Ahhh, the office party - an awkward meeting with your colleagues that always starts with a mostly boring speech on everyone’s achievements. Then it’s a mandatory game of charades, during which people are mostly preoccupied with imbibing fermented drinks to relieve the tension that eventually leads to one or two embarrassing situations. Even if self-indulgence was well monitored, something shameful may happen anyway. Oh, and if it’s a Christmas office party, double all the emotions and feelings because, you know, everyone’s in a festive mood and usually totally overtired from all the buzz that happens during December.
Now, we know that this scenario of an office party is a bleak one, but there’s always a chance for improvement, even in the direst situations. One way to spice things up is to choose a party game other than charades, and we’ve compiled all the viable options here, so you won’t have to look all around the internet to find them! And although we’re pretty sure that any fun party game at first gets a dozen eye rolls, a few raised eyebrows, and about six displeased groans, once the game is actually on, everyone suddenly forgets about their prejudices and starts to actually enjoy the activities.
And just check out the names of these office party games! There’s the Death Wink, the Grab Tails, and everyone’s beloved Musical Chairs (disclaimer - only suitable if your colleagues are, at best, mildly competitive, otherwise, the fight might get really ferocious real quick). So, scroll on down below to check the full list of office party ideas, and hopefully, this year’s office soiree will be the best one so far!
P.S.: All of them also work perfectly fine if relabeled as holiday party games for the office. Just throw in some candy canes and a Rudolph, and you’re good to go!
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Death Wink
Make enough slips of paper so that each participant gets one. Mark all pieces with a "v" meaning victim, excluding two. The other two are identified as "murderer" and "detective". Other players are murdered with a sly wink from the murderer. When a victim is winked at, they "die". The detective searches for the murderer. Once he finds him, the killer becomes the detective and a new killer is selected. Play for as long as the group is having fun.
We had a camp game like this. Sit in a circle, one person in center, with your heads bowed so nobody could peek. A counselor would select a "frog" by tapping someone on the head. Once the game starts, the detective in the middle has to catch the frogger. The frogger "kills" people by sticking their tongue out at them, and of course if you die you do so in the most dramatic, clutch-your-chest-fall-over-and-scream way possible lol.
I would play this during recess in elementary school. We called it Poison Dart Frog
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We used to call it Mafia but I grew up in Jersey soooooo no surprise there
Responding to yourself FishBreath, NakNakNak, Hannah? Do all of you accuse other people of plagiarism?
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Truths or Lie
Each participant chooses one truth and two lies about themselves. Players share in turns while seated in a circle facing one another. When someone shares two truths and one lie, the person on their right makes a guess as to which is the lie. If they are right, they continue playing. Otherwise, they are out. This truth-telling game is won by the last person standing.
Years ago my parents played this with a big group of people we knew. Their three statements were: One of us has been behind bars, one of us has a belly button ring, and we’re expecting another baby. They did mention at the end that the pregnancy statement was the lie, but somehow it got out that my mum was pregnant and for months after that people would come up to congratulate them! The best part was that my dad had been behind bars as a prison volunteer, and my mum was proudly wearing a sharpie ring around her belly button! 🤣🤣🤣
Baby Picture Guessing Game
Assign everyone to bring a photo of when they were a baby to the office party, and on the day, put everyone's photos on a board. The players must determine which office employee is which baby in the picture. Winner is the one with the most accurate guesses.
Guess Who
Everyone should put their name on a slip of paper, which should then be placed in a box, basket, or bag. Each individual chooses a name and describes the person using words. The others try to figure out who is being described. You can play this as a team game in which players compete to guess the answer the fastest.
Desk Thief
Take one thing from each person's desk, steal it, and then show it off at your party. Now everyone must determine who owns which thing. Wonderful method to lift people's morale.
Absolutely not, unless you get consent from participants and about which things first. I have seen "innocent" taking of people's things without their permission cause HUGE problems in offices (yes multiple). Unless you get consent (which may ruin the "game") please do not do this.
Office Trivia Quiz
Create equal teams out of the players. Choose a set of trivia questions to pose to your team members, and give one point for each accurate response. The team with the most points at the end of the quiz is the winner.
Office Scavenger Hunt
Give your coworkers a set of cryptic hints and a variety of strange objects to hide throughout the office. The winner of the scavenger hunt is the first individual to find all the things.
I like to call this game " Drive off in your car and go home for a short nap".
Secret Santa
Coworkers choose names from a bowl a week or so before the company party to find out who they need to buy gifts for. Decide a spending limit. Exchange gifts at the office party without revealing who purchased what for whom.
Storytime!
Team up to create a story. Each player in this game writes one sentence, which is then passed to the next player with the goal of creating a bedtime story about the office.
20 Questions
This one should get everyone thinking. Players have just 20 "yes" or "no" questions to determine the thing or person that the game's leader is thinking of.
Name That Tune
Depending on the age range and makeup of the group, select songs that everyone will recognize. Each song is played for five seconds. The winner is the first person to correctly identify the song's name.
Don’t Do It!
One player is assigned the responsibility of giving the other players instructions, such as "stand motionless," "jump on one foot," etc. Each player must act in opposition to the instructions given to them in order to win this game. Someone loses if they don't do the opposite. This game is won by the last man standing.
Christmas Tree Challenge
Each visitor should hold a piece of green construction paper behind their back. The paper is intended to be torn in order to create the shape of a Christmas tree. The finished tree that looks the best wins. If you don't have construction paper, you can have each visitor put their hands behind their backs and design a Christmas tree on blank white paper while they are all blindfolded.
Why do they have to wear a blindfold if the tree is behind their backs?
Who Said That
Post-it notes with famous movie quotes on them should first be folded and placed in a bowl. Divide into two teams, start the timer for one minute, and read aloud as many quotes as you can. The team that correctly guesses the most people or characters to say the quote within a minute wins.
Candy Cane Hook
Your group should be divided into two or more teams of eight to 10 people each. Two large bowls filled with a significant number of little, unwrapped candy canes are required. Each team member takes a turn putting a disposable chopstick in their mouth and trying to get it to their group's stocking, basket, or bowl. After each team member has had a turn, the team with the most candy canes wins.
How Many?
Ask visitors to estimate how many of a certain item they can see as they arrive. They cannot count slowly and must instead guess. The closest guess wins.
“Snowball” Fight
Inflate two to three balloons for every player, dividing the total amount of balloons evenly between the two colors. Using painter's or masking tape on the floor or carpet, divide the space where the party will be held in two. Divide your guests into two teams and tell them that their objective is to get all of their team's balloons across the line while keeping the balloons of the other team away. The team with the most balloons on the opposing side at the end of two minutes (or longer if your teams are big) wins.
Guess Which Movie
Make a list of a few well-known movie titles and cut them up. Mix the pieces in a bowl. After pairing everyone, choose the first pair to lead the way. They take a piece of paper out of the bowl and perform the scene from the movie that is written on it. They must do so in silence; no words or sounds are permitted. The movie must be guessed by everyone else. Next, the victor and their companion take their turn, and so on. Once every pair has finished, the game is over.
ABC Challenge
Give each player a pencil and paper. Tell them to write the letters A through Z down the left side in a vertical line. Depending on how challenging the issue is, set the timer for 2 to 3 minutes. Ask participants to come up with a word for each letter. This game is won by the first person to finish their list or the one with the most answers at the end of the agreed period. Pick some themes to make it more difficult.
Wrap It Up Race
Give each player a box to wrap, wrapping paper, tape, scissors, and ribbon. Players must wrap their boxes before you call "Start". When selecting a winner, the box must be completely covered and the neatness of the finished wrapped gift is taken into account. This hectic challenge is won by the first person who completes it first with a well wrapped present.
The Christmas Jumper
Finding a Christmas sweater to wear to the party is required of everyone. Anyone who doesn't bring a jumper will be given one of your extra jumpers that are "non size particular", along with a set of silly props like reindeer ears or anything equally embarrassing. Give a prize to the jumper who displays the most skill.
Celebrity Couples "Who Am I?"
List as many celebrity couples as you can, one name per post-it note. Using post-it notes and "Yes" or "No" questions, each player tries to identify their celebrity companion. Once everyone has located their celebrity partner, the game is over.
Office Charades
On small pieces of paper, the team leader writes examples of things that occur in the office. Participants act these out silently while keeping their teammates guessing. For example, making coffee or a computer crashing — you can tailor the examples to your industry.
Win, Lose or Draw
Make a list of things for people to draw, such as a phrase, a famous person, or even something unique to your business. Make two teams and instruct each team to send one member at a time to the board to draw the same thing. Whoever makes the first accurate guess wins.
People, Place and Thing
Each individual selects one thing from each category and writes it on a sheet of paper. After that, have them give it to a neighbor, who must then use each of the three items to create a brief story.
Blind Artist
Players should be paired up and seated back to back. One participant has an image in their possession, and the other has a sheet of blank paper and a pen or pencil. Without using any words that may reveal the image, the player with the picture describes it. The described image is drawn by the opposing player. Drawers display their images after a predetermined period of time. The best representation gets a prize.
What Is It?
Put a variety of small soft objects, odd toys, etc. in a big bowl. Players should take turns picking items out of the bowl while wearing blindfolds. They have to say what they touched. To prevent other players from having the advantage of seeing the items before their turn, cover the bowl in between turns.
Hot Present (Bow)
Play some music while passing a modest gift or a sizable Christmas bow around a group of players who are standing. The player holding the present or bow is out when the music stops. The winner is the one who remains after everyone else has been eliminated.
Guess Whose Job
On slips of paper, each person writes down two details about their jobs.
Shuffle the papers and let everyone take two pieces. Players take it in turn to read theirs, while the rest are guessing which belongs to whom. The funnier the stories, the better.
Belly Balloon Break
Organize everyone into two-player teams. Set a one-minute time constraint and give each pair the task of squeezing as many balloons as they can between their bellies. The team that pops the most balloons after three minutes wins.
Hamburger
Players are divided into two equal teams. Each team member should have a different hamburger component on their back. For each team to create a complete hamburger, the teams must arrange themselves in the proper order. Team that completes the task the quickest wins.
Office Olympics
Make the Office Olympics more enjoyable for your team by including games like paper-bin basketball. Give scores based on how each player performs in each event after having everyone participate in those events. Add up the results when each event is over and give the top three competitors gold, silver, and bronze.
Office Escape Room
Set a timer for 60 minutes and lock all players in a room. Establish a set of team challenges that must be completed before locating the key to open the door. The squad wins if they are successful in escaping within 60 minutes; if they take longer or give up at any point, they lose.
Holiday Movie Trivia
Depending on the number of players, divide the office into teams. Create a list of questions about Christmas movies that teams must answer. The group with the most accurate guesses wins.
Mummify The Boss
Take lots of toilet paper from the office restrooms. Organize two teams and time the first squad as they attempt to totally mummy-wrap the boss in toilet paper. Following team 1's completion, the boss tears off the toilet paper so team 2 can begin their turn. The winning team is the one who wraps up fastest.
The Newlywed Game (Office style)
Play your own version of the newlywed game at work in couples to test how much each partner knows about the other. See how well colleagues know each other.
Don’t Laugh
All the participants should stand in a circle and take turns laughing while staring at the person next to them. If someone begins to chuckle, they have to leave. The winner of this easy, enjoyable game is the last player standing after a set amount of time.
Musical Chairs
Despite being categorized as a kid's game, adults love playing this time-honored classic. Make sure there are enough chairs in a circle for each player, minus one. Use tunes the group is familiar with. Whoever cannot find a seat gets removed when the music stops. Every time the game is played, keep taking out one chair. A modest prize is awarded to the final survivor.
Tug of War
Your huge group should be divided into two teams, each of which should be as equal in strength and ability as possible. By doing this, the game lasts longer and is more enjoyable. Give each squad a long, sturdy rope, instruct them to line up, hold the rope, and pull. The losing team is the one that either slips or releases go of the rope. A space in the middle might also be designated for each team to stay away from. A team wins the game when they pull the rope, forcing players from the opposing team to enter their territory.
Freeze
A member of the group is instructed to step aside and given instructions to stop and transform into a statue anytime. The remainder of the group should be instructed to immediately freeze in place if they notice someone standing still like a statue. The game starts when the selected individual becomes a statue and finishes when everyone is still. The funny poses that players end up frozen in are the best part of this game.
Balls in a Bucket
You'll need two seats and buckets, a big bag of cotton balls, a big serving spoon, a bandana or piece of cloth to act as a blindfold, and a stopwatch or timer for this entertaining game. One cotton ball-filled bucket should be placed on each chair, five feet apart and facing the other. A player is given a blindfold, the big spoon, and is told to transfer the cotton balls from one bucket to the other. Before they start, make sure to spin the player around a few times. Set the timer for a specific duration, no more than five minutes. Before the timer expires, the player who has collected the most cotton balls in the bucket wins. A player cannot use their hands to find the bucket if they lose their orientation. They are also disqualified if they peek or use their hands. Occasionally, the player will become disoriented and start scooping from the wrong bucket, which causes a lot of laughter.
Wiggle Away Relay
Your group should be split into two teams. Ping pong balls should be placed into an empty tissue box or another box with a similar opening in the side. Each player should try to empty the box by wiggling their hips while the box is fastened to a belt. Players must stand still and are not permitted to use their hands. After emptying the box, each team member hands the belt and box to the following player. The first-place finisher team wins.
White Elephant
Each guest is required to bring a single, wrapped gift to the holiday gathering. After everyone has gathered, have them each draw a number. The person holding "one" gets to pick which gift to open. The holder of "two" has two options: They can select a brand-new, wrapped gift or take the unwrapped gift from the person holding "one." If they take the gift away from the first person, they get to open a different present. The recipient of the number "three" may select between a freshly wrapped gift or any previously unwrapped gift. Until every gift has been opened and distributed, the game goes on.
Work Bingo
Before the game begins, make a bingo card that is unique to your workplace and contains phrases said by either your company or partygoers. If somebody mentions something from the bingo card while mingling, cross it out on the card. The first person to draw a line or completely fill out their card wins.
Grab Tails
Your players should be divided into three groups. Put them in a line behind each other, with the smallest person in the back and the tallest person in front. The last one tucks a piece of fabric in the shape of a tail behind their waistband. Each trio makes an effort to seize the other players' tails and pull them off. By the end of the game, the three-person team with the most tails wins.
Christmas Balloon Burst
Put green and red balloons in the air, then form teams with your players. Give green balloons to every player on one squad and red balloons to every player on the other squad. Attach the balloons to each player's ankle using a tie. Pop the balloons of the players on the other team without popping your own in this dynamic game. Someone is out when their balloon pops. After a predetermined amount of time, the team with the most players still on the field wins. If your group is really tiny, you can also play this game with individuals competing to be the last person standing with the balloon.
Holiday Cookie Challenge
For the office party, invite everyone to bring their own baked holiday-themed cookies. Give each cookie a score 1-10 after everyone has tasted it. Calculate the average score, then declare the winner for the best Christmas cookies.
There are so many Christmas based ones for it just saying "office party". It's like people who don't celebrate Christmas don't work in offices.
That almost made sense. Then it took a right turn into nonsense and fell off the tracks somewhere near Gibberish Lane.
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There are so many Christmas based ones for it just saying "office party". It's like people who don't celebrate Christmas don't work in offices.
That almost made sense. Then it took a right turn into nonsense and fell off the tracks somewhere near Gibberish Lane.
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