13 Best Games To Play With Coworkers

Here is our list of the best games to play with coworkers.

Games to play with coworkers are workplace group activities colleagues participate in for a fun experience. Examples include The Whisper Challenge, Heads Up, Pictionary, and Jenga. The purpose of these activities is to host social exercises during breaks and develop team building skills among coworkers. Such activities also promote camaraderie and collaboration among colleagues.

Games to play with coworkers are similar to get to know you games, question games, virtual team building games, and games to play on Zoom. Playing these games fosters team building skills and relationship building.

This list includes:

• games to play at lunch with coworkers
• games to play with coworkers when bored
• games to play with coworkers at a party
• office games to play with coworkers

Let’s get to it!

List of games to play with coworkers

Playing games and participating in activities at work is a great idea to bond with coworkers. Easy-to-play workplace games are important to improve communication, coordination, and teamwork. Such games also provide a break from the monotonous work routine. Here is our list of some of the best team building games to play with colleagues.

1. The Whisper Challenge

The Whisper Challenge is one of the best workplace games to play at lunch with coworkers. There are many variations of this challenge. In this version of the game, players must understand spoken words while listening to loud music.

Here is how to play the game:

1. Divide the players into two teams. If you have too many players, then you can make three groups. However, it is best to stick with two teams to keep folks engaged.
2. ​Provide one team with headphones.
3. ​Play music through the headphones. Make sure the music is loud enough so it is not too easy for participants to hear.
4. One participant from the opposing team will say a phrase to one of the headphone-wearing players.
5. The listening player will turn to the next player on their team and say what they think they heard.
6. The playing team will repeat the phrase until they reach the last player. The last player will say what they understood to the whole group.
7. Repeat steps two through six for each team.

Whisper Challenge is one of the best games to play with coworkers when bored because it requires equipment available at the office. However, make sure you do not make the music so loud that it becomes unbearable. Loud music can damage auditory nerve cells, causing hearing loss.

For a different variation, you can eliminate the headphones and mouth the words instead. The game’s rules are the same, but headphones add a fun element, as observers get to hear what the players are saying.

2. The “Suddenly” Tale

The “Suddenly” Tale is a fun game for the workplace in which players will tell a story that takes an unexpected turn.

In this game:

1. Participants will sit in a circle.
2. One player will start the story with one sentence.
3. The next participant will continue the story and say the second line.
4. ​The third player will say the third line.
5. The fun part comes when the fourth participant changes the theme by starting the sentence with “suddenly” and taking the story in a different direction.

The following players can either add to the plot twist or take another turn. All players must develop their own creative and unique ideas to make the game more interesting. You can also select a story genre to make the game more challenging.

3. Blind Drawing

Blind Drawing is an entertaining game that makes use of your artistic skills. This game involves one blindfolded player attempting to draw a picture based on instructions from the other players.

Here is how to play the game:

1. Before the game, create a list of drawing prompts, such as spider, house, or car.
2. Pair participants into teams of two.
3. Choose which player will draw.
4. Blindfold the drawing player.
5. Give a prompt to the sighted teammate.
6. Set a timer for two minutes.
7. The sighted teammate will give the artist drawing instructions without sharing the prompt.
8. The sighted teammate can tell the artist to draw specific shapes or lines to achieve the desired result.

For example, if the word provided is a spider, then here is how you can give the instructions:

1. Draw a circle.
2. Go to the top of the circle, and find the middle. There, draw two small circles side by side.
3. Find the right-hand edge of the first circle.
4. Draw a diagonal line toward the top right of the paper.
5. ​Continue that same line diagonally downward in the opposite direction.
6. Repeat this step so four lines are on each side of the big circle.
7. Draw the same lines on the left-hand side of the big circle.

The team that makes the most accurate drawing wins! This game relies on good communication for teams to create recognizable art. As a fun bonus, you can even hang these masterpieces in your office halls!

4. Death By Winking

Death By Winking is a fast-paced and engaging party game great for all occasions, including work breaks. The game involves one player winking at others to eliminate them.

Here are the rules of the game:

1. The participants will receive a paper with the letter M for murderer, the letter V for victim, or the letter D for detective. Players must keep this letter a secret.
2. The murderer starts by winking at another player.
3. The player that the murderer winks at steps out of the game.
4. The murderer will wink carefully and try to ensure no one else notices.
5. During this activity, the detective has to keep a close eye on who is winking.
6. The detective’s task is to find the murderer as quickly as possible.

If the detective identifies the murderer within three tries, then they win. On the other hand, if the murderer successfully kills all the victims without being detected, then they win.

5. Office Photo Hunt Game

Photo hunt is one of the best office games to play with coworkers.

​Here is how to play the game:

1. The host will take pictures of the items in your office. You can take photos from odd angles so the subjects are challenging to identify.
2. Divide all players into teams.
3. Each team will receive copies of the previously taken pictures.
4. The teams’ task is to recreate the images using their own phones or cameras. The team has to ensure they take the new pictures from the exact same angles as the originals.

To make this activity even more challenging, you can also give a time limit to find the items and take pictures. The team that takes the most accurate photos compared to the original ones wins.

Check out more photo scavenger hunt ideas.

6. Four-Way Tug-of-War

Tug-of-war is the best game to test your strength. To take the game to the next level, create something new and fun for a large group.

Here is how to do the activity:

1. Tie up four individual ropes to create a square. Leave some extra length at the end of each knot.
2. Mark a line in the middle of the square.
3. Divide participants into four teams.
4. Put each team at one end of the square.
5. Each team will grasp their end of the rope and pull.
6. Any team that crosses the line is out of the game.
7. The last team standing wins.

This game develops coordination skills, which are essential for a team to perform well in the workplace.

7. Daredevil

Daredevil is a reasonably easy game that can be a fun challenge if executed properly.

Here is how to play the game:

1. Get some common items, and spread them around the office. Examples of these objects include water bottles, mugs, notepads, and staplers.
2. Divide players into two teams, and blindfold half the players from each team.
3. Provide the players with one basket per team to collect what they find.
4. Set a timer.
5. The sighted players will guide the blindfolded players to find the objects.
6. However, the sighted players cannot say the name of the item. Instead, sighted players can guide their coworkers to where the object is and state its function.
7. The team that brings back the most items within the time wins.

Since the blindfolded players rely on the sighted players for instructions, the whole team must communicate effectively. Therefore, this fun game develops effective discussion skills.

8. Hopscotch

Hopscotch is a simple yet popular playground game. This exercise makes for a fun, lighthearted outdoor activity for your team.

Here is how to play the game:

1. Draw a hopscotch board on the ground using chalk. The rectangular board comprises 10 numbered squares.
2. Toss a small item, such as a rock, into the first square.
3. If you miss the square, then you lose your turn.
4. If the rock lands in the square, then hop on one foot over it to reach the next box.
5. Continue hopping through the rest of the course with one foot per square.
6. Do not step on any lines.
7. Turn around on the last square and hop back.
8. Pick up your rock on the way back.
9. If a player successfully hops through the entire course, then they toss the rock into the next square on their next turn.
10. Players take turns completing steps two through nine until they make a mistake.
11. Once a player messes up, they are out of the game.
12. The last player standing wins.

Hopscotch is a simple activity you can host any time, and the test of balance will have participants laughing until the end!

9. Heads Up!

Heads Up! is a fun and entertaining mobile game you can play with coworkers, family, and friends.

Here is how to play the game:

1. Download the Heads Up! app.
2. Divide into teams.
3. Choose one player from the team to guess the secret words.
4. The guesser can choose their favorite category, like animals, the ’90s, or pop culture.
5. The guesser holds their phone to their forehead with the screen facing outward.
6. A word in the chosen category will appear on the screen.
7. The other players give clues to help the guesser figure out the secret word. However, the team cannot say the exact word. The team can make noises, do impressions, or gesture to help the guesser.
8. If the guesser answers correctly, then they will move their phone downward.
9. If the guesser needs to skip a word, then they will move the phone upward.
10. The team with the most correct answers at the end of the time wins!

The game is fast-paced and keeps players engaged and laughing. To keep the game interesting, Heads Up! features various categories, such as fictional characters, movies, and celebrities. Players can also create their own custom decks with words and phrases that are relevant to the workplace. This game is the perfect choice for some lighthearted fun.

Learn more about Heads Up!

10. Two Truths and a Lie

Two Truths and a Lie is a well-known party game. Players must tell three statements about themselves, one being a lie. The other players then have to guess which information is false. ​To keep the game interesting and engaging, let all participants have a turn to tell the truths and the lie.

You can play the game with any number of players, and there is no limit to the number of rounds. Even if you have more than ten players, each round will only take three to four minutes.

This game is a fun way to get to know colleagues and can provide insight into their personalities. This activity can also be a good icebreaker at events or gatherings where folks meet for the first time.

11. Never Have I Ever

Never Have I Ever is one of the best games to play with coworkers at a party. To play the game, one player starts by saying, “Never Have I Ever,” and naming an experience or action. If any participant at the table has done the action, then they both take a drink.

The game continues in a circle, with each participant making a statement. The statements can range from harmless to embarrassing, making the game entertaining and a great way to get to know others better. However, you can keep the statements workplace friendly, even at parties.

Here are some examples:

• Never have I ever been fired from a job
• Never have I ever fallen asleep at work
• Never have I ever attended a Zoom meeting in my pajamas
• Never have I ever called a coworker by the wrong name
• Never have I ever pretended to have a productive day

It is important to play the game in a safe and respectful environment, with no pressure to reveal any information a participant is uncomfortable with.

Here is a list of Never Have I Ever questions for work.

12. Pictionary

This popular drawing and guessing game is great for playing with coworkers. Pictionary is a fun way to take a break and test your creativity, communication, drawing skills, and knowledge.

Here is how to play the game:

1. Divide players into teams.
2. Choose the starting sketcher.
3. The artist draws a card from the deck, starts the timer, and draws their secret word.
4. Teammates must guess what the artist is drawing before time runs out.
5. If teammates guess correctly, then they get to move around the board.
6. Once the starting team cannot guess a picture, the next team gets to draw.
7. Gameplay continues until one team lands on the final square.

Wrong guesses and funny answers will surely bring laughter to your office.

Get Pictionary.

13. Jenga

Jenga is a classic block-stacking game that requires skill, technique, and a steady hand. Jenga is one of the best games to play with coworkers.

Here is how to play the game:

1. Stack the wooden Jena blocks in a tower.
2. ​Players take turns removing blocks from the bottom of the stack and placing them on top.
3. The players must keep the tower standing for as long as possible without knocking it over.
4. The game becomes more challenging as players remove more blocks and the tower becomes taller and less steady.
5. ​Whoever knocks over the tower first loses.

There is no limit to the number of players. The best way to enjoy the game is to play individually when there are fewer than eight participants and form teams as the number gets higher. This game is great to have at your workplace for a quick recreational activity.

For a fun variation, you can add labels to the blocks to make the game more relevant to your office-related activities. These labels can represent each role played by your coworkers and the hierarchy at the office. The players will have to take out blocks from the middle and put them on top according to the hierarchy at the office.

For example, the players will first find the block that says “CEO” from the stack and bring it to the top. If the block is not the correct role, then players can slide it back into place. Similarly, the next player will look for the second position at the office, say the manager, and bring it to the second place in the stack. In this way, the players will make a complete hierarchy of the positions in the office, with the CEO at the top, then the middle management, then the lower management.

Conclusion

To sum up, it is important to socialize and play games with your coworkers. The above list consists of games for both small and large groups, so you can select the games accordingly. Most of these activities are short enough for you to play during a break and do not need special items to set up. These easy-to-play games can contribute to your overall productivity, confidence, and relationship with your coworkers.

Additionally, such activities provide a break from the mundane office routine and give time to members to bond and discuss nonwork-related topics.

Next, check out our lists of icebreaker games, indoor team building activities, and office games.