using only their hands.
Materials Needed: Plastic cups (6 per player), ping pong balls (one per player), a flat surface
How to Play: Set a timer for one minute. Players bounce the ping pong ball into the cup using only their hands, without letting the ball touch the ground. The player who successfully bounces the ball into the cups the most times within the time limit wins.
8. Cup Tango
Similar to Cup Stack, but with a twist! Players build a tower (just stacking cups directly on top of each other) using cups, but this time, they can only use one hand and alternate between stacking and unstacking the cups.
Materials Needed: Plastic cups (at least 20 per player)
How to Play: Set a timer for one minute. Players build a tower using the cups, but they can only use one hand (non dominate to make it harder!) and alternate between stacking and unstacking the cups.
For every two cups that they stack, they have to unstack one cup. The player with the tallest, most stable tower at the end of the minute wins.
Wanna spice things up? Introduce “Power-Ups”: Give players the chance to earn “power-ups” throughout the night, like an extra 10 seconds on the clock, a redo attempt, or the ability to make another player do a silly dance. They can gain these by answering trivia questions, completing mini-challenges, or even by random lottery.
9. Cup Catch
Test your reflexes in this fast-paced game! Players have to catch cups as they are tossed to them by another player. The twist? They have to catch the cups in another cup!
Materials Needed: Plastic cups (at least 10 per pair of players)
How to Play: Set a timer for one minute. Players form pairs, with one player tossing cups to the other player, who has to catch them. Players should be about 10 feet from each other. The pair who catches the most cups within the time limit wins.
10. Cup Scramble
In this game, players have to quickly sort a jumbled pile of cups into different colors or patterns.
Materials Needed: Plastic cups of different colors (at least 40 per player), a predetermined sorting pattern
How to Play: Set a timer for one minute. Players sort the jumbled pile of cups into the predetermined pattern or color order as quickly as possible. The first player to correctly sort the cups wins.
11. Elephant March
Swing a tennis ball in pantyhose with your head to knock over cups—think of it as using your noggin as a wrecking ball.
Materials: Pantyhose, tennis balls, and 12 plastic cups.
Gameplay: Pop a tennis ball in each leg of the pantyhose, wear it like a hat, and line up 12 cups on the floor. Whip your head back and forth to swing the balls and knock over all 12 cups as fast as you can. First to clear the floor wins!
“The Elephant March is definitely one of my favorites! Something about that pantyhose hat and whipping my head back and forth is just hilarious to me.” – Aquita, Fun Party Tips
12. Air Hockey
Use your cup to defend your side and score points by sliding a ping pong ball off your opponent’s edge of the table. Think of it as table hockey but with a cup and ball.
Materials: Paper cups (1 per player), 3 ping pong balls, a flat surface
Gameplay: Stand on opposite ends of the table, cups in hand, and place the ping pong ball in the middle.
Gameplay: Hit the ball back and forth trying to slip it past your opponent’s defenses and off the table on their side. You’ve got a minute to score as many points as possible.
13. Cup Flip Race
The goal is to flip a cup from rim to base and move it down the table, switching hands each time you flip.
Materials: Just two cups and a long table.
Gameplay: Each player starts at one end of the table with a cup sitting upright. Use one hand to flip the cup onto its rim, and then flip it back to its base. After each successful flip, scoot it a little further down the table, then switch hands and do it again. The first person to reach the other end wins.
14. Mad Dog
Get all the macaroni out of two cups on a ruler just by shaking your head.
Materials: A ruler, 2 paper cups (3 or 5oz cups work best), and a cup or two of macaroni or rice.
Setup: Tape or glue a cup to each end of a ruler, then fill ‘em up with your macaroni or rice.
Gameplay: Bite down on that ruler and shake your head like you’re saying “no” to a double helping of grandma’s fruitcake. The goal? Get those cups as empty as possible, one wild head shake at a time. You’ve got a minute. Make it count
Add sound effects: Bring your games to life by assigning funny sound effects to each challenge. Use a buzzer for failures, a triumphant fanfare for victories, or even a cartoon “boing” for bouncing marshmallows. It’ll feel like you’re on a real game show set.
15. Edward Cup Hands
Put a cup on each hand like you’re Edward Scissorhands, but with cups! Then stack four dice on top of each other within 30 seconds using your “cup hands”.
Materials: Two cups and four dice
Gameplay: Cups on hands—check. Dice ready—check. Timer set—check. Stack those dice as best you can WITHOUT knocking them over. The person with the most dice stacked win!
Is “Dude, how many ping pong balls did I get in the cup?” bringing your game nights down?
Grab the FREE Mad Minute Scoring Sidekick, so you can record every bounce, stack, and twirl of gameplay. No need to scribble out tallies on spare napkins and then night unable to read your own handwriting. Plus, you get to join my nifty newsletter of fun party tips and tricks.
How Is Minute to Win It Played?
There’s basically 3 main styles that’re used to play Minute to Win It Games. Choose the style that best fits your group size and dynamic, and let the games begin.
- Beat the Clock: Players race against a 1-minute timer to complete challenges. Rotate players for each game or let one player continue until they lose. For larger groups, have everyone play at the same time.
- Head to Head: Two players compete against each other in each challenge. Perfect for smaller groups, rotating players as needed.
- Team Showdown: Divide into teams, each choosing a player to represent them in head-to-head challenges. Builds teamwork and adds intense competition.
Tips for Hosting a Successful Minute to Win It Cup Games Event
Alrighty, if you’re planning a ‘Minute to Win It’ party with cup games, here’s the lowdown to make it awesome:
- Set the Stage: Pick a spot where everyone’s gonna play. Use tape or cones to show the play area so everybody knows where the action is.
- Play Nice: We’re all here to have a blast, so no cheating or pranks that could spoil the fun.
- Prizes for the Champs: Uh, yes, please! Who doesn’t get pumped about winning something cool? Have some small prizes on hand to give your games a little extra sizzle.
- Cheer Each Other On: It’s all about the laughs and the cheers, so keep things light and remind everyone it’s just a game. Winning’s cool, but the real win is everyone enjoying themselves.
Want More?
If you want some more awesome games to enjoy, check out my guide 101 Epic Party Game Ideas for All Ages (Easy & Fun). You’ll definitely find more fun, hilarious games to liven up your game night and get-togethers there.