50 Virtual Team Building Activities For Small Businesses

After the pandemic, there is more and more business asking the employees to work from home.

The number of remote teams increased more than ever, and that made it important to make sure that the team building is not falling apart because of this.

Team building is crucial as it improves communication, boosts productivity that helps the business to achieve their goals regardless of the situation.

However, to find the activities that can help in building the team, it’s important to understand what can help and the options you have.

To know what you need to pick, here are the top best activities that you can consider for virtual team building.

What Should You Know About Virtual Team Building?

Regardless of the type of business you do, team building is a crucial aspect of how your employee is going to work and the development of your business.

Team building brings your employees together and encourages them to collaborate as well as teamwork.

Through the process, the team learns about each other, improves their bonding and understanding. This helps to get better coordination among them.

Also, it’s fun and motivates the individuals to work together in order to achieve the goals.

benefits of having team building

Well, virtual team building is similar to traditional team building, but it takes the process online.

With different types of activities, it helps in bringing the team who are working remotely together.

Even if they are not in the office, good team building can still create a collaborative environment.

The team has a physical distance that can cause emotional distance which can make your employee feel isolated.

When they feel isolated, it creates an uncomfortable environment where they can’t work well, affecting others’ workflow as well.

List Of Activities & Games For Virtual Team Building

Well, conducting team-building activities especially when it’s happening online, there are lots of things that you need to consider so this can actually benefit the company.

If you are not getting the results and feel that virtual team building is not working out. These can be your possible reasons :

  • Attending the zoom meetings can be tiring and it can take a toll on how they are participating. This can be the reason behind why they are less interested and motivated.
  • Maybe your happy hour events are not well structured, and it’s falling flat.
  • The tech that has been used for the events is not checked.
  • The events you are hosting have less engagement from your employees.
  • Planning one event may be leading to more similar activities from your employees.

So, how can you make sure that your plan is well-executed to meet the most effective results? Here are few points to help :

  • Instead of doing video conferencing, try to take it offline now and then. It will give a nice break from the screen and people can feel less burnout.
  • Before you launch your events, make sure you check the techs and everything else.
  • Plan a different kind of activity beforehand and schedule it on the calendar.
  • Focus on building the structure to make your event and activities interesting.
  • Create some hype by customizing the games and getting influencers from inside involved.

Once you are done, you can pick any of these listed activities for your virtual team building to get effective and positive results.

1.Five Finger Showdown

When you are looking for virtual team-building activities for a large group, you can consider the five-finger showdown.

It’s a game where everyone can join. Here they need to hold up their one hand with all of their five-fingers extended.

Then the question will be asked related to something unusual that happened in life. The question can be asked by the host or the team members can take their turns.

The question can be fun, interesting and something that people don’t know.

For example, you can ask :

  • Has anyone adopted a pet?
  • Has anyone visited three different countries?
  • Did anyone make pizza from scratch?
  • Can anyone say thank you in different languages?
  • Has anyone knit anything recently that is wearable?

Those who did something like that, they can put one finger down. Those who have all the fingers down will win the game, or the one who has the finger up can win.

2. Tiny Campfire

Tiny campfire runs the virtual experience of campfires for remote teams.

The experience includes different interesting activities such as haunted historic ghost stories, little competitions, icebreakers, and real s’more making experiences

With this activity, your team can have fun and wildly smart along with the online experience of doing the camp.

Before it starts, make sure that your team is ready with the ingredients for making s’more, matches, tealight candles, etc.

For making this interesting, you can make it an event unique, ask your team to share their stories, good vibes and this will boost employee engagement.

3. War Of The Wizards

War Of The Wizards is one of the engaging as well as unique that you can consider for virtual team buildings.

The game is a live and facilitated event that goes for 90 minutes. Also, it includes escape rooms, storytelling, puzzle-solving,  mechanics of RPG games, and world-building.

Well, the game requires a group of wizards that have been at war for eons. No one knows why and remembers anything.

Here you as well as your team members are the minions of wizards. To earn the sparkle points,

they need to tell stories, solve puzzles, cast spells as well as challenges themselves.

The purpose is to bring a peaceful resolution to the war. This can be fun, smart, and different as compared to any other options.

However, you don’t need the RPG expert as the war of wizards to support all kinds of formats that are successful for different interests and skill levels.

4. Solve The Escape Room

You can consider a virtual escape room, it can be challenging and immersive and adventurous. Also, it suits all kinds of teams, weathers it for office,  at home or both.

The team gets the same puzzles as well as tasks that they will get in a real escape room. They all work together to achieve the same goal and i.e escape.

An escape room can be played via Zoom. It can hold more than 8 players, all guided by the host with a live camera feed.

The team will get the directions from the guides during the journey,  they have to pick clues on their digital dashboard to solve the puzzles.

Well to make the room look more interesting, It also offers the themes like breaking out of prison, solving an art heist and finding the gold, etc.

As they start solving the puzzles. They will keep going to the next level and they have to complete the mission within 60 minutes

The game is perfect for the team as it will help in improving communication, bond, and learning about the personalities. And on top of everything, it’s fun!

5. Guess The Personal facts

The personal facts guessing game can be a great option to learn about the team’s personal life. Also, it gives an idea of how the member is outside when they are not working.

To play this one,  here are some steps that will help in understanding the game :

  • The manager will ask each member to share some personal facts about them.
  • Now pick the facts and compiled them into a shared document with the team. However keep the name out of it, so the employee has to guess whose fact is this.
  • Let the team guess and play it for fun.

Not only is the game interesting as well as fun, but you can also use it for icebreaker games too.

It’s a great way to develop a  successful team. Once the answer is guessed, provide the original answers and see who guessed the rightmost.

You can also play this game via video chat.

6.  Trivia Contest For Weekly

Well, people love playing trivia.

That’s why the team plays the water cooler trivia and is engaged so much and partied every week.

Well, water cooler trivia is a platform where you get automated weekly trivia quizzes. 

The team can get the trivia quizzes email on Monday morning, and they can respond due that night. The results of the trivia quiz the next morning.

You can customize the schedule depending on what suits your team.

Not just that, it’s not a one-off event, but you can play this weekly. Also, it’s fun and conversational. You don’t need anything like set up. 

Here you can customize the contest, it means :

  • What level of difficulty do you prefer in the trivia? It can be easy, medium, and hard. Choose whatever suits you, or you can start with the easy and then upgrade it.
  • What kind of categories interest your team ? you can pick up pop culture,  science & tech, current events, etc.
  • Choose the timing, It can be a day of the week or time when you get the quiz and results.
  • You can also pick the region, for example, you can keep the questions US-centric only.

7. Share The Bucket List

Everyone has their own bucket list. It’s a thing you want to experience once in your lifetime.

Also, a bucket list can tell a lot about an individual and their personality.

You can ask your team to share their bucket list. Each week, pick one person with the task of sharing the ideas for the bucket list.

You can also decide the length of items, also it can be something that is already completed.

The team can discuss the list, it might be a similar interest or questions. Both can be fun and give a personal touch to the activity.

8. Show And Tell  Game

The game from elementary school can be ideal for your remote team building. 

Well here each employee from the team gets one minute, and they have to show and talk about something they own. It can be something that is intangible.

The employee can show anything, for example, the favorite straws,   a passion project and a tug of war trophy, etc.

When one person has their turn, save some time for the conversation. So the rest of the team can talk about it. However make sure you are limiting the time, so everyone can get their chance.

This can help in getting a better insight of each individual, this will help in making the bond strong and also they can trust better as a team.

9. Two Truths And A Lie

Well, one of the classic games that are perfect for an icebreaker activity,

Here each team member will get three statements, the two will be true and one will be a lie. The other member has to guess which one is true and which one is a false statement.

Whenever everyone guesses the answers, the person who asked the question will reveal the lie.

You can also add the points, so it can be a little competitive. Also playing the classic game can help you in understanding more about the team and vice versa.

It’s interesting and personal, also it can be fun to know more about others in the team.

10.  Spreadsheet Pixel Art

Well everyone knows about the google sheets. But it can also be used as fun for remote team building.

Instead of using it for developing complicated graphs and formulas. You can also use this for creating pixel art.

For that, you need to add a little code that will automatically turn the number into a color fill for the selected cell.

You can use this for creating some fun drawings with the help of your team.

Also, you can introduce this to competitors too, it can be healthy and enjoyable.

11. Can You Hear Me Now?

One of the games that are loved for team building, you can play this game virtually by using the conference room. And here you can nominate the person as a speaker and the rest will be the artist.

Well, the speaker will use the random image generator to source an image. The goal here is to describe the image in such a way so the artist can draw it similarly.

Also, the speaker has to use a geometric shape. For example, it can be like drawing a large circle and then two triangles.

Just imitating the instructions, this helps in improving the communication skills. As here the artist requires to listen as well as interpret.

12. Pancakes Vs Waffles

This game is where the team has to make the decisions collectively. . Here the name is indicative of the either-or, the choice will be made.

Well, round one includes the team to decide if the world is going to keep pancakes or the waffles. The other is to be obliterated from their existence.

Any can vote for their choices and in the end, the majority vote will make the decisions

When the one option gets eliminated,  add a new one. The game can go one like waffle vs pumpkins, then waffle vs puppies, etc

The longer it goes, the more complicated and intense it will become. Also, it will add value as more things will be added to the game.

It starts with pancakes vs waffles which holds low stakes but it goes personal were more complicated things get on high stakes.

13. Werewolf

Werewolf is one of the popular games. Also, you might have played during the summer camp or college and company retreat.

However, you can also play for team building. The game requires the wits, manipulating skills, deceit as the players have to seek a way to survive the night.

The game depends on speaking, voting, and careful listening. So it can be simple and you can consider it for playing virtually, using Zoom or Google Hangouts.

To play this game, you can follow these steps :

  • Each player has to draw a card where they will get a role. It can be a werewolf, medic, seer, or villager. To play it remotely, you can use the generator tool.
  • Send the role of the individuals privately on their message.
  • Well, the werewolf eats the other players, villagers have the role of the vote on who may be the werewolf and medics rescue someone from near death. And seer holds the power of revealing if the player is a wolf or not.
  • When the team gets their role, the game master will announce the night has fallen. Now everyone closes their eyes. The pitter-patter drum roll indicates the fun to do and to make sure no other sound can be heard.
  • The game master is required to call out the werewolves and select the victim. Once the werewolf wakes up and chooses their victim they have to go back to sleep.
  • Now the medic gets the call to save a person and go back to sleep.
  • Now the seer gets the chance to point out who can be the werewolf, the only game master can answer. If the person is a werewolf, the master will nod in yes and if not, then the nod is no.
  • Then in the morning, the game master announces if wolves eat the villager or not. Usually, the one villager dies, but with the expectation, they can get saved by a medic.

The players who survived and were confirmed as not a wolf can vote for eliminating someone. Or this can be skipped.

Anyone who dies during the night, they become a silent ghost. They are not allowed to speak or participate. The game continues until the only villager and wove remain in the game.

14. Virtual Dance Party

One of the easiest and quick activities that you can consider is Virtual Dance Party. You can be the host for the virtual dance or keep it a standalone event.  Or you can consider adding a quick one-minute session during the meeting.

Here you don’t have to be fancy. You just need to get a song and start the game. It can help in removing the awkward silence. Also, boost your energy levels and keep it fun.

15. DIY Craft  Challenge

The DIY craft challenge is a surprise activity that you can do. It’s only for 30 minutes, so this can be fun and interesting.

Well to play this game, Each person has the challenge where they need to make something from items they have in their house.

The rule is, it should be something creative and only with the items that they have available.

the item can be anything yet useful. It should not be something museum-worthy. But it should spark creativity.

16. Recipe Roundup

You can invite your team to participate in this interesting and delicious challenge.

Select the theme for the challenge, or let the participant cook the food by following other’s recipes in their home.

Ask them to share their photos and rate the taste.

This activity can be fun but also improve the communication between the team.

17. Name That Emoji Song Title

To play this game, each person will get 3 minutes.  However this game can be interesting, and to play you can start with :

  • Choose a message chain through the phone or software for group messaging.
  • Now put the timer for 3 minutes and choose the first participant.
  • The participant has to look in their playlist, and the last played song will be selected. Now they have to use emojis as a hint to tell the title of the song.
  • Everyone can guess before the timer runs out
  • When the 3 minute ends, the participant will reveal the title of the song. The one who guessed it right will get the points.

18. Story Time

Storytime can be interesting and also give insight related to the person. It can also be a trip to go back and enjoy the elementary school memories.

Well to pay for this game, each member has to share some crazy stories that they did. It can be related to their childhood or maybe during the working period in office.

Not only will it give a good life, but also make the bond stronger between the members.

19. High‘s & Law’s

Working from home is not that easy especially during pandemics.  Everyone is going through something, and it can be a great way to learn about the personal highs and lows of the team member.

Ask your team members to share what were their highs and lows in the week. And how they overcome it. This can be motivational and the team will feel appreciated for their work.

20. Who Da Baby

Who Da Baby is extremely fun as the team gets to know about their teammates’ childhood.  To play this game, ask your teammates to share photos from their childhood. It can be around the age of 2 or 3 years old.

Make sure you don’t add the names and when you are sharing with everyone, ask the members to guess whose childhood photo was that.

21. The Ruined Paradise Game

The time depends on how long the game can go.

To start this game, you need to divide the participants into two teams.  The first will be the Paradise team and the second will be the Ruined team.

Now each person will get their rounds, and with their chance, they have to add a sentence to the story.

To those who are from the paradise team, they have to add something for jazzing up the story and more positive vibes.

As for the Ruined team, they have to add to make the story dark and negative.

Once the story completes, you get the chance to judge and choose if the story is a paradise or it gets ruined.

22. Where I’m From

You can play this game to know more about your employees. Where I’m from can tell more about where you are an employee from. 

Each player is required to think about at least three quirks that are uniquely related to the place they are from. The rest of the team has to guess the right answer and find the place where they are from.

Well in case your employee knows already about that. You can play this game as an imaginary hide and seek.

So here instead of guessing, the rest of the team have to find where they are hiding based on the player’s clues.

23.Company Bingo

To play this game, you need to send the bingo cards beforehand. Make sure that there are a variety of squares that have ranged from having travel to a different country to having tattoo includes.

When the game is going on, the participants have to get the bingo so they can know about their coworkers.

Scratch off the bingo when someone talks to someone or the square gets applied to someone.  Write the name and continue until the next person gets the bingo.

24. Don’t Judge Me

Are you looking for an activity to break the ice? Well, this can be fun and interesting. Ask the coworkers to send what they did this week that no one knows. However keep this anonymous, so no one knows who sends what.

This can be something fun, and it will help in breaking the ice between the workers.

25. Pet Show

Everyone loves pets. Ask your colleagues to include the pet for the happy hour party. You can add price and categories to make this interesting.  You can also participate in this costume contest.

This will add more fun and people will have a good time after spending time with their pets.

26. Doppelganger Dinner

You can host the dinner party. Ask your employees to wear something that looks like their favorite celebrity.

Also, you can add a different theme, it can be something like a favorite piece of art.

Send a gift card to your employees. And ask them to get something from local restaurants. You can also pay for the dinner by the company’s account.

27. Costume Contest

Well, it’s not in the rule book that you have to wait for Halloween to dress up? You can set the mood and ask for a traditional costume party.

You can ask them to wear the dresses of their characters, it can be a disco dancer, pirates, football player, etc.

Als get the pictures so you can upload them on the company’s social account

28. Bob Ross Painting Session

This can be interesting, also a good break from work and everything else. For refining your skills of painting, then why don’t you learn it from Bob Ross.

Well chances are, you are not going to get the masterpiece at the end. But it will definitely make you feel closer to the employee.

You can even host a little party by adding a bottle of wine.

29. Horror Happy Hour

Well, adding horror stories can be fun. Set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes when your virtual happy hour starts.

When the time ends, ask everyone to get something, it can be an object or something. The person is required to tell a scary story that should start with the object.

This can go scary as it can be, and the people will have their fun talking about their favorite horror stories.

30. The Masked Singer

The masked singer can be a way to get your employee to show their singing skills.

You can ask your employees to wear a mask. It can also be fun when I can record everything.

The employees can take their turns and show off their skills. This will also be mysterious as no one knows who is who, and people can take their guess.

31. Blackout Truth or Dare

You can play this on Zoom, as it can be the next activity that you can consider.

Well to play this game, you need to start with :

  • Ask your players to start with keeping their cameras on.
  • The host has to state the truth or dare, it can be anything like show the floor around the desk or tell about the age.
  • Players have the option to keep their cameras on, as it will indicate if they are willing to reply or they can close it if they want to opt-out.
  • The host can ask more players to complete the truth and dare.

32. Virtual Debate Club

You can host the virtual debate club for your weekly meetings.  When you are planning to start this,  start with :

  • Schedule this  meeting as a 45-minute video call
  • You can share the best practices for making sure that the debate is effective. You can get better communication,  identifying logical fallacies and strategies.
  • You can do the mini debates on different inconsequential topics. It can be something like cookies with raisins should be acceptable or not.

33.  Mister Rogers Calls

Well, these can be the best virtual team building activities that you can choose for quarantine.

You require a simple format, for this get an app to randomly assign the conversation partners for the two weeks.

The call is for 30 minutes or it can be a video call. However, the work topics should not be discussed during the conversation.

Here you need to be encouraged to talk more about hobbies and something that can be outside the interest.

Well, it can be as silly as how long the coworker was able to keep their houseplant alive.

34. Guess The Emoji Board

Snap a screenshot of the recently used emojis and upload it to your group. Let the other team see it.

  • You can ask the teammates to upload theirs too.  You can guess the emoji board.
  • Well to play this game you can follow these steps :
  • Distribute the list of all players to your teammates.
  • Here everyone will get the five minutes to guess the most from each list.
  • Now do the answer revelation, you can do the award points.

35. Guided Meditation

There is no doubt that everyone’s life has been affected due to the pandemic. Also, it affects the person along with their work.

You can do the mediation to improve mental health and bring the team together.

To do this, here are few steps for you to follow :

  • Look for the exercises that suit your group. You can ask the experts or look online.
  • Now send the invitation for a video call to your team.
  • You can also send the care package to the employee, add the candles and scented oils.
  • You can perform mindfulness activities as guided by instructors.

36. What Would You Do?

This can help in practicing and improving team building.

This game is based on scenario-based virtual exercises for team building.

Well to play this game, you can start with :

  • Divide your team into two, or you can discuss in a group.
  • You can pose questions that can be hypothetical.
  • Let your employee talk about the plan of action.

37.  Personality Test

Well taking the personality test during the job application and on boarding. It’s a common element.

However, you can do the personality test and it will be fun for team building.

It can go like this:

  • Choose a personality test and send it to the employees.
  • Send the results to everyone.
  • Now call the team to discuss the personality test as it fits with the dynamics of the team.

38.  Forensic Sketch Artist

This can be fun and creative to get your team creative.  To play the forensic sketch artist, you can start with :

  • Divide your co-workers into teams.
  • Now tell them the series of robberies that happened last night. Luckily everyone witnessed the face of the robber before he escaped.
  • You can create the face using the random face generator.
  • Show the face to each team, and ask the one to instruct the look so the next one can draw. The drawing should be based on one’s teammate’s instructions.
  • Set the time for ten minutes and collect the portrait after it ends.
  • The one who gets the closest to the original, the team will win.

39. Typing Speed Race

This can be competitive and fun.  The typing speed race, it can be a good way to show off the speed. Also, it will help in developing the skill so it can help them in remote work.

You can ask your teammate to participate in a typing test. The one who scores the best.   You can do the one-minute challenge and improve the skills through the test.

40.  Open Mic Virtual Icebreaker

Before you start, head up to your teammate. Make it a minute before the meeting starts in the virtual stage.

You can ask them or to find them on icebreaker jokes, sing a song, read a poem or play the mandolin.

You can start the meeting by doing the performances.

Allow people to rush applause and snap.

41. Coffee Sessions

Well, the strategy is proven to be successful. This can be helpful in boosting employee motivation. It also shows the value of their work.

Well to do it virtually, You can send a small gift card to their nearby coffee shop. Encourage your employee to get coffee from their nearby shop. And this will help in getting the new upbeat environment for the work.

You can also host a virtual meeting. You can set the time for each individual, so they can conduct to the specific locations. It will be a good chance for them and it will show that you appreciate their efforts and hard work.

42. Book Club

You can start the book club and host an event for the book readers in your team. Well sent the invitation and polls to decide what book they want to read.

It can be based on improving team building, including books that can boost productivity, etc. Or you can choose the fictions that are not related but still fun.

Since the taste in books can be subjective, it’s important that you are confirming with everyone beforehand.

43. Poem Club

You can use the hours for doing the poem club-like activity.  You can turn the team into poets.

However, to play this game, ask your members to start with something. It can be a one-liner, word, or even a stanza. The person will pass it to the next one as it continues to add the next line.

And it will keep going until the poem gets the complete results.

44. Care Packages

You can send the care packages to the employees so they can feel supported and it will boost morale during chaotic times.

However it depends on the company, it can be anything that can help your employees. Well, you can pick the favorites like a pack of tea, coffee, or books.

The idea is to spread positivity and appreciation so the team can feel together in this situation.

45.  Act It Out

Everyone has someone’s favorite that they like, it can be classic characters like Chandler Bings. The team has to choose their favorite characters that they want to act it out.

They can choose from anywhere, but it should be popular enough that everyone knows.

Frequently Asked Questions  (FAQs)

Why Is Team Building Important To Your Remote Team?

Virtual team building can help in building engaged, happy and productive teams. When employees work from their homes, they can feel less connected especially during the pandemic. So with fun activities, it can help them in getting more engaged with others in the team.

How To Include The Activities In Your Meeting?

Allocate at least 30 minutes of your event, keep it after the meeting ends. Or you can follow the 8% rule, keep it 8% of the meeting or five minutes every hour for the fun activities.

What Team-Building Exercises To The Remote Team?

The virtual exercises help in keeping your team connected, sharpen their skills, and strengthen the bond between the coworkers.

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