A GIF game is any game where players answer with animated GIFs instead of words, usually in a team chat. The best known is a GIF battle: someone posts a prompt, everyone replies with a GIF, and reactions decide the winner.

How do you play a GIF battle?

The host posts a prompt, such as “When the Wi-Fi comes back,” and each player replies with one GIF within five minutes. Everyone votes by reacting to their favorite with an agreed emoji, and the most votes wins. The winner posts the next prompt.

A GIF war is a GIF battle played as a bracket. Players face off two at a time on the same prompt, the channel votes, and winners advance until one player is left. With 8 players it fits neatly into a work week.

How do you play GIF games in Slack or Microsoft Teams?

Make one channel for games, check that GIFs are turned on and set to the strictest content rating, and agree on a voting emoji. Then post a prompt and a deadline. Both apps support GIFs, though an admin may need to switch them on.

How do you keep GIF games work-safe?

Use the strictest GIF filter, apply the CEO test to everything, never make GIFs of coworkers, and skip anything that mocks a group of people. Keep the games in their own channel so anyone can mute them.

What are good GIF prompts for work?

Prompts about shared work moments land best: the Monday morning face, a meeting that ends early, the Wi-Fi coming back, a project that finally ships. This page has 100 work-safe prompts with a copy button on each.

Can you play GIF games on a video call?

Yes. Read the prompt aloud on the call, give everyone 30 seconds to post a GIF in the team channel, then share the thread on screen and vote by show of hands. Guess the movie also works well this way.

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GIF games for work: 15 games and 100 work-safe prompts

How to run a GIF battle in Slack, Teams or on a video call, with judging rules and sample rounds. Plus 100 prompts with a copy button each.

KraftyLab TeamUpdated Oct 202610 min read

Four remote coworkers in a video call grid, each laughing at their laptop in a cozy home office.

A GIF game is the easiest game a remote team can play: someone posts a prompt, everyone answers with a GIF, and reactions pick the winner. Here are 15 GIF games for work, from a classic GIF battle and a week-long GIF war to guessing games, each with steps, how to judge it and a sample round. Below them are 100 work-safe prompts you can copy straight into your team channel, and the rules that keep it all fit for the CEO to scroll past.

How to play GIF games at work

Five minutes of setup in Slack, Microsoft Teams or any chat app with a GIF button:

Pick one channel. Make a channel or a pinned thread for games, so GIFs don't bury work messages.
Turn on the strictest GIF filter. Most chat apps let an admin limit GIF content ratings. Ask yours to set the strictest level before you start.
Choose a voting emoji. Reactions are the votes. Pick one emoji, like a trophy, so votes are easy to count.
Set a time box. Five minutes for a quick round, 24 hours for a bracket match. Post the deadline with the prompt.
Start with a GIF battle. It's the easiest game to explain. Once people have played a round, try the others.

Slack and Teams are named only to describe where you can play. KraftyLab isn’t affiliated with Slack or Microsoft.

GIF battle, GIF war and other head-to-head games

A prompt, a round of GIFs and a vote. These are the games people mean when they search for a GIF game.

1. GIF battle
Players: 3 or moreTime: 10 minutes a roundWhere: A team channel
1. The host posts a prompt, and everyone has five minutes to reply with one GIF.
2. Players vote by reacting to their favorite with one agreed emoji, like a trophy.
3. The round winner posts the next prompt. Play best of three.
How to judge: Most trophy reactions wins. One vote per person per round, and no voting for yourself.
Sample round: Prompt: “When the Wi-Fi comes back.” Winning GIF: a stadium crowd leaping out of their seats.
2. GIF war
Players: 8 or 16Time: One weekWhere: A team channel
1. Draw a bracket and post it. Each day, the host posts a prompt for each head-to-head match.
2. The two players post one GIF each, and the channel votes for 24 hours.
3. Winners move on, and the final runs on Friday afternoon.
How to judge: Channel votes decide each match. The host breaks ties with a coin flip, in the thread, for everyone to see.
Sample round: Quarterfinal prompt: “Your energy after lunch.” A sloth slowly reaching for a branch beats a cat dozing on a keyboard.
3. GIF caption contest
Players: 3 or moreTime: 10 minutesWhere: A team channel
1. The host posts one GIF with no text.
2. Players reply with a caption that turns it into a work moment.
3. Everyone reacts to their favorite caption.
How to judge: Most reactions wins, and the host can award one bonus point for the best pun.
Sample round: GIF: a dog balancing a tall stack of treats on its nose. Winning caption: “Me carrying four projects into the last week of the quarter.”
4. GIF translate
Players: 3 or moreTime: 10 minutesWhere: A team channel
1. The host posts a common saying.
2. Players translate it into a single GIF, with no words in the GIF.
3. React to vote, then the winner posts the next saying.
How to judge: Most reactions wins. A GIF with the saying written on it is disqualified.
Sample round: Saying: “Hit the ground running.” Winning GIF: a cartoon character whose legs are already spinning before they land.
5. Reply to this
Players: 3 or moreTime: 10 minutesWhere: A team channel
1. The host posts a reaction GIF with no context.
2. Players write the message this GIF would be the perfect reply to.
3. React to vote for the best one.
How to judge: Most reactions wins. It's a caption contest played backwards, so the funniest setup takes it.
Sample round: GIF: someone calmly closing a laptop and walking out of frame. Winning message: “The client just approved the final version.”
6. 30-second GIF sprint
Players: 4 to 30Time: 10 minutesWhere: A video call plus the team channel
1. On the call, the host reads a prompt out loud.
2. Everyone has 30 seconds to post a GIF in the team channel.
3. The host shares the thread on screen, and the call votes by show of hands. Play five rounds.
How to judge: Most hands wins the round, and the round winner reads the next prompt.
Sample round: Prompt: “Logging off on Friday.” Winning GIF: a penguin sliding away across the ice on its belly.

Playing live in a meeting instead? Our team meeting games work on any video call with no setup.

GIF guessing games

One person posts, everyone else guesses. A clear right answer makes these good for teams who like to win.

A woman laughing at her phone in a bright office while two coworkers beside her laugh along.

7. Guess the movie
Players: 4 or moreTime: 15 minutesWhere: A team channel or a video call
1. The host posts a GIF from a well-known movie scene, with no title or caption text in it.
2. The first correct reply scores a point.
3. The scorer posts the next GIF. First to five points wins.
How to judge: First correct reply in the thread scores. Spelling doesn't count against you.
Sample round: GIF: a shark fin circling a small fishing boat. Answer: Jaws.
8. GIF charades
Players: 4 or moreTime: 15 minutesWhere: A team channel
1. The host privately sends one player a phrase: a movie, a job or a saying.
2. That player posts up to three GIFs, with no words in them, as clues.
3. The first person to guess the phrase scores, and so does the clue-giver.
How to judge: A point each to the guesser and the clue-giver, so clue-givers want a fast guess.
Sample round: Phrase: “under the weather.” Clues: a rain cloud over one person, a thermometer, someone wrapped in a blanket.
9. Guess who posted it
Players: 5 to 20Time: 15 minutesWhere: A team channel
1. Everyone privately sends the host one GIF about their hobby or weekend plans.
2. The host posts them all, numbered, without names.
3. Players reply with their guesses, then the host reveals who sent each.
How to judge: A point for each correct guess. The person nobody guesses gets a bonus.
Sample round: GIF: two hands kneading a ball of bread dough. Sent by the colleague who bakes every Sunday.

GIF games that run all week

Slow-burn games with one post a day or a week, so a remote team has a reason to check in. Two of them wrap up on Friday, so they double as TGIF games.

10. GIF of the day
Players: The whole teamTime: 2 minutes a dayWhere: A team channel
1. Post one prompt every morning at the same time.
2. Everyone replies with one GIF. No winner on the day.
3. On Friday, the team votes for the week's best reply.
How to judge: A Friday vote across the week's replies. The winner writes next week's prompts.
Sample round: Prompt: “Your face at 9:01 on a Monday.” Favorite reply: a bear slowly waking up in its cave.
11. My week in three GIFs
Players: 3 or moreTime: 5 minutes, on FridayWhere: A team channel
1. On Friday, everyone posts three GIFs in one message: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
2. Others reply to the post that matches their own week best.
3. Read a few out at the end of the Friday call.
How to judge: No winner needed. If your team likes one, vote for the best story arc.
Sample round: Monday a rocket launching, Wednesday a juggler dropping one ball, Friday someone sinking slowly into a sofa.
12. GIF story relay
Players: 4 to 12Time: A dayWhere: A team channel thread
1. The host posts the first GIF of a story.
2. Each person adds one GIF that continues it; nobody posts twice in a row.
3. After ten GIFs, a volunteer writes the whole story out in a few lines.
How to judge: No winner. Vote for the best plot twist if you want one.
Sample round: A cat sitting at a desk, a phone ringing, the cat sprinting out of the room, a delivery truck pulling up.
13. Alphabet GIF chain
Players: 4 or moreTime: One afternoonWhere: A team channel thread
1. The first person posts a GIF of something starting with A, the next with B, and so on to Z.
2. Write the word under each GIF so the chain is easy to follow.
3. Repeat a word or skip a letter and the chain restarts at A.
How to judge: The team plays against the clock: time the A to Z run and try to beat it next month.
Sample round: A for applause, B for bubbles, C for a cartwheel, D for a dog doing a high five.
14. Team GIF dictionary
Players: The whole teamTime: One weekWhere: A team channel
1. List six to eight things your team says every day: on it, shipped, thank you, great question.
2. People nominate GIFs for each phrase in a thread.
3. Vote, then pin the winners as the team's official reactions.
How to judge: Most votes per phrase. Revisit the dictionary once a year.
Sample round: Phrase: “On it.” Winning GIF: a dog sprinting flat out after a ball.
15. Weekend forecast
Players: 3 or moreTime: 5 minutes on Friday, 5 on MondayWhere: A team channel
1. Friday afternoon, everyone posts a GIF of their weekend plans.
2. Monday morning, reply to your own post with a GIF of how it really went.
3. Read the best pairs out at the Monday meeting.
How to judge: Monday vote for the biggest gap between forecast and reality.
Sample round: Friday: someone hiking to a mountaintop. Monday: a cat asleep in a patch of sun.

More slow-burn ideas: our games to play over text and a weekly fun fact Friday both live happily in the same channel.

100 work-safe GIF prompts

Copy one into your channel and ask for replies in GIFs only. Each works for a GIF battle, a GIF of the day or a bracket match.

The work week

1. Your face at 9:01 on a Monday
2. When your calendar has no meetings today
3. When the coffee finally kicks in
4. Your energy after lunch
5. The first email you read this morning
6. Your to-do list right now
7. When a meeting ends early
8. When the calendar invite says “quick sync”
9. Opening the laptop after a long weekend
10. When someone says “one last thing”
11. Wednesday, in one GIF
12. When the Wi-Fi comes back
13. Your desk at the end of the week
14. When you remember it's a short week
15. The moment you hit send
16. When you find the file you thought you lost
17. Your reaction to “Can you hear me now?”
18. Logging off on Friday
19. When the deadline moves later
20. The last hour before a holiday weekend

Wins and celebrations

21. When the project finally ships
22. Your team after a big win
23. When the client says yes
24. Hitting inbox zero
25. When the demo works on the first try
26. When your code passes every test
27. Your reaction to a great idea in a meeting
28. A thank-you to whoever fixed the printer
29. When the numbers beat the target
30. Welcoming a new teammate
31. Celebrating a work anniversary
32. When a colleague nails their presentation
33. Closing out the quarter
34. When the spreadsheet formula works
35. Crossing off the last task on the list
36. Your victory dance after a tough week
37. When a teammate jumps in to help
38. When the launch email goes out
39. A high five for the whole team
40. When the bug you chased for days was one typo

Meetings, email and chat

41. When you realize you've been on mute
42. Your camera-off face
43. When two people start talking at once
44. Waiting for everyone to join the call
45. When someone shares the wrong screen
46. Replying all by accident
47. When the agenda is one line long
48. Reading a message that ends with “thoughts?”
49. When someone says “let's take this offline”
50. Your face on slide 40 of 60
51. When the meeting starts right on time
52. Seeing 47 unread messages
53. When your question gets answered before you ask it
54. The silence after “any questions?”
55. When the presenter asks “can everyone see my screen?”
56. Typing a long reply, then deleting it
57. When the chat moves faster than you can read
58. Joining the right call on the first try
59. When the meeting moves to tomorrow
60. When someone replies with the perfect emoji

Remote and hybrid life

61. Your commute from the kitchen to your desk
62. When a delivery arrives mid-meeting
63. Your pet's view of your workday
64. Office-day outfit vs. home-office outfit
65. When the lawn mower starts during a call
66. Finding the perfect video call background
67. Your lunch break at home
68. When the house finally goes quiet
69. Walking into the office after months away
70. Hunting for a free desk on office day
71. When your laptop battery hits 1%
72. Finding a sticky note from past you
73. When the doorbell rings during your presentation
74. Your chair after eight hours
75. Office day: remembering which bag has the charger
76. When the whole team is in the office on the same day
77. Your face when someone says “you're frozen”
78. Taking a call from the couch
79. When the time zone math finally works out
80. The sound of a laptop fan working hard

Just for fun

81. Your weekend plans in one GIF
82. Your spirit animal at work
83. How you'd describe this week to a friend
84. Your reaction to free snacks in the office
85. Your go-to dance move
86. The best part of your morning
87. Your hobby in one GIF
88. Your face when someone says “pizza for lunch”
89. The first cold morning of fall
90. Your summer vacation mood
91. Your reaction to the office playlist
92. How you type when you're in a hurry
93. Your face when the last puzzle piece fits
94. Your karaoke song in one GIF
95. When there's surprise cake in the kitchen
96. Seeing a sunny forecast for a long weekend
97. Your reaction to a team lunch
98. The first day of spring
99. When the group photo finally has everyone looking
100. The GIF that sums up your year so far

Need a channel to play in? Our Slack channel ideas come with a name and a first post for each.

Rules that keep GIF games work-safe

Post these with the first prompt. They take ten seconds to read and save a lot of awkward moments.

The CEO test. If you wouldn't show it to your CEO or a new client, don't post it.
No GIFs of coworkers. Never turn a colleague's photo or video into a GIF, even a flattering one. Stick to the GIF library.
Nobody is the punchline. No GIFs that mock a group of people, a culture, a body or an accent.
Strict filter on. Keep the strictest content rating your chat app offers, and skip anything the filter lets through that feels borderline.
Go easy on flashing GIFs. Fast-flashing or strobing GIFs can be hard on people with photosensitivity. Pick calmer ones.
Describe the GIF. Add a few words of description in your message, so people using screen readers can play too.
Opt in, not out. Keep games in their own channel so people can mute it, and never chase anyone to play.

Want a host to run a game for your team?

For a bigger moment than a GIF thread, a virtual game show puts your team on one video call with a live host, every team answering every round and a scoreboard. Shows run about an hour on Zoom by default (Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request). Book about 2 weeks ahead.

Two hosted game shows, with today’s prices.

Rather keep it to quick games between tasks? Try our office desk games, or get a free quote for a hosted event.

GIF games for work: 15 games and 100 work-safe prompts

How to play GIF games at work

GIF battle, GIF war and other head-to-head games

1. GIF battle

2. GIF war

3. GIF caption contest

4. GIF translate

5. Reply to this

6. 30-second GIF sprint

GIF guessing games

7. Guess the movie

8. GIF charades

9. Guess who posted it

GIF games that run all week

10. GIF of the day

11. My week in three GIFs

12. GIF story relay

13. Alphabet GIF chain

14. Team GIF dictionary

15. Weekend forecast