Learn the importance of virtual team building and best practices for implementing it, and explore 25 fun team-building ideas for remote and hybrid teams.
5 min read
Published on June 26, 2026
Virtual team building has become a core part of how remote and hybrid companies build connection and collaboration among their teams. And with 64% of employees reporting their organization has a hybrid environment, these online-friendly team-building events are more critical than ever.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy — in fact, it can be challenging to encourage teams to take time out of their busy workday to focus on virtual connection. That’s why you’ve got to create team-building activities that feel worthwhile and beneficial to your employees. Think of it as a strategic investment in your team’s success and improved collaboration.
In this guide, we’ll explain why virtual team building matters and how to do it well, plus we’ll share some examples to get you started.
Virtual team building is a crucial part of strengthening business communication and fostering effective collaboration among colleagues. When added to an already healthy and cohesive work environment, team building can help teams stay motivated and connected.
Here’s why virtual team building matters:
There isn’t a single best way to do an online team-building event. The strongest events will align with your team’s goals, interests, and size. Below, we’ve rounded up 25 virtual team-building activities for work.
| Activity | Best for | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Win of the week | Cultivating positivity and building rapport | 10–15 minutes |
| Rapid fire trivia | Getting brains working | 15–20 minutes |
| Two truths and a lie | Revealing unknown facts about the team | 10–15 minutes |
| Icebreakers | Getting the team talking and sharing | 10–20 minutes |
| Emoji and GIF check-ins | Injecting humor and camaraderie into a meeting | 5–10 minutes |
| Speed networking | Building new connections among colleagues | 20–30 minutes |
| Pet pic sharing | Lighthearted bonding over cute animals | 10–15 minutes |
| Halloween costume contest | Fostering friendly competition and creativity | 20–30 minutes |
| Christmas trivia | Celebrating the holiday season | 20–30 minutes |
| Travel tip sharing | Gathering helpful travel tips and sharing ideas | 15–20 minutes |
| Pictionary | Bringing out everyone’s inner artist | 20–30 minutes |
| Video game day | Letting the team enjoy a game that isn’t work-related | 30–60 minutes |
| Virtual coffee chats | Building casual and friendly connections | 20–30 minutes |
| Virtual escape room | Problem-solving and collaboration | 45–60 minutes |
| Playlist sharing | Bringing out everyone’s inner DJ | 15–20 minutes |
| Virtual board game night | Social fun and friendly competition | 45–60 minutes |
| Remote cooking or drink demo | Interactive and hands-on fun | 45–60 minutes |
| Gratitude circle | Fostering a sense of thankfulness and positivity | 10–20 minutes |
| Virtual happy hour | Casual, organic connection | 30–60 minutes |
| Remote book club | Shared learning experience and deep conversations | 30–60 minutes |
| Collaborative storytelling workshop | Fostering active listening, creativity, and shared ideas | 30–45 minutes |
| Virtual brainstorm | Coming up with new ideas as a team | 30–45 minutes |
| Skill-sharing workshop | Giving team members a chance to share their unique expertise | 30–60 minutes |
| Culture and values deep dive | Helping the team better understand and relate to the company’s values | 30–45 minutes |
| Virtual volunteer event | Working together toward a shared goal and a great cause | 60+ minutes |
Time: 10-15 minutes
Size: 3-20 people
Invite each team member to share their “win of the week,” whether personal or professional. Not only does this give everyone a chance to share something positive, but it also helps the team get to know each other better.
Pro tip: Ask each participant to select the person who will speak next; this will help avoid awkward silence while waiting for someone to speak up.
Time: 15-20 minutes
Size: 5-50 people
Set up a quick trivia game with questions about pop culture, general knowledge, or even company-specific trivia. Small groups can share answers verbally, while larger groups can make use of chat or poll features.
Pro tip: For a large group, consider splitting into breakout rooms for smaller team competitions.
Time: 10–15 minutes
Size: 3–15 people
Each participant will share three facts: two are true, and one is false. Then, the rest of the group must guess which is the lie. This game is simple and requires little preparation, but it’s also fun and reveals unknown facts about teammates.
Pro tip: Encourage creative answers, but make sure they’re appropriate for a workplace environment!
Time: 10–20 minutes
Size: Any
Ask the group a question that prompts them to think and share. Something like, “What was your first job as a teenager?” or “What was your dream job as a child?” can help colleagues learn more about each other and build rapport.
Pro tip: For larger groups, use the chat feature so everyone has a chance to participate via writing, even if they don’t get to speak live.
Time: 5–10 minutes
Size: Any
Request that team members express their current mood using only GIFs or emojis. It’s a quick and easy way for everyone to share, and seeing the images people select is often a great way to get a laugh.
Pro tip: Try a themed prompt, like “Monday mood” or “How you’re feeling about the upcoming holiday.”
Time: 20–30 minutes
Size: 10–50 people
Split the group into pairs and send them to breakout rooms to chat for 3–5 minutes. Then, rotate everyone into new pairs and do it again. It can be helpful to provide prompts or questions to guide the discussion.
Pro tip: Encourage cross-functional relationships by mixing people from different departments.
Time: 10–15 minutes
Size: Any
Ask the team to share photos or favorite stories about their pets. It’ll give everyone a lighthearted bonding moment, and who doesn’t love cute animal pictures?
Pro tip: To include those who don’t currently own a pet, open the discussion up to photos of past pets or even just a favorite animal.
Time: 20–30 minutes
Size: Any
At Halloween time, host a themed event where everyone shows up in costume. Then let participants vote via the poll feature. Categories can include “Overall Best Costume,” “Funniest Costume,” “Most Creative,” or anything else you think of.
Pro tip: Boost excitement and encourage participation by offering small prizes for the top costumes.
Time: 20–30 minutes
Size: Any
If you know the whole team celebrates Christmas, organize a holiday-themed trivia session. For even more festivity, add themed graphics and play holiday music.
Pro tip: If your team doesn’t widely observe Christmas, or you aren’t sure, turn it into a holiday trivia session instead. Add global holiday questions so everyone is included.
Time: 15–20 minutes
Size: 5–20 people
Ask team members to share their favorite travel hacks or packing tips. Not only does this give colleagues a way to connect about something other than work, but it’s also just plain useful information for anyone who likes to travel.
Pro tip: Compile the recommendations into a shared document that the team can access.
Time: 20–30 minutes
Size: 4–20 people
Divide everyone into small teams and have them use a digital whiteboard, like Zoom Whiteboard, to create a prompt for their teammates to guess. Just like the real Pictionary, but virtual! Prompts can be work-related, tied to your company, or something from pop culture.
Pro tip: Keep the rounds short enough that everyone gets a chance to play.
Time: 30–60 minutes
Size: 4–25 people
Looking for virtual fun activities for employees? Host a gaming session where the team can engage in multiplayer games. The best bet is usually to choose games that are fairly simple and don’t require advanced skills or expertise. People can play individually or in small teams.
Pro tip: Pick games that are easy to learn and share instructions ahead of time to help avoid delays.
Time: 20–30 minutes
Size: 2–10 people
Pair employees for informal coffee conversations. Offer simple prompts to get them started, then send them into breakout rooms to connect.
Pro tip: Rotate pairings regularly to broaden connections.
Time: 45–60 minutes
Size: 4–10 people per team
Just like in an in-person escape room, teams will work together to solve clues and puzzles before the clock runs out. This activity emphasizes problem-solving, communication, and collaboration, and it’s great for teams that enjoy a challenge.
Pro tip: Assign roles like timekeeper and clue tracker to keep teams focused.
Time: 15–20 minutes
Size: Any
Create a shared playlist and ask each team member to contribute a few favorite songs. You can set themes and then ask everyone to briefly explain why they chose their selections.
Pro tip: Create new themed playlists throughout the year.
Time: 45–60 minutes
Size: 4–20 people
Turn classic board games into digital fun with a virtual board game night that promotes friendly competition and teamwork. This is a great way to host a casual social event or a celebratory activity.
Pro tip: If you have a big group, split into breakout rooms for easier gameplay.
Time: 45–60 minutes
Size: 5–25 people
Pick a recipe or beverage and have an instructor — or even a team member — lead an educational session about how to craft it. Team members can cook or mix at home, giving everyone an interactive, hands-on experience.
Pro tip: Share the recipe at least a week in advance so everyone can be prepared with the necessary ingredients.
Time: 10–20 minutes
Size: 3–20 people
Ask everyone to share their appreciation for another teammate or recent success. This infuses the meeting with positive vibes and highlights contributions that may have gone unnoticed. This can help foster a culture of recognition and appreciation, likely building higher engagement and morale on the team.
Pro tip: Encourage specificity and detail in the team’s answers so everyone can share in the thankfulness.
Time: 30–60 minutes
Size: 5–30 people
Host a purely social hour for teammates to chat amongst themselves and connect organically. You can share conversation prompts to reduce awkward silences, or even set up simple games to keep folks talking.
Pro tip: Vary the timing of these events to accommodate different schedules and time zones.
Time: 30–60 minutes
Size: 5–15 people
Choose a book that aligns with professional topics or shared team interests and set up a monthly meeting to discuss key takeaways. This can lead to shared learning experiences and deeper conversations among the team. It can work well as an ongoing club, rather than just a one-time event.
Pro tip: Rotate who picks the book each time to increase diversity of topics.
Time: 30–45 minutes
Size: 4–15 people
Have one person begin a story with a sentence or two, then each subsequent participant can build upon it. This encourages active listening and creativity, while also giving the team a chance to come up with new ideas together.
Pro tip: Consider setting a general theme or prompt to keep the story moving.
Time: 30–45 minutes
Size: 4–20 people
Bring the team together to generate ideas for a particular challenge or opportunity. Set up shared whiteboards or collaborative documents, like Zoom CanvasDocs, so that everyone can weigh in in real time. This lets the team innovate and be creative together.
Pro tip: Start by asking everyone to generate ideas silently first, so everyone has time to think before sharing.
Time: 30–60 minutes
Size: 5–25 people
Ask team members to step up and share a skill, whether personal or professional, with the rest of the team. This helps increase team knowledge, builds confidence in team members’ abilities, and gives everyone a chance to learn something new.
Pro tip: Schedule sessions on a regular cadence, such as every quarter, and ask volunteers to submit topics in advance.
Time: 30–45 minutes
Size: 5–20 people
Discuss your company’s values, culture, and mission. You can hold a large-group conversation or break into smaller breakout rooms to explore how the principles show up day to day.
Pro tip: Incorporate real-world examples to make values feel tangible.
Time: 60+ minutes
Size: 5–50 people
Set up a virtual or remote volunteer opportunity — think: virtual mentoring, letter writing, or online fundraising — for the team to engage in together. Working toward a shared purpose can increase team engagement and positivity, and it always feels good to contribute to an important cause.
Pro tip: Partner with an organization that offers virtual opportunities, and choose one that is not overly religious, political, or otherwise controversial.
To get the most out of your virtual team events, here are a few things to try:
Virtual team-building activities can help you transform from a disjointed, isolated team to a connected remote or hybrid work environment. But it’s important to set your events up for success by focusing on the right things.
Zoom Meetings can take team building from stale to meaningful with high-quality audio and video, collaborative tools, breakout rooms for small group discussion, and even chat and polling features. If you’re ready to bolster your team’s engagement and connectivity, explore Zoom today.
