Holidays
14 Office Christmas Party Games for Large Groups
· 8 min read
Games that work for a team of ten fall apart with two hundred: you can't hear the host, half the room can't see, and anything with turns takes forever. The best Christmas party games for large groups let everyone play at once, work by table or team, and don't depend on one person being heard. Here are 14, with the group size each one suits.
Quick guide
| Game | Time | Group size | Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Christmas trivia on phones | 20–30 min | 20–500+ | Both |
| Christmas bingo | 20–30 min | 20–200 | In person |
| Reindeer games stations | 45–60 min | 40–100 | In person |
| Ugly sweater contest | 15 min | Any | Both |
| Heads or tails | 5–10 min | 30–500 | In person |
| Name that Christmas tune | 15 min | Any, by table | Both |
| Holiday survey says | 15 min | Any, in teams | Both |
| Festive scavenger hunt | 30 min | 20–100 | In person |
| Minute-to-win-it relay | 20–30 min | Teams of 5–10 | In person |
| Paper snowball fight | 5 min | 20–200 | In person |
| Charades tournament | 20–30 min | Teams of 5–8 | In person |
| White Elephant, in groups | 30 min | Groups of 15–30 | Both |
| Photo booth contest | All evening | Any | In person |
| Gift-wrap race | 10 min | Teams of 2 | In person |
1. Team Christmas trivia on phones
20–30 min · 20–500+ people · both
How it works: Put the questions on the big screen and have each table play as a team, answering on their phones. Show the leaderboard between rounds.
Why it works: The best game for a big room: everyone plays at once, nobody needs a microphone, and the scoring is instant.
With TeamPlay: Write a Christmas quiz as a custom game in TeamPlay and run it for the whole room; Pro covers up to 100 players and Business up to 1,000. See how it plays.
2. Christmas bingo
20–30 min · 20–200 people · in person
How it works: Print bingo cards with festive words or numbers. A caller draws one at a time; prizes for a line and a full card.
Why it works: Everyone understands it, it scales to any room, and it works at seated dinners.
3. Reindeer games stations
45–60 min · 40–100 people · in person
How it works: Set up five or six quick challenges around the room (gift-wrap race, candy-cane hook, snowball toss) and rotate teams every ten minutes.
Why it works: Keeps a big crowd moving and mixing instead of sitting at the same table all night.
4. Ugly sweater contest
15 min · Any people · both
How it works: Announce it in the invite. Run a quick parade or have tables nominate a finalist, then let the room vote.
Why it works: Zero setup, great photos, and remote colleagues can join on camera.
5. Heads or tails
5–10 min · 30–500 people · in person
How it works: Everyone stands and puts a hand on their head or their tail. Flip a coin; the wrong side sits down. Last one standing wins.
Why it works: No skill, works with any number of people, and it's over in minutes. Perfect before the speeches.
6. Name that Christmas tune
15 min · Any, by table people · both
How it works: Play a few seconds of a Christmas song. Tables write their answer on a card or shout it out; points for title and artist.
Why it works: Music fills a big room, and every table has someone who knows the obscure one.
7. Holiday survey says
15 min · Any, in teams people · both
How it works: Teams guess the most popular answers to festive prompts. Bigger groups can play by table or by department.
Why it works: Game-show energy that works for a crowd, and nobody needs to know any facts.
8. Festive scavenger hunt
30 min · 20–100 people · in person
How it works: Give teams a list of photos to take around the venue (a selfie with the CEO, a human Christmas tree, the oldest decoration). Teams submit photos to a shared channel.
Why it works: Spreads people out, mixes teams and creates content for the year-end newsletter.
9. Minute-to-win-it relay
20–30 min · Teams of 5–10 people · in person
How it works: Quick one-minute challenges: stack plastic cups into a tree, move ornaments with a straw, unwrap a gift wearing oven gloves. Teams send a different player to each.
Why it works: Loud, silly and great to watch, even for the people not playing.
10. Paper snowball fight
5 min · 20–200 people · in person
How it works: Everyone writes a fun fact about themselves on paper, scrunches it up and throws it. Each person picks one up and guesses whose it is.
Why it works: An icebreaker that works for hundreds of people at once.
11. Charades tournament
20–30 min · Teams of 5–8 people · in person
How it works: Tables compete in rounds of Christmas charades, with winners moving on to a final on stage.
Why it works: A tournament format gives a big room a reason to stay invested.
12. White Elephant, in groups
30 min · Groups of 15–30 people · both
How it works: White Elephant gets slow with more than about 30 people, so split into several groups that play at once.
Why it works: Keeps the fun of stealing without a two-hour exchange.
With TeamPlay: Each group can run its own TeamPlay White Elephant room, which keeps turns and steals on a clock. See how it plays.
13. Photo booth contest
All evening · Any people · in person
How it works: Set up a booth with festive props and give prizes for the best group photo, the funniest, and the best department shot.
Why it works: Runs itself in the background all night.
14. Gift-wrap race
10 min · Teams of 2 people · in person
How it works: Pairs wrap an awkwardly shaped object, each using only one hand. Best and fastest wins.
Why it works: Hilarious to watch, and needs only wrapping paper and tape.
Tips for running games with a big group
- Play by table. Each table is a team. It's the fastest way to organise a big room, and it gets people talking to whoever they're sitting with.
- Use a big screen and a microphone. If people can't see or hear the game, they'll stop playing.
- Have people answer on their phones. It means hundreds of answers can be counted in a second instead of collecting paper.
- Keep each game under 30 minutes and spread them across the evening between food and speeches.
- Give small prizes, and lots of them. Best table, best sweater, best photo: more winners, more fun.
Common questions
What are fun Christmas games for a large office party?
Team trivia played on phones, Christmas bingo, heads or tails, a scavenger hunt and reindeer games stations work best because everyone plays at once.
How do you entertain 100 people at a work Christmas party?
Split them into teams by table, run one or two games that everyone plays at the same time (a phone quiz or bingo), and add things that run in the background, like a photo booth.
Running a remote or hybrid party? See our online Christmas party games. Planning gifts? Read how to run Secret Santa at the office.
Run a quiz for the whole room
TeamPlay puts the game on the big screen while every table plays on their phones, and the app keeps score instantly. Pro covers up to 100 people and Business up to 1,000. See pricing or try it free with up to 15 people.