Christmas Party Games for Work: 20 Games Colleagues Actually Enjoy
20 Christmas party games for work that quieter colleagues enjoy too: icebreakers, quiz and team games, no-prep games and phone photo games – each with players, time and materials, plus a printable Photo Bingo card.
A good party game breaks the ice without making anyone feel like the entertainment. Here are 20 Christmas party games for work, each with the number of players, how long it takes and what you need, so you can quickly see what fits your night. Every game is picked so that the quieter people in the room enjoy it too.
Still planning the bigger picture – venue, format, budget? That's covered in our 25 work Christmas party ideas. This guide is all about the games.
All 20 games at a glance
| # | Game | Players | Time | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Two Truths and a Lie | 5–30 | 15–20 min | nothing |
| 2 | Who Am I? – Christmas edition | 4–20 | 15–20 min | sticky notes, pen |
| 3 | Colleague Bingo | 10–100 | 20–30 min | bingo sheets, pens |
| 4 | Guess the Christmas Memory | 6–25 | 15–20 min | paper, pens, a bowl |
| 5 | Team Christmas Quiz | 8–100 | 30–45 min | questions, answer sheets |
| 6 | Year-in-Review Quiz | 8–100 | 20–30 min | photos/questions from your year |
| 7 | Christmas Pictionary | 6–30 | 20 min | flip chart or paper |
| 8 | Hum That Carol | 6–40 | 10–15 min | list of songs |
| 9 | Gift-Wrap Relay | 8–30 | 10–15 min | boxes, wrapping paper, tape |
| 10 | White Elephant Gift Swap | 6–40 | 30–45 min | one wrapped gift per person |
| 11 | Christmas Categories | 3–20 | 15–20 min | paper, pens |
| 12 | Santa's Sack Memory Game | 5–15 | 10 min | nothing |
| 13 | One-Line Christmas Story | 5–20 | 10 min | nothing |
| 14 | Telephone Pictionary | 6–20 | 15–20 min | paper, pens |
| 15 | Most Likely To (kind questions only) | 6–30 | 10–15 min | nothing |
| 16 | Photo Bingo | 10–200 | all evening | phone, bingo card |
| 17 | Photo Scavenger Hunt | 8–100 | 30–60 min | phone, task list |
| 18 | Recreate a Movie Scene | 6–40 | 20 min | phone, optional props |
| 19 | Close-Up Mystery | 6–40 | 20 min | phone, screen or projector |
| 20 | Morning-After Photo Awards | any | 10 min | phone |
All timings are rough guides – adjust rounds and length to suit your team.
Icebreaker games
In bigger companies, or with new starters in the room, a quick icebreaker stops every department from sticking to its own table.
Game 1: Two Truths and a Lie
Players: 5–30 · Time: 15–20 min · You need: nothing
Each person shares three short facts about themselves; one is made up. Everyone else guesses which. Tip: give it a festive theme ("three things about my childhood Christmases") so it stays light and nobody has to share anything too personal.
Game 2: Who Am I? – Christmas edition
Players: 4–20 · Time: 15–20 min · You need: sticky notes, pen
Everyone gets a sticky note on their forehead with a festive character – Rudolph, the Grinch, Buddy the Elf, a gingerbread man. Ask yes-or-no questions to work out who you are. Works well while people are arriving.
Game 3: Colleague Bingo
Players: 10–100 · Time: 20–30 min · You need: bingo sheets, pens
A 4×4 grid with prompts like "has spent Christmas in another country", "bakes every December" or "spoke to someone from sales for the first time tonight". People mingle to find a colleague for each square. First full row shouts Bingo. Perfect for the welcome drinks.
Game 4: Guess the Christmas Memory
Players: 6–25 · Time: 15–20 min · You need: paper, pens, a bowl
Everyone anonymously writes down a short, happy holiday memory ("I knocked over the Christmas tree when I was six"). The notes go in a bowl, one person reads them out, and the group guesses who wrote each one. Anyone who'd rather not be guessed can write something general.
Quiz and team games
Team games work because nobody has to shine alone. Mix the teams across departments on purpose.
Game 5: Team Christmas Quiz
Players: 8–100 · Time: 30–45 min · You need: questions, answer sheets
Three rounds of ten questions: holiday traditions around the world, Christmas films and songs, and estimation questions. Each table is a team with one quizmaster. Small prizes for the winners, a booby prize for last place.
Game 6: Year-in-Review Quiz
Players: 8–100 · Time: 20–30 min · You need: photos or questions from your year
Questions about your company's year: "Which month did the new coffee machine arrive?", "Who organised the summer team day?" Mix in some general questions so new starters have a fair chance.
Game 7: Christmas Pictionary
Players: 6–30 · Time: about 20 min · You need: flip chart or paper
One person draws a Christmas word or song title ("Jingle Bells", "Last Christmas"), and their team has one minute to guess. Anyone who doesn't like drawing can pass.
Game 8: Hum That Carol
Players: 6–40 · Time: 10–15 min · You need: a list of songs
One person per team draws a song and hums it, no words allowed. Their team guesses. Short, loud and silly – a great filler between main course and dessert.
Game 9: Gift-Wrap Relay
Players: 8–30 · Time: 10–15 min · You need: empty boxes, wrapping paper, tape, ribbon
Each team wraps a box as a relay: one person cuts, the next tapes, the third adds the bow. Score speed and the best (or most creative) result.
Game 10: White Elephant Gift Swap
Players: 6–40 · Time: 30–45 min · You need: one wrapped gift per person
Everyone brings a wrapped gift – funny, odd or genuinely useful, within an agreed price limit (or "something you already own"). Draw numbers for the order. Player one unwraps a gift. Each next player either unwraps a new gift or steals one that's already open; anyone who loses a gift picks again. Agree a steal limit up front (for example, a gift is "frozen" after its third steal) so the game doesn't go on forever.
Games with no prep
For when the energy dips: these need nothing more than paper and a pen.
Game 11: Christmas Categories
Players: 3–20 · Time: 15–20 min · You need: paper, pens
Pick a letter, then everyone writes one answer per festive category: a Christmas film, a festive food, a gift idea, a decoration, a place to spend the holidays. Unique answers score double.
Game 12: Santa's Sack Memory Game
Players: 5–15 · Time: about 10 min · You need: nothing
"In Santa's sack I packed a gingerbread man." The next person repeats the list and adds an item. Forget one and you're out – or your table can whisper a hint.
Game 13: One-Line Christmas Story
Players: 5–20 · Time: about 10 min · You need: nothing
Start with "It was Christmas Eve at the office, and…", then each person adds exactly one sentence. Read the whole story aloud at the end. It will get ridiculous.
Game 14: Telephone Pictionary
Players: 6–20 · Time: 15–20 min · You need: paper, pens
The first person writes a festive phrase, the second draws it, the third describes the drawing in words, the fourth draws that – and so on. Then compare the start and the end.
Game 15: Most Likely To (kind questions only)
Players: 6–30 · Time: 10–15 min · You need: nothing
Read out a prompt and everyone points at someone at the same time. Keep the prompts kind: "Who's most likely to have the best-decorated tree?", "Who's most likely to organise a party for the whole building?" Anything that could embarrass someone stays off the list.
Photo games for your phone: Photo Bingo and photo challenges
Photo games run in the background all evening, and everyone plays as much or as little as they like. Bonus: you end up with photos from every angle, not just from whoever has the best phone.
Game 16: Photo Bingo
Players: 10–200 · Time: all evening · You need: phone, bingo card (printable version below)
Everyone gets a bingo card with 24 prompts. Take a photo that matches a square and cross it off. Five in a row – across, down or diagonally – is Bingo. The centre square is free.
Game 17: Photo Scavenger Hunt
Players: 8–100 · Time: 30–60 min · You need: phone, task list
Teams get a list of photo tasks and a time limit: "your team as a human pyramid made only of hands", "a photo with no people in it that still says 'our department'", "five people, five different Santa hats". For more prompts, see our 50 party photo challenges.
Game 18: Recreate a Movie Scene
Players: 6–40 · Time: about 20 min · You need: phone, optional props
Each team draws a Christmas film and recreates a famous scene as a photo. Everyone else guesses the film later.
Game 19: Close-Up Mystery
Players: 6–40 · Time: about 20 min · You need: phone, a big screen or projector
Each team takes three extreme close-ups of things in the room – a strand of tinsel, the corner of a napkin, a button. Show them on screen and let the others guess what they are.
Game 20: Morning-After Photo Awards
Players: everyone · Time: about 10 min · You need: phone
With a digital disposable camera like Filmriss for your Christmas party, everyone takes photos by scanning a QR code – in the browser, with no app and no account. Each guest has a limited number of shots, which you set as the host, so every photo counts a little more. Nobody sees the pictures until the next morning, when they're revealed to everyone in original quality. Then vote in your team chat for the best, funniest and most surprising shot. Filmriss is free, and photos are deleted automatically after 90 days.
Make the QR codes for your tables with our QR table card generator, and see what guests experience when they scan on the page for guests.
Printable Photo Bingo card
| Someone in a Christmas jumper | Selfie with the boss | The buffet before it's gone | Two people from two departments | Someone laughing out loud |
| Something sparkly | A Santa hat | The dance floor in action | A photo through a glass | A toast (alcohol-free counts!) |
| The newest team member | Your whole team | FREE: Selfie with your table | A dessert close-up | Fairy lights, out of focus |
| Someone wearing antlers | A group cheer | The coat pile | Something red and something green | A shot from up high |
| Unwrapping a Secret Santa gift | A silhouette against the light | Two people who just met tonight | The most festive shoes | Your table mid-laugh |
Tip: print this page or take a screenshot and put a card on every table. And only photograph people who are happy to be in the picture – if someone says no, that's the end of it.
What games work at a virtual Christmas party?
Plenty of these games work on a video call with a few tweaks – handy for remote teams or a hybrid party:
- Two Truths and a Lie (Game 1) works exactly as it does at the table. People vote with a show of hands or in the chat.
- Team Christmas Quiz (Game 5) in breakout rooms: each team gets its own room and posts its answers in the chat.
- Christmas Pictionary (Game 7) on a shared online whiteboard instead of a flip chart.
- Photo Bingo (Game 16) at home: prompts like "your festive mug", "a pet in a hat" or "the view from your window" – the first to complete a line holds their photos up to the camera. Our glossary explains how photo bingo works.
- Secret Santa by post: draw names online in advance, send the gifts to people's homes and unwrap them together on the call.
Keep virtual rounds shorter than in-person ones – attention drops faster in front of a screen. For more formats for distributed teams, see our work Christmas party ideas.
Games to skip
Some games get big laughs among friends but cause cringing – or HR conversations – at a work party. Leave these out:
- Drinking games. Nobody should feel pressured to drink, and plenty of people don't drink at all. Choose games where drinks play no part.
- Games with physical contact or embarrassment. Anything that puts colleagues in awkward poses or makes their appearance the joke doesn't belong at a company party.
- Mandatory participation. Nobody has to join in if they don't want to. Say so at the start – it relaxes everyone.
- In-jokes that exclude. Questions only long-timers can answer leave new starters out.
- Hierarchy games. Games where managers "judge" their teams tend to go wrong fast.
- Sharing photos without consent. Don't post pictures of colleagues on social media without asking first. How Filmriss handles photos is explained on our photo privacy page.
Rule of thumb: a game worked if everyone remembers it fondly the next morning – including the people who only watched.
What are good Christmas party games for work?
Short, optional games that don't embarrass anyone work best: icebreakers like Two Truths and a Lie or Colleague Bingo, a team Christmas quiz, Pictionary, a White Elephant gift swap and photo games like Photo Bingo.
What Christmas games need no materials or prep?
Two Truths and a Lie, Santa's Sack Memory Game, a One-Line Christmas Story and Most Likely To (with kind prompts) need nothing at all. Christmas Categories and Telephone Pictionary only need paper and pens.
How does a White Elephant gift swap work?
Everyone brings one wrapped gift. In turn, players either unwrap a new gift or steal an opened one; whoever loses a gift chooses again. Agree a price limit and a steal limit before you start.
What games work for a virtual Christmas party?
On a video call, try Two Truths and a Lie, a team quiz in breakout rooms, Pictionary on an online whiteboard, Photo Bingo with prompts from around the house, and Secret Santa by post with everyone unwrapping together on the call.
How do you get quieter colleagues to join in?
Use team games where nobody stands alone in the spotlight, run photo games in the background, and say clearly that taking part is optional. Watching is completely fine.
How long should games at a work Christmas party last?
Most games work best at 10 to 30 minutes. Two short games beat one long one, and leave plenty of time for food and conversation.
How do you play Photo Bingo?
Everyone gets a card with 24 photo prompts and a free centre square. Take a photo for a prompt and cross it off. Five in a row – across, down or diagonally – wins.
Cover photo: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash
