Quick games for virtual meetings.
A good meeting game takes five minutes, needs no preparation and works whether cameras are on or off. These 15 do, sorted by the kind of fun they are.
By Jitto Joseph3 min read
Before you start
- Pick a host. One person explains the rules, keeps time and moves things on. Rotate the job each week.
- Set a timer. Five minutes means five minutes. Ending while it's still fun is how you get people to want it next time.
- Nobody has to perform. Let people pass, answer in the chat or play with their camera off.
Talking games
- 1.
Would you rather
No prep · any size
The host asks a choice between two options, everyone answers in one word, and two people explain theirs.
- 2.
Hot takes
No prep · 3 to 15 people
Someone shares a mild opinion (pineapple on pizza, tabs over spaces) and everyone rates it from 1 to 10.
- 3.
Rose, thorn, bud
No prep · up to 10 people
Each person shares something good, something hard and something they're looking forward to, in one sentence each.
- 4.
One-word story
No prep · 4 to 12 people
Go round the call, each adding one word to a story. It falls apart fast, which is the point.
- 5.
Fortunately, unfortunately
No prep · 4 to 12 people
Take turns adding a sentence to a story, alternating between good news and bad news.
Guessing games
- 6.
Guess the desk
Light prep · 4 to 15 people
People send the host a photo of their desk beforehand; the team guesses whose is whose.
- 7.
Pet or baby photo match
Light prep · 4 to 15 people
The same idea with photos of pets or of people as children. Always a favourite.
- 8.
My week in emoji
No prep · any size
Everyone posts three emoji that sum up their week in the chat; the others guess the story.
- 9.
Guess the sound
Light prep · any size
The host plays short everyday sounds and people guess what they are. Sounds from around the house work best.
- 10.
Twenty questions
No prep · 3 to 12 people
One person thinks of something; the others ask yes-or-no questions until someone gets it.
Drawing and screen games
- 11.
Thirty-second drawing
No prep · 3 to 12 people
Give a word, set a 30-second timer, and everyone draws it on a shared whiteboard at once.
- 12.
Gartic Phone
No prep · 4 to 30 people
Free in the browser: a drawing version of telephone where a sentence turns into something else entirely.
- 13.
skribbl.io
No prep · 3 to 12 people
Free online Pictionary with a private room. Add your own team words for inside jokes.
- 14.
Sixty-second scavenger hunt
No prep · any size
Name an object (something red, something older than you) and everyone races to show it on camera.
- 15.
Five-question quiz
Light prep · any size
Five quick questions about the week, the product or the team. Answers in the chat; the fastest correct answer wins.
How to run one well
Play at the start of the meeting, not the end, when people are fresh and nobody is rushing off. Keep the same game for a few weeks so nobody has to learn rules every time, then change it.
For big meetings, split into small groups of four to six. Games stop working when most people are watching instead of playing.