This is our list of the best virtual party games for work.
Virtual party games are fun activities participants play remotely. When colleagues can not be in the same room, virtual party games inspire engagement and interaction. For example, a dance party or a murder mystery event. The purpose of these exercises is to allow coworkers to build relationships and have fun.
These activities are a subset of virtual games to play on Zoom and are ways to entertain groups during online team celebrations. For more games, check out virtual holiday party ideas.
This list includes:
- virtual party games for adults
- free online party games
- virtual party games for large groups
- virtual office party games
Here we go!
List of virtual party games
Working in a remote office does not have to be boring. Virtual office party games are exciting activities meant to make online events more engaging. Here are some of the best games to play during virtual parties.
1. Virtual Party Bingo
Bingo is one of the best virtual party games for large groups. This challenge is a great way to encourage relationship building and a casual atmosphere among your team.
Simply give each player a link to the card, and split the group into breakout rooms and encourage teammates to chat.
Here is a Bingo card generator you can use:
Participants will enjoy each other’s company and have nostalgic fun during the event.
Check out this Icebreaker Bingo generator for another starter card.
2. Scavenger Hunt
Fun virtual party games for work are a great way to promote relationships. A virtual scavenger hunt will encourage members to have fun while getting to know each other better.
To organize a virtual scavenger hunt, prepare a list of items or clues beforehand. Participants will need to find and retrieve objects from around the house. The first player to retrieve and show each item on screen wins the round.
The items should consist of common household objects, with a few random items thrown in for laughs.
Just before the game starts, send your list to all the participants. Then, give everyone a time limit to find as many items as possible – we recommend no more than five minutes. When there are 30 seconds left, give participants a warning. After the hunting time ends, go over results and tally which teammate found the most items. Or, you could also hold a lightning scavenger hunt and name items one by one for players to retrieve.
Check out this guide to doing scavenger hunts remotely.
3. Virtual Murder Mystery
Murder mystery events are great virtual party games for adults. The best option to host a virtual murder mystery is to hire a company to facilitate the mystery. Be sure to choose an organization with experience that will guide the game to ensure maximum engagement. However, you can also DIY a murder mystery event by sending a script and assigning parts to read during a Zoom call.
Since murder mysteries are long and involved games, you should plan your event so that guests can keep the date open and play the game in its entirety. If you encourage a theme and costumes, then assign characters ahead of time. During the event, participants will use clues to solve puzzles. The finale is the big reveal of “who-dunnit.”
Murder mystery parties are a fantastic way to engage your team.
Here is a list of online murder mystery games.
4. Online Talent Show
Hosting a talent show draws inspiration from elementary school days. In this version of the event, the performances are virtual.
A talent show is a way for teammates to showcase their skills. Encouraging participants to think outside the box results in a show with variety. While some folks are wonderful singers or dancers, others may be woodworkers, seamstresses, guitarists, comedians, or magicians.
To keep the show running smoothly, give each participant a time limit and days to prepare. To keep the competition friendly, name winners in different categories. For examples, there can be a winner for most creative, most prepared, most entertaining, funniest, and most impressive.
A virtual talent show allows all participants to perform in the comfort of their own homes. Hopefully, this environment will eliminate any stage fright. Team members will also learn more about each other’s hobbies and interests.
Check out this list of virtual talent show ideas.
5. Superhero Academy
For an elaborately fun bonding game, check out Superhero Academy. In this unique event, an expert Super-visor host will guide the group through missions on Zoom. These activities will help remote employees master teamwork to save the world.
Throughout the 90-minute challenge, participants solve puzzles and compete in virtual physical challenges. Superhero Academy encourages teams to work together and combine skills to achieve victory.
Learn more about Superhero Academy.
6. Costume Party
Costume parties are a fantastic way to have fun online, and virtual versions are easy to plan.
There are many ways to organize a costume party. One method is planning a theme and encouraging contestants to dress up accordingly. For example, cartoon characters, superheroes, celebrities, historical figures, or animals. Another approach is to keep the theme a secret until the party. Then, during the event, participants can build costumes spontaneously and take turns guessing each other’s identities.
It is nice to plan out some conversation starters and a playlist to keep the mood. Employees will likely enjoy the chance to spend time getting to know each other in a fun and unique way.
Check out this guide to running online costume contests.
7. Just a Darn Fun Event
Just a Darn Fun Event is a virtual team outing that combines the best of happy hour and game night. In this facilitated game, a host will organize and guide groups in a series of quick mini-games.
In 60 minutes, teams play games, hear stories, and connect with each other while competing on Zoom.
Check out Just a Darn Fun Event.
8. Umm True?!
Trivia is a classic party game. Umm True?! Puts a twist on standard trivia by presenting multiple formats for the game.
In Umm True?!, a host guides a team through one of four topics– Forgotten History, Little Planets, Unusual Beasts, or Weird Laws. For 60 minutes, teammates compete in a series of lightning trivia mini-games. The challenges are fast-paced and ideal for raising energy.
Learn more about Umm True?!.
9. Luau
You do not need to go to Hawaii to attend a luau. In fact, you can host one for your team virtually.
While there might not be a roasted pig, everyone can get into the spirit of a luau by wearing tropical clothes. Participants can mix their own lava flows or mai tais if you send out the recipes beforehand.
During the meeting, ask attendees to change virtual backgrounds to tropical scenes. Between the clothes, the beach drink, and the backgrounds, it will feel like everyone is on an island vacation together.
For added fun, plan a Hawaiian-themed game or two, for example, island-themed Charades. Have a list of tropical or island-themed ideas participants can act out. You can ask group members to take turns acting out a word you direct message them. Everyone else can guess the answer.
Free online party games, like this luau, can help team members bond and get to know each other better.
10. Great Minds Think Alike
To play Great Minds Think Alike, players will need a piece of paper and a pen. The moderator will read out a prompt, and players will write down the first concept that comes to mind. Participants will then read out the answers, and every player that listed the most common response gets a point. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins.
Some examples of prompts include:
- A title of a movie with “love” in it
- A name from a song title
- A thing you would see in the sky
- A nice car
- A television show
- A favorite food from summer
- A hot drink
- A Christmas movie
- A sport that does not require a ball
- A pizza topping
- A type of soda
During this game, participants need to strategize and consider the likeliest answer. Great Minds Think Alike is a great way to have fun while developing relationships.
11. Who Am I?
Many folks are familiar with an in-person version of this game. Each player sports a sticky note with the name of a famous person on their forehead. The wearer cannot see the name and must ask other players questions to determine the identity.
It is not hard to play Who Am I virtually. In this version of the game, the turn taker temporarily leaves the room while the gamemaster reveals the name to the other players. The turn taker then returns and asks other participants questions.
Example questions include male or female, alive or dead, an athlete or not. Once the guesser figures out the figure, another player takes a turn.
To successfully play this game, there should be no more than ten participants. Too many people answering questions could get chaotic.
12. Never Have I Ever
Most folks have played this game in school or as an ice-breaker. Never Have I Ever is a quick way to develop relationships and have a little fun, as well.
Never Have I Ever is one of those fun virtual party games for work that everyone enjoys. This game also takes very little time to prepare. During the event, have participants take turns saying statements that start with “Never Have I Ever.” Participants who are guilty of the act must raise a hand, lower a finger, or keep webcams on while other players temporarily stop video streaming.
Asking team members to share experiences is a wonderful way to develop deeper relationships.
Here is a list of clean Never Have I Ever prompts for work.
13. Don’t Say It!
Don’s Say It! is one of the best free online party games. This challenge is easy to prepare and sure to result in laughs.
During the party, a leader declares a certain word off-limits. A simple starting word would be “yes.” During conversation, participants cannot say “yes,” nor any versions of yes, such as ya, sure, or yep. This challenge encourages participants to use creative phrasing. The goal is to try to be the last person that has not said the banned word. For longer parties, you can play multiple rounds of the game.
14. Reactions
Reactions will reveal the master actors in the group. Team members will enjoy observing reactions and responding with dramatic flair. To play Reactions, assign each person an event they have to react to during a virtual call.
Some example scenarios are:
- Just won the lottery
- Falling in love
- Just won an Oscar
- Just got fired
- Just got engaged
- Chased by a bear
- Just saw your favorite celebrity
- You are the President and just declared war
- Just got caught cheating on a test
- Just won the Super Bowl
- Just won a gold medal at the Olympics
The participants can use gestures, expressions, and words for 30 seconds. However, the actor cannot directly reveal what behavior triggered the reaction. At the end of the reaction, other players will try to guess the original prompt.
This fun, virtual event gives participants a chance to explore their dramatic side.
15. Likes and Dislikes
Virtual party games for large groups can be hard to plan. With many folks in a single Zoom room, it is easy to talk over each other. Difficulty communicating can make team bonding challenging.
An easy way to help team members learn more about each other is to play Likes and Dislikes. Before the game starts, ask all the participants to direct message one like and one dislike to the moderator. During the event, the moderator will read a like and dislike to the group without revealing the author. Participants will guess the owner of the like or dislike by typing a name in the chat. The game continues until the list ends.
Likes and dislikes will help team members learn more about each other. This game is more fun and fast-paced than normal conversation. Encouraging deeper relationships will help team members be more comfortable with each other.
16. Psychiatrist
In this free virtual party game, players get a chance to step into the shoes of their coworkers.
During the event, have participants take turns playing the psychiatrist. Each player imitates another participant, and the psychiatrist must guess the identity of each player. The psychiatrist will ask questions and interact with the team to figure out the impressions. To give everyone a chance to be the psychiatrist, set a time limit. When the time is up, ask the psychiatrist to reveal the secret identities.
Psychiatrist is a fun event that encourages participants to think about and empathize with coworkers.
Check out more improv games to play on Zoom.
17. Virtual Amazing Race
Virtual Amazing Race is a fun party game you can play with friends or coworkers. First, prepare a list of challenges like photo scavenger hunts, human Bingo, and rapid-fire trivia. Then, divide your participants into smaller teams and have them compete for points and prizes.
Here is a list of virtual amazing race ideas to start with.
Conclusion
Working in a virtual office does not mean teams cannot have fun, nor that online parties cannot be interactive. These virtual party games for work are fantastic ways to let team members let loose and get involved during online gatherings.
These games can be a quick break during the workday, the basis for a team game night, or a way to make Zoom parties more interactive and fun.
Next, feel free to also check out these lists of remote game night ideas, virtual trivia night ideas, and board games to play online.
Grace He