Want to get enhanced teamwork, morale, and engagement? You’ve come to the right place! In this guide, you will find the best team-building games and activities that are fun, easy to implement, and specifically designed to encourage teamwork. Regardless of whether you have an in-office team or manage a remote team, this guide will provide you with options for your particular needs, sorted by team size, reason, and purpose.
Additionally, you’ll find out the difference between team-building games and team-building activities (because picking the right style is important). This guide will help you engage your team and encourage collaboration, as well as help inspire a more positive workplace culture today and in the future.
Key Highlights:
- What are Team Building Games?
- How Do I Conduct Team Building Games?
- Fun Game Ideas
- Games by Group Size & Setting
- Fun Activities and the “Big Five Teamwork Activities”
- Matching Game to Intent & Size
- Team Building Activities vs Team Building Games
What are Team Building Games?
Team building games can be described as short and concise, fun, and often competitive activities that energize teams and break the ordinary routine of work. They are a great way to facilitate a quick morale boost in engagement and team collaboration in a short time frame.
Why Use Team Building Games?
- Enhance trust, have communication and problem-solving capabilities, and learn about each other
- Stimulate creativity, derail siloing
- Use during unproductive times or virtual teams
Types of Team Building Games
- Icebreaker games: Just quick and easy intro exercises
- Problem-solving games: puzzles, challenges requiring teams to work together.
- Creative games: games focused on drawing materials or storytelling with constraints
- Virtual team building – scavenger hunts, quiz-type apps
How Do I Conduct Team Building Games?
These users want to use team building games with their teams as soon as possible and anyways possible. The trick is to be prepared, organized, and aware of the dynamics of your team.
Preparing to Lead a Team Building Game
No. 1- Determine your group size, space, and purpose – Are you dealing with a small in-person team, or a larger remote group? What is your purpose, fun, creativity, trust, or problem-solving?
No. 2- Select the game- Match the complications and energy level of the game to your team’s mood and the time frame allowed.
No. 3- Obtain your materials or tech tools- For in-person sessions, make and prepare props or printed material. For remote teams, choose to host the session on Zoom, MS Teams, or Google Meet. Use either digital whiteboards, such as Miro, MURAL for drawing exercises, or Kahoot, Slido for quiz apps.
No. 4- State the rules- Be clear with the expectations, time allocation, and “win conditions.” Ask for participants to join in, but don’t force them to. Comfort leads to engagement.
Fun Game Ideas
1. Magic Cane / Helium Stick (5-15 people, about 10-20 minutes)
Teams line up in two rows facing each other and hold up their index fingers, almost touching each other. A long, light-weight stick (a tent pole, broomstick, etc.) is placed horizontally on their fingers. The goal is for the group to lower the stick to the ground with everyone keeping their finger on the stick. Seems simple, right? As a group, they are not able to lower it because it’s like the stick (or a helium stick) is floating above them. This team-building activity is a lot of fun and gets them laughing, which is a great way to build communication, cooperation, and patience.
2. Barter Puzzle (Teams of 4-6)
Each small group received a jigsaw puzzle, but with a catch. Some pieces are missing and have been mixed in with other teams’ puzzles, which adds a level of complexity to the activity. Participants will need to barter over, negotiate for, and strategize about how to make trades to finish their puzzle first. This is a great team-building games that is good for negotiation, leadership, collaboration, and creative problem-solving under time pressure.
3. Electric Fence (5-10 people)
Set a rope or tape at waist height between two chairs or poles to create an “electric fence”. Teams need to cross over the fence without making contact, and they can’t use props of any kind. There is no touching the “electric” line with any part of their body or clothing. This is also a physical team-building activity that will test trust, teamwork, problem-solving, and communication, as members may have to trust and lift others or fully support their weight.
4. Virtual Scavenger Hunt (Remote Teams)
Create a list of strange or everyday items (e.g., something red, something handmade, a photograph of yourself when you were a child). Announce the items one at a time, on a video call, and those who are playing race to find them and show them on camera! This is a fast-paced team building game that is great for energizing remote teams, promoting spontaneity, and sharing laughs!
5. Parade of Homes (Remote)
During a video call, each player will give a 1–2 minute tour of their workspace or one of their favorite things in their home. This is a low-key, sharing exercise that helps everyone break the ice, get to know more about each other, and share stories, thus helping coworkers develop a better connection. This is particularly helpful with new teams and remote teams. This game seems to draw inspiration from a game featured in When I Work.
6. Quick Draw (4+ people)
A fun spin on Pictionary. One player sees a word or prompt, then has 60 seconds to draw it, while their teammates try to guess. Whiteboards, paper, or online tools (like Skribbl.io) work great. This is a fast, creative team build that promotes communication and imagination, while keeping things light and fun—great for hybrid and remote play!
7. Trivia Quiz (Any size group)
Use sites like Kahoot, Slido, or Google Forms to run a themed quiz; it could be anything from general knowledge to ‘fun facts’ about the company. People can play individually or in teams. It adds a friendly competitive aspect to everyone’s activity, encourages learning, and engages everyone regardless of location and personality types.
Why Use Expert Lists?
They are tried-and-true with workplace experts
They have:
- Good instructions
- Include estimated time
- Variety (in-person, remote, large groups)
There are so many examples of lists created by experts to save you time and help cut through the guesswork. Instead of trial and error with hit or miss team building activities, you are using activities that have already proven to work in real time with real teams. They will also help you stay on top of trends and current tools to use, so that your activities are new, inclusive, and effective!
Games by Group Size & Setting
1. Games for Small Groups (2–5 people)
What are some indoor games for 4 people or adults? Consider Quick Draw, Barter Puzzle, or Helium Stick. All of these are low-material and high-fun team-building games which can work very well for small teams, small departments, or break-out sessions during larger meetings. They allow for deeper collaboration and enable each person in the team to be more involved, allowing for a better shared team-building experience.
2. Games for Mid-Size Groups (6–15 people)
These are great for departments or hybrid teams. Mid-size groups, like small groups, can actively participate in more interactive team building games like Electric Fence, Puzzle Relay, or Scavenger Hunts. You can also encourage some physical and mental challenge with a puzzle relay. This kind of activity will keep people engaged and will help foster and build communication and problem-solving abilities. Mid-size games have enough people to promote group interaction. They are small enough, with people, to still allow everyone to participate.
3. Games for Big Groups (15–30+ people)
What games can you play with people? When working as a team with larger groups, you will need to be more conscientious of energy levels and organizational aspects. Some fun ideas are:
- Minute to Win It games – use simple items found at home or from your office
- Team-building games, such as Human Knot, allow the team to work together to tangle everyone up, then untangle!
- Team large Trivia or Quiz games, while creating competitive and yet inclusive fun
- Team Relay Races or Team composite Puzzle challenges
These scalable team building games break large teams into smaller sub-groups, create friendly competition, and help keep everyone engaged and energized during the team building games or session. They are also fun for quarterly team events, all hands meetings, and team socials.
Fun Activities and the “Big Five Teamwork Activities”
Fun team-building activities?
Fun team building activities include Helium Stick (Magic Cane), Barter Puzzle, Virtual Scavenger Hunt, Parade of Homes, Quick Draw, Trivia Quiz, Human Knot, and Minute to Win It Games.
Fun team building game to play with a group?
Teams cite Helium Stick (Magic Cane) as the most fun team building game because it has a simple setup but the most hilarious teamwork!
What are the big five teamwork activities?
The big five are usually the core competencies in management literature and include trust, communication, role clarity, goal alignment, and problem-solving. The following are the team building games that correspond:
- Helium stick (trust/communication)
- Barter puzzle (negotiation/problem-solving)
- Electric fence (coordination/role clarity)
- Trivia or quiz (communication/goals)
- Human knot or relay challenges (problem-solving/trust)
Matching Game to Intent & Size
| Game | Ideal Size | Delivery | Focus Area | Intent Type |
| Magic Cane (Helium Stick) | 5–15 | In-person | Trust, communication | Informational / Transactional |
| Barter Puzzle | 6–12 (pairs) | In-person Negotiation | Planning Transactional | Transactional |
| Electric Fence | 5–10 | In-person | Coordination, trust | Informational |
| Human Knot | 10–30 | In-person | Problem-solving, trust | Informational |
| Minute to Win It | 10–20+ (teams) | In-person | Competitive, quick fun | Transactional |
| Trivia / Quiz | Any | Both | Communication and fun | Informational |
| Quick Draw / Pictionary | 4–10 | Both | Creativity and speed lock-in | Informational |
| Virtual Scavenger Hunt | Any (virtual) | Remote | Energy and engagement | Transactional |
| Parade of Homes | Any (virtual) | Remote | Connection and storytelling | Informational |
Team Building Activities vs Team Building Games
Although often used interchangeably, team building activities and team building games are not synonymous and have different purposes. Let’s talk about the difference:
What Are Team Building Activities?
Team building activities are structured, broader exercises to develop team collaboration, trust, and communication. They are either formal activities or informal activities, and they do not always involve a competitive aspect.
Examples of Team Building Activities:
- Workshops about conflict resolution or leadership
- A team lunch or retreat
- Brainstorming session for creative problem solving
- Volunteer program
- Job rotation or job shadowing for empathy across roles
What Are Team Building Games?
Team Building Games are often short, fun, competitive activities that can get teams excited and energized while breaking their routine. Team Building Games are a great way to improve morale, engagement, and collaboration all in just a few hours.
Some Examples of Team Building Games:
- Magic Cane / Helium Stick
- Barter Puzzle
- Virtual Scavenger Hunt
- Minute to Win It Challenges
- Trivia Games
Summary Table
| Category | Function | Duration | Ideal For |
| Team Building Activities | Long-term development & bonding | 30 min – full day | Retreats, training, culture |
| Team Building Games | Quick fun & engagement | 5 – 30 min | Meets, remote teams |
Conclusion
Team-building games are so much more than a fun pastime; they are a strategic opportunity to improve collaboration, trust, and communication within a team. Whether you’re leading a small group, a remote team, or a large-scale company activity, games can help reduce barriers and increase proximity among people. No matter the kind of activity you are leading, once the people involved have gone through some team building games, they will be closer, especially when they are working towards the same goal.
Start using these team-building games to energise your team, make connections stronger, and build a thriving workplace culture today!
Whether you are looking for remote team building games, activities for people in the office, or a full team retreat, there are plenty of team building games here to help meet your team’s needs. We have team-building games that include everything from creative ice breakers to structured problem-solving activities to help better communication, trust, engagement, and productivity.
While team building games are fun, team building games are also a strategic avenue to build collaboration and innovative capacity towards developing a more connected, engaged, and high-performing workforce. Be sure to bookmark this guide, experiment with different team-building games based on size, and use it to help your team flourish through play.
Let’s play!
