11 Actually-Fun Retrospective Games for Teams in 2026

It’s important to look back and even run official agile retrospectives, so we can learn and improve. But these meetings don’t have to be deadly. Here are games that do double-duty—get your retro data and have some much-needed team enjoyment/ building time. 

‍

1. Ready-to-Play, Interactive Retrospective Game

Here's a ready-made retrospective game you can plug and play with your team / scrum / group. It's got all the important things -- what we did, how it went, how we can imrpove -- all packaged in an interactive presentation. You and your group can join in, send responses (and you can export real data too, if you want). Have fun!

‍

2. Sailboat

In this retro game, you imagine your project as a boat sailing toward an island (the goal), e.g., product launch, sprint objectives, or milestone. As a team, you map out the forces driving you forward and the obstacles holding you back.

• Wind in the sails: Things pushing you forward (e.g., strong teamwork, supportive stakeholders, good tools).
• Anchors: Things slowing you down (e.g., unclear requirements, too many urgent changes, communication gaps).
• Rocks in the water: Risks or obstacles that could sink the boat (e.g., missed deadlines, dependencies, bugs).

Check out this Sailboat visual template for dev teams.

‍

3. Well, Not So Well, New Ideas

In this team retro game, you split a board or canvas into three sections: Well, Not So Well, and New Ideas. 

Everyone adds notes to each area. What went well and should be repeated, what didn’t go so well and needs improvement, and new ideas the team could try next time. 

It’s a straightforward way to spark honest conversations and turn feedback into action items. If you’re working remotely, this game is perfect for teams getting used to retrospectives.

‍

4. Team Celebration Awards

Team awards are a lighthearted retrospective activity where the team creates fun award categories and recognizes each other’s contributions. 

These can be serious, like “Best Problem-Solver” or “Most Helpful Teammate”, or playful, like “Bug Smasher,” “Meeting MVP,” or “Creative Thinker”.

We find this team celebration award ceremony template very easy to use.  

‍

5. The Weather Report

The weather report is one of the simplest yet most effective agile games for retrospective sessions. In this activity, each team member describes a project or sprint as a type of weather. 

For example, sunny if everything went smoothly, cloudy if there were some challenges, or stormy if the sprint was rough. 

Since weather is a neutral metaphor, it feels easier and safer to share honestly without being too direct or negative, especially for remote settings.

‍

6. Dot Voting

Dot voting is a simple decision-making technique for agile teams. Each team member gets a set number of stickers, markers, or "dots" to place on the options, ideas, or issues they think are most important.

The items with the most dots at the end are prioritized for discussion or action.

‍

7. Heroes, Villains, and Magic Powers

This game uses storytelling to help Scrum teams reflect on their sprint. Team members identify the “heroes” (practices, people, or tools that supported success), the “villains” (challenges or blockers that caused problems), and the “magic powers” (skills or resources they wish they had).

Some facilitators might go playful (like drawing superheroes or assigning symbolic roles), but the main goal is safe, constructive reflection for scrum teams. 

‍

8. Lean Coffee

Lean Coffee is an agenda-less retrospective game where participants build the discussion topics together. Each person suggests issues or ideas on sticky notes, and then the group votes on which ones to discuss first. 

Topics are addressed in priority order with timeboxes, keeping the conversation focused and democratic.

‍

9. Jeopardy-Inspired Game

The Jeopardy-inspired retro game is a fun, quiz-style team activity based on the classic Jeopardy! game show. 

Teams pick questions from different categories and difficulty levels, answer them together, and discuss what they reveal about how the team works.

You can customize the topics to fit your team. Try out this online game here. 

‍

10. Energy Check

It’s easy to miss signals of burnout or disengagement when you’re focused on delivery. Energy check is when employees rate their energy levels (low, medium, or high) before or after team meetings or project completion. 

A simple check-in is one of the best icebreakers for team building. They also help you spot patterns that affect velocity and team morale.

‍

11. The Thieves of Time

Another fun retrospective game is The Thieves of Time, which helps teams figure out where all their time is going.

‍

‍

It gets everyone talking about wasted effort, distractions, or delays, and helps the team come up with ways to protect their time better. 

‍