Team Meeting Games: Fun Icebreakers & Energizers for Work Meetings

Icebreaker Games for Work Meetings

An icebreaker is a short prompt or game at the top of a meeting that gives everyone a low-pressure moment to speak before the agenda starts. The simplest format has three steps: the leader picks a question, each person answers in turn, and there is a little time left for follow-up questions. Keep it to two to five minutes. Anyone who does not want to answer should be able to pass or type a reply in the chat. Want more? See our full list of icebreaker games.

Quick openers that need no prep

• One-word check-in. Everyone describes how they are arriving today in a single word. It is fast and gives quieter people an easy way in.
• Rose, thorn, bud. Name one good thing (rose), one challenge (thorn) and one thing you are looking forward to (bud). Drop the bud for a shorter round of rose and thorn.
• High-low. A high point and a low point from the past week, one line each.
• Weather report. Describe your headspace as weather: sunny, foggy, a bit stormy.
• Emoji mood. Pick an emoji that matches your mood and share it in the chat or out loud.
• Finish the sentence. Start a prompt such as “This week I am excited about…” and let each person complete it.
• Recommendation round. Each person recommends one book, show, podcast or tool they enjoyed lately, in a sentence.
• Show and tell. Each person grabs the nearest object on their desk and tells the group the story behind it.
• Desert island. Name the one item, book or song you would bring to a desert island, and why.
• Three in common. Pair people up and give them two minutes to find three things they share.
• This or that. Fire off quick pairs, like coffee or tea and cats or dogs, and have people pick a side fast.
• If you were… Ask a light hypothetical, such as which kitchen appliance you would be, and let each person answer.

Icebreaker questions to read out

• How do you describe your job to a five-year-old?
• What do you remember most about your first week at a new job?
• What piece of advice changed your life?
• What language would you like to learn?
• What is your go-to pizza order?
• What was your dream job as a kid?
• What would a perfect day look like for you?
• What is a small thing that made your week better?

Would you rather

Would you rather is the classic no-prep opener. The first player asks the team a question, each person says which option they pick (and can ask more questions to understand a choice), and the next player in line asks the next one. There is no winner, which keeps the pressure off. For a work-friendly round, try:

• Would you rather speak 20 languages or play 20 instruments?
• Would you rather fly or time travel?
• Would you rather live by the sea or in the mountains?
• Would you rather have to sing everything you say or dance everywhere you go?

To make it a chain, let whoever just answered pose the next question.

For a team callRun a would you rather round

Share a room code in the meeting chat. Everyone votes privately on their own phone and the team sees the split together.

Play Would You Rather

Fun Games for Work Meetings

These take a few more minutes than a one-line round, but they are what people remember from a meeting. Most need little or no preparation.

Team charades

Split everyone into two teams. One team picks a player and gives them a word or phrase to act out without speaking. Their team has 30 seconds to guess; a correct guess earns a point, and if they miss, the other team can guess. Teams take turns, and the most points wins. A workplace-equipment category gives you words such as laptop, mouse, coffee mug and whiteboard. On a video call, use a random word generator to hand out words and pick a theme for each round, like office supplies (paper clip, pencil, stapler), so guessing stays easy.

Two truths and a lie

Each person says three facts about themselves: two true, one false. The team discusses which one is the lie, then the speaker reveals it. It needs no planning and works well when a new hire joins the meeting. We have a whole guide to two truths and a lie. An example: “My favorite sport is rock climbing. I love pineapple on my pizza. My favorite season is summer.” It also runs in the chat: people type their three statements and everyone votes on the lie with reactions.

Meeting bingo

Before the meeting, write a different bingo card for each person and give each square points. The squares can be things like “a new idea is proposed” (five points), “there are more than three coffees on the table” (three points), “someone receives a Slack notification” (two points) or “the presentation has over 10 slides” (four points). People cross off squares as they happen, cards are revealed at the end, and whoever has the most points wins and writes the next round of cards. A simpler version uses a bingo card of common work-from-home actions and statements, and the first player to mark five spaces in a row wins.

Lateral-thinking puzzles

One person brings a strange scenario and the team asks questions to work out what happened. The questions can only be answered with “yes,” “no” or “not relevant.” The puzzles need active listening and teamwork, which makes them a good starter for a creative session or sprint planning. Try this one:

A man is found dead, face down, in the middle of a field. There are no footprints leading to or from the body. The only thing he has is a backpack containing the one thing that could have saved his life. What is in the backpack?

Emoji song challenge

Each player picks a song and describes it with emojis in the chat. The others have 10 seconds to guess the title, and whoever guesses the most songs wins. It works well for remote teams and for anyone who is uncomfortable talking on camera. For example, try guessing this one: 👁️🐯

Share the inspiration

This is “show and tell” for adults. Give the team a week’s notice. Everyone writes a quote or the title of a book that inspired them on a sticky note, anonymously. The notes are read out, the team guesses who wrote each one, and then each person explains what they took from it.

Elevator pitch for an object

Give everyone five minutes to find any object at home, such as a pillow, a notebook or a frying pan, with as little context as possible. Each person then makes a two-minute pitch for it as if selling it to the team, and everyone rates the pitches from one to ten. A harder version asks for a pitch of an item that is not obviously useful, like a broken pen or a fax machine. With a large group, have small teams build one pitch together.

Debate club

Pick an everyday topic, such as working from home versus the office, or Starbucks versus Dunkin, and have players take a side and argue it. Over-the-top arguments are encouraged. For a low-stakes version, assign the sides, give each person one minute to make a case and one minute for the others to ask questions, then vote. Topics that work: two songs (Photograph by Nickelback versus All Star by Smash Mouth), the best dessert (monkey bread versus banana split), or hot dogs as sandwiches, yes or no.

Totally random slideshow

One person prepares a slideshow about anything they want, as long as it is work appropriate, and talks through it in about four minutes, with one minute at the end for questions. It suits a recurring meeting like a weekly standup, where you assign one person per week and give them a week’s notice. You can leave the topic open or give a prompt, like ranking the furniture in your house from most to least comfortable, or matching each teammate’s work style to a house plant.

Embarrassing story swap

Tell the team beforehand that you will be sharing embarrassing stories, and go first yourself so everyone feels more comfortable. Then go around the group. Prompts: tell the group about a time you called someone by the wrong name, a conversation was overheard by the wrong person, you forgot your wallet or purse, or you messed up at work. The goal is not to embarrass anyone further, so laugh and empathize with each story.

Word guessing game

Write a different word on a sticky note for each person and have them stick it on their forehead without looking. Each person guesses their own word by asking teammates yes-or-no questions. On a video call, make one person the guesser, message the word to everyone else and let the questions start.

Team Trivia and Guessing Games

Trivia is an energetic way to kick off a meeting, and it changes easily with the season or the team’s interests. Split people into two or more teams, let a facilitator ask each question to every team, have teams discuss and choose an answer, then reveal the correct one. When all questions are asked, the team with the most correct answers wins. A free lunch or coffee makes a good prize.

Pick a category your team cares about, such as Disney movies or geography. A company quiz builds team spirit: when was the company founded, what are its values, what is its slogan?

Guess who

Write trivia questions about the people on your team and let everyone guess:

• Who won employee of the month last month?
• Who made the most sales last month?
• Which team member has traveled to ten countries?
• Who lives closest to the company headquarters?
• Which teammate speaks four languages?

Fact or fiction

Each person shares two statements about themselves, and teammates guess which is a fact and which is fiction. For example: “I have never traveled outside of the country” and “I speak two languages.”

Virtual myth-busting

Present a mix of true-or-false statements, set a timer and have team members take turns guessing whether each is a myth or a fact. One point per correct answer, and the most points wins. Write general knowledge questions or focus on your industry, then use the leftover time to discuss the surprising ones.

Mystery countdown theater

Before the meeting, collect timelapse videos of something being made, such as a puzzle being completed or a drawing. Have every player join a virtual buzzer website, play the videos, and let people buzz in when they think they know what the finished product will be. The earlier a correct guess, the more points.

Minute to win it

Split the team into groups and pick one representative from each. Each representative plays a one-minute game, such as making anagrams, building a block tower or listing as many state capitals as they can. Use a new game for each round, or a single game if you need to stay quick.

Team triviaBuild a quiz on any topic

Pick ready-made categories, or let each player suggest a topic, from geography to ’90s movies, and the AI quiz mode writes questions on it. Everyone answers on their own phone.

Start a quiz

Games for Virtual Team Meetings

Remote and hybrid meetings need a clear opener. For longer sessions, see our guide to virtual team building games. Without a prompt, quiet people stay on mute and the call starts flat. These games use things you already have on a call: camera, chat, reactions, breakout rooms and a shared whiteboard.

Something in common

Split into groups of two to four, using breakout rooms. Each group has four minutes to find the most unique thing they all share, going beyond “favorite color.” Bring everyone back and have one person per group share. The most unique answer wins. Prompts: weirdest hobby you had as a kid, thrilling experiences like skydiving or ziplining, the best concert you have been to, high school clubs or sports, the most unique pet you have owned.

Virtual background show and tell

The host asks a question, and instead of answering aloud everyone has 30 seconds to find a photo that answers it and set it as their video background. Once all backgrounds are up, give another 30 seconds to look around and invite people to unmute and ask follow-up questions. It works for large groups, up to about 50 people. Questions: least favorite city you have been to, which product you would promote as an Instagram influencer, which exotic animal you would be, the one food you could eat forever, what you think aliens look like.

Pictionary story

Open a shared whiteboard. The first person draws an object and everyone guesses it. The drawing stays on the board, and the next person has to add to the scene so that it makes sense. Let each person choose an object, a person or a place, or give each a random word to work in. Keep going until everyone has drawn once and you have a team-made illustrated story. It is a good warm-up before a brainstorm.

Scavenger hunt

Before the meeting, prepare a list of one to three objects. Give everyone three minutes to fetch them from around the house, then spend two minutes on show-and-tell. Items to ask for: the oldest piece of technology you own, a book you own but have never read, a very tiny object, something from your garden or yard, the best snack in your house. It also gets people away from the screen. For a faster version, name a category like “something blue” and give 60 seconds.

Picture prompt

Give a quick prompt and have everyone submit a photo that interprets it: your happy place, your work-from-home area, your favorite coffee order, a peaceful moment, a chaotic moment.

Emoji self-portrait

Everyone types a string of emojis in the chat that describes their personality. Then each person explains why they picked those emojis and how they relate to their interests.

Photo of your life

Ask each person to bring one picture that sums up their life, for example a photo from a family trip to Niagara Falls because family matters most. Each person tells the story behind the image.

GIF reaction

One person gets the spotlight to share priorities, updates or current projects, and nobody is allowed to interrupt. When they finish, the others react with GIFs in the chat. It also works as a quick way to send kudos.

Guess the desk and other camera games

• Guess the desk. Each person describes one item on their desk and the group guesses whose it is.
• Window or screen. Show the view from your window or one thing on your screen and say a line about it.
• Mute charades. One person acts out a word on mute while everyone else guesses in the chat.
• Emoji reactions poll. Ask a question and have everyone answer with a reaction or emoji instead of speaking.
• Chat waterfall. Ask a question, have everyone type an answer, and count down so everyone hits enter at once.
• Meet the pet, plant or roommate. Invite people to introduce whoever or whatever is nearby.
• Virtual background contest. Everyone picks a creative background and the group votes on a favorite.
• Picture of your shoes. A quick share that also works in a shared channel before the call.
• Desk decorating contest. Decorate your desk, or a virtual one, to a theme in five minutes, then show and vote.

Who is most likely to

Run a quick poll with silly, workplace-friendly questions and let the team vote, or use our Who’s Most Likely To game:

• Who is most likely to win employee of the month two months in a row?
• Who is most likely to accidentally reply-all to an email?
• Who is most likely to join the call off-camera?
• Who is most likely to have their pet interrupt the team call?
• Who is most likely to tell a joke that makes the whole team laugh?

Group voteVote on who is most likely to

Everyone votes secretly from their own phone, and the votes are revealed at the end of each round.

Play Who’s Most Likely To

Meeting Energizers for Adults

Use an energizer when attention drops, in the middle of a long call or on a day full of back-to-back meetings.

• Five-minute yoga. A quick reset for stressful days. Tell the team in advance so people can move their chairs or refill their water, then screen share a short yoga video or let a teammate who practices lead it. The goal is to take a deep breath and stretch together; nobody is judged on ability.
• Count to 20. The team counts from one to 20 out loud, one number per person, with no set order and no signals. If two people say a number at the same time, the group starts again from one. It sounds easy and rarely is, which makes it a quick way to get people listening to each other. Give it five minutes.
• Stand up if… Call out statements like “stand up if you have traveled abroad this year,” and people stand if it applies to them.
• Group lineup. Without talking, the group lines up by a trait such as birthday month.
• Rock-paper-scissors tournament. Everyone pairs off, losers cheer for the winner, and the winner advances until one champion remains.
• Speed networking. Pair people up for one to two minutes of rapid-fire questions or chat, then rotate. On a video call, use breakout rooms. If the team already works closely together, stick to fun topics instead of work.
• Doodle relay. One person draws for ten seconds and passes it on, and each teammate adds to the picture until the finished doodle is revealed.
• One-word story. The group tells a single story, and each person in turn may add only one word. Or build a story where each sentence starts with the next letter of the alphabet.
• Create a superhero. Each person invents a superhero name and signature power, with bonus points for an arch-nemesis.
• Invent a new holiday. Say which holiday you would add to the calendar, including its foods and traditions.
• Movie pitch. Each person pitches a ridiculous movie in one sentence.
• Group playlist. Everyone adds one song to a shared playlist, ideally on a theme like songs that get you pumped for work.

In person, add the marshmallow challenge (small teams build the tallest freestanding tower from spaghetti, tape and one marshmallow on top) or the human knot (everyone grabs two different hands across a circle and untangles without letting go).

Meeting Games for Large and Small Groups

Looking for longer activities? Browse our team building activities. Group size should decide the format. In a small group, a round-robin gives everyone real airtime. Past a dozen or so people, pick a game where people are active at the same time, or split into small teams that play in parallel, so nobody waits ten minutes for a turn. Once you are over 20, use chat prompts or quick polls. Set a clear time limit and explain the rules once, simply.

Large groups

• Human bingo. Hand out a grid of prompts like “has traveled internationally this year” or “is an only child.” People ask around until they find someone who fits each box. The first filled line wins. It works for 10 to 75 people.
• Question mingle. Everyone writes down about three questions, then walks around asking them. It works for 10 to 50 people and suits an end-of-year meeting, with questions about the best parts of the year.
• Snowball toss. Everyone writes a fun fact on paper, crumples it up and tosses it. People pick up a random one, read it out and guess the author.
• Common ground. Split into small teams and challenge each to find five things every member shares.
• One-word poll. Run a poll or ask for one word in the chat, like “one word for how this quarter feels.”
• Group check-in survey. Run a short questionnaire, such as go-to karaoke song, and review the results together to see commonalities and differences.
• Bucket list mix-up. Collect one bucket list item from each person before the meeting, read them out and take turns guessing whose is whose. It suits four to 12 people.

Small groups (three to eight people)

• Story chain. One person opens a made-up story with a sentence, and each person adds a sentence until it comes back around.
• Two-minute interview. Pair up and interview each other for two minutes, then introduce your partner and one thing you learned.
• Fortunately, unfortunately. Build one story together, with each person starting their sentence with either “fortunately” or “unfortunately.”
• Hot take. Each person shares a harmless unpopular opinion, like cold pizza beats hot pizza, and the others vote agree or disagree.
• Ask me anything. One person takes the hot seat for three minutes and answers any work-friendly question the group throws at them, with the right to pass.
• Compliment circle. Go around the circle and share a compliment with the person to your right. Or give everyone a sheet of paper with their name on it and pass the sheets around so everyone writes a compliment for each person.
• Best advice. Each person shares the best piece of advice they have ever been given and who it came from.

Onboarding Games for New Hires

New teams and new hires need a little more warmth. The best onboarding games let people learn names, backgrounds and a bit of personality without feeling forced. Use them early, so people have a few easy reference points before the work gets heavier.

• Name and claim. Each person says their name and one thing they are good at or proud of.
• My first job. Everyone shares the first job they ever had and one thing it taught them.
• Hidden talent. Reveal a skill or hobby your teammates probably do not know about.
• Map it. Share where you grew up and one thing that place is known for. Or describe where you are from without naming the exact place and have the group guess and fill in a blank map.
• The story of my name. Tell the group the meaning or story behind your name.
• Five favorites. A quick round: a favorite food, song, place, book and way to relax.
• The four C’s. Share a car, a color, a cartoon character and a cuisine that best describe you.
• Team acronyms. Read out internal jargon and acronyms and let the new hire guess what they mean, then have the team explain the real ones. It is a fun way to decode the team’s language.
• Get-to-know-you bingo. Make bingo cards of fun facts about the team. To win, people find someone who matches each fact in a row.
• Two truths and a lie. It is especially useful when new hires join, since it brings out facts about people’s lives.
• Bucket list. Each person names one thing on their bucket list and why it matters to them.
• Water cooler. Send pairs or trios to breakout rooms for 10 to 15 minutes with a list of icebreaker questions, puzzles, team-building exercises and competitive games to keep them busy.

The icebreaker questions near the top of this guide, like your first week at a new job or your dream job as a kid, also work well in a new hire’s first meetings.

How to Run Team Meeting Games Without Making It Awkward

• Go first. Being first is the hardest spot, so take it yourself. It shows the team it is fine to joke around.
• Let people speak. Do not cut people off or dominate the conversation. Games build trust when people feel free to talk and joke.
• Match the meeting. Sprint planning calls for team-oriented games like lateral-thinking puzzles that get people working as a unit, while a daily scrum is lighthearted and can start with a quick icebreaker. Use under a minute for a daily standup and three to five minutes for a kickoff.
• Respect the clock. Keep pre-meeting games to 10 minutes or less and time-box them, so people see games as a benefit and not as time taken from their work.
• Make it voluntary. Let quieter teammates pass or answer in the chat. Avoid prompts that put someone on the spot to be creative right away, assume a shared cultural background, or draw attention to personal circumstances. Calling it a “quick warmup” instead of an “icebreaker” can soften resistance.
• Give a heads-up. For games that involve sharing stories, photos or slides, tell people beforehand. A week’s notice is ideal for presentations and “share the inspiration.”
• Repeat, but not too often. Quick games can open any meeting. A longer team-building exercise once or twice a quarter gives people more time to connect.