Work Christmas Party Games Everyone Can Play

The best work Christmas party games, like the best games for any office holiday party, are team games that teach in two minutes, work for every coworker, and never put one person on the spot. Word games like Codenames and Just One fit that bill in the room, and many of them have a version that remote coworkers can join too. Skip drinking games, roasts, and anything that asks someone to perform alone.

The quick answer: for an in-person party, play Codenames, Just One, or Herd Mentality in mixed teams. For a hybrid party, play the free online version of Codenames or run a team trivia round where remote and in-office people share a team. Keep it to thirty minutes and make it opt-in.

Prices below are list prices from the publisher’s store, checked at the time of writing.

What makes a game right for an office party?

An office party is not a party among friends. People are there with their manager, their newest hire, and someone from finance they have never met. A good game respects that.

• Safe for work. No adult humor decks, no questions about dating, money, or politics.
• No drinking games. Not everyone drinks, and a game built around it sidelines the people who do not.
• Nothing that singles people out. Avoid hot-seat questions, solo performances, and “guess who said this” games that expose someone.
• Team-based. Teams spread the pressure. A quiet person can contribute one great idea without holding the floor.
• Quick to teach. If it takes longer to explain than to play a round, it is the wrong game.
• Seated and low contact. Games that need running, touching, or reading tiny print leave people out.

Work Christmas party games at a glance

The best office Christmas party games for an in-person party

Codenames

Codenames is the classic office pick for a reason. Two teams each have a spymaster who gives one-word clues to lead teammates to their words on a grid of 25. It plays 2 to 8 or more, ages 10 and up, in about fifteen minutes, and lists for about $25. It also shows how people think, which is why we wrote a whole piece on Codenames for team building. Our free Codenames course covers a two-minute teach.

Just One

Just One is cooperative, so the whole table is on one side. One person guesses a mystery word while everyone else writes a one-word clue. Matching clues cancel out before the guesser sees them. It plays 3 to 7, ages 8 and up, in about twenty minutes, for about $25. For a bigger party, run two or three copies at separate tables.

Herd Mentality

Herd Mentality asks a question, and everyone writes an answer. You score by matching the majority, and the only odd answer gets the pink cow. It plays 4 to 20, ages 10 and up, in about twenty minutes, for about $25. There are no wrong answers, only unpopular ones, so nobody feels tested. Big Potato also sells a Christmas Expansion for about $13. In an office where not everyone celebrates Christmas, the base game keeps it a holiday party for all.

Hues and Cues

Hues and Cues is a calm color game. One player gives a short clue for a color on a big board, and everyone places a marker where they think it is. It plays 3 to 10, ages 8 and up, in about thirty minutes, with a list price of about $26. It suits a team that would rather talk than shout.

Telestrations

Telestrations is drawing telephone. Everyone sketches a word, passes it, guesses the sketch, and passes again. It plays 4 to 8, ages 10 and up, in about thirty minutes, with a list price of about $32. Drawing skill does not matter. Everyone draws at once, so no one is drawing in front of the room.

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What games work for a hybrid holiday party?

Hybrid parties are harder. Remote people hear half the jokes and see none of the table. The fix is to build each team from both groups, so nobody is just watching.

• Codenames online. Czech Games Edition runs a free official version at codenames.game. Set up a room, put remote and in-office people on each team, and show the board on the conference room screen.
• Team trivia. Write twenty holiday-neutral questions about the company year, the city, and general knowledge. Each team has members in the room and on the call, with one shared chat thread to agree on answers.
• Just One over chat. Remote players send their clue privately to the host, who removes duplicates and reads the rest aloud. It is a small house rule, and it works.
• Shared drawing. A free browser drawing game or a shared whiteboard can stand in for Telestrations. Test it with one remote person the day before.

Put one host in the room and one on the call. The remote host reads the chat aloud, repeats what the room says, and makes sure remote players get called on first.

What games should you avoid at a work party?

• Drinking games. They exclude people who do not drink and can turn a party into an HR problem.
• Shock-humor card decks. Funny with close friends, risky with a coworker’s spouse at the table.
• Two truths and a lie, and other personal reveals. Some people do not want to share personal facts at work.
• Solo performance games. Karaoke and solo charades put people on the spot. If you play charades, play in teams and let people pass.
• Long strategy games. Ninety minutes of rules is not a party.

How do you run games as the organizer?

Good games still fail when the timing or setup is off. A few habits help.

Schedule the game early. Run it in the first hour, after food comes out and before people start leaving. Put it on the agenda so it does not feel sprung on anyone.

Keep it to thirty minutes. One or two rounds of one game. End while people still want to play.

Build teams in advance. Mix departments and levels. Seat a new hire next to someone friendly. Put leaders on different teams so no team feels stacked.

Make it opt-in, with roles. Some people would rather keep score, read questions, or cheer. Give them a role and they are still part of it.

Teach once, then play. Explain the rules in two minutes, then play one practice round open and visible. That clears up more questions than any explanation.

Keep prizes small. A box of cookies or bragging rights is enough. Big prizes make people competitive in the wrong way.

Let the room choose. If you cannot pick between two games, let people vote from their phones with Game Night Madness, our free bracket app.

If the party goes well, a regular lunch-hour game club is a good next step. Our guide to the workplace game club covers how to start one. Doing a gift swap too? See our white elephant board games and board game gifts for a coworker.

The game is the reason. The people are the point.

For a company party of 50 or more, our guide to office party games for large groups has a full run of show.

FAQ

What are good games for an office holiday party?

Team word games like Codenames, Just One, and Herd Mentality. They teach fast, work for any group, and avoid putting anyone on the spot.

How do you include remote employees in a holiday party game?

Mix remote and in-office people on every team, show the game on the room screen, and give remote players a dedicated host on the call. The free online version of Codenames works well for this.

How long should games last at an office party?

About thirty minutes. One or two rounds is enough, and stopping while people still want more leaves a good memory.

What games should you avoid at a work party?

Drinking games, adult humor decks, and anything that asks one person to share personal details or perform alone.

Want more than a party game?

The Ludarium runs corporate events: leadership and team training taught through tabletop games. Each session targets a skill your team needs, and a guided debrief connects what happened at the table to how your team works. If a holiday game left you wanting more of that, tell us about your team. For game ideas for your next party, subscribe to The Ludarium newsletter.