My team feels lonely and isolated. How do I bring fun and team building to our virtual meetings?

We hear this a lot from remote team leaders. Engaging a team remotely is a real challenge, especially when using tools like Zoom and Slack. The good news? It can be done! And it can feel easy.

In this article, we'll cover 5-minute games for virtual meetings we think your team will love:

1. Tank Wars
2. Haxball
3. Skribbl
4. Gartic Phone
5. Werewolf
6. Pictionary
7. Trivia
8. Jukebox Game
9. Hackathons
10. Escape Rooms
11. Brainstorming Sessions
12. Icebreakers
13. Two Truths & a Lie
14. Coffee Breaks
15. Virtual Show & Tell

5-Minute Games For Virtual Meetings

Digital Office Games

The reason you're trying to add team bonding to your scheduled meetings is because that’s your only real touchpoint.

If you're currently using a typical video conferencing tool (like Zoom) to hold your virtual meetings, consider switching to a virtual workspace.

Virtual workspaces solve the team isolation and collaboration issues you're probably trying to solve by reading this article about adding games for your virtual meetings. Think of them as the digital version of the office. They give your remote team a place to work together and feel like a real team again.

And, many virtual workspaces have games built right in to the office experience.

1. Tank Wars

One of the most popular games in SoWork is Tank Wars - built right into the office your remote team is working from. It's intense, fun, competitive, and only takes a few minutes!

Start a game between or before a meeting. Everyone in the office will see it and can join in if they're available.

SoWork also integrates popular online virtual games into the office experience. Our team’s favorites:

2. HaxBall

www.haxball.com

This is a fast-paced, multiplayer game that combines soccer and air hockey. Players control soccer balls in a virtual arena, aiming to score goals and outmaneuver opponents. It's a great way to encourage teamwork and friendly competition.

3. Skribbl

www.skribbl.io

In this drawing and guessing game, one player draws a word while others try to guess what it is. It's a fun, creative way to boost employee engagement and see who has the best drawing skills and quickest guessing abilities.

4. Gartic Phone

www.garticphone.com

This game mixes drawing and storytelling. Each player starts by drawing a prompt, which is then passed to others who must guess what the drawing represents and continue the story. It's hilarious! It sparks creativity and brings a lot of laughter.

Team Building Games

Playing virtual games with your remote team is a great way to build camaraderie and boost team morale.

Fun team games like Pictionary, Two truths and a lie, Trivia games or a Scavenger Hunt can turn online meetings into engaging team-building exercises.

Choose a 5-minute game or play for longer - either way, you're going a long way in fostering strong company culture.

5. Werewolf

www.wikihow.com/Play-Werewolf-(Party-Game)

Werewolf is a game of strategy, deception, and deduction. Teammates are secretly assigned roles and must work together (or against each other) to win.

Roles

• Werewolf: Eliminates one player each night.
• Villager: Votes on who they think is the werewolf.
• Medic: Saves one player each night.
• Seer: Reveals if a player is a werewolf.

Setup

The game begins with everyone receiving a role, either through a deck of cards or a random generator. One person, called the master, runs the game. To play virtually, have the master send direct messages to each person, telling them their role.

Night Phase

• The master announces nightfall. All players close their eyes and tap to mask sounds.
• The master first calls for the werewolf to choose a target to eliminate, then asks the werewolf to go back to sleep.
• Next, the master wakes the medic to choose someone to save and then asks them to sleep.
• Finally, the seer wakes up to point at one player to reveal if they are a werewolf. The master confirms or denies with a nod.

Day Phase

• The master announces daybreak and reveals if anyone was eaten by the werewolf.
• The players then discuss who they believe the werewolf is and vote to eliminate one player.
• Eliminated players become silent ghosts and can't share opinions but can still observe.

Winning

The game continues until only villagers or werewolves remain. The surviving group wins.

✨ Pro Tip

Use a chat tool like Slack or your virtual office chat to communicate. When teammates are choosing people, they can send a private message to the master.

6. Pictionary

Pictionary is an interactive, fun game where team members guess a word or phrase based on a drawing. It's a fun way to energize virtual meetings, build connections, and boost creativity in remote teams.

Roles

• Drawer: The player who gets the assigned word or phrase. They will do the drawing.
• Guessers: The rest of the team who try to guess what the drawer is illustrating.

Setup

• Use a virtual whiteboard tool during a video call or Zoom session.
• If you’re using a virtual office, you can use the built-in whiteboard.
• Create a list of words or phrases for the drawer, or use a random generator app.
• Assign employees to teams.

Gameplay

• The drawer has a time limit (e.g., 1 minute) to draw the word or phrase on the whiteboard.
• Guessers shout out their answers as the drawer continues to draw.
• If someone guesses correctly within the time limit, the team earns a point.
• If time runs out, the drawer reveals the word or phrase.

Scoring

• Teams rotate the drawer role after each round.
• The team that guesses correctly within the time limit wins the round.
• If no one guesses correctly, no points are assigned.

Winning

The game runs for a set number of rounds, and the team with the most points at the end wins.

✨ Pro Tip

Keep the game fresh with themed rounds, such as “Weird Office Objects” or “Remote Team Perks.”

7. Trivia

Trivia is a fun game where team members answer questions on various topics. It's a great way to encourage friendly competition, and boost morale in remote work environments.

Roles

• Host: The person who asks the questions and keeps track of the scores.
• Players: Team members who answer the questions.

Setup

• The host prepares a set of trivia questions on different topics, such as general knowledge, pop culture, or company history.
• Use your virtual workplace chat or built-in whiteboard to track answers. If you aren't using one, have remote workers write their answers down on a piece of paper.

Gameplay

• The host will read a trivia question to the group.
• Players have a time limit (e.g., 30 seconds) to submit their answers via chat or on the whiteboard.
• The host reveals the correct answer and awards points to those who answered correctly.
• The game continues with the next question until all the trivia questions are answered or you reach the desired end time.

Scoring

• Players earn points for each correct answer.
• The host keeps track of the scores throughout the game.

Winning

The player or team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

✨ Pro Tip

Tailor the trivia questions to include topics related to your company or industry. This not only makes the game more engaging but also reinforces company knowledge in a fun way.

8. Jukebox Game

www.jackboxgames.com/

The Jukebox Game is a fun twist on classic trivia, perfect for sparking friendly competition and engaging your team. It involves identifying songs based on short audio clips.

Setup

• Schedule the game in your team’s calendar and designate a host.
• If you’re using a virtual office, announce that you’re playing available teammates can join in.
• The host prepares a playlist of songs for the game.

Gameplay

• During the game, the host plays a few seconds of each song.
• Players write down their guesses for each song.
• For large teams, split off into groups. In Zoom, you can use breakout rooms. In a virtual office, just walk away and form small groups beside each other.

Scoring

• Points are awarded for each correct song title.
• The host tallies scores and shares them after each round or at the end of the game.

Winning

The player or team with the most points wins.

✨ Pro Tip

Include a mix of genres and decades. This will make the game more inclusive and give everyone a chance to shine, regardless of their music preferences.

Collaboration Activities

9. Hackathons

Virtual team building activities like Hackathons are excellent team-building exercises. They’re a great way to combine fun, team bonding, and real-world problem-solving.

✨ Pro Tips

• Organize teams intentionally. Do team members need time to bond with their direct teammates? Or cross-functional collaboration?
• Give the whole team real problems to solve, so great ideas can be implemented.
• Apps like SoWork are ideal for bringing remote teams together during these virtual events. Being together in one place unlocks the more spontaneous team bonding, like bragging or friendly competition.

10. Escape Rooms

Virtual escape rooms are perfect team-building games for a digital office setting.

In these events, remote employees collaborate to solve riddles and puzzles within a set time limit, aiming to "escape" the room. The goal is to boost team morale, teamwork, and team bonding.

✨ Pro Tips

• Use a virtual workplace so you can set up different rooms around the office.
• Virtual offices have Interactive objects that are perfect for creating puzzles and riddles.

11. Brainstorming Sessions

Brainstorming sessions are a great way to blend fun, team bonding, and work-related problem-solving into your team meetings.

Choose challenges around your company that you really want to solve. It’s amazing the perspectives and ideas that employees from around the company will be able to provide.

✨ Pro Tips

• Regularly incorporate these into your meetings to keep creativity and team collaboration strong.
• Try using SoWork’s meeting tools to run an engaging brainstorming session. Use a whiteboard to document ideas.
• Follow up. This is crucial for showing employees you value their input. If you’re using SoWork, you can summarize the meeting and get action items automatically.

Relationship-Building Games

It can be really challenging to build strong connections on remote teams. Traditional video conferencing tools like Zoom - or chat tools like Slack- were not made for this task. Yet your remote team members need it to build trust (and maintain it).

So, it’s essential to dedicate regular time to team building.

An easy solution? Try starting your virtual meetings with quick and engaging icebreaker games or fun activities. These virtual activities will encourage regular team interactions, spark conversation, and help everyone get to know each other better.

12. Icebreakers

Icebreaker questions are a simple yet effective way to kickstart conversations in a virtual meeting.

Ask team members lighthearted, fun questions. Like:

• “What’s your favorite hobby?”
• “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?”
• “What’s your best childhood memory?”

Questions like these help everyone open up. And, they provide insights into everyone's personalities and interests.

✨ Pro Tip

• Rotate the responsibility of asking the icebreaker questions each meeting, so everyone gets a chance to lead the discussion.

13. Two Truths and a Lie

This game is perfect for getting to know your team members.

Each person shares two true statements and one false statement about themselves. The rest of the team has to guess which one is the lie. It’s a fun way to learn unique facts about your colleagues and encourages interesting conversations.

✨ Pro Tip

• Encourage creativity with the statements. You can do this by going first, and leading by example. People are more likely to bond over and remember surprising truths!

14. Coffee Breaks

Virtual coffee breaks are a fantastic way to simulate the informal interactions that happen naturally in an office.

If you’re using a virtual office app like SoWork, you get these water cooler moments built in.

• Encourage more spontaneous interactions by creating designated coffee break zones. Employees will see when others are taking a break and can join them. This also helps new remote employees integrate into the team a lot faster.
• Add 'question of the day' to the coffee break room to give your remote workers something new to chat about. 'Share a fun fact about yourself' is a simple and effective one!
• If you're not using a virtual workspace, add Slack-free blocks to the calendar. Schedule video calls between teammates during this time, to simulate coffee breaks.

✨ Pro Tip

• Make these coffee breaks a regular event, and encourage participation by setting themes or topics to keep the conversation lively and engaging.

15. Virtual Show and Tell

Show and Tell isn’t just for the classroom! It’s also a great for encouraging team members to share parts of their personal lives with their teammates. This creates a friendly, lighthearted bonding experience.

• Ask team members to bring an item that’s meaningful to them. A favorite book, a pet, a souvenir from a trip.
• Go around the room and ask each person to share their item and a short story about why it’s meaningful to them.

✨ Pro Tips

• Make Show and Tell a regular part of your team meetings to keep the conversation flowing and strengthen team bonds.
• Involve your team by asking them to submit topic ideas, and then rotate through them.

Enjoy!