Team building
19 Office Team Building Activities That Actually Work
· 10 min read
Team building doesn't need trust falls or a day out of the office. The activities that work build real connection: people solving something together, learning about each other, or just laughing in the same room. Here are 19 office team building activities, from 15-minute games to bigger events, with time, group size and how to run each one.
Quick guide
| Game | Time | Group size | Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team trivia | 15–20 min | Any, in teams | Both |
| Two truths and a lie | 10–15 min | 4–30 | Both |
| Survey says | 10–15 min | 6+ | Both |
| Rank it | 10–15 min | Any, in teams | Both |
| Escape room | 20–60 min | 4+ | Both |
| Marshmallow challenge | 20–30 min | Teams of 4 | In person |
| Paper tower | 15–20 min | Teams of 3–5 | In person |
| Egg drop | 30–45 min | Teams of 3–5 | In person |
| Sudoku race | 10–15 min | Teams of 2–6 | Both |
| Blind drawing | 10–15 min | Pairs | Both |
| Office scavenger hunt | 30–45 min | Teams of 3–6 | In person |
| Cook-off or potluck | 1–2 hours | Any | In person |
| Team photo challenge | 30 min | Teams of 3–6 | Both |
| Emoji Pictionary | 15–20 min | 6+ | Both |
| Volunteer day | Half or full day | Any | In person |
| Lunch and learn | 45–60 min | Any | Both |
| Office Olympics | 1–2 hours | 20–100 | In person |
| Monthly quiz league | 30 min a month | Any, in teams | Both |
| Team game session | 45–60 min | 10–100 | Both |
Quick team building games (under 20 minutes)
1. Team trivia
15–20 min · Any, in teams people · both
How it works: Mix people from different departments into teams and run a short quiz.
Why it works: Working out answers together is low-pressure teamwork, and mixed teams meet people they don't usually work with.
With TeamPlay: TeamPlay deals players into teams, marks the answers and keeps score. See how it plays.
2. Two truths and a lie
10–15 min · 4–30 people · both
How it works: One person shares three statements about themselves; everyone guesses the lie.
Why it works: Builds the personal connection that makes colleagues easier to work with.
3. Survey says
10–15 min · 6+ people · both
How it works: Teams guess the most popular answers to a prompt, typing as many guesses as they like.
Why it works: Every team member can contribute, so quieter people get heard.
4. Rank it
10–15 min · Any, in teams people · both
How it works: Give teams a list to put in order, like inventions by age or items to save after a shipwreck, and let them debate it.
Why it works: A small exercise in reaching agreement under time pressure.
With TeamPlay: One teammate holds the list while the team argues in chat; each item in the right place scores. See how it plays.
Problem-solving activities
5. Escape room
20–60 min · 4+ people · both
How it works: Teams solve a chain of puzzles to escape before time runs out. Book a real one, or play a virtual version in the office.
Why it works: The classic team building activity: it needs communication, a division of labour and a cool head.
With TeamPlay: In bigger groups each team gets a different lock, and the room only escapes when every lock is open, so teams help each other. See how it plays.
6. Marshmallow challenge
20–30 min · Teams of 4 people · in person
How it works: Each team gets 20 spaghetti sticks, a metre of tape, a metre of string and one marshmallow. Build the tallest free-standing tower with the marshmallow on top in 18 minutes.
Why it works: Famous for showing that teams who prototype early beat teams who plan for too long.
7. Paper tower
15–20 min · Teams of 3–5 people · in person
How it works: Teams build the tallest tower they can from 20 sheets of paper and some tape.
Why it works: Fast, cheap, and you can see who plans, who builds and who cheers.
8. Egg drop
30–45 min · Teams of 3–5 people · in person
How it works: Teams build a contraption from office supplies to protect a raw egg dropped from a height.
Why it works: Creative engineering with a dramatic finale.
9. Sudoku race
10–15 min · Teams of 2–6 people · both
How it works: Teams race to complete the same sudoku together.
Why it works: Quiet, focused collaboration, a good fit for analytical teams.
With TeamPlay: Sudoku Battle gives each team a disguised copy of the board and checks every digit as it goes in. See how it plays.
10. Blind drawing
10–15 min · Pairs people · both
How it works: One person describes a picture while their partner, who can't see it, draws it. Compare at the end.
Why it works: A quick, funny lesson in giving clear instructions.
Creative team building activities
11. Office scavenger hunt
30–45 min · Teams of 3–6 people · in person
How it works: Teams race to find or photograph items around the office from a list.
Why it works: Gets people moving and talking across departments.
12. Cook-off or potluck
1–2 hours · Any people · in person
How it works: Teams cook a dish around a theme, or everyone brings a dish from their home region, and colleagues vote.
Why it works: Food brings people together faster than any exercise.
13. Team photo challenge
30 min · Teams of 3–6 people · both
How it works: Give teams a list of creative photos to stage (a human pyramid, an album cover recreation) and vote on the best.
Why it works: Creative, funny and leaves you with great photos.
14. Emoji Pictionary
15–20 min · 6+ people · both
How it works: One player describes a word using only emoji while their team guesses.
Why it works: Fun creative communication that works in the office and on calls.
Bigger team building events
15. Volunteer day
Half or full day · Any people · in person
How it works: Spend a day as a team helping a local charity, park clean-up or food bank.
Why it works: Shared purpose builds bonds that outlast any game.
16. Lunch and learn
45–60 min · Any people · both
How it works: A colleague teaches the team something they're good at over lunch: cooking, photography, a spreadsheet trick.
Why it works: Shows a different side of colleagues and spreads skills around.
17. Office Olympics
1–2 hours · 20–100 people · in person
How it works: Teams compete in a series of silly events: chair races, paper basketball, cup stacking. Medals for the winners.
Why it works: A big, memorable event that mixes the whole office.
18. Monthly quiz league
30 min a month · Any, in teams people · both
How it works: Fixed teams play a short quiz once a month, with a running league table and a prize at the end of the quarter.
Why it works: Team building that keeps going, rather than one day a year.
19. Team game session
45–60 min · 10–100 people · both
How it works: An hour of mixed games: a warm-up, a quiz, a puzzle round and something funny to finish.
Why it works: Easy to organise, and works for in-office, remote and hybrid teams alike.
How to make team building work
- Do it during work hours. Team building on people's own evenings feels like a demand.
- Mix the teams. Activities only build bridges if people work with colleagues outside their usual circle.
- Do little and often. A 20-minute game every couple of weeks does more than one big day a year.
- Include everyone. Choose activities that suit different abilities and work for remote colleagues too.
- Skip the forced fun. Avoid anything that makes people share more than they want to.
Common questions
What are good team building activities for the office?
Escape rooms, team trivia, the marshmallow challenge, scavenger hunts and cook-offs are reliable picks. They mix problem-solving with fun and work for most group sizes.
What are quick team building activities for work?
Two truths and a lie, a short team quiz, survey says and rank it all take 10 to 20 minutes and need no setup.
How often should you do team building?
Short activities every week or two, plus a bigger event once or twice a year, keeps connection going without taking over the calendar.
For more ideas, see 30 office games for employees, icebreakers for office meetings, and how to run a 60-minute team game session.
Run team building games from one screen
TeamPlay runs the quiz, puzzle and party games here for in-office, remote and hybrid teams: share the screen, everyone joins on their phone, and the app handles teams and scoring. It's free for up to 15 people. Host a free session.