Office party games for large groups that nobody has to be talked into
Ten games for a work party of twenty or more, sorted from the ones people can ignore to the ones that take over the room.
Updated October 8, 2026
Start from the reluctant person
At a party of friends, the question is which game will be most fun. At a work party, the better question is which game the most reluctant person in the room will still be comfortable with. People cannot easily say no to their manager, and they cannot leave.
So this list is sorted by how much each game asks of people, from nothing at all to quite a lot. Stop wherever suits your team. A party with only the first three is a perfectly good party.
Rules for any work game
- Opt-in, always. Announce it as an invitation and offer a job for those who would rather watch: scorer, timekeeper, judge.
- Mix the teams. Deal people into teams at random with the team maker so departments do not sit together.
- Keep it short. Fifteen to twenty minutes a game. Stop while people still want another round.
- Prizes should be small. A prize worth wanting turns a game into a competition people take badly.
- Nothing personal. No questions about home life, relationships, health or anything else people did not choose to bring to work.
Sizing it up
The games below fall into three shapes, and the shape decides how big they can go.
Everyone at once. A guessing jar, a photo board or names on backs. These have no upper limit and need no microphone.
Tables as teams. A building challenge or a music round. These scale as far as the room does, as long as each table has what it needs before you start.
One circle. Paper and pen games and a gift exchange. These stop working past about a dozen people in a circle, so run several circles side by side.
What to prepare
Count tables, not people, and put a kit on each one before guests arrive: paper, pens, and the materials for any building game. Test the speaker and the microphone. Print the rules of the gift exchange on a card, because it is the one game people will argue about.
The games
-
Candy Jar Guess
Zero pressure and it runs itself. Put a jar on the front desk a few days early so remote and part-time staff can guess too, then announce the winner at the party.
- 4+ players
- 5 min
- Ages 5+
- Calm
- Needs a clear jar with a lid, candy to fill it, slips of paper, a pen, a box for the guesses
-
Baby Photo Match
A board people can study with a drink in hand. Keep it optional and offer a school photo or a first pet as an alternative, so nobody is put on the spot.
- 6+ players
- 15 min
- Ages 10+
- Calm
- Needs a baby photo of each guest, a board or string and clips, number labels, answer sheets and pens
-
Who Am I?
Everyone plays at once, so it scales to any head count. It gives people who have only met by email a script for their first conversation.
- 4–20 players
- 20 min
- Ages 8+
- Lively
- Needs sticky notes or paper and tape, a pen
- Ad position: inContent
-
Two Truths and a Lie
Run it in circles of six to eight, not as one big group. Say up front that the statements should be things you would tell a new colleague.
- 3–20 players
- 15 min
- Ages 10+
- Calm
- Needs nothing
-
Back-to-Back Drawing
Pairs, three minutes, and a real point about how instructions get lost. Pair people from different teams and it works as an introduction as well.
- 2+ players
- 15 min
- Ages 7+
- Calm
- Needs paper, pens, simple pictures to describe, a timer
-
Marshmallow Tower
The classic team challenge, and it works with ten teams at once. Mix departments, give everyone the same kit, and measure with ceremony.
- 3+ players
- 20 min
- Ages 7+
- Lively
- Needs dry spaghetti, mini marshmallows, a tape measure, a timer
-
Paper Telephone
One table of six to eight at a time. Suggest opening sentences about work life and the reveal becomes a set of in-jokes.
- 4–10 players
- 25 min
- Ages 8+
- Calm
- Needs a small stack of paper per player, a pen or pencil per player
- Ad position: inContentSecondary
-
Name That Tune
Tables compete as teams, so a hundred people can play together. Spread the decades evenly; an office covers more generations than most parties.
- 3+ players
- 20 min
- Ages 8+
- Lively
- Needs a phone or speaker, a playlist made in advance, paper and pen for scores
-
Mummy Wrap
For teams that already know each other and a party that wants one loud, silly five minutes. Ask for volunteers to be wrapped. Never assign them.
- 4+ players
- 10 min
- Ages 5+
- Rowdy
- Needs two rolls of toilet paper per team, a timer, a bag for the used paper
-
White Elephant
For a holiday party with a gift exchange. Past twenty people, limit each gift to one steal or split into two rooms, or it runs past an hour.
- 6–30 players
- 45 min
- Ages 12+
- Lively
- Needs one wrapped gift per player, numbered slips of paper, a bowl
Questions people ask
What is a good game for a large group at work?
Games where everyone plays at the same moment scale best: Who Am I?, Name That Tune by table, and Marshmallow Tower in teams. Avoid anything where one person performs while a hundred watch.
How do you run party games with 50 or more people?
Use tables as teams, give one clear instruction at a time over a microphone, and keep each game under twenty minutes. Appoint a helper for every four or five tables to answer questions.
How do you include remote colleagues?
Pick games that work on a call, such as Two Truths and a Lie, Name That Tune and Back-to-Back Drawing, and give the remote group its own host and its own team so they are players, not an audience.
What should you avoid at a work party?
Anything that forces physical contact, singles one person out, depends on drinking, or asks for personal disclosures. Make every game opt-in and have a role, such as scorer or judge, for people who would rather watch.
Written October 8, 2026. Last checked October 8, 2026. How we write these.