Office Christmas Party Games: 20 Ideas That Work for Teams

How to Pick Games for a Work Party

Plan two or three games, not a program. A good mix is one photo game that runs in the background from the moment people arrive, one table game after the meal, and one short gift game before the speeches.

Play early in the evening, while everyone is still there, and keep each game to 10 to 20 minutes. For large groups, play by table: teams of six to ten mix departments without anyone having to stand up and perform.

If part of the team is remote, choose at least one game they can play from home on the same link, and give them their own category so they are not competing with people in the room.

Photo Games Everyone Can Join From Their Phone

Photo games scale to any size of party, because everyone plays from their own phone, and the photos double as the party album. Put one QR code on the tables and show the best entries on a screen.

1. Holiday photo scavenger hunt: teams of four to six get 10 to 15 festive prompts and 20 minutes, and every photo goes to one shared gallery.
2. Ugly sweater contest: anyone who wants to enter takes a photo in their most festive sweater or jumper, and the room votes from the screen.
3. Photo bingo: a card of moments to catch during the party, such as a toast, a colleague mid-laugh, or the best decoration.
4. Caption contest: show one photo from the party on the screen and let each table write the funniest caption.
5. Baby photo guess: colleagues who want to join send a baby photo before the party, and tables match the photos to names.

Table Games for Large Groups

These work for any number of tables because each table plays as one team and needs only a pen and an answer sheet.

1. Holiday trivia by table: 20 questions, one answer sheet per table, and a short break for scoring. The questions above are ready to copy.
2. Name that tune: play the first five seconds of a holiday song, and the first table to call out the title scores.
3. Survey says: ask everyone five holiday questions before the party, then tables guess the most common answers.
4. Guess the colleague: read out anonymous holiday facts, such as a favorite holiday food or an unusual family tradition, and tables guess who wrote them.
5. Holiday charades or drawing: one player acts out or draws a festive word against a one-minute timer while the rest of the table guesses.

Minute to Win It Holiday Games

Each takes one minute and cheap supplies, so they fill a gap between courses. Ask for volunteers rather than picking people, and keep a seated version of each.

1. Unwrap the present: unwrap a box wrapped in several layers of paper while wearing oven mitts.
2. Candy cane hook: lift as many candy canes as you can off the table using only a candy cane held in one hand.
3. Ornament tower: stack plastic ornaments into the tallest tower that stands for three seconds.
4. Snowball toss: throw cotton-ball snowballs into a bucket from behind a line.

Gift Games

Set a price limit everyone can afford, make joining optional, and have a few spare gifts so nobody is left out.

1. White elephant, also called a Yankee swap: everyone who joins brings one wrapped gift, and in turn each person opens a new gift or steals one already opened. The rules are below.
2. Secret Santa with a guessing round: everyone buys for one colleague drawn at random, and at the party each recipient guesses who their Santa was before the reveal.
3. Left-right gift pass: the host reads a short story full of the words left and right, gifts move around the circle at each one, and everyone keeps the gift they hold when the story ends.

White Elephant Rules for the Office

1. 01

   Step 1: Set a price limit and ask everyone who wants to play to bring one wrapped gift with no name on it.

2. 02

   Step 2: Draw numbers to set the order. Player one opens a gift from the pile.

3. 03

   Step 3: Each next player either opens a new gift or steals one that has already been opened. Anyone whose gift is stolen chooses again: a new gift or another steal.

4. 04

   Step 4: Limit the steals. A common rule freezes a gift after its third steal, and nobody can steal back a gift that was just taken from them.

5. 05

   Step 5: When every gift is open, player one may swap with anyone, and the game ends.

Games for Remote and Hybrid Teams

Remote colleagues can play the same games if the host shares the screen and the photos go to the same gallery as the office.

1. Virtual holiday trivia: the host shares the questions on the video call, and teams answer in breakout rooms.
2. Home decoration photo contest: remote colleagues upload a photo of their decorated desk or home to the same gallery as the office party.
3. Find it at home: the host calls out an item, such as something red, a holiday mug, or the oldest ornament, and the first person to show it on camera scores.

Keep the Games Work-Appropriate

Make every game optional and say so when you announce it. Use holiday-neutral wording when not everyone celebrates Christmas, and avoid drinking games and anything that makes one person the joke.

Offer a seated version of every physical game, keep prizes small, and give recognition to teams rather than individuals where you can.

If photos will appear on a screen or be shared after the party, say so on the invitation and at the QR code, check photos before they reach the screen, and give colleagues an easy way to ask for one to come down.