Zoom Games: 50+ Virtual Games to Play With Coworkers in 2026

Zoom Games: 50+ Virtual Games to Play With Coworkers

Teams that play video games together for just 45 minutes show a 20% increase in productivity on subsequent tasks.¹ That finding from Brigham Young University researchers challenges the assumption that virtual play is a distraction from “real work.” The opposite appears true: structured play builds the communication norms and trust that make collaboration possible.

This matters because remote work has created a loneliness crisis. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2024 Report, 25% of fully remote employees experience daily loneliness—compared to just 16% of on-site workers.² With over 300 million daily meeting participants on Zoom alone, virtual games provide what researchers call a “social container”: a safe, structured space for interaction that reduces the anxiety of unstructured small talk.

Whether you’re running a team-building session, hosting a virtual happy hour, or trying to make your weekly all-hands less painful, the games below will help you turn screen time into connection time.

Why Virtual Play Works: The Science

The BYU study tested 352 individuals organized into 80 newly formed teams. After completing an initial task, teams were randomly assigned to 45 minutes of either video gaming, quiet homework time, or a goal-training discussion. The video gaming teams saw their performance jump roughly 20%.¹

The surprising finding? While the goal-training teams reported feeling more cohesive, the gaming teams actually performed better. Play created what researchers call “team flow”—a collective psychological state where members establish communication norms faster than through formal training.

Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, identified four causes of Zoom fatigue: excessive close-up eye contact, constant self-view, reduced mobility, and higher cognitive load.³ Many games in this list address these factors directly—scavenger hunts force movement, audio-only games eliminate the “all-day mirror” effect, and competitive games shift focus from self-monitoring to external goals.

Zoom Chat Games (No Apps Required)

These games use only Zoom’s built-in chat feature and require patience to master.

1. The Waterfall

The host asks a question. Participants type their answer but do not hit enter. Host counts down: “3, 2, 1, GO!” Everyone hits enter simultaneously, creating a cascading “waterfall” of responses. This prevents groupthink and gives introverts equal airtime.

Best questions to ask:

• What’s your unpopular food opinion?
• What’s the best movie of all time?
• What’s your go-to karaoke song?
• If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?

2. Emoji Translation

One person types a movie title using only emojis. Others race to guess correctly. Examples: 🦁👑 = The Lion King, 🧙‍♂️💍🌋 = Lord of the Rings, 🦈🌊 = Jaws, 👻👻👻 = Ghostbusters.

Pro tip: Create themed rounds—80s movies, Disney films, or workplace comedies. Award bonus points for the most creative emoji combinations.

3. Guesstimate Trivia

Ask questions with numerical answers—the closest guess wins. Sample: How many miles is the Great Wall of China? (Answer: approximately 13,171 miles)

More guesstimate questions:

• How many Zoom meetings happen per day globally?
• What’s the average number of emails a person receives per day?
• How many hours does the average person spend in meetings per week?
• How many cups of coffee are consumed worldwide each day?

4. Word Association Chain

The host types a word. The next person (alphabetically by name) types the first word that comes to mind. Continue around the group. If someone takes more than 5 seconds or repeats a word, they’re out. Last person standing wins.

5. Story Builder

One person types the opening line of a story in chat. The next person adds a sentence. Continue until everyone has contributed. Read the complete story aloud at the end. The absurdity that emerges reveals how differently people think.

6. Acronym Game

The host types a random 4-5 letter acronym (like “FLOP” or “BRAIN”). Everyone types what they think it could stand for. Vote on the funniest or most creative interpretation.

Camera-Based Games

These games get participants moving and showing rather than telling.

7. Lightning Scavenger Hunt

The ultimate antidote to sedentary video calls. Host calls out an item (“Something fuzzy,” “Your favorite book,” “Something you’ve had for over 10 years”). Participants race to find it and show it on camera. First person back gets 3 points, second gets 2, third gets 1.

Scavenger hunt item ideas:

• Something that makes you happy
• Your most embarrassing possession
• Something from your childhood
• The oldest thing in your room
• Something you bought but never used
• Your favorite snack
• Something handmade
• A photo that makes you smile

8. Show and Tell

Each person picks one item from their room to share and explains why it matters. The object provides a conversation anchor—people share more openly when talking about something. Allow 2-3 minutes per person and encourage questions from the group.

9. Charades (Spotlight Mode)

The host “Spotlights” the actor. Use Zoom’s private message to send them their word. Set a 2-minute timer. Use Breakout Rooms for team competition.

Charades categories that work well virtually:

• Work-from-home activities
• Famous movie scenes
• Emotions
• Animals
• Sports
• Occupations

10. Freeze Dance

Host plays music (share computer audio) while everyone dances. When the music stops, everyone freezes. Anyone who moves is out. Last dancer standing wins. This game works surprisingly well for releasing energy during long meeting days.

11. Background Detective

One person’s camera stays on while others study their background for 30 seconds. Camera turns off. Host asks questions: “What color was the book on the shelf?” “How many plants were visible?” The person with the most correct answers wins.

12. Heads Up!

Using the Heads Up! app (or a free alternative), one person holds their phone to their forehead showing a word. Others give clues while the person guesses. Share the phone screen via Zoom for everyone to see the word.

Verbal and Logic Games

13. Two Truths and a Lie

One person states three “facts”—two true, one false. The group votes on which is the lie. Encourage surprising truths for better engagement. The best rounds happen when the truths sound unbelievable and the lie sounds completely plausible.

14. 20 Questions

One person thinks of a person, place, or thing. The group has 20 yes-or-no questions to identify it. Start broad (“Is it alive?”) before getting specific. Track questions on a shared screen to avoid repeats.

15. Would You Rather

Philosophical dilemmas that reveal values. Sample: Would you rather know exactly when you’ll die or exactly how?

More “Would You Rather” questions:

• Would you rather always be 10 minutes late or 20 minutes early?
• Would you rather have unlimited money or unlimited time?
• Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?
• Would you rather never use social media again or never watch TV again?
• Would you rather work from home forever or work in an office forever?

16. The Curiosity Game

Put people in Breakout Rooms. One person asks questions for 6 minutes while the other answers. Then swap. Genuine curiosity is rare—six minutes of focused attention feels surprisingly refreshing. This exercise builds deeper connections than hours of surface-level small talk.

17. Rose, Bud, Thorn

Each person shares: Rose (something going well), Bud (something growing or looking forward to), Thorn (something challenging). This format gives permission to share difficulties while staying balanced. It works especially well as a weekly team check-in ritual.

18. Story Spine

Using the Pixar storytelling format, each person adds one line:

• “Once upon a time…”
• “Every day…”
• “But one day…”
• “Because of that…”
• “Because of that…”
• “Until finally…”
• “And ever since then…“

19. Yes, And…

Borrowed from improv comedy. One person makes a statement. The next person must accept it (“Yes”) and build on it (“And…”). Continue around the group. This game teaches collaborative thinking and active listening.

20. Desert Island

Each person shares the three items they’d bring to a desert island and explains why. Variations include: three books, three albums, three movies, or three people (living or dead).

21. Hot Takes

Each person shares a mildly controversial opinion (keep it light—pineapple on pizza, not politics). The group debates for 2 minutes. Vote on who made the most compelling argument.

22. Finish the Sentence

Host provides sentence starters. Everyone completes them simultaneously in chat (Waterfall style). Examples:

• “My hidden talent is…”
• “The best advice I ever received was…”
• “If I weren’t in this career, I’d be…”

Browser-Based Games

These games use external websites. One person hosts while others join via shared link.

23. GeoGuessr

The host screen shares geoguessr.com. The game drops you into a random Google Street View destination. The team navigates, looks for clues (language on signs, driving side, vegetation), and guesses the location. Closer guesses score more points. The free version allows limited games per day.

24. Skribbl.io

Browser-based Pictionary with automated scoring at skribbl.io. Create a private room and share the link. Customize word lists for your team or industry. Games typically last 10-15 minutes.

25. Codenames

Use codenames.game for this word-association game. Split into teams with “Spymasters” giving one-word clues to help teammates identify their words while avoiding the opposing team’s words. Success requires understanding how teammates think.

26. Jackbox Games

One person purchases a Jackbox Party Pack and screen shares. Others join free via smartphones at jackbox.tv. Popular games include:

• Quiplash (write funny answers to prompts)
• Drawful (draw ridiculous pictures)
• Fibbage (create believable lies)
• Trivia Murder Party (trivia with a horror twist)

27. Among Us

Social deduction game where Crewmates complete tasks while identifying hidden Impostors who sabotage and eliminate players. Download the app (free on mobile), create a game, share the room code. Works best for teams with established trust—accusations can feel personal to newer teams.

28. Gartic Phone

At garticphone.com, each player writes a phrase, then draws it, then describes the drawing. Continue until the original phrase returns transformed beyond recognition. The final reveal showing how phrases evolved creates guaranteed laughs.

29. Spyfall

At spyfall.app, everyone receives the same location except one person—the spy. Players ask each other questions to identify the spy while the spy tries to figure out the location. The spy wins by guessing the location; others win by identifying the spy.

30. Wavelength

At wavelength.zone, one player gives a clue to help their team guess where a target sits on a spectrum (e.g., “Hot to Cold” or “Underrated to Overrated”). This game reveals fascinating differences in how people perceive concepts.

31. Fake Artist Goes to New York

At fake-artist.com, everyone draws the same secret word except one person—the fake artist—who doesn’t know what they’re drawing. After everyone adds to the collaborative drawing, vote on who the fake artist is.

32. Psych!

Download the Psych! app. Players make up fake answers to real trivia questions. Everyone votes on which answer they think is real. Points for fooling others and identifying the truth.

33. Kahoot!

Create custom trivia at kahoot.com. Host shares screen while players join on their phones. Great for team-specific trivia (“Who said this in last week’s meeting?”) or industry knowledge competitions.

Shared Experience Activities

34. Virtual Movie Night

Share your screen with “Share Sound” and “Optimize for Video Clip” enabled. Use chat to comment as you watch. Keep movies short (under 90 minutes) or watch in segments. Consider themed movie nights: worst movies ever, childhood favorites, or Oscar winners.

35. Virtual Escape Room

Use services like TheEscapeGame.com, Puzzle Break, or Enchambered. The host shares their screen while the team collaborates to solve clues before time runs out. Most virtual escape rooms last 60-90 minutes and accommodate 4-10 players.

36. Virtual Taste Test

Mail numbered, wrapped samples (chocolate, coffee, cheese, hot sauce) to each participant. Taste together, rank favorites, guess the price order, then reveal brands. This works especially well for distributed teams who rarely share physical experiences.

37. Virtual Cooking Class

Hire a virtual cooking instructor or designate a team member to lead. Send ingredient lists in advance. Cook the same dish together while chatting. The shared activity reduces awkward silences.

38. Virtual Museum Tour

Many museums offer free virtual tours. The host screen shares while the group explores together. Discuss favorite pieces. Try the Louvre, British Museum, or Smithsonian.

39. Virtual Book Club

Select a book (business or fiction). Meet monthly to discuss. Assign discussion questions in advance. This creates ongoing connection beyond single events.

40. Virtual Trivia Night

Use platforms like Water Cooler Trivia or create your own using Google Forms. Include categories like pop culture, history, science, and team-specific questions. Award prizes for winning teams.

41. Virtual Karaoke

Use watch2gether.com to sync YouTube karaoke videos. One person sings while others cheer (muted to avoid audio chaos). Create a sign-up sheet so everyone knows when their turn comes.

42. Virtual Talent Show

Each person prepares a 2-3 minute talent to share: singing, magic tricks, poetry, instrument playing, or unusual skills. Vote on categories like “Most Surprising” and “Most Likely to Go Viral.”

Quick-Fire Games (5 Minutes or Less)

Perfect for meeting openers or energy breaks:

• Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament: Use Gallery View for bracket-style competition. Pairs face off simultaneously; winners advance.
• Read My Lips: One person mutes and speaks; others guess what they’re saying. Harder than it sounds.
• Pet Show and Tell: Everyone introduces their pet (or a photo of a pet, or a plant, or a favorite stuffed animal).
• Background Challenge: Best themed virtual background wins. Announce themes in advance: “tropical vacation,” “outer space,” or “your dream office.”
• Never Have I Ever (Work-Safe): “Never have I ever forgotten to unmute.” “Never have I ever worn pajama pants to a video call.” Participants lower fingers for things they’ve done.
• Guess the Song: Play 5 seconds of a track; first correct chat guess wins. Create themed playlists: one-hit wonders, movie soundtracks, or songs from a specific decade.
• Virtual Coffee Roulette: Random Breakout Rooms for 5 minutes of non-work chat. Provide conversation starters for those who need them.
• Speed Networking: 2-minute Breakout Rooms with rotating partners. Provide a question for each round.
• Compliment Circle: Each person gives a genuine compliment to the person whose name comes after theirs alphabetically.
• Gratitude Round: Each person shares one thing they’re grateful for today. Takes 30 seconds per person but shifts energy significantly.
• High/Low: Each person shares their high point and low point of the week in one sentence each.
• One Word Check-In: Each person describes how they’re feeling in exactly one word. No explanations needed.

Games for Large Groups (20+ People)

Managing games with large groups requires different strategies:

43. Bingo

Create custom bingo cards using myfreebingocards.com. Categories can include “Has a pet cat,” “Visited another country this year,” or “Prefers tea over coffee.” Players find colleagues who match each square.

44. Trivia with Breakout Rooms

Divide into teams of 4-6 in Breakout Rooms. Read questions to all rooms simultaneously. Teams discuss and submit answers via chat or Google Form. Reconvene to reveal scores.

45. Scattergories

Host announces a letter and categories (“Things in a kitchen,” “Movies,” “Animals”). Everyone has 60 seconds to write answers. Share answers; unique answers score points.

46. Name That Tune Tournament

Play song clips. Participants submit guesses via chat. Track points on a shared spreadsheet. Works well with 50+ people.

47. Photo Caption Contest

Display a funny or ambiguous image. Everyone submits captions via chat or anonymous form. Vote on the best caption. Repeat with new images.

Games for Small Teams (3-6 People)

Intimate groups allow for deeper connection:

48. Fishbowl

Combines Taboo, Charades, and Password. Players add words to a virtual “bowl” (Google Form). Round 1: describe without saying the word. Round 2: act it out. Round 3: one-word clues only. Same words, increasing difficulty.

49. Mafia/Werewolf

Classic social deduction game. Use an online moderator tool or assign roles via private message. Requires 6+ players and works best when people know each other.

50. Contact

One person thinks of a word and reveals the first letter. Others try to think of words starting with that letter. If two people think of the same word, they say “Contact!” and count down together. If they match, the word-keeper reveals the next letter.

51. Collaborative Playlist

Create a shared Spotify playlist. Each person adds 2-3 songs that represent their current mood or a specific theme. Listen together and guess who added each song.

52. Virtual Pictionary

Use Zoom’s whiteboard feature or share a drawing app. One person draws while others guess. Simple but effective for small groups.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I share video with audio on Zoom?

When you click “Share Screen,” check “Share Sound” and “Optimize for Video Clip” at the bottom. For better quality, click the arrow next to “Share Sound” and select “Stereo (High Fidelity).”⁴

Can Zoom monitor your activity?

No. Zoom permanently removed its “attention tracking” feature on April 2, 2020. Hosts cannot see what apps you’re using or whether you have Zoom in focus.⁵

How does 20 Questions work?

One person thinks of something. The group asks up to 20 yes-or-no questions. The thinker answers only “yes,” “no,” or “sometimes.” The goal is to identify the person, place, or thing before running out of questions.

What’s the best game for a team that doesn’t know each other well?

Start with low-risk games like Two Truths and a Lie, Show and Tell, or The Waterfall. These reveal personal information without requiring vulnerability or competition. Save games like Among Us or Mafia for teams with established trust.

How long should virtual game sessions last?

For meeting openers, 5-10 minutes works well. For dedicated team-building sessions, 30-60 minutes is ideal. Beyond 60 minutes, Zoom fatigue sets in. Consider breaks every 25-30 minutes for longer sessions.

What if someone doesn’t want to participate?

Always make participation optional. Offer observer roles: scorekeeper, timekeeper, or chat moderator. Some people engage more after watching others play first.

How do I handle technical difficulties during games?

Have a backup plan. If a browser game crashes, switch to a chat-based game. Keep a list of no-tech games ready. Assign a co-host to troubleshoot while you keep the group engaged.

What games work best for international teams across time zones?

Asynchronous options work well: collaborative playlists, photo caption contests via Slack, or ongoing trivia tournaments. For live sessions, choose games that don’t require fast internet (chat-based games over video-heavy ones).

Zoom Games Takeaway

Virtual play isn’t a distraction—it’s a foundation for better collaboration. The research is clear: teams that play together perform better together.

Your action steps:

1. Start small: Pick one low-tech game (The Waterfall or Two Truths and a Lie) for your next meeting’s first 5 minutes
2. Address Zoom fatigue: Choose games that get people moving (Lightning Scavenger Hunt) or shift focus away from self-view (audio-based games)
3. Match the game to your goal: Use connection games (Show and Tell, Rose/Bud/Thorn) for new teams; competitive games (Codenames, Among Us) for established teams
4. Consider group size: Large groups need structured games with clear rules; small groups can handle more free-form activities
5. Make it regular: Consistent play builds lasting team cohesion—consider a weekly 10-minute game ritual
6. Rotate facilitators: Let different team members choose and lead games to distribute ownership
7. Go deeper: For more ways to build connection, explore our guide to icebreaker questions

Footnotes (5)

1. Keith, M. J., Anderson, G., Gaskin, J., & Dean, D. (2018). Team Video Gaming for Team Building: Effects on Team Performance. AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, 10(4), 205–231. Study: Collaborative video games could increase office productivity ↩ ↩²

2. Gallup. (2024). State of the Global Workplace: 2024 Report ↩

3. Bailenson, J. N. (2021). Nonverbal Overload: A Theoretical Argument for the Causes of Zoom Fatigue. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 2(1). Four causes of Zoom fatigue and solutions ↩

4. Zoom Support. Screen sharing with audio and video optimization ↩

5. Zoom Support. Attention tracking feature removal (April 2020) ↩