30 new ideas for virtual team games and activities this lockdown (updated)
Another national lockdown is upon us which means that most of us will be returning home to work for the month of January. Whilst this is great for avoiding the morning commute it’s a nightmare for managers trying to think of new ideas to engage their team. The thought of another Zoom quiz is enough to drive us bonkers which is why we have put together this article where you can find 30 new ideas for virtual team games and activities this lockdown.
If you’re tired of the usual virtual team games and activities which have been churned out in articles for the past few months, then be sure to try out some of the new virtual ideas in this post and let us know how you get on.
#1 Among Us
This virtual team game was brought to our attention by Martin, our Co-founder. It’s a multiplayer game which you can download on iOS and Android for free. You have to decide who amongst your team is an imposter. It’s a bit like wink murder except the murderer is an alien imposter. Check out the full game details here. Be warned there is cartoon blood for extra dramatics but we promise it’s light-hearted, fun and the perfect option for a virtual team game this November.
#2 Camera race
This new idea was created by Kate Beall Internal Comms Business Partner at Virgin Media. In this virtual team game employees have to race to be the first person to bring a particular item back to the camera. The dedicated host can decide on the item and crown the winner of each round. It’s the perfect team activity to lift spirits during lockdown this November.
#3 Geo Guesser
Virtual team games are best when they make you forget about the daily demands of life. Our Co-founder Ben, introduced this new game idea and it certainly gave the team some escapism for 30 minutes. It will drop you anywhere in the world and you have to guess where you are. You can choose to guess in the UK, across the world or just guess famous landmarks. It’s a fresh take on the usual Zoom quizzes which we have all become bored with, try something new this November.
#4 Team challenges
Brought to our attention by Hélène Bejjani, Global Learning and Development Leader at Antalis. She recommends setting team challenges where you split employees into small groups and give them a personalised challenge to complete. You can regroup each week to discuss results. It’s not supposed to add any extra pressure, it’s just a nice activity which makes staff feel engaged and included. This virtual team activity is sure to give your employees a sense of purpose and achievement during the November lockdown.
#5 Which team can find the most…
Another new and unusual idea from Kate is a virtual team game which requires you to split employees into small teams and each team has to find household products. The team with the most number of certain products wins. For example, each team member has to find all the toilet rolls in their house and then count them up with their teammates. The team with the most number of toilet rolls wins. A perfect lockdown game which makes colleagues feel connected and included.
#6 Partner or friend confessions
Get each member of your team to get their partner or friend to write one of their worst habits down. Give this to the virtual host and play a game of guessing who each habit is for. They may look a little something like this:
________ never washes their hair during the week.
This is a new idea which is bound to make your employees laugh this lockdown.
#7 Guess the emoji sentence
👁 ❤️ 🐈 Get employees to come up with their own emoji sentence and the rest of the team has to guess what they are trying to say. Make sure you add a timer otherwise you could be guessing all afternoon. This virtual game is sure to get the creative juices flowing this lockdown.
#8 Make a costume
Kate introduced us to this virtual team game where staff have to make a costume out of household items in just five minutes. The winner will be decided by the host and each team member will present their costume at the end. If this doesn’t lift team morale in lockdown we don’t know what will.
#9 Best photo
Every week challenge your team to take a photo of the best thing they’ve seen. This could be an amazing plant in their garden, a funny pet photo, a cooking creation they have made or a funny photo of their kids. Everyone will present their photos each week. This virtual team challenge is the perfect way to keep employees appreciative of the little things in life which is crucial for positivity and mental wellbeing during lockdown.
#10 Celebrity or character impersonator
Get half of your team to pick a character or celebrity to impersonate for one minute each, the other half of the team will give each of them scores out of 10 with the winner receiving the highest score. The next week switch sides so that everyone gets a chance to show off their acting skills. This new idea for lockdown is the perfect way to forget about the stresses of day to day tasks.
#11 Psych
Luke Thompson from Hays Tech Recruitment introduced a game which is old to him but new to us, it’s called Psych. This is a word game where you have to bluff your way to the top. Each player makes up fake answers to trivia questions and your colleagues have to guess which ones are true. It’s the perfect lockdown game to get your creative thoughts flowing and your bluffing techniques on point.
#12 Virtual Pictionary using MS Paint
Lockdown doesn’t mean we have to dismiss the classic games which usually have to be played face to face. Kate suggests playing pictionary using Microsoft Paint. Split your employees into teams and get one person from the team to take turns to draw. The team who guesses the most pictures right will be crowned the winners. Use this Pictionary Generator to quickly come up with the picture ideas.
#13 Random stories
This is a new idea for virtual teams which is certain to generate some hilarious storylines. Split your employees into groups of at least four and ask them to say a word after the person before them, they will have five minutes to go round as many times as they can to eventually generate a story. If one member of the team hesitates they will be disqualified and the next team will start. The team with the funniest story will be decided by the host.
#14 Through the keyhole
This is a new idea which takes inspiration from the classic TV programme. Get employees to take a photo of a room in their house, ask them to send the photo to the host and the host will give clues as to who the room belongs to. Your virtual team have to hold up their answers on a piece of paper. The team member who guesses the most correct answers will be crowned the winner.
#15 Motivational Mondays
Virtual team activities do not have to be limited to games. We love the idea of getting employees to look for their favourite quote in the week and then share the quote with the rest of the team on a Monday. Not only does this provide a motivational boost to everyone in lockdown but it sets the tone for the rest of the week helping your team to look at things in a new light. Being in lockdown can lead to some of us getting stuck in a rut sharing motivational quotes helps us to stay fresh and motivated.
#16 Best jokes
This isn’t really new and unusual but we haven’t heard of anyone else doing it so we thought we would share our idea. Everyone should share the best joke they have discovered in a weekly video call and the funniest joke will earn that employee a longer lunch break. Laughter is always the best medicine during times of uncertainty.
#17 Creative tip of the week
Get employees to keep a note of anything helpful or useful that they learned during the week whether this be in work or outside of work. Have a weekly catch-up where each employee shares the useful tip which they have learnt. This is more of a virtual team building activity which works to help your team feel more productive and inspired. Examples could include easy ways to manage your tasks, top tips to stay productive throughout the day or how to fit exercise into your routine consistently.
#18 Funniest Meme
We all have those weeks where nothing seems to be going right or perhaps your customers are being particularly demanding. Get everyone to turn those stressful moments into a funny meme. They’re mega easy to create, just head over to this free Meme generator and get started. Get your team to vote on their favourite and then announce the winner. This is a great way to make your team feel more connected letting them know that you are all in this together.
#19 Baby photos
Get everyone to send in a baby photo and the team has to guess who the photo belongs to. This is a new idea which will get everyone talking, add a bonus point for the funniest photo.
#20 Team portrait time
Pair your team up and give them 10 minutes to draw portraits of each other. No doubt there will be some funny masterpieces, at the end of the 10 minutes ask your pairs to present their work to the team.
#21 Gif game
This virtual team game is perfect for those of you that have an instant messaging tool such as slack. Set up a GIF game channel where you will host the event along with a video call so that you can all chat. The host will start a sentence and the participants will quickly send a gif which best describes the way they feel. For example, “This week has been so …….”
#22 Backstabbr
Jonathon our software engineer introduced this game which is a new twist on the classic game of diplomacy. Players have to crush everyone that opposes them and the winner is the first to hold 18 supply centres. For the full details on how to play head over to the Backstabbr website.
#23 Best thing that happened to you the previous day
The key to improving mental wellbeing during lockdown is to get your team to focus on the positive things which happened in their day. This virtual activity should be carried out every morning and each employee should share the best thing that happened to them the day before. It could be that they made an amazing dinner or perhaps they received a fantastic customer review, whatever it is, use it as a new and exciting team building activity.
#24 Exercise competition
Ditch the boring Zoom quizzes and get your team fired up with exercise challenges. Each time get someone from the team to host the exercise challenge where they come up with a series of moves designed to push the team to the max. For example two minute plank, 100 star jumps and 100 squats. The last person standing will be crowned the winner.
#25 Quick fire music game
Set a theme such as songs about animals and each person in the team has to take a turn to come up with a relevant song which has an animal in the title or in the lyrics of the song. If you hesitate or struggle to think of one then you’re out of the game.
#26 Deal or no deal
We all know this classic TV show, and if you don’t where the heck have you been (see full game details here). This new twist allows you to play the popular game show in your own home. Each person in your team will be assigned a sum of money in their ‘box’. You will have a main player who has to pick boxes and a host who will guide them through the game. Make sure you don’t forget the evil banker who will make offers throughout the game to try and get them to quit. Remember that the main player can’t see their own box with their sum of money in so the host should conceal it and reveal it at the end. The aim of the game is to leave with as much ‘virtual money’ as possible.
#27 Random endurance tests
Get a member of your virtual team to pick an item and hold it in a position, get the rest of your virtual team to copy and see who is the last person standing. For example, hold two cans of food over your head standing on one leg, who will fall down first? This one will make you laugh and keep your virtual team active in lockdown.
#28 virtual Countdown
Head over to this website where you can play virtual Countdown with your team. Just select a host who can share their screen and see who can make the longest word out of the randomly picked letters. Don’t forget the classic countdown timer too.
#29 Fun twist on Antiques Roadshow
Take the famous show which looks for the UK’s hidden treasures and turn it into a virtual team game. To play this you need a host and four judges. The host will tell the contestants what they’re looking for at the start of the show, for example, a floral china item. Your virtual team then has to bring back whatever they have which is closest to this item. The host and the four judges will look at which item best fits this description and announce the winner.
#30 Most likely to…
Another great idea from Kate Beall. Get your team to hold up the name of the person they think would be most likely to do certain things. Keep it light hearted and fun and ask questions such as;
Most likely to burn their dinner
Most likely to join a circus
Most likely to be a cat in their next life
Most likely to accidentally sleep in
Most likely to stay up all night watching box sets
We hope these new ideas for virtual team games and activities will keep your employees engaged and positive this lockdown. If you give any of the ideas a go please let us know how you got on by posting on our Linkedin or Twitter pages and don’t forget to give us a follow.
If you’re looking for a tool to inject some energy and fun into your employee training why not consider Albert our gamification app. It’s so engaging that 65% of staff who use the app even play it in their own time! Boost knowledge levels and employee morale this lockdown. If you have any questions or want to find out more, speak to one of our gamification experts who will be happy to help.
