25 Engaging Zoom Team Building Games & Activities for Remote Teams in 2025
Working remotely doesn't mean your team can't build strong connections. With the right virtual team-building activities, you can create even more meaningful bonds than in traditional office settings.
These Zoom team-building games or Microsoft Teams bonding exercises help remote teams overcome isolation, improve communication skills, and boost employee morale—all while having genuine fun together.
This list includes:
Quick icebreakers you can launch in minutes with zero prep
Interactive games that spark conversation and friendly competition
Problem-solving challenges that improve collaboration skills
Creative activities that reveal hidden talents and personalities
Let's transform your next virtual meeting from an obligation into something your remote team members actually look forward to!
Take Zoom gatherings to the next level with our top suggestions for virtual games and exercises! These structured, competitive activities create energy and engagement while strengthening team connections during your Zoom calls.
1. Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Call out one item at a time in the chat—"find something blue" or "grab your favorite coffee mug"—and the first person to show it on camera gets a point. The energy builds quickly as people dash around their homes!
For larger teams, use breakout rooms of 5-8 people. This works much better than trying to track 30+ people racing to show items.
Want to mix it up? Try themed hunts where teams race to find items that represent their personalities or essential work-from-home gear. You'll spark conversations that continue long after the game ends.
Concept: Players race to find everyday items in their homes and show them on camera.
Player count: 5-50
Time: 15-20 minutes
Materials: List of items to find
Benefits: Creates immediate energy, gets remote employees moving, and provides glimpses into colleagues' personal spaces and preferences.
2. Two Truths and a Lie: Zoom Edition
You might be shocked at what you learn! Imagine your quietest team member claiming they: played in a rock band, had five children, and once met Bill Gates. You'd probably guess the Bill Gates story was fake—but what if it turned out they did meet him, but definitely don't have five kids!
The beauty of this fun Zoom game is how it reveals unexpected sides of people. You'll discover fascinating fun facts about colleagues living abroad or unusual hobbies that never would have come up in regular team meetings.
Just remember to keep it work-appropriate—no one should feel pressured to share anything too personal.
Concept: Classic icebreaker adapted for video conferencing platforms.
Player count: 4-15
Time: 10-15 minutes
Materials: None
Benefits: This fun activity encourages active listening, and skill development, and reveals interesting personal facts while sparking conversation.
3. Zoom Pictionary
Zoom's whiteboard feature is perfect for this online team-building game your team can play on Zoom. A video call is all it takes. Split everyone into two teams, then privately message a word to the first drawer. They have 60 seconds while their team shouts guesses.
Try using a mix of industry terms and random objects. You'll be crying with laughter watching someone try to draw a "customer retention strategy" with basic shapes! These shared moments of hilarity create connections that carry over into your regular work interactions.
Want to make it more relevant? Create a word list related to current projects or company inside jokes. You'll be amazed how this simple game creates shared references that strengthen team bonding for weeks afterward.
Concept: Drawing game using Zoom whiteboard that works just like the classic board game.
Player count: 6-20 (in teams)
Time: 20-30 minutes
Materials: Zoom whiteboard, word list
Benefits: It's a team-building exercise that promotes creative thinking, non-verbal communication, and provides a fun way to break from conversation-heavy virtual meetings.
4. Virtual Bingo
Instead of numbers, fill your bingo card with facts about team members: "Has a pet cat," "Loves spicy food," "Has visited more than 10 countries". Your remote team video call is about to get as fun as it can be!
Share the card at the start of your Zoom call, then give everyone 15-20 minutes to find colleagues who match each description. The entire team needs to talk to each other to fill out their cards.
You'll be surprised how quickly this gets people chatting across departmental lines. Even your most introverted remote employees tend to participate because the structure makes networking feel less awkward.
Concept: Custom bingo cards with team-related items.
Player count: Any size
Time: 15-30 minutes
Materials: Digital bingo cards
Benefits: This virtual team-building game encourages conversation, helps team members discover unexpected commonalities, and works well with new teams or large teams.
5. 5-Minute Mystery
Share a brief mystery scenario with a puzzling question: "A man lies dead in a room with 53 bicycles. What happened?". This is a fantastic virtual icebreaker activity that everyone will enjoy.
Your entire team asks yes/no questions to solve the mystery within 5 minutes. The collaboration happens instantly as people build on each other's questions. Try this with executive teams who might initially think it's silly. It's fascinating to see how different thinking styles emerge—analytical folks will approach it differently than creative team members.
Here's one that stumps most teams: "A woman orders a meal at a restaurant, takes one bite, and immediately realizes her husband has died. How did she know?" The answer reveals itself through careful questioning, and the satisfaction when someone finally cracks it is palpable!
Concept: Quick whodunit scenarios.
Player count: 5-15
Time: 5-10 minutes
Materials: Prepared mystery scenarios
Benefits: Perfect for warming up a virtual team meeting, encourages critical thinking, and creates shared experiences through problem-solving.
6. Virtual Escape Room
Create a narrative framework (you're trapped in a virtual office, spaceship, etc.) and design 5-7 puzzles that must be solved in sequence. Use Google Forms or similar tools to verify correct answers and provide clues.
What makes this virtual escape room powerful is watching how your team naturally distributes roles based on strengths. You'll see who emerges as a team leader, who excels at different types of puzzles, and how communication evolves under pressure.
For beginners, stick with word puzzles, simple ciphers, and pattern recognition. As your remote team gets more experienced, you can introduce logic problems, multi-step challenges, and interdependent clues where information must be shared between team members to progress.
Concept: The entire team solves puzzles to "escape" within a time limit.
Player count: 4-10
Time: 45-60 minutes
Materials: Prepared puzzles, breakout rooms
Benefits: This virtual team-building game builds problem-solving skills under pressure, encourages role distribution based on strengths, and creates shared experiences.
7. Virtual Trivia Tournament
Divide participants into small groups of 3-5 people on a video call and create 4-5 rounds of questions with different themes. Use breakout rooms for team discussions, then have teams submit answers via Google Forms or in chat.
The magic happens when you mix question types in your virtual trivia game. Include company history and inside jokes alongside industry knowledge and pop culture. Add visual rounds (identify the logo, name the landmark) for variety.
You'll discover unexpected knowledge areas from team members—maybe your quiet accountant is a film buff, or your new hire knows everything about your company's history. These revelations create new connections and respect between colleagues.
Concept: Multi-round quiz competition.
Player count: 6-30 (in teams)
Time: 30-45 minutes
Materials: Prepared questions, scoring system
Benefits: This virtual trivia game combines knowledge sharing with friendly competition, and works well for cross-departmental teams to discover shared interests.
8. Zoom Murder Mystery
Assign each participant a character with a backstory, with one team member secretly designated as the "murderer." Share evidence and clues through screen sharing and private messages.
Use breakout rooms for witness interviews and evidence examination, then reconvene to make accusations and reveal the truth.
The beauty of this activity is how it creates natural role-playing. You'll assign roles like:
Detective leading the investigation
Suspects with potential motives
Witnesses with partial information
Forensic experts with technical clues
Even your most reserved remote workers often shine in these scenarios when given a character to play. The shared experience creates inside jokes and references that strengthen team bonding for months afterward.
Concept: Virtual teams investigate a crime scene.
Player count: 6-15
Time: 60-90 minutes
Materials: Character descriptions, clues, breakout rooms
Benefits: Develops deduction skills, information sharing, and role-playing abilities while creating an immersive shared experience.
Fun Team Building Activities on Zoom
These collaborative, less structured activities focus on creativity and connection rather than competition. They all promote team building while leveraging video calls, conference rooms, and other virtual features.
9. Collaborative Story Creation
Provide an intriguing first line of a story: "The team meeting was going normally until someone noticed the strange message in the chat."
Go around the virtual room with each person adding one sentence. The story takes wild turns as everyone contributes, creating something no single person would have imagined.
You'll be amazed at how different personalities approach this—some add dramatic plot twists, others focus on character development, and some bring unexpected humor. These different approaches often mirror how people contribute to projects in your regular work.
Concept: The virtual team builds a story one sentence at a time.
Player count: 5-15
Time: 15-20 minutes
Materials: Starting prompt, recording option
Benefits: This virtual team-building activity develops active listening, adaptability, and innovative thinking while creating a unique shared experience.
10. Desert Island Consensus
Present a scenario: "Your team is stranded on a desert island and can only bring 5 items." Provide a list of 15-20 possible items (rope, knife, water purifier, etc.).
First, have everyone privately rank their top 5 choices. Then share individual rankings and work together to create a consensus list within a time limit.
The discussion reveals so much about your team dynamics! You'll see who focuses on immediate survival versus long-term rescue, who leads the conversation, who compromises easily, and how the group handles disagreement.
Concept: Virtual teams must agree on limited items to bring to Desert Island.
Player count: 5-12
Time: 20-30 minutes
Materials: Item list, voting mechanism
Benefits: This virtual team-building activity develops negotiation skills, and consensus building, and reveals different approaches to problem-solving within the team.
11. Virtual Time Capsule
Create a shared digital space (Google Drive folder, Miro board, etc.) where team members contribute items representing the current moment:
Predictions for the company/team in 1 year
Personal goals they hope to achieve
Screenshots of current projects
Photos of their workspace
Current challenges and hopes
Set a date to "open" the time capsule (6-12 months later). When you revisit it, you'll have fascinating discussions about what changed and what surprised everyone.
Concept: Virtual teams create digital time capsules to revisit later.
Player count: Any size
Time: 30-45 minutes
Materials: Shared document or folder
Benefits: This virtual team-building activity creates continuity across time, encourages reflection, and builds team spirit for future interactions.
12. Virtual Puzzle Solving
Share a complex puzzle via screen share (logic grid, cryptic crossword, etc.) and designate a facilitator to update the puzzle based on team input.
What makes this activity valuable is watching how different thinking styles emerge. Some team members will take systematic approaches, others will make intuitive leaps, and you'll see natural collaboration patterns form.
Start with visual puzzles that everyone can process simultaneously, then move to logic problems requiring systematic thinking. Finish with integrative challenges combining multiple puzzle types.
Concept: A virtual team works together to solve complex puzzles.
Player count: 4-12
Time: 30-45 minutes
Materials: Digital puzzles, screen sharing
Benefits: This virtual team-building activity develops logical thinking, division of labor based on strengths, and communication of complex ideas.
13. Budget Challenge
Present a realistic business scenario (planning a team building event, solving a customer problem, launching a product) and assign a limited virtual budget (e.g., $10,000).
Provide a menu of options with different costs and benefits, then let teams work in breakout rooms to allocate resources optimally. Each team presents its solution and rationale and then votes on the most effective approach.
Evaluate solutions based on criteria like:
Innovation and creative thinking
ROI and budget efficiency
Alignment with company values
Feasibility of implementation
Concept: Teams compete to create the best solution with a limited budget.
Benefits: It helps virtual teams develop problem-solving skills, prioritization, and presentation skills while simulating real business constraints.
14. Code Word Communication
Take team building to the next level with Code Word Communication. Divide into pairs with one "describer" and one "doer" in each. Give each describer an image or concept to communicate, but restrict communication by banning certain common words.
The "doer" must complete a task based only on the limited instructions. For example, describe how to draw a house without using shape words, or explain a process without using action verbs.
Try variations like:
Drawing challenges (describe a logo without naming the company)
Process explanations (explain how to set up a spreadsheet without using technical terms)
Concept communication (describe your job without using industry jargon)
Concept: Teams must communicate using limited vocabulary.
Player count: 6-16 (in pairs)
Time: 20-30 minutes
Materials: Task descriptions, restricted word lists
Benefits: This is a virtual team-building activity that develops clear communication, creative problem-solving, and adaptability while highlighting the importance of shared vocabulary.
15. Virtual Art Gallery
Announce a theme connected to your team or company values—"Resilience," "Innovation," or "Our team in 2030."
Give team members 1-2 days to create a piece of art in any medium, then host a virtual gallery opening where each artist presents their work. Discuss interpretations and inspirations.
You'll be stunned by the hidden talents on your team! The engineer who creates beautiful watercolors, the sales rep who writes poetry, the manager who builds miniature sculptures—these revelations create new appreciation between team members.
Concept: Virtual teams create artwork based on a shared theme.
Player count: Any size
Time: 30-45 minutes (plus creation time)
Materials: Art supplies, sharing platform
Benefits: This virtual team-building game encourages creative expression, appreciation of diverse perspectives, and a deeper understanding of how colleagues interpret shared concepts.
16. Zoom Talent Show
Invite team members to prepare a 2-3 minute performance, emphasizing that talents can be serious or silly, impressive or amusing. This is a fantastic virtual team-building activity your crew will truly enjoy.
Create a supportive atmosphere with clear ground rules, and consider awarding fun superlatives like "Most Surprising Talent" or "Most Likely to Go Viral."
Talent suggestions include:
Musical performances
Magic tricks
Speed skills (solving Rubik's cube, typing, etc.)
Impressions or accents
Dance routines
Poetry reading
Concept: Team members showcase hidden talents.
Player count: Any size
Time: 30-60 minutes
Materials: Performance preparation, optional voting system
Benefits: This virtual team-building activity boosts personal connection, celebrates individuality, and helps discover unexpected talents within your team.
More Ideas for Zoom Team-Building
Team building games go beyond Zoom video calls. They can be competitive and thrilling! These broader concepts and events create ongoing engagement opportunities for remote teams.
17. Virtual Hackathon
This is the virtual team-building activity you didn't know your team needed. Present a real business challenge your team is facing—improving a customer touchpoint, streamlining an internal process, and enhancing team communication.
Divide into cross-functional teams of 3-4 people and set clear timeboxes: 15 minutes for ideation, 30 minutes for development, and 15 minutes for presentation prep. Each team presents their solution in 3-5 minutes, then vote on ideas to potentially implement.
The compressed timeline forces creative thinking and prevents overthinking. You'll be amazed at the quality of solutions that emerge when people have permission to think beyond conventional approaches.
Concept: Mini innovation challenge for non-technical problems.
Player count: 8-24 (in teams)
Time: 60-120 minutes
Materials: Problem statement, presentation method
Benefits: This fun game generates practical solutions to real problems, shows different thinking styles, and creates ownership of team challenges.
18. Collaborative Playlist Creation
Who said a Collaborative Playlist is exclusively created for in-person teams? Ask each team member to participate in this team game and add 2-3 songs to a collaborative playlist that match a specific theme: "Songs that motivate you," "Music that represents your work style," or "Tracks that make you happy."
During your next video conference, play portions of the songs and have contributors explain their choices. The stories behind music selections often reveal surprising insights about colleagues' personalities and experiences.
For ongoing engagement, create different themed playlists each month and share them for remote team members to enjoy during work hours.
Concept: Virtual teams build a shared playlist with personal significance.
Player count: Any size
Time: 15-30 minutes
Materials: Music streaming platform with collaborative features
Benefits: This virtual game promotes cultural sharing and the creation of a shared team resource that extends beyond the initial activity.
19. Virtual Cookbook
In this virtual team-building activity, employees are asked to share their favorite recipe along with a short story about why it's meaningful to them. Compile these into a digital team cookbook with photos.
The stories behind recipes often reveal cultural backgrounds, family traditions, and personal values in a natural, non-forced way. You might discover your project manager learned their famous chocolate chip cookie recipe from their grandmother, or your developer perfected their curry dish while backpacking through Southeast Asia.
For distributed teams across time zones, this creates a meaningful connection point that doesn't require synchronous participation. The final cookbook becomes a lasting team artifact that people genuinely treasure.
Benefits: This team-building activity improves connection, and cultural appreciation, and creates a lasting team memento that celebrates diversity.
20. Guided Visualization
Thinking of fun virtual team-building activities? Look no further than Guided Visualization. Lead your team through a guided visualization exercise focused on relaxation, creativity, or future planning. For example, a "company vision 2030" visualization might ask participants to imagine their ideal workplace five years from now.
After the visualization, provide time for sharing insights and reflections. These shared visions often reveal aligned values and aspirations that might not surface in regular meetings.
This activity works particularly well for remote workers experiencing high stress or facing significant change, providing a mental reset and shared positive experience.
Concept: Teams participate in guided creative visualization.
Player count: 5-20
Time: 15-20 minutes
Materials: Prepared visualization script
Benefits: This virtual game contributes to stress reduction, creative thinking, and alignment around future goals.
21. Virtual Happy Hour with a Twist
Elevate your team-building experience with a Virtual Happy Hour with a Twist. In this Zoom game, transform the standard virtual happy hour by adding structure and purpose. Send optional drink/snack recipes in advance (including non-alcoholic options), then organize the time with rotating mini-activities:
The structure of this team-building game prevents awkward silences while still allowing for conversation to develop. For larger teams, use breakout rooms that rotate every 15 minutes to ensure everyone connects with different colleagues.
Benefits: Casual connection, team bonding, and structured networking without the awkwardness of unplanned social time.
22. Online Cooking Class
For this cooking team-building exercise, select a recipe that's accessible for different skill levels and dietary needs. Send ingredients and equipment lists at least a week in advance, then cook together - play on Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
You can either have one team member with expertise lead the session or hire a professional chef (many now offer virtual classes starting around $300-500 for groups). The shared experience of creating something tangible together—and occasionally laughing at cooking mishaps—creates strong bonds.
For distributed teams across time zones, record the session and create a photo gallery where everyone can share their finished dishes regardless of when they participate.
Concept: The team cooks the same recipe simultaneously.
Player count: 5-20
Time: 60-90 minutes
Materials: Recipe, ingredients list (sent in advance)
Benefits: Like many team-building activities, this one focuses on providing a shared experience, while parking conversation and working toward a common goal.
23. Virtual Game Show
In this team-building game, recreate popular game show formats like Family Feud, Jeopardy, or Wheel of Fortune with company-specific content. For example, a Family Feud-style game might survey your company about "Top ways to impress a client" or "Most common workplace distractions". It's a form of online trivia game your team will be eager to be a part of.
Assign someone with theatrical flair to be the game host, complete with exaggerated game show host mannerisms. The familiar format combined with company-specific content creates an immediately engaging experience.
For larger organizations, consider tournament-style play across departments with a championship round featuring winning teams from each division.
Benefits: Energetic engagement, team building, friendly competition, and company knowledge sharing in an entertaining format.
24. Guided Virtual Tour
Invite team members to give virtual tours of places meaningful to them—their neighborhood, a favorite local spot, their home office setup, or even a virtual tour of their hometown via Google Maps.
These tours provide context about colleagues' daily lives and environments, creating an understanding of different working conditions and cultural backgrounds. They're especially valuable for globally distributed teams to appreciate the diverse contexts team members operate.
For maximum impact, schedule these regularly with 1-2 team members sharing each month, creating an ongoing connection point the team looks forward to.
Concept: Team members give tours of meaningful locations.
Player count: Any size
Time: 30-60 minutes
Materials: Prepared photos/videos or live mobile streaming
Benefits: Personal connection, cultural appreciation, and deeper understanding of colleagues' daily environments and experiences.
25. Virtual Book Club
Start a Virtual Book Club where team members read the same book and discuss a few ideas per week during a video call. Choose books that relate to professional development, industry trends, or simply enjoyable fiction that provides a break from work topics.
Rotate the discussion leader role so each team member shares the responsibility of preparing questions and guiding the conversation. This creates ownership and ensures diverse perspectives lead the discussion.
For teams with limited reading time, consider shorter formats like articles, podcast episodes, or TED talks that can be consumed in under an hour.
Concept: Monthly discussion of shared reading.
Player count: 5-15
Time: 45-60 minutes
Materials: Selected book, discussion questions
Benefits: It benefits also hybrid teams and small groups, and it's ideal for intellectual stimulation and for starting conversations that go beyond day-to-day work topics.
Wrapping Up
Effective remote team building is not focused on replicating in-person experiences. Online team-building games are meant to create meaningful connections that work within the digital environment, having a positive impact on remote workers. The activities in this guide leverage the unique advantages of virtual interaction while addressing the specific challenges remote teams face.
Start with simpler activities that match your team's current comfort level, then gradually introduce more complex or personal exercises as trust builds. Remember that consistency matters more than intensity—regular, shorter team-building exercises and online games generally create a more lasting impact than occasional elaborate team-building events. They are also a fun way to engage remote employees, whether through online office games or zoom team-building activities.
By making virtual team building a priority, you're investing in the relationships that ultimately drive productivity, innovation, and retention within your remote team. In today's distributed work environment, these connections are essential to your team's success.
Thomas Mazimann, a French entrepreneur and former international kayaking athlete, transitioned from sports to tech after moving to the U.S. He co-founded TeamOut, revolutionizing team gatherings.
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