Whether it’s the big Christmas do, a colleague’s leaving party, or someone’s well-earned retirement send-off, the right games can turn an average office party into the one everyone’s still talking about back at their desks weeks later.
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We’ve pulled together our favourite office party games to help you get there, so gather the team, and let’s get this party started!
Office party games
Celebrity couples – who am I?
Write the names of celebrity couples on post-it notes – each half of the couple should be written on a separate note. Place the notes in a bag and get participants to take a note each. Without revealing who they selected, everyone must then attempt to find their other half by asking questions that can only be answered yes or no. The game is over when everyone has located their celebrity partner.
Desk burglar
A simple game to get people into the party spirit. Before the party, guests are instructed to ‘steal’ one item from a colleague’s desk. Players must then try to work out whose desk each item was stolen from. (You should probably get permission from those in the office for this one!)
Baby pictures
In the run-up to the party, ask everyone to supply a baby/childhood picture of themselves. On the day of the party, number and pin the pictures to a board, then provide everyone with pen and paper to write down their guesses. The person with the most correct answers wins.
What’s on your phone?
Requirements:
- Pens
- Clipboards (or sit around a table)
- What’s on your phone printed sheets (purchase from Etsy, or create your own)
If you’re creating your own printable, ideas could include specific apps, a photo of the party, a contact whose name starts with (pick any letter of the alphabet), a photo of your pet, 2 missed calls, less than 10% battery, a selfie etc.
How to play:
- Give everyone a checklist and set a time limit
- Players check their phones for listed items and tick off any they have
- A point is given for every item on the list
- The player with the most points when the time limit is reached wins
- Each player can ask to see one item from someone else’s list to prove they have it
You might also want to give extra points for more unusual items, or if an item is ticked by only one player.
Biscuit Bake-off challenge
Requirements:
- Paper plates
- Sticky labels
- Pen and paper for keeping score
How to play
- Ask everyone to bring their own homemade, decorated biscuits to the party
- Write the name of each person on the back of a paper plate
- Number the front of each plate with a label
- Place one whole biscuit (so guests can judge the standard of decoration) and several broken-up samples onto each plate.
- Let everyone sample a small piece of each biscuit and give it a mark out of 10 (marks can be given for innovation, appearance, crunch, flavour etc)
- Work out the overall score for each numbered plate and then reveal the winner by checking the name on the back of the plate.
Top tip: Get players to decorate their biscuits according to the theme of the party: e.g., festive-themed biscuits for Christmas parties etc.
Bucket ball
Requirements:
- 2 chairs
- 2 buckets
- Cotton wool balls
- Large spoon
- Blindfold
How to play:
- Place the buckets on the chairs, filling one with cotton balls
- Blindfold a player and give them the spoon
- Set a timer for 3 minutes
- Using the spoon, each player must get as many cotton wool balls as possible into the empty bucket
- Players are not allowed to use their hands to feel for the balls
- The player who transfers the most balls into the empty bucket wins
Tip: clear away any bags or trip hazards near the chairs before you start, since the player will be blindfolded.
Don’t forget to assign someone to keep a note of how many balls each player transfers.
The following 3 games are designed to be played at the office Christmas party, but, aside from Scrooge Secret Santa, they could easily be adapted to suit non-Christmas parties by changing words or characters.
Toilet roll snowman game
This is great fun for a group of any size.
Requirements:
- Lots of cheap white toilet rolls
- Hats and scarves
- Black pom-poms or paper circles (buttons)
- Orange paper triangles (nose)
Prep tip: attach double-sided tape to the back of the paper buttons and nose in advance, so they’re ready to stick straight onto the loo roll.
How to play
- Split the group into two or more teams.
- Supply each team with loo rolls, a hat, a scarf, 3 coal buttons and a carrot nose.
- Each team should select someone to be the snowman
- One player from the team starts wrapping that person in loo roll
- If the loo roll breaks, that player’s turn is up, and another team member carries on with the wrapping
- The first team to complete their snowman wins. The snowman must be wearing a carrot nose, 3 buttons, plus a hat and scarf.
Scrooge Secret Santa
Why not let your inner Scrooge out and turn the office Secret Santa into a money-saving party game instead? There are a few simple rules:
- Secret Santa gifts must be exchanged during the office party
- Set a maximum budget (keep it super affordable so everyone can be included)
- The aim is to buy the best, or funniest, gift possible for the least amount of money.
- Lottery tickets and gift vouchers are banned
- Guests should provide a till receipt to prove how little they’ve spent (unless they’ve somehow managed it for free!)
- Things that will end up in landfill should be avoided…
The winner is the person who is judged to have bought the best present for the least amount of money. And, as they have already received a gift, there’s no need for a prize!
Christmas Taboo
If you love the classic game of Taboo, then you’re sure to enjoy this seasonal version. A printable version of the game can usually be purchased from Etsy, or you could create your own on index cards.
Requirements:
- Christmas-themed Taboo cards
- Timer
How to play:
- Split the partygoers into two teams
- Split the cards equally between each team and place them face down
- Set a timer
- One member of the team (one team at a time) selects a card and gives their teammates clues which describe it whilst avoiding the taboo words. Once the word has been correctly guessed, select another card and so on until the timer sounds
- When the timer sounds, it is the turn of the opposing team
- If the person presenting clues mentions a taboo word (or the guess word) that card is discarded
Scoring: one point is given for each correct guess, and two points are given to the opposite team if one of the taboo words is used.
Whatever games you pick, a bit of friendly competition (and maybe a silly forfeit or two) is the easiest way to get everyone talking and laughing together, which is really what an office party’s for. Bookmark this list for your next Christmas do, leaving party, or summer office party, whenever it lands on the calendar.
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