27 games to play over text with your team

How to run games in Slack or Teams

Six habits that keep a chat game alive past the first week.

1. 1Give games their own channel. A #games or #fun channel keeps work threads clean, and joining stays optional.
2. 2Post at the same time every day. A 10 am game becomes a habit. Random posts get missed.
3. 3Use threads for answers. Replies in a thread keep the channel readable and the game easy to follow.
4. 4Vote with reactions. Emoji reactions work as instant polls in Slack, Teams and most group chats.
5. 5Take answers by DM when it matters. For trivia and riddles, private answers stop the fastest typist from giving it away.
6. 6Rotate the host. Let the winner post the next round, so the organizer isn't the only one keeping it alive.

One-message games

Post one message, let the replies roll in. Good for a daily ritual that takes 30 seconds to join.

1. 1. Emoji movie titles

   Post a movie title written only in emojis. The first correct reply wins the round, and the winner posts the next one.

   Try these

   • 🦁👑 (The Lion King)
   • 🚢🧊💔 (Titanic)
   • 👽📞🏠 (E.T.)
   • 🐠🔍 (Finding Nemo)

2. 2. This or that

   Post two options, one emoji each. People vote with a reaction, and the replies are where the arguments happen.

   Try these

   • Coffee ☕ or tea 🍵?
   • Early bird 🌅 or night owl 🦉?
   • Window seat 🪟 or aisle 🚶?

3. 3. Would you rather (work edition)

   Post one would-you-rather and ask everyone to defend their pick in one sentence.

   Try these

   • Never attend another meeting, or never answer another email?
   • A four-day week of 10-hour days, or a five-day week that ends at 3 pm?
   • Always be 10 minutes early, or always 2 minutes late?

4. 4. Two truths and a lie

   One person posts three numbered statements about themselves. Everyone replies with the number they think is the lie. Reveal the next morning.

   Try this

   • 1. I've been on live TV. 2. I can't whistle. 3. I've never seen Star Wars.

5. 5. Guess the desk

   Teammates DM you a photo of their desk. Post one a day and let everyone guess whose it is in the thread.

   Try this

   • Whose desk is this? Hint: they own more mugs than the kitchen.

6. 6. Mild hot takes

   Post a harmless hot take. Everyone reacts with 👍 or 👎 and the minority has to explain themselves.

   Try these

   • Cereal is a soup.
   • Breakfast for dinner beats dinner.
   • Reply-all should require a password.

7. 7. Caption this

   Post a funny, work-safe photo (a pet, a stock photo, a sign). The caption with the most reactions by end of day wins.

   Try this

   • A stock photo of four people high-fiving over a pie chart.

Word games over text

Games that live in a thread and get funnier the longer they run.

1. 8. Word chain

   Pick a category. Each reply must start with the last letter of the previous word. Repeat a word or break the category and you're out.

   Try this

   • Category: animals. Elephant → Tiger → Rabbit → ...

2. 9. One-word story

   Start a story with one word. Each person adds exactly one word in the thread. Nobody posts twice in a row.

   Try this

   • Opening word: "Suddenly..."

3. 10. Six-word stories

   Give a topic and ask for a story in exactly six words. The best ones get pinned.

   Try these

   • Your weekend in six words.
   • Your job, explained to a toddler, in six words.

4. 11. Acronym game

   Post three random letters. Everyone invents what they stand for. Most reactions wins.

   Try this

   • Q.B.R. (Quarterly Bagel Review? Quietly Becoming Remote?)

5. 12. Category sprint

   Post a letter and a category. Every unique answer scores a point; anyone who matches someone else's answer scores nothing.

   Try these

   • A food that starts with M.
   • A city that starts with B.
   • A job title that starts with P.

6. 13. Rhyme time

   Post a word. Whoever replies with the most real rhymes by noon wins.

   Try these

   • Most rhymes for "Monday" by noon.
   • Most rhymes for "deadline" by 3 pm.

Guessing and trivia games

A clear right answer and a winner, so the competitive people have something to do.

1. 14. Twenty questions

   Think of a person, place or thing. The team asks yes-or-no questions in the thread; if they don't get it in 20, you win.

   Try this

   • I'm thinking of an object in this office. Go.

2. 15. Question of the day

   Post one trivia question each morning. Answers go to you by DM so nobody copies. Post the leaderboard on Friday.

   Try these

   • Which ocean is the largest? (The Pacific)
   • How many hearts does an octopus have? (Three)
   • Which letter appears in no US state name? (Q)

3. 16. Guess the pet

   Collect pet photos by DM. Post one at a time and let the team guess whose pet it is.

   Try this

   • Who does this very serious cat work for?

4. 17. Who said it?

   Ask everyone privately for an answer to one question, then post the answers one by one and let the team guess who wrote each.

   Try these

   • "What was your first job?"
   • "What's your most-used phrase at work?"

5. 18. Riddle of the day

   Post one riddle. Answers by DM; reveal and credit the first solver the next morning.

   Try these

   • What has to be broken before you can use it? (An egg)
   • What gets bigger the more you take away? (A hole)

6. 19. Closest guess wins

   Ask a number question with a real answer. Closest guess without going over wins.

   Try these

   • How many messages did this channel get last month?
   • How many people have joined the company this year?

Photo and emoji games

For the teammates who'd rather send a picture than write a paragraph.

1. 20. Photo of the day

   Post a theme each morning. Everyone shares a photo that fits; no judging, just a peek into each other's day.

   Try these

   • Your view right now.
   • Something blue.
   • Today's lunch, honestly.

2. 21. Draw it badly

   DM one person a word. They draw it on a sticky note or in a paint app and post it. First correct guess wins.

   Try this

   • Words to try: lighthouse, spreadsheet, octopus, deadline.

3. 22. Five-emoji weekend

   On Monday, everyone describes their weekend in exactly five emojis. The team translates in the replies.

   Try this

   • 🏃‍♀️🥞📺🛋️😴

4. 23. Snack critic

   Post a photo of your snack and review it like a food critic in three sentences. Stars optional.

   Try this

   • "A bold pretzel with notes of desk drawer and regret. Four stars."

Games that run all week

One clue or round a day, with a winner on Friday. Slow-burn games give people a reason to check in.

1. 24. Bracket battle

   Pick a silly topic and run a bracket: one matchup a day, voted by reaction, until a champion is crowned.

   Try these

   • Best office snack.
   • Best 90s movie.
   • Most useful kitchen appliance.

2. 25. Chat scavenger hunt

   Post one item a day. The first photo of it in the thread wins the day's point.

   Try these

   • Something older than you.
   • A mug with a story.
   • The oddest thing in your fridge.

3. 26. Mystery colleague

   With their permission, post one clue a day about a teammate. Guesses go to you by DM; reveal on Friday.

   Try these

   • Clue 1: I've lived in three countries.
   • Clue 2: I've run a marathon.

4. 27. Choose the story

   Post a scene and two choices. The team votes by reaction and you write the next scene the next day.

   Try this

   • The office printer starts talking. Do you answer it 🗣️ or unplug it 🔌?

When chat isn't enough

Text games keep a team talking between meetings. Once in a while, everyone needs to laugh together live. A host runs a game for about an hour on Zoom by default (Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request), and nobody has to organize anything. See virtual trivia and virtual game shows.

Got a meeting to warm up instead? Try these team meeting games, a free online escape room or Scattergories-style lists. Planning a bigger event? Get a free quote.