Corporate Team Building Games

“Teamwork makes the dream work.” Or so they say. But they also say that team conflict can be more toxic to a work environment than low pay or long commutes. It’s no wonder team building is such a hot topic.

We’ve written previously about team outing ideas like treetops courses and trampoline parks, and how to build a team building activity that doesn’t earn sighs office-wide. Now, we’re getting down to the nitty gritty with 28 truly enjoyable team building games for the modern office. Ready to play? Away we go…

Corporate Team Building Games

PowerPoint Improv

Ideal Group Size: 10+

Budget: $

Setting: Indoors

Equipment Required: Projector and screen or large TV monitor

Prep Time: Several hours

Time Required: 1-2 hours

Physical component: None

If you think your heart races leading up to a presentation you’ve prepared for all week, imagine the feeling of being thrown into one you know nothing about! In this challenge, participants are tasked with pitching a compelling narrative using a (humor-packed) slide deck they’ve never seen. As each slide is unveiled, the participant must attempt to explain it while keeping a straight face.

Let’s Make a (Desk Drawer) Deal

Ideal Group Size: 10-50

Budget: $$

Setting: Indoors

Equipment Required: Prizes

Prep Time: 2 hours + prize sourcing

Time Required: 1 hour

Physical component: Minor

The game show that took the country by storm in the 1960s is about to take over your office. A couple of weeks in advance, block your team’s calendars with a “special meeting.” Then without warning, announce the start of Let’s Make a Deal: Office Edition. Offer prizes to the first person to locate an obscure oddball item in their desk drawer and turn it into a designated location. Prepare for some serious sprinting.

Corporate Team Building Games

Giant Board Game Tournament

Ideal Group Size: 20-50

Budget: $$$

Setting: Large indoor or outdoor area

Equipment Required: Giant board games

Prep Time: 0 (assuming professional setup)

Time Required: 2-8 hours

Physical Component: Minor

Think a board game tournament sounds fun? Imagine scaling it up a notch or ten. Giant board games make any game tourney a (giant) hit in no time.

Recycling Bin Egg Drop

Ideal Group Size: 5+

Budget: $

Setting: Indoor assembly + outdoor testing

Equipment Required: Eggs and various containers and supplies

Prep Time: Supply gathering

Time Required: 1-3 hours

Physical Component: None

There’s a reason the egg drop has been a fan favorite of the Boy Scouts for decades. The challenge (to create a contraption that keeps raw eggs from cracking when dropped from a rooftop) adapts perfectly to a team setting. Provide access to any materials participants can find in your office recycling. Then let your colleagues work in teams before testing their creations from your rooftop.

Corporate Team Building Games

Sunken Balloon

Ideal Group Size: Any

Budget: $

Setting: Indoors

Equipment Required: Large plastic tubs, latex balloons, bricks, paperclips, string, glue, and/or other various sinking supplies.

Prep Time: 1-2 hours

Time Required: 30 minutes

Physical Component: Minimal

The ingredients are simple: a container of water and an inflated balloon. But the task isn’t easy: make the balloon sink using only the materials provided to them. The first team to get the balloon to sink on its own without popping wins.

Blind Artist

Ideal Group Size: 10-25

Budget: $

Setting: Indoors

Equipment Required: Paper, pens, and pre-printed drawings/images

Prep Time: 1 hour

Time Required: 30 minutes – 1 hour

Physical Component: None

Similar to telephone Pictionary, Blind Artist gives each member of a pair of participants a card with a drawing on it. Facing back-to-back, the partner must describe the drawing to their partner, who in turn must draw the image on a piece of paper. Blindfolded. The results are displayed with their original clue for all to see (and mock).

Celebrity

Ideal Group Size: 15-30

Budget: $

Setting: Indoors or Outdoors

Equipment Required: Strips of paper and pens

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Time Required: 1 hour

Physical Component: Moderate

In the classic game of Celebrity, participants write down the name of a celebrity and enter it into a fishbowl. One by one, contestants draw a name from the fishbowl and describe the celeb. Two teams try to guess who each is. In the following rounds, the celebrity is described using charades and nothing but a single word.

Corporate Team Building Games

Human Foosball

Ideal Group Size: 12-30 (Play in groups of 12-15)

Budget: $$$$

Setting: Parking lot or Field

Equipment Required: Inflatable Foosball Set

Prep Time: 0

Time Required: 1-2 hours

Physical Component: High

You’ve never seen Foosball like this. Our mega-sized inflatable foosball set turns any field or parking lot into an instant, life-sized fun fest. Perfect for offices of around 15-30, the game is like soccer if you never had to move from your position.

Dewey Decimal System

Ideal Group Size: Less than 40

Budget: $

Setting: Meeting room

Equipment Required: None

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Time Required: 5-15 minutes

Physical Component: Moderate

Looking for a five-minute team building game for the start of your next meeting? Give sorting a chance. Have your colleagues sort themselves according to unfamiliar criteria, like a city of birth from East to West, or middle name from A to Z. You’ll learn something new about each other while getting on your feet for a few minutes.