Office Christmas Party Games: 17 Fun Ideas for Any Team

The office Christmas party has a reputation problem. Everyone has survived one where people clustered by department, made polite conversation about the weather and left at the first chance. Good office Christmas party games fix that. They give people a reason to talk to the colleague from the other floor, and they give the evening a shape so it doesn’t depend on the free bar.

Below are 17 office Christmas party games, grouped so you can find the right fit fast: a main-event game, icebreakers, team games for large groups, low-prep options and ideas for remote teams. Every one includes the group size it suits and what you need. They’re all workplace-friendly, with no drinking games, no trust falls and nothing HR will want a word about.

What Makes a Good Office Christmas Party Game?

A good office Christmas party game is quick to explain, works in teams, and never puts anyone on the spot. Look for these four things:

• Explained in under a minute. If the rules need a handout, people tune out before you start.
• Team-based. Teams mix departments and take the pressure off shy people.
• Optional and inclusive. No drinking, nothing physical or personal, and festive rather than religious themes.
• Fits your time slot. Most office parties run two to three hours, often after work, so short rounds beat long tournaments.

The Main Event: A Christmas Murder Mystery

1. Murder at Hollyberry Hall

Group size: 6 to 12 players Time: About 2.5 hours What you need: Our Christmas murder mystery game, a printer and a team that likes a challenge

If your team is small, or you want one department to have a party people talk about until spring, a murder mystery is the strongest office Christmas party game you can run. It’s Christmas Eve at Hollyberry Hall, a snowbound Vermont country house, and the master of the house, Reginald Holloway, has just been found dead beneath the mistletoe. Each colleague plays a suspect with secrets of their own. Over three rounds they question each other, trade clues and finally accuse the killer.

Why it works at work: everyone has a role, so nobody is left standing at the edge of the room, and the characters give quiet people a script to play with. The game is written for adults and mixed groups with teens, with no gore or explicit content, so it’s safe for a workplace.

How to run it: send each person their character a week or two ahead so they can plan a simple costume. On the night, the host follows the timeline in the host guide and hands out clue cards between rounds, and can play a character too. The kit is a $24 instant printable download with character booklets, clue cards, invitations, a festive menu with recipes, printable decor and the sealed solution.

Short on time? For a lunch-hour game, try our free mini-mystery, The Last Slice. It plays in about 45 minutes with 4 to 6 players, so a bigger team can run several tables at once.

Office Christmas Party Icebreakers

Use one of these in the first 20 minutes, while people are still arriving and finding a drink.

2. Office Superlatives

Group size: Any What you need: Printed ballots and a box

Hand out ballots with categories like “Most likely to reply-all,” “Best desk snacks” and “Calmest in a crisis.” People vote as they arrive, and you read the winners out later with paper certificates. Keep every category kind; this is a celebration, not a roast.

3. Two Truths and a Lie (Holiday Edition)

Group size: 6 to 20, or tables of 8 What you need: Nothing

Each person shares three holiday facts about themselves, such as their worst gift or a strange family tradition, and the table guesses which is the lie. It works best at tables of six to eight, so it scales to a large room.

4. Guess the Holiday Photo

Group size: Any What you need: Photos collected in advance and a screen

Ask colleagues to send in a childhood holiday photo a week ahead. Show them on a screen and let teams guess who’s who. Make it opt-in, and expect the biggest laughs of the night.

5. Holiday Would You Rather

Group size: Any What you need: A list of questions

“Would you rather only eat Christmas dinner for a year, or never eat it again?” Read the question, and people move to one side of the room or the other. It gets everyone moving and talking within minutes.

Office Christmas Party Games for Large Groups

These work for 20 to 100 people. Split the room into teams of four to six and mix departments on purpose.

6. Team Christmas Trivia

Group size: 12 to 100, in teams What you need: Questions, answer sheets and a host

Run four short rounds: Christmas movies, Christmas songs, holidays around the world and a round about your company. The company round is where it gets competitive. Give a small prize to the winners and a booby prize to last place.

7. Minute to Win It: Christmas Edition

Group size: 10 to 60, in teams What you need: Ornaments, cups, candy canes and a timer

Teams send one player at a time to do a one-minute challenge: stacking cups into a tree, moving ornaments with chopsticks, or unwrapping a gift while wearing oven mitts. It’s fast, loud and easy to watch.

8. Christmas Bingo

Group size: Any What you need: Printable bingo cards and a caller

Fill cards with Christmas words or office-themed squares like “Someone mentions the printer.” It runs in the background of a party, so people can play and mingle at the same time.

9. Gingerbread House Building Contest

Group size: 12 to 60, in teams of 4 What you need: Kits or graham crackers, icing and candy

Give each team the same supplies and 30 minutes, then let the room vote. Add categories like “Most structurally sound” and “Most like our office” so more teams win something.

10. Holiday Office Scavenger Hunt

Group size: 12 to 80, in teams What you need: A printed list of items or photo challenges

Teams hunt for things around the office or venue, or complete photo challenges like “The whole team in a festive pose.” It’s ideal for mixing departments, because people need each other to finish.

11. Team Ugly Sweater Contest

Group size: Any What you need: Sweaters, or craft supplies to decorate plain ones

Announce it a week ahead. For more fun, give each team a plain sweater and 20 minutes with tinsel, felt and glue, then hold a runway walk.

Low-Prep Office Christmas Party Games

Short on planning time? These need little more than a list or a pile of gifts.

12. White Elephant Gift Exchange

Group size: 8 to 40 What you need: One wrapped gift per person, with a price limit

Everyone brings a gift, draws numbers, and either opens a new gift or steals one already opened. Cap each gift at three steals so it ends on time. Set a clear price limit, such as $20, so nobody feels awkward.

13. Secret Santa Reveal

Group size: Any What you need: A Secret Santa running before the party

At the party, each person guesses who their Secret Santa was before the reveal. It turns a gift swap you were already doing into a game.

14. Finish the Christmas Lyric

Group size: Any, in teams What you need: A playlist

Play the start of a Christmas song and stop the music. The first team to sing the next line correctly wins the point. It needs nothing but a speaker.

15. Holiday Charades

Group size: 8 to 30, in two teams What you need: Slips of paper with Christmas movies, songs and traditions

Act out a Christmas movie, song or tradition in a minute without speaking. It’s a classic because it works with almost any crowd.

Office Christmas Party Games for Remote Teams

Remote and hybrid teams can play too. Keep the call to an hour and use breakout rooms for teams.

16. Virtual Christmas Trivia

Group size: Any, in breakout rooms What you need: A video call and a shared slide deck

Run trivia exactly as you would in person, with each team answering in its breakout room or a shared form. Mail small prizes to the winners.

17. Online Murder Mystery Night

Group size: 4 to 12 What you need: A printable murder mystery and a video call

A printable murder mystery can run over video if each player reads from their own booklet. Send each person their character and clues privately, and have the host run the rounds over the call. Smaller teams can play The Last Slice for free.

How to Pick the Right Game for Your Office

• Under 12 people: make a murder mystery the main event and add one icebreaker.
• 12 to 30 people: trivia, Minute to Win It and a White Elephant exchange.
• 30 or more: bingo, a scavenger hunt, a gingerbread contest and superlatives, all played in teams.
• Mixed ages, mixed backgrounds: keep it festive rather than religious, and skip anything with alcohol.
• Remote team: one hour, breakout rooms and short rounds.

A Sample Two-Hour Office Christmas Party Plan

1. 0:00 to 0:20: Arrivals with Office Superlatives ballots and Christmas bingo running in the background.
2. 0:20 to 0:50: Team Christmas trivia.
3. 0:50 to 1:20: Food, and a break from games.
4. 1:20 to 1:45: Minute to Win It or a gingerbread contest.
5. 1:45 to 2:00: White Elephant exchange and the superlatives awards.

For a smaller team, swap the middle hour for Murder at Hollyberry Hall, and let the reveal close the night.

Ready to Plan the Party?

The best office Christmas party games give people something to do together, not just something to watch. Pick one game that anchors the evening, add one icebreaker, and keep everything optional.

If you want a game that carries the whole night, Murder at Hollyberry Hall is ready to print. For more ideas outside work, see our Christmas party games for adults and Christmas murder mystery party ideas. New to hosting? Start with how to host a murder mystery party.

Frequently asked questions

What are fun office Christmas party games?

Crowd favorites are Office Superlatives, team Christmas trivia, Minute to Win It challenges, a White Elephant gift exchange, an ugly sweater contest and a Christmas murder mystery. Pick games that are quick to explain, work in teams and don't put anyone on the spot.

What office Christmas party games work for large groups?

Team trivia, Christmas bingo, Minute to Win It, a gingerbread building contest and a holiday scavenger hunt all scale to 30 or more people. Split the room into teams of four to six so everyone plays at once instead of waiting for a turn.

How do I keep office Christmas party games inclusive?

Make every game optional, avoid drinking games and anything physical or personal, offer team roles for people who don't want the spotlight, and choose festive rather than religious themes so the whole team feels welcome.

How many games should I plan for an office Christmas party?

For a two-hour party, plan one icebreaker, two team games and a closing game such as a gift exchange, plus one backup. If you run a murder mystery, it is the main event, so a short icebreaker is all you need beside it.

Are there free printable office Christmas party games?

Yes. Christmas bingo cards, trivia sheets, Office Superlatives ballots and scavenger hunt lists are easy to print. For something bigger, our free mini murder mystery, The Last Slice, is a printable PDF for 4 to 6 players that takes about 45 minutes.