19 Office Game Night Ideas for Work in 2023

Here is our list of the best office game night ideas.

Office game night ideas are fun ways to bring workers together to get to know each other outside the office. These events usually involve many fun activities that spark meaningful relationships between coworkers. For example, charades, spoons, or a traditional holiday-themed game night. These activities boost communication and relieve stress and tension among coworkers while promoting collaboration, communication, and teamwork.

These gatherings are examples of team building events and are in-person versions of virtual team game nights. These ideas are some of the best indoor team building activities, and are great for team bonding.

This list includes:

• work game night ideas
• fun office games for large groups
• party games for office game nights
• workday game night ideas

Let’s get started!

List of office game night ideas

Having an office game night is an excellent way to relieve stress and promote better relations within and outside the workplace. Here is a list of ideas for your next office game night.

1. React and Act

The React and Act game is a funny icebreaker for an office game night. Next, you will need to write a list of scenarios on different cards. Then, a player tries to act and react to what is on the card while others guess the prompt. The scenarios can be anything from winning a lottery to jumping out of a plane. Watching guests try to act sad or scream hysterically can be a hilarious way to bring the players out of their shells. This game is sure to get coworkers laughing.

For similar activities, check out this list of improv games.

2. Spoons

Spoons is a perfect party game for office game nights. This activity delivers thrills, competitiveness, and loads of laughter, and is the recipe for a memorable night of fun. For this game, you will need a standard deck of 52 playing cards and spoons, one less than the number of players.

How to play:

1. Place the spoons in the middle of the table.
2. Deal four cards to each player
3. Choose a dealer.
4. The dealer picks a card from the deck of cards and substitutes it for one of his own. The dealer then discards the substituted card and passes it to the left.
5. Other players also substitute and pass a card to the left in a clockwise motion.
6. This card passing goes on until a player has four of a kind.
7. The first player to have four identical cards picks up a spoon.
8. Once a player grabs a spoon, other players must follow suit immediately.
9. Eliminate the player who can’t grab a spoon fast enough.
10. The game continues in this manner with a spoon removed each time a player is eliminated until a winner emerges.

Spoons hooks players from the start. Players must be alert to what other players are doing. Teammates engage in the game night since it is intense, as other players could be gabbing for a spoon without a moment’s notice. The energetic nature of the game makes it ideal for creating happy memories through healthy competition among coworkers.

Pro Tip: Keep eliminated players involved by asking them to help spot the last player to grab a spoon.

3. Murder Mystery Games

A murder mystery game is a fun office game for small and large businesses. In this game, each team member has a role. Players must interact and negotiate to achieve to unravel a mystery and identity a pretend killer. There are a lot of exciting murder mystery plots online.

A simplified version of this game is the Wink Murder Mystery game, which you can play with only pieces of paper and a pen.

1. Cut out pieces of paper equal to the number of players, one for each player.
2. Write ‘v’ for ‘victim’ on all the papers except two.
3. Write ‘d’ for the detective on one and ‘m’ for the murderer on the other.
4. Place the pieces of paper in a bowl or hat and have each player pick one.
5. A player is killed when the murderer winks at them. The murderer has to kill people without getting caught.
6. On the other hand, the detective tries to find the murderer.
7. If the murderer is caught, he becomes the detective while another player becomes the murderer.

In both versions, players have a good time and develop problem-solving. If you have a large group, then you can further encourage teamwork in the Wink Murder Mystery game by assigning more than one player the detective role at the start. The detectives must work together to uncover the murderer before the other players die.

Here is a list of murder mystery games online.

4. Charades

A game of charades is bound to leave players reeling from laughter as players try to describe objects using gestures alone. The game is a classic and always delivers the right atmosphere for a game night.

How to play:

1. Print the name of objects, places, or professions on cards.
2. A player picks a card and proceeds to act out what is in the card using gestures alone.
3. Others try to guess the word until a player gets it correctly.
4. The main rule is that the player cannot say the name or point at objects. However, feel free to create more rules. For example, you can’t allow some hints to make the game easier or limit the number of guesses to make it more difficult.

For more fun, split the group into two teams and have them compete against each other. Without charade cards, you can print words on pieces of paper and put them in a bowl for players to pick. You can even personalize the game by choosing words related to your workplaces, such as job titles or other employees.

Here is a Charades generator to use for prompts.

5. Paper Telephone

Paper Telephone helps your team get in touch with their creative sides. The silliness of this game will have players howling with laughter.

How to play:

1. Give each player a sheet of paper for every participant. For example, if there are seven players, each player receives seven sheets of paper stacked together.
2. Each player writes a phrase on the top sheet of paper and passes the stack to the next player on the left.
3. The next player sees the phrase, draws a picture depicting it on the next sheet of paper, and passes it to the left.
4. The next player then writes a phrase that describes the drawing on the following sheet of paper and passes it to the left.
5. The paper-passing goes on with one player drawing a phrase and the next player describing the drawing until it returns to the starting point.
6. The players then read out the phrase and show others what became of that phrase.

You should not be shocked that the phrase is now completely different! Paper telephone helps teams bond and is bound to start some inside jokes in your team.

6. Indoor Bowling

Indoor bowling is a simple but fun party game for office game nights. Better still, most players will be aware of the rules, and some might be eager to show off their bowling skills. All you need are ten plastic bottles and a ball.

To set up the playing area, arrange the bottles in a triangle like traditional bowling pins, with four in the back row, then three in front, two, and finally one in the front row. The game challenges players to dismantle all the bottles with the ball from across the room, just like bowling. You can make the game more competitive by having players form a team and keep score.

7. Mirror Charades

The Mirror charades game is just like the classic charade game. You need two players on their feet for this game while others sit.

How to play:

1. One player picks a card. The other player does not see what is written on it.
2. The first player then goes to the back of the group, where other seated players cannot see, and acts out the word.
3. The second player stands in front of the group and tries to mirror the gestures of the first player.
4. This game can be a bit tricky because the second player does not also know the word that is being acted out.

Mirror Charades promotes collaboration and cooperation in teams. It is also a good idea to pair coworkers that usually work together.

8. Pictionary

Pictionary is a fast-paced game where team members try to guess the word another player is drawing.

How to play:

1. Divide the group into two teams.
2. A player from each team picks a card or a piece of paper that contains a word.
3. The player then tries to describe the word using a drawing. Words and letters are not allowed.
4. The team members must guess the word before time runs out to score a point.
5. The team with the highest points at the end of the game wins.

Pictionary is one of the best fun office games for large groups. With some wine, you will make even more funny memories!

9. Two Truths, One Lie

“Two Truths, One Lie” is one of the best workday game night ideas that works regardless of group dynamics. The game is a great way to get to know your colleagues better. To play this icebreaker, each player says three statements about themselves, one of which is a lie. Other players must guess the lie, and the first team member to pinpoint the lie correctly gets the point. The player with the highest points at the end of the game wins. Of course, the lie should not be obvious, as that would take the fun out of the game.

Here are more question games to play with groups.

10. Categories

Categories is a fast-paced game that involves swift thinking. Each team member takes a turn in announcing a category like “types of cars” or “names of countries that start with I.” Then, each team member has to name an object in that category. The exercise continues until a player is at a loss for what to say. The player gets eliminated, and the game continues with another player announcing a category.

Here is a list of Scattergories questions for inspiration.

11. Balloon Duel

Balloons are fun even adults cannot resist. Moreover, these exercises work well for team building games on a shoestring budget. Balloon Duel is a straightforward game. Two players tie balloons to their legs and try to pop the other player’s balloon. The first player whose balloon pops loses. This game is engaging and surprisingly requires more skill and precision than you might expect.

12. What’s That Strange Thing?

This game tests the ability of players to recognize objects from touch alone. A collection of things like toys or household utensils are in a bag. The player wears a blindfold, so they can only engage their sense of touch. You award a point if the player gets the object right within the allotted time. Remember to keep all the objects hidden away before the game.

13. Don’t Say “Yes” or “No”

The rules of this game are simple. Players are not allowed to say “Yes” or “No.” The game’s goal is to trick opponents into saying one of the forbidden words by asking questions.

Here’s how to play in a group:

1. Divide the group into pairs
2. Have them ask each other tricky questions to get their opponent to say “Yes” or “No.” Anyone who says these words loses.
3. Pair the winners against each other and repeat until there are two final players and one winner.

This exercise is one of the best work game night ideas to bring out the creativity in your team members.

14. Trivia

Trivia can be both educational and fun. Questions can have a theme, such as office-themed or location-themed.

Here are some themes to consider:

• Office Trivia
• Movie and Entertainment Trivia
• Old School Music Trivia
• Coworker Trivia
• History Trivia
• Holiday Trivia

You can base your trivia on events or recent happenings. Simply think of a topic that you all enjoy and base the trivial on. The game is fun, and if about your business, it subtly emphasizes the need to pay attention.

Here is a list of trivia topics and trivia night ideas.

15. Don’t Do That

For this game, you will need to choose a team leader. When the leader yells an instruction, players must do anything other than the instruction given. For instance, if the leader yells, “Sit down!” any player that sits down will be eliminated from the game. The commands go on until there is only one winner left. If certain players are difficult to eliminate, you can rapidly give commands to confuse them until you have your winner.

16. Jenga

A classic game of Jenga requires physical skill and stealthiness. However, this challenge also helps your team connect and build comfort working together. Jenga is great for teams of different sizes.

Here’s how to play a simple game of Jenga:

1. Build a Jenga tower
2. Ask players to take turns removing blocks from the tower.
3. Stack the removed block at the top, creating a more unsteady structure.
4. Keep removing blocks until the tower collapses.

Players can only use one hand at a time, and the player that collapses the tower loses. For a more engaging version of the game, you can write challenges on the blocks, and the player that pulls that block out can attempt the challenge. Remember that the more daring those challenges are, the less corporate your game becomes. Hence, it’s better to go for Truths rather than Dares. Also, you can make the challenges optional so no one feels obligated to complete them.

Pro tip: Giant Jenga is usually a crowd-pleaser.

17. Press Conference

The Press Conference game comes with the thrill and pressure of an actual press conference. This activity involves inference and inspires critical thinking in the players.

How to play:

1. Send a player out of the room while the other team members pick a celebrity.
2. After picking a celebrity, invite the chosen player back in and ask them to give a 30-second press conference.
3. Other members shout questions that can help the player, as in press conferences.
4. The chosen player doesn’t know who they are and is supposed to guess it from the questions asked.
5. After 30 seconds, the player guesses the name of the celebrity. If the guess is right, the plate wins a point and the last player to ask a question leaves the room to restart the game.

This exercise is one of the best party games for office game nights. The activity works better for small businesses as it can quickly get rowdy once the questions start. You can break large groups into smaller groups and record points for each team.

18. Holiday-Themed Game Night

You can spice up the game night by adopting a holiday theme. The low-hanging fruits are Christmas or Halloween-themed game nights. You can try this one out close to certain holidays.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Have members dress up according to the themes
• Bake themed cookies
• Play themed games

These types of game nights help to spread the holiday spirit. You can make the evening more interesting by asking players to bring cards or gifts. Or you could spend a night decorating the office.

Pro tip: You can celebrate a holiday even if it is the wrong time of year, Christmas-in-July-style.

19. LEGO building

There are a thousand and one things to do with LEGOs! From building challenges to treasure hunts, the fun is never over when a LEGO is in sight. To play the game, ask the players to form teams. Then provide a specific structure all the teams must build. The team that builds a structure closest to the goal within the time limit wins. LEGO games boost your coworker’s attention to detail and invite them to collaborate better.

Conclusion

Game nights can boost communication and creativity among the team members. These gatherings will also encourage teamwork, as communicating with the rest of the team is necessary. The ideas in this post can ensure that you have game nights that your team will enjoy.

For more fun, check out office game room ideas.