Office holiday party games for small teams and remote teams
Most holiday party game lists are written for a big office with a ballroom. A team of twelve, half of them on a video call, needs something else: games that work at small numbers, that remote people can join as equals, and that suit everyone, whatever they celebrate. The fourteen below were picked for exactly that. For games built around Christmas itself, see our Christmas party games for adults.
Playable example
Office Holiday Party Trivia
Ten questions on winter traditions, films and songs from around the world, hosted by Jasper. Put it on the shared screen and everyone answers on their own phone, then make a round about your own team's year.
Before you pick
What works for a small or remote team
A small team can't hide anyone. With twelve people, a game where one person performs and eleven watch feels long, so choose games where everyone plays at once, in pairs or in small teams.
Remote people need an equal seat. If the party is hybrid, run every game as if everyone were remote: one shared screen, answers on each person's own phone, and teams that mix the room with the call. And keep it about the team. People on your team may celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the New Year or nothing in particular, so the games that include everyone are about your year together, not one holiday.
In the room or on a call
Seven games that work either way
1. Year-in-review quiz
Ten questions about your team's year, from the launch date to the meeting that ran three hours, mixed with a few about the year's films and songs. Play in teams of three or four. Generate a round and swap in your own questions.
2. The playlist game
Everyone privately sends one song that sums up their year. Play fifteen seconds of each, and the team guesses who picked it. The explanations are the best part.
3. Emoji recap
Each person describes one team moment from the year in five emoji. The others guess the moment. It works in chat, so remote players are never at a disadvantage.
4. Caption the year
Show three team photos from the year, one at a time. Everyone writes a caption, and the team votes for the best.
5. Guess the childhood photo
Collect childhood photos privately from anyone who wants to take part, and show them one by one. Teams match each photo to a teammate. Opt-in only.
6. Would you rather, team edition
Fire off quick choices: a four-day week or a month of remote work, the office plant or the office printer. Everyone votes at once, and the close calls start the conversations.
7. The categories race
Call out a category and a letter, such as snacks beginning with P. Teams list as many as they can in sixty seconds. No setup, any team size.
Built for remote teams
Seven games for a video call
8. The desk scavenger hunt
Call out an item, such as something older than the company or a mug with writing on it, and the first person to hold one up to the camera scores.
9. Mystery object in three clues
Each person picks an object within reach and gives three clues, one at a time. The fewer clues the team needs, the more points.
10. Traditions swap
Anyone who wants to shares one tradition they keep at this time of year, from any holiday or none: a dish, a walk, a film they rewatch. The rest guess whose is whose.
11. Three photos, one year
Volunteers share three photos from their year outside work and tell the story in a minute. Keep it short and strictly optional.
12. Predictions for next year
Everyone writes three predictions for the team's year ahead. Save them in a shared document and read them back at next year's party.
13. The thank-you draw
Draw names, and each person thanks the teammate they drew for one specific thing from the year. It is the warmest closer there is, and it gives quieter teammates a moment.
14. A hosted gameshow about the team
Trivana Moments makes a team celebration show from your team's stories and wins. Everyone adds a memory for free from one link, with no app or account, and you watch the show privately first. Then the team plays its 10 questions together in the room or over a video call. It is $49 plus any tax, paid once.
A 45-minute plan for the party
For a small team, about 45 minutes of games inside a longer lunch or call is plenty. If you would rather not write anything, our office party page opens a ready-made holiday quiz on the big screen, with a room code everyone joins from their phone, no app and no accounts.
Step 1
Open with something easy (10 minutes)
The playlist game or the emoji recap. Nothing to prepare for the players, and nobody is on the spot.
Step 2
One main game in teams (20 minutes)
The year-in-review quiz or a hosted show. Mix the teams so the room and the call play together.
Step 3
Close with the thank-you draw (10 minutes)
It ends the year on a warm note and gives every teammate a moment.
Step 4
Keep five minutes spare
Calls start late and links need resending. Use any spare minutes for the prizes and a team photo.
Dates
December 2026 dates to plan around
Hanukkah
Begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12.
Christmas Day
Friday, December 25.
Kwanzaa
Saturday, December 26, to Friday, January 1.
New Year's Eve
Thursday, December 31.
Before you send the invite
Send a two-question poll: which dates work, and in the room or on a call? Then check the date against your team's time zones and the days people already have off.
Keep it inclusive
About the team, not one holiday
Games built on your team's year include everyone. Save holiday-specific rounds for teams that have asked for them.
Opt in, never called out
Photo and tradition games only work when people choose to join. Collect submissions privately and never put anyone on the spot.
Nothing depends on a drink
Pick games that work with coffee in hand, skip forfeits, and keep the prizes small and silly.
Common questions
What are good office holiday party games for a small team?
Games where everyone plays at once: a year-in-review quiz in teams, the playlist game, an emoji recap of the year, a caption contest and a thank-you draw. Pick three and keep the whole block to about 45 minutes.
What holiday party games work on a video call?
A desk scavenger hunt, mystery objects in three clues, the categories race, and any quiz that runs from one link, so everyone answers on their own phone while one person shares their screen.
How do you make an office holiday party inclusive?
Build the games around the team and its year rather than one holiday, make photo and tradition games opt-in, and check the date against your team's calendars and time zones.
Can we play a gameshow about our own team?
Yes. Trivana Moments makes a team celebration show from your team's stories. Everyone adds a memory for free from one link, you choose which go in, and you watch it first. Your host is an AI character, one of 8 you can choose from. It is ready within 24 hours of payment, or you get a full refund, so order a few days before the party.
Make a quiz about your team's year
Type the moments your team will remember, pick a host, and get a round everyone plays from one link, in the room or on the call. Free to start.
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