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Office games: 30 games to play at work

Quick, work-safe games for meetings, desks, lunch and team events, with rules you can read out and 10 you can play free right now.

KraftyLab TeamUpdated 11 min read
Coworkers cheer in a bright open office as one of them launches a paper airplane.

Here are 30 office games to play at work, sorted by the moment you have: a meeting opener, a slow afternoon at your desk, lunch or a team event. Each has its time, group size, setting and rules, and 10 start from a free tool on our site.

30 office games at a glance

Pick by the time you have and where your team sits. Every game links to its rules below.

All 30 office games at a glance
GamePlayersSetting
5-minute meeting openers
Meeting room scramble racefree tool5 min · prep: none4 to 20In office, Remote, Hybrid
Taboo-style warm-upfree tool10 min · prep: none4 to 12In office, Remote, Hybrid
Office estimation round5 min · prep: 5 min4 to 20In office, Hybrid
Acronym remix5 min · prep: none3 to 15In office, Remote, Hybrid
Name the hidden rule5 min · prep: 5 min3 to 20In office, Remote, Hybrid
Bicycle from memory5 min · prep: noneAny groupIn office, Remote, Hybrid
Desk games that run all week
Daily word-group puzzlefree tool5 min a day · prep: noneAny groupIn office, Remote, Hybrid
Daily riddle boardfree tool2 min · prep: noneAny groupIn office, Remote, Hybrid
Mystery object of the weekAll week · prep: 5 minAny groupIn office, Hybrid
Daily number target5 min · prep: noneAny groupIn office, Hybrid
Word ladder of the day5 min · prep: 5 minAny groupIn office, Remote, Hybrid
Petal wordAll day · prep: noneAny groupIn office, Hybrid
Breakroom and lunch games
Pictionary-style lunch drawfree tool15 min · prep: none4 to 12In office
Lunch-table bingofree tool15 min · prep: 5 min8 to 30In office, Hybrid
Name that dish10 min · prep: none3 to 10In office, Remote, Hybrid
Coin shuffleboard10 min · prep: 2 min2 to 4In office
Speed card game5 min · prep: a deck of cards2In office
First job match10 min · prep: 10 min6 to 20In office, Remote, Hybrid
Games for a team event
Jeopardy-style quiz on the big screenfree tool30 min · prep: none2 to 6 teamsIn office, Remote, Hybrid
Feud-style face-off boardfree tool20 min · prep: none2 teamsIn office, Remote, Hybrid
Escape room racefree tool20 min · prep: noneTeams of 2 to 5In office, Remote, Hybrid
Office mini golf45 min · prep: 15 min8 to 40In office
Paper bridge challenge30 min · prep: 10 min6 to 30In office
Paper crane race20 min · prep: 5 min4 to 30In office, Remote, Hybrid
Office competitions
Ten-question Friday quizfree tool10 min · prep: noneAny groupIn office, Remote, Hybrid
Challenge ladderA month · prep: 15 min6 to 30In office
Friday forecast league2 min a week · prep: noneAny groupIn office, Remote, Hybrid
Brick build-off30 min · prep: 10 min6 to 30In office, Hybrid
Puzzle cube raceA month · prep: noneAny groupIn office, Hybrid
Sudoku speed league10 min a week · prep: 5 minAny groupIn office, Remote, Hybrid

30 games to play at work, by moment

Rules are three to five steps each. Games marked free tool open on our site with no login.

5-minute meeting openers (6)

Short enough to start a meeting without eating it. Play one, then get to the agenda.

  1. 1. Meeting room scramble race

    Two teams race to unscramble words on the meeting room screen.

    1. Open the free scramble on the room screen, or share it on the call.
    2. Each side of the table plays as one team.
    3. The first team to shout the word scores; tap +1 and go to the next word.
    4. Stop after ten words and start the meeting.

    5 min · 4 to 20 · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: none · free tool

  2. 2. Taboo-style warm-up

    Describe the word without saying any of its five banned words.

    1. The clue giver opens the cards on their phone so nobody else can see them.
    2. They describe the word to their team for 60 seconds without the five banned words.
    3. One point per word guessed; say a banned word and the card goes to the other team.

    10 min · 4 to 12 · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: none · free tool

  3. 3. Office estimation round

    Guess a number about your own office; closest wins.

    1. Before the meeting, count something nobody knows: mugs in the kitchen, steps from the front door to this room.
    2. Ask the question and give everyone 20 seconds to write a guess on a sticky note or in chat.
    3. Closest guess wins and sets next week's question.

    5 min · 4 to 20 · In office, Hybrid · prep: 5 min

  4. 4. Acronym remix

    Give a three-letter acronym a brand new meaning.

    1. Write three letters on the whiteboard: a team acronym or three at random.
    2. Everyone has 60 seconds to write what it really stands for.
    3. Read them out and vote for the best. Keep them kind: no names, no digs.

    5 min · 3 to 15 · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: none

  5. 5. Name the hidden rule

    Four items, one doesn't belong. Spot it and name the rule.

    1. Write four items where three share a hidden rule, such as Paris, Rome, Sydney and Madrid (Sydney isn't a national capital).
    2. First to name the odd one and the rule scores a point.
    3. If someone finds a different rule that also works, give them the point too.
    4. Play three rounds, then let the winner write the next one.

    5 min · 3 to 20 · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: 5 min

  6. 6. Bicycle from memory

    Draw a bicycle from memory, and find out how hard that is.

    1. Everyone gets 60 seconds and a pen to draw a bicycle: frame, chain, pedals and seat.
    2. Hold the drawings up to the room or the camera.
    3. Put a photo of a real bike next to them and vote for the one you could actually ride.

    5 min · Any group · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: none

More: 35 more team meeting games.

Desk games that run all week (6)

A minute here and there, at your own pace, with a winner on Friday.

  1. 7. Daily word-group puzzle

    Sort 16 words into four groups of four, with a new board every day.

    1. Everyone plays today's board at their own desk.
    2. Post how many mistakes you made in the team chat, with no spoilers.
    3. Fewest mistakes over the week wins.

    5 min a day · Any group · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: none · free tool

  2. 8. Daily riddle board

    One riddle a day, answers by private message.

    1. Post the day's riddle at 9am on the whiteboard or in the team channel.
    2. Solvers send their answer privately to whoever posted it.
    3. At 4pm, reveal the answer and the names of everyone who got it.

    2 min · Any group · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: none · free tool

  3. 9. Mystery object of the week

    A strange object on a shared shelf, and a box of guesses about what it is.

    1. Put an unusual object on a shared shelf: an odd kitchen tool or an old gadget.
    2. Leave a box and slips for guesses at what it is or what it does. Remote staff guess from a photo.
    3. On Friday, reveal it. The closest guess and the funniest guess both win.

    All week · Any group · In office, Hybrid · prep: 5 min

  4. 10. Daily number target

    Hit the target number using six small numbers and basic math.

    1. Each morning, write six numbers on the whiteboard (such as 2, 5, 7, 10, 25 and 75) and a three-digit target.
    2. Add, subtract, multiply and divide, using each number once at most, to hit the target.
    3. The first person to write a working solution signs it. If nobody hits it, the closest wins.

    5 min · Any group · In office, Hybrid · prep: none

  5. 11. Word ladder of the day

    Turn one word into another by changing a letter at a time.

    1. Write a start word and an end word of the same length. Solve it yourself first.
    2. Each step changes one letter, and every step must be a real word.
    3. Players post their ladder by the end of the day; the shortest correct one wins.

    5 min · Any group · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: 5 min

  6. 12. Petal word

    Guess the hidden phrase one letter at a time before the flower loses its petals.

    1. Write blanks for a work-safe word or phrase on the whiteboard and draw a flower with eight petals.
    2. Anyone walking past may guess one letter per visit.
    3. A wrong letter erases a petal. Solve it before the last petal goes, and the solver writes the next one.

    All day · Any group · In office, Hybrid · prep: none

More: 35 office desk games.

Two colleagues laugh at a desk while flicking paper balls toward a coffee cup target.

Breakroom and lunch games (6)

For the lunch table or the break room, with a deck of cards, a whiteboard or nothing at all.

  1. 13. Pictionary-style lunch draw

    Draw it, don't say it, with drawable words from our free generator.

    1. Split the table into two teams and grab a whiteboard or a big pad.
    2. The drawer gets a word from the generator on their phone.
    3. Their team has 60 seconds to guess it. No letters, numbers or talking from the drawer.

    15 min · 4 to 12 · In office · prep: none · free tool

  2. 14. Lunch-table bingo

    Find a coworker for each square on a printed bingo card.

    1. Pick a theme in the free generator and print a card for each player.
    2. Ask around the room to find someone who fits each square, and write their name in it.
    3. Each person's name counts once per card. First to fill a line wins.

    15 min · 8 to 30 · In office, Hybrid · prep: 5 min · free tool

  3. 15. Name that dish

    Describe a dish you grew up eating without naming it.

    1. One player describes a dish from home without saying its name or its country.
    2. The others get five questions between them, then guess the dish or where it comes from.
    3. A point to whoever gets it, or to the describer if nobody does.

    10 min · 3 to 10 · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: none

  4. 16. Coin shuffleboard

    Slide coins down the lunch table into scoring zones.

    1. Tape a sheet of paper at the far end of the table and mark three zones: 1, 2 and 3 points.
    2. Each turn, slide three coins from the near edge. Knocking an opponent's coin out is allowed.
    3. Coins off the table score nothing. First to 21 wins.

    10 min · 2 to 4 · In office · prep: 2 min

  5. 17. Speed card game

    A two-player card race with no turns.

    1. Deal each player a face-down pile of 20 cards and take the top five into your hand.
    2. Lay two cards face up in the middle and two spare piles of five beside them.
    3. Both play at once: put down any card one higher or lower than a middle card (aces are high or low), then refill to five.
    4. When nobody can play, both flip a spare card onto the middle piles. First to run out of cards wins.

    5 min · 2 · In office · prep: a deck of cards

  6. 18. First job match

    Match each coworker to the first job they ever had.

    1. Before lunch, collect everyone's first job privately. Opting out is fine.
    2. Read the jobs out in random order, and teams match each one to a person.
    3. Reveal the answers; the team with the most right wins, and the stories follow.

    10 min · 6 to 20 · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: 10 min

More: 45 group games for adults.

Games for a team event (6)

Thirty minutes or more for a team afternoon, an offsite or the holiday party.

  1. 19. Jeopardy-style quiz on the big screen

    A free category board with scores for up to six teams.

    1. Put the board on the meeting room screen and form teams of three to six.
    2. Teams take turns choosing a category and a value; the host reads the clue.
    3. A right answer adds the value, a wrong one takes it away. Highest score at the end wins.

    30 min · 2 to 6 teams · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: none · free tool

  2. 20. Feud-style face-off board

    Guess the most likely answers to a question, with strikes and steals.

    1. One player from each team faces off; whoever names the higher answer on the board wins control.
    2. Their team names the rest of the answers, one at a time.
    3. Three wrong answers and the other team gets one guess to steal the points.

    20 min · 2 teams · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: none · free tool

  3. 21. Escape room race

    Teams race the same free online escape room on their own laptops.

    1. Give each team one laptop and start them at the same moment.
    2. Teams solve five puzzles in the browser, with hints when they're stuck.
    3. First team out wins. Add a minute to a team's time for each hint it used.

    20 min · Teams of 2 to 5 · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: none · free tool

  4. 22. Office mini golf

    Every team builds one hole out of office supplies, then everyone plays the course.

    1. Give each team a corner, 20 minutes, and supplies: books, binders, cups, cardboard and tape.
    2. Each team builds one hole with a cup at the end.
    3. Play the course with a golf ball and putter, or a ruler and a table tennis ball.
    4. Fewest strokes wins, and the room votes for the best-designed hole.

    45 min · 8 to 40 · In office · prep: 15 min

  5. 23. Paper bridge challenge

    Teams build a paper bridge, then load it with coins until it falls.

    1. Give each team of three or four 20 sheets of paper and an arm's length of tape.
    2. Build a bridge across a 30 cm gap between two stacks of books, in 15 minutes.
    3. Add coins to the middle one at a time. The bridge that holds the most before it falls wins.

    30 min · 6 to 30 · In office · prep: 10 min

  6. 24. Paper crane race

    Teams race to fold five paper cranes from the same diagram.

    1. Hand out square paper and one printed step-by-step crane diagram per team.
    2. Teams fold together, helping the slowest folder catch up.
    3. First team with five cranes whose wings spread wins. Remote players fold on camera.

    20 min · 4 to 30 · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: 5 min

More: 40 team building games with debriefs.

Office competitions (6)

Leagues and ladders that run for weeks and give the office something to talk about.

  1. 25. Ten-question Friday quiz

    A short weekly quiz with a monthly league table.

    1. Every Friday, play the free 10-question quiz on the room screen in teams of three.
    2. Later weeks, read ten more from the 120 questions on the same page.
    3. Keep a league table on the wall; the top team at the end of the month picks the next team lunch spot.

    10 min · Any group · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: none · free tool

  2. 26. Challenge ladder

    A ranked ladder where you climb by beating the people above you.

    1. List every player on a ladder in random order, on paper or a whiteboard.
    2. You may challenge anyone up to two rungs above you, at table tennis, chess or the Speed card game.
    3. Win and you swap places. Whoever is on top at the end of the month wins.

    A month · 6 to 30 · In office · prep: 15 min

  3. 27. Friday forecast league

    Predict Friday's noon temperature on Monday; closest scores.

    1. Every Monday, everyone enters a guess for Friday's noon temperature in the office's city in a shared sheet.
    2. On Friday, check one agreed weather site. Closest gets 3 points, second 2, third 1.
    3. After ten weeks, the season leader wins.

    2 min a week · Any group · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: none

  4. 28. Brick build-off

    Teams build a theme from the same pile of toy bricks.

    1. Give each team an equal mixed pile of toy building bricks.
    2. Announce a theme, such as our office in 2050 or the team mascot, and set 15 minutes.
    3. Each team gives a 30-second tour of its build, and everyone else votes.

    30 min · 6 to 30 · In office, Hybrid · prep: 10 min

  5. 29. Puzzle cube race

    A monthly race against the clock, with a division for beginners.

    1. Run two divisions: solvers race to finish the whole cube, learners race to finish one face.
    2. Time attempts with a phone stopwatch at lunch; best time of three counts.
    3. Write the fastest time in each division on the board at the end of the month.

    A month · Any group · In office, Hybrid · prep: none

  6. 30. Sudoku speed league

    Everyone solves the same puzzle each week and posts their time.

    1. Every Wednesday, share the same sudoku with everyone, printed or as a link.
    2. Solvers time themselves and post their time, with no spoilers.
    3. Lowest total time over four weeks wins the league.

    10 min a week · Any group · In office, Remote, Hybrid · prep: 5 min

More: 36 office competition ideas.

Office games for the Christmas party

For the holiday party, swap in the festive boards: our Christmas Jeopardy-style board and Christmas Feud-style board run on the big screen like the team-event games above, and the bingo generator has a holiday theme. Our holiday party games for work list 35 more, and our online Christmas games suit remote staff.

Browser games to play at work

For a solo break at your desk: free games on our own site, with no ads, no downloads and no account.

Check your company's IT policy before playing any game site on a work laptop, and skip download sites and ad-heavy portals.

Make office games work for everyone

  • Make every game opt-in, and give people a role that isn't playing: scorekeeper, judge or host.
  • Offer a seated version of anything that involves moving around the office.
  • Give remote and hybrid staff an equal way to play, such as chat answers or a photo instead of an object.
  • Skip drinking games and anything that asks people to share their body, age, money or private life.

Bring in a host for the big one

For a team event, a host runs the game at your office in 17 US cities: Feud Night, Team Trivia, Music Bingo and Blitz-Speed Trivia. See in-person events for the cities. Office Olympics has a host lead teams through three Olympic-style challenges on a video call; see virtual Office Olympics for the format.

For remote and hybrid teams, our virtual game shows and virtual trivia run on Zoom by default, or Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request. A hybrid event can be the in-person game at the office plus a virtual session for remote staff, or one virtual event for everyone. Book about 2 weeks ahead, and earlier for December, when dates fill first.

Four games we run at your office, with today's prices. Get a free quote with your date and headcount.

Jeopardy!, Family Feud, Taboo and Pictionary are trademarks of their owners. KraftyLab isn't affiliated with any of them, and every rule on this page is our own.

Office games FAQ

What are good games to play at work?

Games that fit the moment: a five-minute scramble race or hidden-rule round to open a meeting, a daily puzzle at your desk, cards or a Pictionary-style draw at lunch, and a quiz board or mini golf for a team event. The best ones need no prep, no special skill and no physical contact.

What are quick office games for meetings?

A meeting room scramble race, acronym remix, name the hidden rule, bicycle from memory and an office estimation round each take about five minutes. Play one at the start, then get on with the agenda.

What games can you play at your desk?

Games that run in short bursts all week: a daily word-group puzzle, a daily riddle board, a word ladder or petal word on the whiteboard, and a daily number target. Our office desk games guide has 35 more.

What are fun office games for team building?

Team games where people have to talk to each other: the paper bridge challenge, office mini golf, a paper crane race or an escape room race. For a debrief after each one, see our team building games.

Can office games be played remotely or hybrid?

Most can. The table on this page marks each game as in office, remote or hybrid, and the screen-based ones work on any video call. For a remote-first list, see our Zoom games.

What are free online games to play with coworkers?

Our free tools need no login or download: a Jeopardy-style board, a Feud-style board, a word scramble, Taboo-style cards, a daily word-group puzzle and an online escape room. One person shares the screen and everyone plays.

How long should an office game take?

Five minutes for a meeting opener, a few minutes a day for desk games, and 20 to 45 minutes for a team event. Stop while people are still having fun.

What are good office party games?

Team games that suit a crowd: a Jeopardy-style quiz, a Feud-style face-off and lunch-table bingo. For the December party, see our holiday party games for work.

Want a host to run the game at your office?

Feud Night, Team Trivia, Music Bingo and Blitz-Speed Trivia at your office in 17 US cities, or hosted on Zoom for remote teams. Send your date and headcount.

See in-person eventsGet a free quote