You found our list of fun online team building games for remote employees.
Online team building games are any games that you play online to help foster collaboration and team spirit with employees. Examples include Skribbl, Can You Hear Me Now, and Virtual Charades. These activities are also known as "team building remote games," and "online games for teams." The games are also occasionally called "teamwork online games."
These games are similar to virtual team building activities, virtual team games, and virtual group activities. These games are effective for remote team engagement, virtual training, and virtual team events.
This list includes:
In categories like:
So, check out the list!
Here are fun remote games that inspire laughter, spark creativity, and help teams build rapport by having a good time together.
Online Team Building Bingo is a game that gets virtual teammates talking and learning more about each other. Instead of numbers, these cards have descriptions and fun facts.Â
To get a Bingo, players must get five squares in a row by finding teammates who fit those descriptions.
The game helps teammates learn fun and interesting information about each other that might not otherwise come up at work.
Here is an Online Team Building Bingo board you can start with:
To play Online Team Building Bingo:
Big groups of 20+ can split into teams and play in breakout rooms, and small groups can stay in the main video conference room and play altogether.
Pro tip: Amazon gift cards and bragging rights are usually sufficient prizes for successful team building online.
Learn more about Online Team Building Bingo and icebreaker Bingo.
Online Offices Games is a series of fun games and challenges for remote teams led by a world-class host. For example, speedy trivia, lightning scavenger hunts, and a communication game called "Can You Hear Me Now." The challenges are specifically designed for remote teams to build connections and develop the essential skills for working from home, such as the ability to give clear and concise directions on a video call.
Key features of this experience include:
To date, we have run this experience with over 150,000+ participants, with an average rating of 4.95/5.0 on 8,485+ reviews.Â
Learn more about Online Office Games.
"Can You Hear Me Now" is one of the most popular games we play as part of Online Office Games. You can play this game 100% online and as part of a virtual conference call.
To play, name one person as the Describer and the other players as Artists. The Describer must explain to the Artists how to draw an item like a sunflower, kite, or calculator using only geometric terms.
For example, if drawing the letter E you could say, "draw one vertical line, now draw a line from the top to the right, then one from the bottom to the right, then one from the middle to the right."
Each round can go for as long as you like, though three minutes is usually enough time. At the end of each round, the Describer gets one point for each Artist who guesses the object correctly. Each Artist who guesses correctly also gets one point. Finally, tally up points and award cool prizes to the winner.
Learn more about "Can You Hear Me Now?".
One of our most popular online team building games is Murder in Ancient Egypt. This game uses the mechanics of escape rooms, puzzles, and problem-solving to encourage your team to work together.Â
This murder mystery also has an interesting twist. The crime is actually a real mystery from ancient Egypt, and after your teams make their guess, our master storyteller will share the big reveal.
Here is what you can expect from this thrilling team experience:
The event is fun, challenging, and perfect for groups that want to work both collaboratively and competitively.
If you have any doubts that this Murder in Ancient Egypt is one of the best online team games for work, then check out all the happy reviews from teams at companies like Hubspot, Reddit, and Pepsi.
Learn more about Murder in Ancient Egypt.
You can also check out more online murder mystery games.
Jackbox Games is a collection of online team building games for parties. The game options include trivia, murder mysteries, word games, and other fun challenges. The platform has 60+ games total, which you can buy individually or as part of party packs.
Here is how to play Jackbox Games with remote teams:
Other people can also join as audience members, like team members who need to leave the meeting early or even your team's family and friends.
Learn more about Jackbox Games.
Werewolf is one of the best remote team building games, since it is primarily a speaking game and involves lots of strategy.
To play, nominate a narrator and randomly assign these roles:
Assign roles via private message or email in advance. For five players, assign 1 werewolf, 1 medic, and 3 villagers. For every additional five players, add 1 werewolf, 1 special role, and 3 villagers. Adjust ratios as needed.
To begin, the narrator announces, "Night has fallen," and all players turn off their webcams. The narrator then says, "Werewolves wake up," and the werewolves choose a victim. The narrator puts the werewolves to sleep and has the medic and seer wake up in sequence. The medic saves one player, and the seer asks whether a specific player is a werewolf, to which the narrator answers "yes," or "no." All of these actions happen in private direct messages between the narrator and those players.
Once all special roles act, the narrator says, "The sun is coming up," revealing either a victim or no death if the medic saved the right player. All players debate who the werewolf might be, then vote to eliminate someone or pass. Eliminated players become friendly ghosts, watching silently until the end.
Repeat until only werewolves or villagers remain.
Learn more about how to play Werewolf. You can also use this Werewolf Zoom app to play the game.
In this virtual escape room, your team will work together and race against time to break free from a strangely suspicious corporation.Â
The story follows a similar plot to a certain sci-fi TV series about work. Team members are part of a company that splits its employees' consciousness into "at work selves" and "outside of work selves."Â
Players will use breakout rooms to interact with characters, play games, and solve puzzles that will help them find a way out of the eerie office.
Solverance includes all the ingredients for an unforgettable team building game:
With surprises, twists, and expert facilitators leading the way, this hands-on experience tests teamwork and problem-solving skills.Â
Whether your coworkers love the show that inspired the game or just enjoy escape rooms, they will have fun solving clues, unraveling the story, and racing against time together.
Learn more about Solverance.
In a Caption Contest, teammates come up with hilarious taglines for a random picture. The game aims to show off virtual team members' unique senses of humor.
You can play throughout the day in a group chat, or play the game during a video call.
To do the game online:
This game works because it taps into how teams actually communicate. Remote work thrives on Slack threads, GIF reactions, and fast-moving conversations. Besides being funny, a great caption gives a glimpse into how teammates think. Funny captions help coworkers connect, just like a good inside joke.
Yellow Submarine is a game where remote team members try to sneak an object onscreen during a video call without their coworkers noticing.
The activity calls for creativity, stealth, and sharp observation skills.
Here is how to play:
The game mechanics work because the incentive is for each player to show their submarine as many times as they can. If you wait it out, then you may be one of the last players in the game, but you will also need to catch up on points.
These virtual games are simple to explain, need zero prep, and deliver maximum fun, making them enjoyable for everyone on the team.
Something in Common is an icebreaker game that works well on video conference calls.Â
Here is how to play the game online:
The goal is to make the game increasingly difficult and encourage your remote team to dive deep into what they may have in common.
Check out our list of icebreaker games for large groups for more ideas.
Virtual Charades is familiar, fun, and easy to play online. The game is also a great way for teammates to practice reading body language on Zoom.Â
Here is a random charades word generator you can use for your game:
To play charades during a video call:
Rinse and repeat until you are all out of fun.
You do not need a pub to play online trivia, and beer and peanuts are also optional. This game is playable with at least two teams, a series of trivia questions, and positive attitudes.
Players will need a way to discuss trivia questions and answers. We recommend sending teams to virtual breakout rooms with five questions at a time in rounds that last five to ten minutes. Then, teams will return to the main room and the host will reveal the answers.
Teams can submit their answers via a Typeform or Google Form and the host can keep score, or teams can grade themselves on the honor system.
Pro tip: You do not have to limit the game to text-only questions. Since you are playing online, feel free to incorporate video, audio, and picture clues to keep the game lively.
Here are more instructions on how to play virtual happy hour trivia, and a list of team trivia questions.
Truth or Dare: Remote Work Edition is a safe for work version of the popular game that is optimized for team building online.
Here is a tool to generate random truth prompts:
And this one creates random dares:
To play the game on a video call, a host will call on the first player and have them pick truth or dare. That player will pick a challenge with the corresponding generator, answer or act, and then choose another teammate to go next.Â
You could also play Blackout Truth or Dare, where the host poses a prompt to the whole group. Teammates who do not mind doing the dare or answering the question will keep their webcams on, while others will shut off their video. The host will then call on one of the folks with their video on to complete the task.
Here is a list with more question games.
Sometimes, the best team moments come from being totally, hilariously wrong. Best Wrong Answer embraces this energy.
The host asks an easy question, like "What do you use an umbrella for?" or "What color is the sky?" and players compete to give the funniest, most ridiculous incorrect answer in the chat.
For example, the winning wrong answer to "Whatâs the best way to cook pasta?" might be, "Put it in the toaster and hope for the best."
This game gives teams a chance to let loose and be creatively ridiculous together. It also subtly breaks the stigma around not knowing an answer. Sometimes remote workers feel hesitant to ask each other questions for fear of looking silly. This funny Q&A can break the ice and help teammates feel more confident asking important questions.
When you work from home, taking care of your health and fitness is especially important. You can do squats and eat well, and also make sure you drink enough water.
Water Shots is a game meant to help your team stay hydrated. To play the game, you first choose a trigger, which could be "every time a pet comes on screen in a video call" or "any time someone says mute." When the trigger happens during a call, all participants must drink a shot of water, which could be a literal shot or a sip.
Virtual team building games that promote healthy habits are a great way to support company culture and remote team wellbeing.
Here are 5-minute online games to play with coworkers. These games are the ideal length to fit into short breaks or meetings and spark instant connection without taking up too much time.
In the real world, we run scavenger hunts at some of the coolest locations in the US: like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The High Line in NYC.Â
We also run fun virtual scavenger hunts that get remote teammates up and moving during online meetings and events. We call these exercises Lightning Scavenger Hunts.
To play this game, fire off a rapid series of clues that have your team members dashing to find objects, solve clues, and win points. For example, you could have players grab their favorite mug and award points to the best mug story.
Lightning Scavenger Hunts are fast-paced and get remote employees moving, making them one of the best online team games for work.
Here are more ideas for lightning scavenger hunts and virtual scavenger hunt templates.
Chair Up! is a fun and easy energizer for virtual teams.
You can play the game by email, messenger, or conference call. The activity aims to counter the blahs that can happen when working alone on a screen all day.
Whenever any team member calls out, "Chair up!", everyone who gets the message must stand up and do something cheerful. For example, you could do yoga sun salutations, clap your hands, laugh, or have a small dance party.
When played asynchronously, Chair Up! is a good mood booster. However, when teams are on a video call, the exercise can become a fun game.Â
The last player to stand up will have to complete an extra task, like sharing a funny joke or story or giving a genuine compliment to a coworker. Participants can also earn points for being the first person up or having a particularly joyful response.
Here are more high-energy games for video conference calls.
Ten Strikes is a fun icebreaker game for groups. This exercise is a good way to get to know new team members or to build deeper relationships with longtime coworkers.
Here is how to play:
The strategy in Ten Strikes is to share facts about yourself that are unique enough that other players will not be able to say it is true of them and will have to put their fingers down.
Tip: You can also play Five Strikes or Twenty Strikes. Generally, the more fingers and toes you start with, the longer the game will go.
This game is similar to Never Have I Ever questions.
Pictionary is a fun game where some players draw while other players guess what the drawing could be. This game is one of the many office games online for teams that includes elements of improv, creative thinking, and competition.
Here is how to play the game with online teams:
You can play Pictionary over Zoom, Webex, and other virtual conference call platforms. You can also mix up the game and rules by varying the number of clues each person draws and drawing verbs instead of nouns.
Here are online Pictionary games.
One of my favorite fun online team games for work is a Typing Speed Race. For this friendly competition you can use a free tool like typingtest.com and have each of your team members do a one-minute challenge. Then, each teammate posts their test results to Slack, email, or your chat tool of choice.
The Typing Speed Race is a great way to encourage friendly competition with remote teams. You can make the experience more collaborative by doing a Typing Speed Relay. Simply split into teams and add up each person's score to get the team's total.
With the Typing Speed Race, everyone wins because typing quickly is an important skill for remote work.
In Tabloid Headlines, each teammate writes a ridiculous, over-the-top news headline about their own work life.
Examples include "Remote Worker Discovers New Time Zone, Accidentally Attends 3 AM Meeting" or "Employee Finally Clears Inbox, Immediately Gets 47 More Emails."
Once all team members submit their headline, the team votes on the most dramatic, relatable, or laugh-out-loud funny one. The point of the game is to think of the funniest headline possible. The exercise also helps remote teammates relate to each other by revealing the everyday work tasks or struggles that go unseen in online offices.
Plus, this game gives teammates a fun way to showcase their personalities, sense of humor, and unique work experiences.
Sudoku is a number puzzle that is similar to a crossword puzzle. You can play a version of the puzzle for online team building called Sudoku Throw-down.
Brainteasers are perfect for remote teams because they let members take a break from work while still keeping their minds active.
Here is how the game works:
For Sudoku Throw-down, you can up the competitive spirit by including prizes for the top three finishers. I recommend nerd-friendly prizes like more Sudoku puzzles, science kits, and whiteboards.
You can also make the game collaborative and allow players to form teams and help each other solve the Sudoku.
Here are more problem solving games.
Here are games that work well for small remote teams of 20 players or fewer. These games often rely on small group discussion or taking turns.
Online Escape Rooms are virtual puzzles where teams work together to find clues, solve riddles, and "escape" before time runs out. Each game aims to strengthen problem-solving skills, collaboration, and communication.Â
Remote teams can either book a facilitated virtual escape room or play a free version together. The free rooms are often a series of questions or riddles on a form, while hosted games might include graphics and more interactive games.
This activity is ideal for small remote teams because with fewer players, everyone gets a chance to participate.
Here is a list of free online escape rooms.
âSkribbl.io is a free online multiplayer drawing and guessing game. Players take turns drawing words while other players attempt to guess the drawings in real-time. The game is like Pictionary, but players can use colors, and there are blank spaces for letters to help teams guess the word. There is also a chat box where teammates can submit answers. When a player guesses the word correctly, the chat shows they got it right but does not reveal the word, so other players can keep guessing.
You can invite up to 20 players into a private room.
When looking for free online games for virtual teams, leaders want games that are easy to play, collaborative, and fun. Skribbl fulfills all of those requirements.
Check out Skribbl.
The Desert Island Survival Game is a team building game where players pretend they are stranded on a deserted island and have to choose a few items to help them survive.
Here is how to play:
Example items:
To play the game online, you can send teams to breakout rooms to discuss the rankings, or vote via polls in the main room. You can also play on Slack or group chats and have team members reply with their lists.
The game centers around decision-making and discussion, and so works better in small teams.
â"What Did I Just Say?" is a fun and challenging game where one teammate says a tongue twister and another player has to repeat it word-for-word.
To play the game:
This game challenges players to listen closely while teammates speak in virtual meetings.
Since only a few team members can play each round, this game works best with groups of 12 or fewer, so players do not get bored waiting for their turn.
âBackwards Storytelling is a fun game where you start with an ending and work backward to figure out the rest of the story.Â
For example, the game might start with, "And that's how we lost all our company pens."
Each team member can contribute only one sentence. So, if your team only has ten members, then you must make a coherent story in exactly ten lines.
Teammates will race to type the next line in the chat, but only the fastest answers will become part of the story. Players will try not to be the last two to contribute because picking opening lines that fit the story can be tricky.
For groups of 10 to 20, you can split into teams in breakout rooms, compare stories, and pick the one that makes the most sense as the winner.
Here are work from home games for large teams of 20+ players. These games often involve players answering simultaneously or splitting up to complete tasks that are part of a larger challenge.
This activity is a fun debate game where teams decide if popular trends or topics are overhyped.
The game is easy to set up for bigger groups because the host can use a single poll for the entire game, with the same two options: overrated or underrated?
The host will read out a series of prompts, or participants can take turns suggesting topics.
For example:
After the host reveals the survey results, attendees who disagree with the popular opinion can defend their choice and try to sway the votes.
This game is great for sparking lively discussion and quickly loosening up online groups.
The Virtual Amazing Race is an exciting, fast-paced activity where teams race against each other to complete fun virtual challenges. Teams work together to solve puzzles, tackle tasks, and show creativity, all while embracing teamwork and friendly competition. The game is great for large groups because it encourages teamwork and keeps everyone engaged with different challenges, no matter their skills.
Learn more about doing a Virtual Amazing Race.
Slides With Friends is a platform that lets users create interactive presentations to get more participation in large or remote groups. Besides tools for making slideshows, the site also has ready-to-play slide deck games like puzzles, word clouds, and controversial questions.
You can customize these activities for your teams or create your own games. Games can accommodate groups of 3 to 500 players.
To play the games remotely, you can start a Zoom call and share your screen with colleagues. For interactive slides, participants can scan a QR code with their phones to join in on the fun. Then, players will be able to send in responses, photos, and sound reactions.
You can split the group into teams and score accordingly.
The games are free for up to 10 players, and costs $96+ per year for plans of 50+ users.
Learn more about Slides with Friends and check out more presentation games.
This game is a creativity challenge where players invent meanings for nonsense acronyms.
How to play:
Every player must give at least one meaning for the acronym. The more players participate, the more hilarious suggestions you will get. The activity creates funny moments and inside jokes that bring teams closer together.
In this game, teams must come up with 100 different ways to describe a simple concept like âsnow,â âmoney,â "happiness," or âlove.â The challenge is to keep going without repeating words, and to reach 100 words before other teams.
How to play the game:
This game works well for large groups because teams will reach the 100 mark faster when there are many players contributing. But bigger groups also mean more chances for repeated answers, which makes the game tricky.
Playing fun team games online is a great way to strengthen team dynamics and create meaningful relationships with coworkers while working from home.
With online team building, the most important element is that you dedicate some time to games because all work and no play makes for a pretty dull time.
You can play the online team building games on this list, create your own, or check out other resources for more ideas. Be sure to check out our lists of online group games, Zoom team building games, and free virtual team building games and activities too.
We also have lists of fun games to play on Zoom, Google Meet games, best free online office games, online card games, and virtual team challenges.
The following are a few common questions and answers about online team building games to play with coworkers.
Online team building is any formation of relationships between team members that occurs via online platforms. For example, you can do icebreakers at the beginning of virtual meetings.
Online team building games are any games that you play virtually to help foster collaboration and team spirit with employees. Virtual team building games and remote team building games are closely related. These games are also known as "corporate online games."
Organizing team building games online is one way to increase morale and engagement with remote teams. At a basic level, games are a fun way for your people to spend time with each other away from work projects and the requirements of meetings.
Fun online games for virtual teams include Virtual Werewolf, Lightning Scavenger Hunts, Water Shots and Chair Up! Of these four games, Werewolf is the best known, and Water Shots is my favorite.
An easy way to get started with team building online is to allocate either an entire virtual meeting or at least a portion of one to playing online team games. You can organize some of the games on this list, or create your own virtual games to play with coworkers.
Thank you for sharing these great idea for team building!
Any ideas for a virtual Holiday party for 100 employees? Not sure if it makes sense with such a large group.
Hi Regina! We have a list of virtual holiday party ideas here: https://teambuilding.com/blog/virtual-holiday-party
We also offer virtual holiday parties as a service, and work with many large groups đ
Name, Place, Animal, Thing. Pick a letter. Each player has to list a famous person's name, a place, an animal, and a thing that begins with that letter. The first person to type them in the chat wins.
How about I Wish I Could Travel.
1st member = I Wish I Could Travel and when I do, I'm going to bring: a laptop.
2nd member = I Wish I Could Travel and when I do, I'm going to bring: a cell phone and a laptop.
3rd member = I Wish I Could Travel and when I do, I'm going to bring: a toothbrush, a cell phone, and a laptop.
And so on.
Each member has to mention an item they would carry with them or pack in their luggage. As each member goes along, they have to mention one item and also mention what the previous member(s) have also mentioned in backward order. From the most recent one mentioned until the first one mentioned. Whoever misses mentioning one previous item or in the wrong order, they're out!
Hang man is fun. Also playing virtual flip cup with real cups on either side!