Most virtual team building activities for work fall into one of two categories: so awkward that everyone dreads them, or so pointless that nobody remembers them by Friday. Either way, they do the opposite of what they’re supposed to do, they make your team less excited about working together. That’s a problem worth fixing, because remote and hybrid teams don’t bond by accident. It takes intention.
I’ve spent decades studying what makes teams perform at their peak, first as a world champion adventure racer dragging through jungles and deserts with teammates I had to trust with my life, then as a San Diego firefighter, and now as a speaker and consultant helping organizations build the kind of collaboration that actually moves the needle. One thing I know for certain: connection is the engine of every high-performing team. And when your people are spread across cities, time zones, or home offices, you have to create those connection points on purpose.
The good news? Virtual team building doesn’t have to be cheesy, forced, or a waste of everyone’s calendar. The activities below are ones that real teams genuinely enjoy, and more importantly, ones that strengthen the trust, communication, and shared identity your people need to win together. I’ve organized this list with variety in mind, so whether you have five minutes before a meeting or an hour to spare, you’ll find something that fits.
Here are 16 virtual team building activities that your team won’t roll their eyes at.
1. Facilitate a virtual teamwork workshop with Robyn Benincasa
If you want your team to walk away with something they’ll actually use, a structured virtual teamwork workshop is the highest-leverage option on this list. This is not a passive activity or a placeholder on the agenda. It is a purpose-built experience designed to shift how your people think about collaboration and give them a shared language for doing it better.
What it is
A virtual teamwork workshop with Robyn Benincasa delivers keynote-style content combined with interactive elements that challenge teams to examine how they work together. Drawing from world champion adventure racing and years on a fire crew, Robyn translates extreme-pressure teamwork principles into concrete tools your team can apply the next day.
The most effective virtual team building activities for work are the ones that connect people to a shared operating system, not just a shared laugh.
How to run it
You work directly with Robyn’s team to customize the session around your organization’s specific challenges, whether that’s breaking down silos, navigating a merger, or rebuilding trust after a rough stretch. The session runs live on your preferred video platform and includes audience participation, structured reflection, and takeaways your managers can reinforce well after the call ends.
Best for
This workshop fits mid-to-large organizations where teams are geographically distributed and leadership wants more than a fun distraction. It works especially well when your team is facing a high-stakes transition like a reorganization, a new strategy launch, or a stretch goal that requires everyone to pull in the same direction.
Tools and prep
Your team needs a stable video conferencing setup and a single point of contact to coordinate logistics with Robyn’s team. Robyn’s team handles the program design and facilitation materials, including downloadable implementation guides that extend the learning beyond the session itself.
Time and cost
Sessions typically run 60 to 90 minutes for a keynote format, with longer half-day options available for deeper workshops. Pricing is custom based on audience size and program scope. You can reach out through robynbenincasa.com to discuss what fits your team’s needs and budget.
2. This or that
"This or that" is one of the fastest, lowest-prep virtual team building activities for work you can run, and it consistently gets people actually talking instead of staring at their screens waiting for the real meeting to start.
What it is
The premise is simple: you present two options (coffee or tea, early bird or night owl, mountains or beach), and everyone picks one. There are no wrong answers and no pressure, which is exactly why it works. People reveal small, genuine things about themselves that spark real conversations without anyone feeling put on the spot.
How to run it
Open your video call and drop a question in the chat or display two options on a shared screen. Everyone votes by holding up fingers, typing in the chat, or using a quick poll. Work through five to ten questions in rapid succession. You can invite people to explain their choices or just keep the pace fast and light, depending on what your group needs.
The best icebreakers don’t feel like icebreakers. They feel like actual conversation.
Best for
This activity fits new teams or newly merged groups that don’t know each other well yet. It also works as an opening move for longer sessions when you want to shift the energy before getting into heavier content.
Tools and prep
All you need is a prepared list of questions and your standard video conferencing platform. Free polling tools can add a visual layer, but they are completely optional.
Time and cost
Five to ten minutes is the typical range, making this a natural meeting opener. It costs nothing to run beyond a few minutes of prep.
3. Rose, thorn, bud check-in
The rose, thorn, bud check-in is one of those virtual team building activities for work that does double duty: it builds genuine connection and gives leaders real-time insight into how their people are actually doing beneath the surface of project updates and status reports.
What it is
Each person shares three things in one or two sentences: a rose (something going well), a thorn (a current challenge or frustration), and a bud (something they are looking forward to). The structure is simple enough that anyone can participate without feeling put on the spot, but personal enough to create real moments of connection between teammates who might otherwise only interact around tasks.
How to run it
Start the call and move through the group one person at a time, giving each participant 60 to 90 seconds to share their three items. You can go in order of how people appear on screen or let people volunteer. The facilitator should go first to model the tone and show the team that sharing something honest and human is welcome here.
When people feel seen by their teammates, they work harder for them.
Best for
This check-in works well for established teams that meet regularly and want a structured way to stay connected beyond deliverables. It is particularly effective for teams navigating high-pressure stretches where stress tends to go unspoken until it becomes a bigger problem.
Tools and prep
No special tools required. Just your standard video call platform and a quick heads-up at the start of the meeting so people have a moment to think before it is their turn.
Time and cost
Plan for 10 to 15 minutes for a team of eight to twelve people. It costs nothing to run.
4. Two truths and a lie
Two truths and a lie is one of the most recognized virtual team building activities for work, and it has stayed popular for a good reason: it actually works. People learn surprising things about their teammates, and the guessing element adds enough low-stakes competition to keep the energy up.
What it is
Each person shares three statements about themselves, two of which are true and one that is false. The rest of the team tries to identify the lie. The beauty of this format is that the truths people choose to share are usually more interesting than the lie itself, which is where real connection happens.
The things people reveal in a game like this often become conversation starters that carry well past the meeting.
How to run it
Give everyone two to three minutes to write their three statements before the game starts. Then move through the group one person at a time, letting teammates vote on which statement they think is the lie. After the vote, the person reveals the answer and briefly explains the true stories to give everyone a fuller picture.
Best for
This activity works well for new teams or cross-functional groups that don’t have much personal history. It also adds value in situations where you want to rebuild familiarity after a long stretch of purely task-focused interaction.
Tools and prep
All you need is your standard video platform and a quick heads-up so people have time to think before the session starts. No additional tools are required.
Time and cost
Plan for 15 to 20 minutes for a group of eight to twelve people. It costs nothing to run.
5. Lightning scavenger hunt
A lightning scavenger hunt is one of the most energetic virtual team building activities for work you can run with almost zero preparation time required from anyone on your team.
What it is
The facilitator calls out a common household or office item, and everyone has 30 to 60 seconds to sprint away from their desk, find it, and return to the camera holding it up. The first person back wins the round. The speed and low stakes break down formality fast and get people genuinely laughing together in a way that slower formats rarely manage.
How to run it
Start by preparing eight to ten items in advance that most people would reasonably have nearby, things like a red pen, something with a logo on it, or a physical book. Call out one item at a time and count down visibly on screen while people scramble. You can run it as a pure speed competition or award points across multiple rounds to build momentum through the session.
When people move their bodies and laugh together under mild time pressure, they warm up to each other faster than any structured question could achieve.
Best for
This activity works best for fully remote teams that spend most of their working hours in front of screens and need a quick physical jolt to reset the energy. It also fits well as an opening activity for larger all-hands calls where you want to loosen people up before getting into heavier content.
Tools and prep
All you need is your standard video conferencing platform and a prepared item list ready before the call starts. No additional tools required.
Time and cost
Plan for 10 to 15 minutes for a full round. It costs nothing to run.
6. Connection bingo
Connection bingo takes a format most people already know and repurposes it as one of the more genuinely engaging virtual team building activities for work because the content is entirely about your people, not random numbers.
What it is
Each participant gets a bingo card filled with personal characteristics, experiences, or preferences instead of numbers. Squares might read "has lived in more than two states," "speaks a second language," or "has a pet at home." Players find teammates who match each square, turning a passive activity into a real conversation starter.
How to run it
The best connection activities create reasons to talk, not reasons to sit and wait.
Share the bingo cards at the start of the call via chat or a shared document. Give everyone five to eight minutes to work through the card by asking their teammates questions in the chat or in quick breakout conversations. The first person to complete a row announces it, and you can award a small prize or public recognition to keep the energy moving.
Best for
This activity works well for larger teams or all-hands meetings where people don’t interact much outside their direct group. It is particularly useful for newly formed teams or post-merger groups that need a low-pressure way to discover common ground quickly.
Tools and prep
You need a pre-made bingo card created in a simple document and your standard video conferencing platform. Prepare the cards at least a day in advance so you can distribute them at the start of the call without losing momentum.
Time and cost
Plan for 10 to 15 minutes for a full round. It costs nothing to run.
7. Show-and-tell grab bag
Show-and-tell grab bag is one of those virtual team building activities for work that feels immediately personal because it is. Instead of performing for each other, people get to share something that genuinely matters to them, and that difference lands every time.
What it is
Each person grabs a random object from wherever they are sitting and takes 90 seconds to explain what it is, why they have it, and what it reveals about them. The "grab bag" element removes overthinking entirely, so people just reach for the nearest available thing and make it work.
How to run it
The best version of this activity happens when the facilitator goes first and picks something unexpected, which gives everyone else permission to be honest.
Open your call and give the group 30 seconds to grab an object without leaving their seat. Then move through each person one at a time, keeping the pace steady so the energy stays up. Invite brief follow-up questions from the group after each person shares to extend the conversation naturally.
Best for
This activity works well for teams that already know each other at a surface level but haven’t moved into genuine familiarity. It also suits smaller groups of 6 to 12 people where everyone has enough airtime to share something meaningful.
Tools and prep
All you need is your standard video conferencing platform and a quick heads-up to your team before the call starts so nobody feels caught off guard when it is their turn.
Time and cost
Plan for 15 to 20 minutes for a group of 8 to 12 people. It costs nothing to run.
8. Back-to-back drawing
Back-to-back drawing is one of the most deceptively useful virtual team building activities for work because it forces people to rely entirely on verbal communication to succeed together, and the results are almost always funny enough to create genuine connection on the spot.
What it is
One person describes an image or simple diagram without naming it directly, while their partner draws what they hear on paper. Neither person can see what the other is doing until the reveal at the end. The gap between what was described and what was drawn tells you everything about how clearly your team actually communicates day to day.
How to run it
Pair people up and send one partner a simple image via private chat before each round starts. The describer has two minutes to explain it using only words and direction, with no naming the object directly. At the end, both partners hold up their drawings to the camera for the full group to see. The comparison usually generates genuine laughter and opens a real conversation about communication gaps.
When your team laughs at the same thing together, they build trust faster than most structured exercises can manufacture.
Best for
This activity works especially well for cross-functional teams where miscommunication between departments is an ongoing issue, and for any group that wants to examine how they give and receive instructions under mild time pressure.
Tools and prep
Each participant needs paper and a pen plus your standard video conferencing platform. Prepare a set of simple line-drawing images in advance and distribute them via private message at the start of each round.
Time and cost
Plan for 15 to 20 minutes for two to three rounds. It costs nothing to run.
9. Caption this photo
Caption this photo is one of the most low-effort, high-return virtual team building activities for work in this list, because it taps into something people are already doing naturally online: making each other laugh with a well-timed joke.
What it is
You drop a funny, unexpected, or absurd image into your group chat and ask everyone to write their best caption for it. The humor does the heavy lifting here. When people compete to be the funniest person in the room, they drop their professional guard faster than almost any structured activity can manage.
How to run it
Pull up a shared chat or whiteboard at the start of your call and post the image where everyone can see it. Give the group two to three minutes to type their captions into the chat, then read them out loud and let the group vote on a favorite. Running two or three rounds keeps the momentum going and gives quieter team members multiple chances to shine.
The teams that laugh together on a Tuesday are the ones that push through hard problems together on a Thursday.
Best for
This activity works well for larger teams or all-hands calls where structured conversation is hard to manage and you need something that scales easily across 20 or more people.
Tools and prep
Your standard video conferencing platform is all you need for the infrastructure. Prepare three to five images in advance. Workplace-appropriate images with unusual compositions or unexpected situations work best.
Time and cost
Plan for 10 to 15 minutes for two to three rounds. It costs nothing to run.
10. The GIF reaction round
The GIF reaction round is one of the most accessible virtual team building activities for work because it runs on a format your team already uses constantly: the animated image response that communicates tone and humor faster than any written sentence.
What it is
You post a scenario, question, or prompt in a shared chat, and everyone responds with a GIF that best captures their reaction. Prompts can be work-adjacent ("how do you feel about the Monday morning stand-up?") or purely fun. Either way, the GIF someone chooses reveals personality and humor in a way that straightforward answers rarely do.
How to run it
Drop a prompt into your group chat or display it on screen, then give everyone 60 seconds to find and post their response. Move through three to five prompts to build enough momentum that even quieter teammates start participating naturally.
When you give people a creative constraint like "respond only with a GIF," you remove the pressure to say something clever and replace it with genuine expression.
Best for
This activity works well for remote teams that include a mix of communication styles, particularly when some members go quiet in traditional verbal icebreakers. It also fits naturally into larger all-hands calls where managing live conversation across 20 or more people gets complicated fast.
Tools and prep
Your standard video conferencing platform paired with a group chat that supports GIF search, like Slack or Microsoft Teams, covers everything you need. Prepare five prompts in advance so you move through rounds without dead air.
Time and cost
Plan for 10 to 15 minutes for a full session. It costs nothing to run.
11. Emoji mood board
The emoji mood board is one of those deceptively simple virtual team building activities for work that scales well across team sizes and communication styles. It gives people a visual, low-pressure way to express how they are showing up before the real work of a meeting begins.
What it is
Each participant builds a small collection of emojis that together describe their current mood, energy level, or headspace. Unlike a direct question ("how are you feeling?"), this format removes the pressure to articulate something perfectly and replaces it with a quick creative choice that still reveals something genuine.
When people can signal how they are actually doing without having to find the right words, they tend to be more honest.
How to run it
Open your call and drop a prompt into the group chat, something like "use three to five emojis to describe your current state." Give everyone 60 seconds to respond in the chat, then invite two or three people to briefly explain their choices. Keeping the share-out voluntary keeps it light and prevents anyone from feeling put on the spot.
Best for
This format works well for teams that meet regularly and want a quick way to gauge collective energy before diving into work. It is also effective for distributed teams across time zones where people may be joining a call at very different points in their day.
Tools and prep
Your standard video conferencing platform with a built-in group chat handles everything. No additional tools or prep materials are required beyond having the prompt ready.
Time and cost
Plan for five to ten minutes at the start of a meeting. It costs nothing to run.
12. Totally random mini presentations
Totally random mini presentations are one of the most surprisingly enjoyable virtual team building activities for work because they flip the usual dynamic: instead of someone presenting on their area of expertise, people have to become instant experts on something completely absurd, and the results are almost always memorable.
What it is
Each person gets a random topic they know nothing about, like the history of competitive dog grooming or the physics of a perfect pancake flip, and has to deliver a two to three minute presentation on it with zero preparation. The randomness is the point. It strips away professional performance anxiety and replaces it with shared absurdity that levels the playing field across job titles and tenure.
How to run it
Assign topics five to ten minutes before the session via a private message so nobody can over-prepare. Each presenter gets their time on screen while the rest of the group listens and votes on their favorite moment using chat reactions. Keep the feedback fast and positive so the energy stays high throughout all the rounds.
When people have to perform under low-stakes absurd pressure together, they reveal personality traits that months of normal meetings never surface.
Best for
This activity works well for teams that already have some baseline comfort with each other and are ready to move past surface-level icebreakers into something that requires a bit more vulnerability and humor.
Tools and prep
Your standard video conferencing platform handles everything. Prepare a list of 15 to 20 random topics in advance so you can assign them quickly without dead air during the session.
Time and cost
Plan for 20 to 25 minutes for a group of six to eight people. It costs nothing to run.
13. Virtual coffee roulette
Virtual coffee roulette is one of the most underused virtual team building activities for work because it operates entirely outside the standard meeting format. Instead of gathering everyone in one call, it pairs individual teammates randomly for short one-on-one conversations they would never have otherwise.
What it is
Each participant gets randomly matched with one other team member for a 15 to 20 minute video call, typically during a lunch break or mid-morning slot. The "roulette" element is intentional: the random pairing is the whole point, because it breaks the natural clustering that happens on most remote teams where people only ever speak to whoever is assigned to the same project.
When two people who have never really talked get paired and given unstructured time together, they almost always find common ground faster than any group activity manages to force.
How to run it
You can manage pairings manually through a shared spreadsheet or use a tool like Donut inside Slack to automate the matching and send calendar invites on a set cadence. Set a minimal but clear expectation (no work topics required) and let the conversation develop naturally from there.
Best for
This format works well for larger remote teams where people can go weeks without a natural reason to interact outside their immediate working group.
Tools and prep
Your standard video conferencing platform handles the actual calls. A pairing automation tool inside your existing messaging platform removes the scheduling friction and makes it easy to run on a recurring basis.
Time and cost
Plan for 15 to 20 minutes per pair. Running it on a regular cadence costs nothing beyond the initial setup time.
14. Cross-team virtual lunch tables
Cross-team virtual lunch tables take a familiar social format and give it a structural upgrade that most remote organizations haven’t tried yet: instead of pairing two people randomly, you bring together small groups from different departments during a shared meal window and let the conversation go wherever it naturally leads.
What it is
A cross-team virtual lunch table groups four to six people from different departments into a shared video call during a standard lunch break. Nobody sets an agenda or runs the session like a meeting. The format works because shared meal time carries a built-in social permission that most video calls lack, so people talk more openly and listen more generously.
How to run it
You organize groups of four to six people across department lines and send calendar invites with a short note making it clear: no work agenda required. Each group joins a video call at their shared lunch time and talks. Running this on a monthly cadence keeps cross-department connection happening without requiring active management after the initial setup.
When people from different departments see each other as actual humans rather than job titles, they collaborate more readily when work eventually requires it.
Best for
This format works best for mid-to-large organizations where people in different departments rarely interact unless a shared project forces it.
Tools and prep
Your standard video conferencing platform handles the calls. A simple spreadsheet manages group assignments and rotation so the same people don’t end up at the same table twice.
Time and cost
Plan for 30 minutes per session. It costs nothing to run.
15. Coworking focus jam session
A coworking focus jam session is one of the quietest virtual team building activities for work on this list, and that quietness is exactly what makes it valuable. Sometimes connection happens not through games or conversation but through the simple act of being present with your teammates while you each do your own work.
What it is
Each participant joins a shared video call and works independently in silence alongside everyone else. Nobody presents, nobody performs, and nobody runs an agenda. You get the ambient presence of your teammates, which mirrors what working in a shared office actually feels like and which remote workers consistently say they miss most.
How to run it
Open a standing video call at a set time and give the group a clear structure before the silence begins:
- State the focus block length (typically 25 to 50 minutes)
- Allow a brief check-in at the start so everyone shares what they are working on
- Close with a short debrief so the session ends with human contact rather than everyone just dropping off
Shared silence builds a different kind of closeness than conversation does, and remote teams rarely give themselves access to it.
Best for
This format works well for fully remote teams dealing with isolation or anyone whose workday consists entirely of solo work with no natural points of contact during the day.
Tools and prep
Your standard video conferencing platform handles everything. Set a recurring calendar invite so the session becomes a reliable team rhythm rather than a one-time experiment.
Time and cost
Plan for 25 to 50 minutes per session. It costs nothing to run.
16. Virtual escape room
A virtual escape room is one of the most structurally rich virtual team building activities for work because it requires your team to do exactly what real collaboration demands: communicate clearly, divide tasks, synthesize information, and push toward a shared goal under time pressure, all at once.
What it is
A virtual escape room puts your team inside a hosted online puzzle environment where everyone works together to solve a sequence of clues before a countdown timer runs out. The time pressure is real enough to generate urgency but low-stakes enough that no one dreads it.
How to run it
Your team joins a shared video call alongside the hosted platform, where a facilitator walks everyone through the opening scenario. From there, your group works together through a structured sequence:
- Divide the clues so multiple people are investigating at once
- Share findings in real time and connect the threads together
- Crack the final puzzle before the clock runs out
Best for
This activity works best for teams that already function reasonably well together and are ready to test that collaboration under mild stress. It is particularly effective for leadership teams or project groups preparing to take on a demanding shared goal.
Teams that solve problems together under time pressure build the same trust muscles that high-stakes collaboration at work demands.
Tools and prep
You need your standard video conferencing platform and a booked session through a virtual escape room provider. Book at least one week in advance to secure your preferred time slot.
Time and cost
Plan for 60 to 75 minutes. Costs typically range from $20 to $40 per person depending on the provider and session length.
Put one on the calendar
The hardest part of any of these virtual team building activities for work is not finding the right one. It is actually scheduling it and protecting that time once it is on the calendar. Your team does not need a perfect plan. They need consistent, intentional moments of connection built into the rhythm of how you work together.
Pick one activity from this list that fits where your team is right now. Run it once, watch what happens, and build from there. Small, repeated investments in connection compound over time in ways that a single annual retreat never can. If you want to go deeper and give your team a shared framework for how to actually collaborate under pressure, explore what a virtual teamwork workshop with Robyn Benincasa can do for your organization.