Here is our list of the best free online group games for work.
Online group games are virtual activities that provide fun for remote teams. For example, debatable, Scattergories, and guess the tune. These games aim to encourage team bonding, productivity, and relationship building while working online. These games are also known as “virtual group games.”
These challenges are a subset of online team building games and are similar to games to play with coworkers on Zoom, games to play on Microsoft Teams, and online team games for work.
This list includes:
- fun online group games for work
- free online group games for students
- the best online group games for Zoom
Here are some suggestions.
List of online group games
Finding online groups games for teams on a budget can be difficult. Here is a list of free online games for large groups.
1. Can You Hear Me Now?
Can You Hear Me Now? is one of the best free online group games for Zoom.
Team members play this game in one main Zoom meeting room. Before the round starts, the leader assigns roles to participants. One player at a time serves as a speaker, while the other participants are artists. Either assign the speaker an item to describe or let them choose one. The speaker must tell the artists what to draw by naming geometric shapes.
For example, the speaker may ask the artists to draw a long, thin rectangle with a stick coming down from each corner to describe a table. This game encourages precision in speaking and active listening.
Some examples of prompts are:
- Letters
- Numbers
- Household items like desks, chairs, beds, and tables
- Flowers
- Trees
- Airplanes
- Cars
Learn how to play Can You Hear Me Now?
2. Online Group Trivia
Free online group trivia games are a solid option for team building.
Planning a trivia night does not have to be complicated. To play the game, plan out questions beforehand and prepare a game board or input questions into an app like Kahoot! Then, when employees enter the Zoom meeting, place participants into teams by using breakout rooms or assigning team rosters. As the game progresses, ask questions and keep score of correct answers.
Not everyone wants to DIY trivia night. Thankfully, many online providers of virtual trivia offer free trials of trivia. This option gives you a chance to try the game out and see if the investment is worthwhile for your company. There are also affordable hosted trivia options if you have the budget.
Here are lists of virtual trivia games and starter team trivia questions.
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3. Guess the Refrigerator
If you are looking for free online games for large groups, then Guess the Refrigerator is a good option. This game works well for remote meetings.
In this game, team members take a picture of the inside of their refrigerators. Photos should be on the fly, no tidying allowed! The goal of this game is to get to know team members better, messy fridge and all.
Participants will send their pictures to the leader. The leader will then share the photos one at a time. Next, folks will try to guess which coworker owns which refrigerator. The game continues until all team members have had a turn.
To repeat this game, choose another household item to photograph. For example, a closet, the trunk of a car, or a bedside table.
4. Werewolf
Werewolf is a great option if you are looking for free online group games for Microsoft Teams. In this event, team members will try to manipulate the room. Strategy and communication will help players win the game.
Because this game is complicated, take a few minutes to clearly explain the rules before beginning.
First, assign every participant a role. You can use an online generator to assign roles or have a moderator direct message roles to each member.
The roles are:
- Werewolf. The werewolf “eats” other players
- Medic. The medic can save a player that the wolf is about to eat
- Seer. The seer questions the moderator trying to find the wolf
- Villager. Assign everyone else the role of a villager.
After every member has received their role, the moderator will announce that it is night. When night falls, players should close their eyes. This part of the game should be silent, minus the secret interactions between the moderators and the chosen roles.
The moderator will then wake certain people up. The moderator can notify these individuals by privately messaging on a separate app or splitting the group into breakout rooms and visiting the werewolf, medic, and seer individually.
The first to wake up is the werewolf, who will tell the moderator who they want to “eat.” Then, the werewolf will go back to sleep.
The next person to wake up is the medic. The medic will tell the moderator who they want to save. The medic will not know who the werewolf chose. If the medic chooses who the werewolf wanted to “eat,” they save the selected person. If the medic chooses wrong, the person the werewolf chose dies. The medic then goes back to sleep.
Now, the moderator will ask the seer to wake up. The seer will guess the identity of the werewolf. The master will confirm or deny the seer’s guess. Then, the seer will go back to sleep.
Next, wake all the participants up. The moderator will inform the villagers if someone fell victim to the werewolf. The survivors will discuss who they think the werewolf is and why. Remember, no one knows who the werewolf, the medic, or the seer are. These roles will take part in the discussion without revealing themselves.
After discussion, the villagers will vote to eliminate the suspected werewolf. If the villagers guess correctly, then the moderator will end the game. If the villagers guess incorrectly, then the game continues. This process will repeat until the werewolf has “eaten” everyone or the villagers guess the werewolf’s identity.
As villagers eliminate players, either by being “eaten” or voted out, they can continue to play as silent ghosts. These ghosts can be awake and see everything happening. However, the ghosts cannot take part in discussions.
Here is a full guide to Werewolf game rules.
5. Scattergories
Team members have likely played Scattergories growing up. This classic game is easily playable in a virtual form. In addition, there are online generators to make playing Scattergories simple and fun.
To play this game, participants receive a list of categories. Then, a leader chooses one letter. After that, players have a set time to develop an item for each category that starts with the assigned letter. For example, if the letter was A, the item for food might be an apple, the item for the place might be Antigua.
Participants read out their answers or type the answers into the chat when the round ends. Players receive one point for each original item. If more than one player has the same answer, then neither player gets points. The most original choices win, and this activity encourages outside-the-box thinking.
Some example categories are:
- A food
- A place
- A song title
- A movie
- A sport
- A car
- A boy’s name
- A girl’s name
- A city
- A state
- A country
- Musical instrument
- A famous athlete
- A famous singer
- A famous actor
- A color
- A bird
- A piece of clothing
- Ice cream flavor
- A kitchen item
- Something from the ocean
- Something from the jungle
- School subject
You can play more than one round with different letters. Also, you could have different cards with different categories. The player with the most points wins the game.
Check out more Scattergories lists for teams.
6. 2 Truths and 1 Lie
Free online group games for Zoom help team members get to know each other and increase productivity. 2 Truths and 1 Lie is a fantastic game if you only have a few minutes but want to develop relationships.
In this game, each team member will give three statements. Two of these statements must be true, and one must be false. You should encourage participants to choose facts that coworkers are unlikely to know. For example, avoid the number of children, types of pets, or home city as these details tend to be common knowledge. On the other hand, absurd statements will be harder to figure out and more amusing.
Each team member should get a turn, and other players can discuss and debate the possibilities. Once the speaker has revealed the answer, the next participant takes their turn.
By the end of the game, teammates learn more about coworkers and share laughter.
Here are more group question games.
7. What is That?!
What is That?! is perfect for creative teams. In this game, participants get to show off their photography skills.
Before the game begins, instruct team members to take pictures of an item in their home. However, the goal of the exercise is to obscure the object. The image can be an extreme close-up or an odd angle that distorts the item.
Next, ask team members to share the pictures on a Slack channel. In the thread beneath each photograph, folks can list their best guesses. At the end of the day, the photographer should reveal the answers.
Check out more Slack channel ideas.
8. Online Scavenger Hunt
Traditional scavenger hunts are timed games where participants have to find items quickly. Sometimes, players have to complete challenges, as well. Scavenger hunts are simple to recreate virtually and are still loads of fun.
In a virtual scavenger hunt, give team members a list of items to find in their houses. For example, a self-help book, a banana, a family photograph, or a pillow. You can also ask participants to complete a challenge like taking a selfie with a pet, doing a TikTok dance, or giving themselves a 30-second makeover.
At the beginning of the hunt, distribute lists. Then, give members a set amount of time to check off as much of the list as possible. The winner of the game is whoever finishes first or completes the most items.
Check out this guide for virtual scavenger hunts.
9. This or That
Debates are a great way to spark conversation and increase communication in your team. In this form of debate, the topics will be a bit silly. To begin the debate, choose a subject and assign two debaters. Each debater will argue for one side in the given topic.
The debate structure can be as rigid or loose as you would like. For a more formal debate, allow each member a couple of minutes to present their arguments. Then, allow time for rebuttals. For a less formal debate, ditch the time limits. Be sure to set some ground rules so that debaters do not talk over each other.
Some example debate topics are:
- Thin or thick crust pizza
- Beach or mountains
- Coke or Pepsi
- Chocolate or Vanilla
- Hot dog or Hamburger
- Cat or Dog
- Summer or Winter
- McDonald’s or Burger King
- Chicken or Beef
- Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy
- Cake or Cupcake
- Cereal or Oatmeal
Depending on the group’s culture, you can declare a winner or not. One way to determine a winner would be audience voting via chat or polling. Winners or not, debates provide entertainment and help participants practice essential skills like listening and speaking.
For more debate topics, check out this list of This or That questions.
10. Emoji Sentences
Emoji sentences is a fun game based on shorthand online communication. Most employees are familiar with emojis, and likely use them regularly.
To play emoji sentences, ask teammates to sign into a Slack channel or other group messaging app. Then, allow participants to take turns writing sentences using only emojis.
To help the game flow smoothly, assign a topic. For example, a favorite movie, news events, a favorite song, or something related to your company.
11. The Words Game on Slack
Many companies use Slack to communicate. The Words Game is a free tool on Slack that allows users to get their creative juices flowing.
To play The Words Game, first install the app. Then, invite team members to a channel. You can choose a channel dedicated to The Words Game or a general communication channel. To start the game, type in ‘/wordsgame’ into the communication bar. Slack will assign random letters. The game’s goal is to make as many words as possible with the given letters.
The game lasts only one minute, and The Words Game posts the results to the channel at the end. This game is fantastic as a quick brain break or friendly competition among your team.
Check out more games to play on Slack.
12. Guess the Tune
Playing Guess the Tune will discover the true music lovers on the team.
To play this game, ask participants to sign onto the same call. Team members need to be able to share sound during the call. Before the game, a moderator needs to choose several recognizable songs to sample. The clip can be the intro or a section from the middle.
After the moderator plays the clip, the first player to correctly guess the tune wins the round.
13. Questions
Questions is a game where players communicate entirely in questions.
You can play Questions during a video call or in a communication app. Playing live and in-person is trickier. This method requires quicker reactions from participants. In this game, everyone is only allowed to speak in question. For example, if the first question is, “What is the weather?” then the answer might be, “Have you seen how warm it is outside?”
When a player cannot come up with a question or accidentally answers with a statement, they are out. Questions works best with two players at a time. As one member steps out, another player steps in. The game goes until only one questioner remains.
14. Online Game Night
Finding free online games for large groups can be difficult. However, virtual game nights easily incorporate many participants.
Many favorite board games are available to play online. Web-based or app-based versions of these games are available for team members to play together without being in the same room. During the game night, break team members into pairs or groups. Each cohort can choose a game to play. Then, rotate the groups to allow different members to play games with new people.
Here is a list of ideas for virtual game night.
Conclusion
Incorporating free online group games for work is fun and straightforward. Team members will learn more about each other and become more productive. Whether you have a small budget for team building or no budget, these games are perfect for planning a fun event for your group.
Next, check out these lists of online board games, virtual game show ideas and virtual amazing race ideas.
We also have a list of the best virtual team building activities for large groups.
