Virtual holiday party games for remote teams: a free 45-minute plan

The 45-minute run of show

Forty-five minutes is the sweet spot for a remote holiday party: long enough to feel like an event, short enough that nobody starts answering Slack in another tab. Everyone stays on the video call, and the games open on phones from a link in the chat.

Icebreakers that take two minutes

The first game should need zero explanation and no unmuting. Party Box in “Who’s most likely to…” mode does exactly that: a question pops up, everyone taps a coworker’s name on their phone, and the vote bars grow on the shared screen. Three or four rounds is enough to get people laughing and typing in chat.

If your team already knows each other well, switch Party Box to Two truths and a lie: each round one person writes two true facts and one lie about themselves, and the rest hunt for the lie. It is the fastest way to learn that the quiet backend engineer once worked on a fishing boat. Tips for writing good lies are in our guide to Two truths and a lie.

Team games: the heart of the party

Cipher Words: one clue, several words, one trap

Cipher Words is the best team game for a remote holiday party because it makes people talk to each other, not just to the screen. The group splits into two teams, red and blue, and each team picks a captain. The board shows 25 words. Only the captains see the secret key on their phones: 9 words belong to the starting team, 8 to the other, 7 are neutral and 1 is a trap.

1. The captain gives a clue: one word and a number. “Winter · 3” means three of our words are about winter. Words from the board are not allowed, and the game also rejects clues that contain a board word or start the same way; it checks spelling, not meaning, so other same-root words are on the honor system.
2. The team argues it out loud on the call. Tapping a word is a vote, and a word opens only when two teammates pick it, so one stray tap cannot ruin the round.
3. You may open one word more than the number. Your own word: keep going. Neutral or rival word: the turn passes.
4. First team to open all its words wins. Open the trap and you lose on the spot.

Cipher Words takes 4 to 16 players and needs at least two people per team. There are no bots, so it is people only. The turn timer is optional: off, 60, 90 or 120 seconds. For a party, pick 90 so the overthinkers cannot stall. The captains see the key, so ask them to keep a poker face: no hints with eyebrows on camera.

Party Box, Bluff Club and Meme Party

• Bluff Club — a real, little-known fact with a blank. Everyone types a believable fake answer, then votes for the one they think is true. 2 points for finding the truth, 1 point for each coworker you fool. 3 to 12 players.
• Party Box emoji riddles — a movie or song in emoji, typed answers, fastest correct answers score more. Great as a palate cleanser between bigger games.
• Meme Party — meme cards for up to 10 players. Check the deck before a work party: meme humor is not for every workplace.

A drawing round: Doodle Chain or Pictioner

Drawing games are the great equalizer: the VP draws as badly as the intern. Two options:

• Doodle Chain — the telephone game with drawings. Write a phrase, the next person draws it, the next describes the drawing. At the end the host flips through the albums on the shared screen. 4 to 16 players, and the album show is the funniest five minutes of the party.
• Pictioner — one person draws a word, everyone else races to guess. Simpler and faster, good for teams under ten.

The finale: a tournament bracket

End with a showdown. Each team sends a champion into Tournament mode, which builds a bracket for 3 to 8 players on top of duel games: chess, checkers, backgammon, durak, battleship or tic-tac-toe. Matches run one after another in the same room while everyone else watches. For a five-minute finale, pick tic-tac-toe. Chess is for when you have scheduled a longer party and a team of competitive engineers.

Wrap up with awards: best liar from Bluff Club, best captain from Cipher Words, best drawing from Doodle Chain, and the tournament champion. A gift card, a day off or simply bragging rights in the team channel all work.

Zoom, Teams, Meet: share your screen or send the big-screen link

There are two ways to run the games on a call, and both work on Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.

In Cipher Words the shared screen shows the board, the clue and the score, but never the secret key, so screen sharing is safe. Share the tab with sound turned on if you play a music game, and ask people to mute when the host is reading results. For more call-friendly formats, see our list of games for video calls, and for the version where the team is in one room, our guide to office party games.

Mixed time zones and shy teammates

The hardest part of a remote holiday party is the calendar invite. In December, 9 a.m. Pacific is noon Eastern, 5 p.m. in London and 6 p.m. in Berlin. That slot covers most US and European teams. If you also have colleagues in Asia or Australia, run two short sessions rather than one at an hour that is awful for somebody.

• Keep cameras optional. Every game here works through the phone, so nobody needs to be on video to play.
• Favor writing and voting. Bluff Club and Party Box let quiet people score big without saying a word.
• Never force the captain role. Ask for volunteers in Cipher Words; plenty of people enjoy guessing and hate being in charge.
• Call it a holiday party, not a Christmas party. Not everyone celebrates the same holiday, and the games themselves are neutral.
• No drinking games. Hot cocoa is a perfectly good party drink, and nobody should feel left out for skipping alcohol.

Want more games built around one TV and everyone’s phone? See TV party games with phones. Ready to set it up? Open a Cipher Words room, drop the link in the meeting chat, and pick two captains.

FAQ

What are good virtual holiday party games for work?

Games where everyone plays on their own phone and nobody is put on the spot: Cipher Words for teamwork, Bluff Club and Party Box for laughs, Doodle Chain for a drawing round, and a short tournament as the finale.

How long should a virtual holiday party last?

About 45 minutes. Attention fades faster on a call than in a room, so it is better to end on a high and leave people wanting more.

How do we play with 30 or more people?

Cipher Words and Party Box take up to 16 players per room, and Bluff Club takes 12. For 30+ people, use breakout rooms and give each one its own game room and host, then bring everyone back for the finale and awards.

Are there free virtual holiday party games with no sign-up?

Yes. Every game in this plan is free to play in a browser. Players type a first name and join. No accounts, no downloads, no work email required.

Do people need two screens?

A phone plus the laptop running the call is ideal. Without a phone, players can open the game in a second browser tab next to the call.