15 Virtual Christmas Party Games for Work (Zoom & Teams)
A virtual Christmas party can easily turn into an hour of people sitting on mute. The fix is simple: give everyone something to do. Below are 15 Christmas party games that work over Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet. Most need no preparation at all, and the online ones are free and need no sign-up for your guests.
Before you start: a simple running order
For a one-hour party, this works well:
- 5 minutes: welcome and a quick icebreaker
- 20 minutes: Christmas quiz in teams
- 15 minutes: a drawing or guessing game
- 10 minutes: a "show and tell" style game
- 10 minutes: prizes and goodbyes
Pick a host to keep things moving, and decide in advance how you will keep score. Our free manual leaderboard works well on a second screen.
Games you can play online
1. Christmas quiz
Time: 15 to 30 minutes · Prep: none
The centrepiece of most Christmas parties. Open our Christmas Office Quiz, choose 10, 20 or 30 questions and share your screen. Use "No timer" mode so teams can confer in breakout rooms. Prefer paper? Use our list of 60 Christmas quiz questions and answers.
2. Christmas Draw & Guess
Time: 10 to 15 minutes · Prep: none
Share Draw & Guess and give the drawer a Christmas word or film title instead of the random word: "snowman", "reindeer", "Home Alone", "mince pie". Everyone else guesses in the chat.
3. Festive Two Truths and a Lie
Time: 15 to 20 minutes · Prep: none
Run Two Truths and a Lie with a Christmas twist: every statement must be about Christmas, for example "I once had Christmas dinner on a beach" or "I still have my childhood stocking."
4. Emoji Christmas films
Time: 5 to 10 minutes · Prep: 5 minutes
Post Christmas film titles as emojis in the chat and let people race to guess them, for example 🏠👦 (Home Alone) or 🧝♂️ (Elf). For a ready-made warm-up, play a round of Emoji Guess first.
5. Christmas word scramble
Time: 5 minutes · Prep: 5 minutes
Write ten scrambled Christmas words (TOLMIESTE for MISTLETOE, NIREDERE for REINDEER) and paste them into the chat one at a time. First correct answer wins the point. For a quick no-prep version, share Word Scramble.
No-tech games
6. Christmas jumper contest
Ask everyone to wear their most festive jumper and vote for the winner in a poll. Add categories like "most homemade" and "best lights".
7. Festive background challenge
Everyone decorates their real or virtual background. The host picks a winner, or the team votes.
8. Scavenger hunt at home
Call out an item, for example "something red", "a Christmas card" or "the oldest decoration you own", and the first person to show it on camera wins a point.
9. Guess the baby photo
Collect childhood Christmas photos in advance (with permission) and show them one by one. Players guess who is who.
10. Christmas song lyric finish
The host reads the first half of a line from a well-known Christmas song and players finish it. Keep to the most famous songs so everyone can join in.
11. Would you rather: Christmas edition
"Would you rather have Christmas dinner without roast potatoes or without dessert?" Everyone votes in the chat, and a couple of people defend their choice.
12. Christmas Pictionary on paper
No screen sharing needed: the drawer holds their drawing up to the camera after 30 seconds.
13. Name that Christmas film from one line
Describe a Christmas film in a single, deliberately unhelpful sentence, for example "A child's parents forget him and he fights two burglars." Teams guess the film.
14. Desk tour: festive edition
Volunteers give a 30-second tour of their decorations. A nice, low-pressure option for teams who do not know each other well.
15. Secret Santa reveal
If your team runs a Secret Santa, make the unwrapping part of the party. Guess who sent each gift before the giver is revealed.
Tips for a good virtual Christmas party
- Keep it under an hour. People enjoy a short, lively party more than a long one.
- Make it optional and schedule it during working hours if you can, so nobody has to give up their evening.
- Use teams rather than individuals for competitive games. It is more fun and nobody feels singled out.
- Test your screen share before the party starts.
- Send small prizes, such as a coffee voucher or a box of chocolates, to the winners.
Ready to plan? Start with the free Christmas Office Quiz.
