Online games are one of the easiest ways to bring a remote team together — if you pick the right ones. The wrong game feels like forced fun; the right one creates the laughter and shared in-jokes that actually build bonds.
Here are 10 online fun games for teams, what each is good for, and how to run them without the awkwardness.
Quick picks
- Best all-rounder: Jackbox Games — party packs that run over screen-share
- Best for word lovers: Codenames — two teams, pure deduction
- Best for big groups: live Trivia or Bingo — scales to 30+
1. Jackbox Games
The gold standard for remote teams. One person buys and screen-shares a Party Pack; everyone else joins from their phone with a room code. Drawing, bluffing and quip games that are genuinely funny. Best for 4–10.
2. Codenames
Two teams race to identify their agents from one-word clues. Brilliant for word-minded teams, free to play online, and surprisingly revealing of how people think. Best for 4–12.
3. Psych
A mobile bluffing game where players invent fake answers to fool each other. Fast, silly and great for breaking the ice with a newer group. Best for 4–8.
4. QuizUp
Real-time trivia across hundreds of topics — let colleagues go head-to-head on subjects they love. A low-stakes way to learn surprising things about each other. Best for pairs or small groups.
5. Chess (online)
For teams with a competitive streak. Run a lightning-chess ladder over a week on a free platform. Asynchronous-friendly, so time zones aren't a problem. Best for 1-v-1 brackets.
6. Draw Something
Turn-based Pictionary-style drawing. Gentle, creative and inclusive — no trivia knowledge or fast reflexes required, so quieter team members shine. Best for small groups.
7. Wordfeud
A Scrabble-style word game played asynchronously over days. Perfect as a slow-burn background ritual for distributed teams who can't always meet live. Best for ongoing 1-v-1.
8. Werewolf (Mafia)
A social deduction classic — villagers vs hidden werewolves, driven entirely by discussion. Run it live over video with a host narrating. The talk is the team building. Best for 7–15.
9. Cards Against Humanity
The irreverent fill-in-the-blank party game, with a free online version. Hilarious — but read the room: the humour is adult, so keep it opt-in and skip it for brand-new or mixed-comfort groups. Best for trusted teams of 4–10.
10. Trivia Crack
App-based trivia across six categories. Easy to spin up a company league, and great as a recurring low-effort ritual rather than a one-off. Best for any size.
How to run them without the awkwardness
- Keep rounds short — 15–30 minutes beats a marathon that fizzles.
- Have a host drive the pace so quieter people aren't talked over.
- Brief the rules up front — nothing kills energy like five minutes of "wait, how do we play?"
- Above ~15 people, split into breakout groups so everyone gets to speak.
Looking for the same games on a specific platform? See our guide to virtual games to play on Microsoft Teams, or the broader round-up of virtual team building activities that actually work.
When a game isn't enough
Quick games are perfect for weekly energy and staying connected. But for a milestone, a new team, or a real morale lift, they're a little light — a game round rarely becomes the story people retell months later.
That's where a hosted experience everyone makes together lands harder. ChefPassport's virtual cooking classes ship ingredients to each person's door and a chef guides the whole team through a meal in real time — the connection of a shared activity, with something delicious at the end.
