Team building games for work

Short, optional and not cringe

The games that people actually enjoy at work have three things in common: they are short, they have a clear end and nobody is forced into the spotlight. Most of the 38 ideas here take between 5 and 30 minutes and need little more than paper, a timer and a few markers. Several work on video calls, such as the virtual photo scavenger hunt, emoji guessing and back-to-back drawing.

Group size changes what works. Human knot needs 6 to 10 people, and the marshmallow tower works best in teams of 3 or 4, so split a bigger group. Lightning talks and the compliment circle work best with 10 or fewer. Trivia and bingo can handle 30 people if you use teams.

Avoiding forced fun is mostly about framing. Say how long it will take, offer a pass, and play at the start of a meeting instead of at the end of a long day. Skip the competitive ones when a team is tense, and keep prizes small, such as picking the next meeting song.

What's on this wheel

• Two truths and a lie
• Desert island picks
• Office trivia
• Whiteboard draw-and-guess
• Human knot
• Marshmallow tower
• Paper plane contest
• Guess the baby photo
• Scavenger hunt in the building
• Virtual photo scavenger hunt
• Charades
• Story in one word each
• Blindfold drawing in pairs
• Build a bridge from index cards
• Lightning talks on a hobby
• Would you rather rounds
• Group puzzle sprint
• Name that tune from humming
• Pass the clap
• Show and tell from your desk
• Emoji guessing game
• Walk and talk in pairs
• Escape room style puzzles
• Worst job interview answers
• Silent line-up by birthday
• Spaghetti tower challenge
• Bingo with coworker facts
• Pitch a silly product
• Alphabet brainstorm
• Draw your teammate
• Cup stacking relay
• Guess the team poll
• Fix a broken process in 10 min
• Rock paper scissors tournament
• Back-to-back drawing
• Teach us something in 3 minutes
• Compliment circle
• Mystery object guessing

Picking and running a game

1. Cut the list in Entries to games that match your room, group size and time. Remote team? Delete the physical ones.
2. Press Spin and announce the game with the time limit, then explain the rules in under a minute.
3. Use Remove from wheel after a game so next month's session feels new.

Similar ready-made wheels

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• Drawing ideas48 things to draw, from a cat in a teacup to a lighthouse in a storm
• Workout wheel32 bodyweight moves with reps, no equipment needed
• Ice breaker questions40 easy questions for team meetings, classes and new groups
• Table topics questions40 short prompts for table topics rounds at clubs and meetings

All ready-made wheels

Make your own wheel with your list

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