This or That is a simple, fast A/B choice icebreaker where people quickly pick between two options, show their preference, and let small everyday disagreements start conversation.
This or That is one of the fastest icebreaker games to start. The host gives two options, and everyone has to choose one quickly: cats or dogs, iPhone or Android, remote work or office, early morning or late night, pineapple pizza should exist or should not exist.
The point is not to be right. The point is to help people express a preference quickly and let light questions create movement, laughter, and small safe disagreements.
Participants do not need to invent an answer, tell a story, or be especially funny. A simple A/B choice is enough to get the room reacting.
It is especially useful when a room is quiet and you want people to react immediately without putting anyone on the spot.
6-20 people works well for small teams, 20-50 works well for trainings, and 50+ works well for large events because the “sides” become very visible.
It works online and offline. The larger the group, the more obvious the preference split becomes, which makes the room feel more alive.
5-10 minutes is the most common range. Five questions is enough for a fast opener; 8-10 questions works for a standard version.
If you add short 30-second explanations after a few questions, the game can stretch closer to 15 minutes.
This is often the strongest in-person version. Put Option A on the left side of the room and Option B on the right.
Everyone has to move to the side they choose. The movement makes the game more energetic, and people can immediately see who is on their side.
Use the line “No middle today; you have to pick a side” when the room needs more playful energy.
Use this after the group has warmed up a little. Ask a lightly debatable question, let people choose sides, then invite one person from each side to defend the choice for 30 seconds.
For pineapple pizza, one person might say it is the art of sweet and salty balance, while the other says fruit should never touch pizza.
Keep the defense short. Thirty seconds is best, and one minute is the absolute maximum.
The host asks questions in sequence. If a participant chooses the minority option, they are out or temporarily sit down.
The last person standing becomes the “majority-pick champion” or the person who best guessed the room.
This version adds competition, so it works best with groups that are already lively. People who are out can still cheer, comment, or predict the next split.
Prepare 6-8 A/B questions and run them through Zoom Poll, Google Forms, Mentimeter, Slido, Kahoot, or your meeting platform’s poll tool.
Show the result after each question. Close splits and landslide results are the easiest ones to react to.
The key online is visualizing the result. A 50/50 split or an 80/20 landslide immediately gives people something to talk about.
Avoid politics, religion, gender, race, identity, money, health, family status, appearance, real value conflicts, and sensitive company issues.
This or That should be a light game, not a values test.
Choosing is low-pressure; explaining can feel higher-pressure. Invite volunteers only.
If only one or two people choose an option, do not make them feel weird. Say: “Small side, strong conviction” or invite a volunteer gently.
Warm up with simple choices first, then use more playful debate prompts.
The strength of This or That is speed. If every question becomes a three-minute conversation, the game loses momentum.
Choose only one or two of the most interesting prompts for deeper discussion.
A warm-up question should be instantly understandable. If people need to analyze career philosophy or values, it is too heavy for this game.
Questions like “Do you value long-term stability or short-term growth more?” are too serious for a quick warm-up.
The best prompts are lightly debatable. They create a smile without making the room defensive.
Do not use politics, religion, identity, income, family status, appearance, health, or real company tensions.
A little harmless disagreement creates laughter. Real conflict creates tension.
A quick version can use five questions. A discussion version can use six questions and let each side defend one or two choices for 30 seconds.
The host’s job is to control the pace, not explain too much.
Use a rhythm like: “First question: cats or dogs? Three, two, one, choose. Looks like dogs have the room. Any cat person want one sentence back? Great. Next question.”
Hands are fine, but movement or live poll results make the game feel more alive.
You can joke about the options, but do not imply that one side is smarter, better, or more normal.
If a topic starts to feel too serious, smile, reset, and choose something lighter.
You can open with: “We’ll spend five minutes on a quick This or That game. I’ll give two options, and you have to choose fast. No standing in the middle. Left side is the first option, right side is the second option. There is no right answer; we’re just seeing people’s preferences.”
First question: “Cats vs. dogs?” After people move, the host might say: “Looks like dogs have the room. Cat people look unconvinced. Anyone want one sentence for why cats are better?”
Then move through: “Remote work vs. office work?” “Early morning vs. late night?” “Pineapple pizza should exist vs. should not exist?”
If one question gets strong reactions, let each side send one person to defend the choice for 30 seconds.
Close with: “Great. Now we know who is team cat, who is team dog, and who is ready to fight for pineapple pizza. Let’s move into today’s session.”
Do not give too much thinking time. Use “3, 2, 1, choose” so people answer by instinct.
Neutral answers reduce the energy. For playful questions, make people choose a side.
The smaller side often creates the funniest defense, as long as you invite them lightly.
Ask people to find someone who chose the same side and chat for 30 seconds.
Many people dislike traditional icebreakers because they do not want to be forced to tell an interesting story. This or That removes that burden.
People do not need to prepare, perform, reveal private information, or invent a clever answer. They only need to choose between two options.
Those small choices quickly create common ground and light disagreement: “You like cats too?” “You hate morning meetings too?” “You are against pineapple pizza too?” That is often enough to make the room feel less unfamiliar.
The rules are extremely simple.
It requires almost no preparation.
It works for most groups.
The pace is fast.
The tone stays light.
It easily creates laughter.
It works online and in person.
It is friendly to quieter participants.
Participants do not need to create complex content.
This or That is not a deep getting-to-know-you game. It is a fast warm-up game.
Break silence quickly at the start of a session.
Lower speaking pressure because people only need to choose A or B.
Create small, funny disagreements that make people more comfortable talking.
Help a group notice quick commonalities without requiring personal stories.
Two Truths and a Lie is the classic guessing icebreaker where each person shares two true statements and one lie, with facilitation that keeps the activity light instead of performative.
Two Truths and a Lie: Low-Pressure Group Vote is a team-friendly version of the classic format that keeps the guessing but shifts the pressure from one person to the whole group.
Sell Me This Object is a high-energy improv icebreaker where participants grab an ordinary nearby item and pitch it as if it were a wildly useful product.
Scenario
Meeting Starters, Training Openers, Remote Teams, Onboarding, New Teams, Classroom, Corporate Team Building, Party Games, Community Events, Event Social Mixers
Audience
Adults, Teens, Strangers, Introverts
Place
Indoor, Virtual
Style
Funny, Low Pressure
Time
0-10 Mins
Group Size
6 - 100 People
Prep
None
Did You Know?
This or That works best when the choices are safe but just debatable enough to make people smile.