Quick Start Games
Quick Start Games are ideal for groups that don't have plenty of time to spare on team-building activities and need something working in the next 10 minutes. They are the virtual version of Quick & Easy activities.
1. Two Truths and a Lie (Text Version)
Group Size: 3-15 people | Duration: 10-15 minutes | Difficulty: Easy
This icebreaker, when applied to remote teams, the text version beats the video every time. People write better lies when they're not on camera, as typing removes performance pressure. Each person shares three numbered statements, two true, one false. Everyone else drops their guess in the chat and the poster reveals the lie. The stories from the truth matter more than catching the lie.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Post three numbered statements about yourself
- Keep them believable, e.g., "I've been to Mars" kills the game
- Everyone gets two minutes to guess
- The poster reveals which was the lie
- The person who stumps most people goes next
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: This game works because structure creates safety. People control what they share. The guessing forces attention, with teammates learning about each other instead of zoning out. Conversations happen because everyone wants to know more about surprising truths.
2. Emoji Story Chain
Group Size: 5-20 people | Duration: 15-20 minutes | Difficulty: Easy
Five emojis per person, no words allowed. The first person sets the scene. Everyone else builds the story. The time limit forces creativity: you can't ramble with symbols. Global teams love this because emojis cross language barriers.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Starter drops five emojis to begin the story
- Next person adds five more to continue
- Keep building until everyone contributes
- The last person translates the emoji chain to words
- Vote on the best plot twist
Platform Recommendations: Slack and WhatsApp
Why It Works: This game works because visual storytelling bypasses language barriers. No writing skills needed means equal participation. Everyone owns the outcome.
3. Quick Fire "This or That"
Group Size: Any size | Duration: 5-10 minutes | Difficulty: Easy
This or That questions are everyone's favorites to break the ice. Binary choices, instant responses. Coffee or tea? Dogs or cats? Slack or email? Five seconds to answer. No explanations during the round. Your entire engineering team prefers cats. Sales universally chooses coffee. Speed prevents overthinking and reveals real preferences.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Question master fires off choices rapidly
- Everyone responds with an emoji or a quick text
- No explaining choices until the round ends
- Track surprising minorities
- Rotate the question master weekly and run 10-15 choices per session
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: Speed bypasses social calculation. Minorities find their people. You can run this during meetings when energy dips. Patterns inform real decisions about team operations.
4. One-Word Story Building
Group Size: 4-12 people | Duration: 10-15 minutes | Difficulty: Easy
One-Word Story is a standout icebreaker game. Each person adds exactly one word. The constraint removes perfectionism, because no one can write badly with one word. Teams that struggle with creative tasks love this. Failure is impossible and expected.
Step-by-step instructions:
- The first person types one word to start
- The next person adds one word, continuing the sentence
- Run three complete sentences minimum before adding a paragraph
- Read the final story aloud in the next video call
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Discord.
Why It Works: Group work removes pressure. Absurdity makes failure impossible. This format forces attention because you need the previous word.
5. Rapid Association Game
Group Size: 5-15 people | Duration: 10 minutes | Difficulty: Easy
Post a word. Everyone responds with the first association within ten seconds. "Ocean" triggers "vacation" for five people, "sharks" for three, and "drowning" for that one person needing a vacation. These patterns reveal the team's mindset.
Step-by-step instructions:
- The moderator posts a trigger word
- The countdown from three starts
- Everyone posts simultaneously
- The person with the most unique response picks the next word
- Run 5-7 rounds to see patterns
Platform Recommendations: Slack and WhatsApp
Why It Works: First thoughts reveal truth, and patterns expose team sentiment. The fact there are no right answers removes pressure. Works across cultures with adjusted words. Quick enough to run daily during rough patches.
Creative Collaboration Games
Creative Collaboration Games are an excellent choice for teams that need to break routine thinking. These initiatives can be implemented as creative team meeting ideas and have a positive impact in your group's culture and morale.
6. Collaborative Story Writing
Group Size: 6-15 people | Duration: 20-30 minutes | Difficulty: Medium
One sentence per person builds a complete narrative. Marketing writes: "Jennifer from accounting discovered the printer was a portal." Engineering adds: "She'd tested it seventeen times with identical results." Sales contributes: "The CEO emerged from the paper tray during test eighteen." By sentence ten, you've got corporate fiction revealing how each department sees the company.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Set genre first (office drama, mystery, sci-fi)
- Each person adds one connecting sentence
- Run until natural end or everyone contributes twice
- Vote on MVP sentence
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: This game requires creative expression without individual pressure. Department perspectives emerge through these stories, which can be practice for high-stakes innovation.
7. Emoji Movie Guessing
Group Size: 8-20 people | Duration: 15-20 minutes | Difficulty: Easy
Describe movies using only emojis. "🦈🏖️🚢" means Jaws. "👽📞🏠" is E.T. Then someone uses fifteen emojis for "The Matrix" and you debate about emoji efficiency. Generation gaps become comedy when millennials can't guess classics, but Gen Z stumps everyone with Netflix originals.
Step-by-step instructions:
- One player posts the emoji sequence for a movie
- First correct guess wins the round
- The winner posts about the next movie
- Add a hint emoji after two minutes if needed
Platform Recommendations: Slack and WhatsApp
Why It Works: Visual thinking stretches different brain muscles. Competition drives engagement without stakes, and it's an easy entry for new members.
8. Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Group Size: 5-25 people | Duration: 20-30 minutes | Difficulty: Medium
Scavenger hunts are crowd favorites for a reason! Find objects in home offices. Post photos as proof. "Something older than ten years" produces wedding photos, college diplomas, or even old Nokia phones. "Something that shouldn't be in an office" reveals guitars, cat beds, and complete camping setups.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Announce the item category
- Set a 60-second timer
- The first photo posted wins
- Creativity can trump speed
- Run 10-15 items total
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: Movement breaks the sedentary pattern. Personal items reveal personality while competition adds energy. This game creates visibility into remote life.
9. Acronym Challenge
Group Size: 6-18 people | Duration: 15 minutes | Difficulty: Medium
Turn company acronyms into alternative meanings. TPS reports become "Totally Pointless Spreadsheets." KPI transforms to "Keep Pretending It-matters." ROI is now "Really Obvious Incompetence." The corporate speak everyone tolerates becomes comedy material. Therapeutic and revealing.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Post a common workplace acronym
- Everyone creates a funny alternative meaning
- Submit within one minute
- Read all aloud
- Vote for a winner
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: This game is about harmless venting on corporate language. Everyone knows these acronyms, so it's an instant stress relief. Truth emerges through humor.
10. Reverse Pictionary (Text Descriptions)
Group Size: 6-15 people | Duration: 20 minutes | Difficulty: Medium
Unlike the popular Virtual Pictionary you can find in art team-building activities, in Reverse Pictionary, you'll describe images using only words. Others draw based on description. "A structure where people live with pointed top and rectangle base" produces everything from pyramids to RVs. Original was a simple house. The gap between intention and interpretation creates comedy gold.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Describer gets simple image privately
- Types detailed description without shapes/colors
- Others sketch based on words
- Everyone posts drawings simultaneously
- Compare to original and vote on the closest match
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Google Chat
Why It Works: This is a communication exercise disguised as a game. No artistic skill is required. Failure is funnier than success. This game reveals why project specs need clarity.
11. Song Lyric Completion
Group Size: 8-20 people | Duration: 15 minutes | Difficulty: Easy
Post the opening lines of famous songs and watch as teams race to complete the next line. "Is this the real life..." gets instant "Is this just fantasy?". Note how musical knowledge varies wildly across ages.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Post an opening song line
- The first correct response wins
- Allow close enough answers for older songs
- The winner chooses the next song
- Create themed rounds (one-hit wonders, movie soundtracks)
Platform Recommendations: Slack or Don't Forget the Lyrics
Why It Works: Musical nostalgia drives engagement and gives space for generations to teach each other. No expertise needed. These are instant conversation starters that reveal the team's cultural common ground.
12. Guess the Rhyme
Step-by-step instructions:
This is a text game where the first player starts by texting a word or phrase. The next player must reply with a word or phrase that rhymes. Players take turns going back and forth, keeping up the rhyme until someone can no longer come up with a rhyming response. The game can be simple (“cat”/“hat”/“bat”) or creative with longer phrases. Group chat variants allow group votes for best rhyme each round. This guessing game is a great way to spark creativity and laughter.
Platform Recommendations: Slack and WhatsApp
13. Team Trivia Creation
Group Size: 10-30 people | Duration: 25-30 minutes | Difficulty: Medium
Fan of team trivia questions? Then this texting game, where teams create trivia about themselves, is just for you. Each person submits two facts, one professional, one personal, and turn them into questions. Next week, everyone plays. "Who worked as Disney's Goofy in college?" becomes legendary.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Collect two facts per person privately
- Turn into multiple-choice questions
- Run the quiz the following week
- Award prizes for high scores
- Rotate quiz master monthly
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: This game is a way to learn through competition. Stories emerge from facts and it's a reusable format.
Deep Connection Games
Deep Connection Games take your team's knowledge about each other to the next level, while increasing trust and connection. These games act like trust-building team activities for teams ready to move beyond surface level.
14. Personal Timeline Sharing
Group Size: 5-12 people | Duration: 30 minutes | Difficulty: Hard
Share three life moments that shaped you. "1995: Moved abroad, had to adjust to a new culture. 2008: Failed startup, discovered resilience. 2019: Became a parent, understood priorities." Combine professional and personal facts. This game allows everyone to get to know each other on a deeper level.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Each person picks three defining moments
- Share chronologically with a brief impact explanation
- The others ask one question each
- The leader models vulnerability first
- Thank each person after sharing
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Google Chat
Why It Works: Context builds empathy, and vulnerability creates trust. Teams need human connection. This game changes permanent dynamics.
15. Gratitude Chain
Group Size: 8-20 people | Duration: 15 minutes | Difficulty: Easy
Gratitude Chain is an excellent charity team-building activity. Each person thanks someone specific on the team. "@Sarah, thanks for catching that bug before the demo. You saved the presentation." Watch morale shift in real-time.
Step-by-step instructions:
- The first person thanks a specific teammate
- Explain the exact action and impact
- Tagged person goes next
- Continue until everyone included
- Save chain for rough days
- Run monthly minimum
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: Recognition drives retention. Specific praise hits different. Public gratitude spreads. Builds culture without budget. Creates positive feedback loops.
16. Childhood Memory Exchange
Group Size: 6-15 people | Duration: 20 minutes | Difficulty: Medium
Share one childhood memory that explains one of your current behaviors. "Age 7: I built a treehouse with my grandfather, who measured twice, cut once. That's why I triple-check everything." CEOs become human, and understanding replaces judgment.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Allow one memory per person
- Connect that memory to present behavior and keep it under three minutes
- No trauma competition
- Celebrate patterns
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Zoom
Why It Works: Personal stories create understanding and humanize everyone equally. It leads to a permanent perspective shift and improves conflict resolution.
17. Dream Job Descriptions
Group Size: 5-15 people | Duration: 20 minutes | Difficulty: Medium
If money didn't matter, what would you do? "National Park Ranger: It's outdoors, I'd be protecting nature and educating people." In this game, the team identifies transferable skills, like project management, stakeholder communication, and conservation parallels resource management. These dreams also reveal motivation.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Remove money as a factor
- Explain what appeals about a dream job
- The rest of the team identifies transferable skills
- Find partial integration opportunities
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: This game shows every team member as a whole person. It identifies passion areas and reveals hidden talents. Managers learn motivation triggers and career development improves.
18. Life Lessons Learned
Group Size: 8-20 people | Duration: 25 minutes | Difficulty: Hard
Share the hardest lesson you learned and how it changed you. "Burnout taught me boundaries. Now I model sustainable work for my team". Teams that know struggles understand strengths.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Each person shares one lesson
- Focus on learning, not pain
- Professional or personal lessons are accepted
- Leaders share first
- End the game with appreciation
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: This game evokes wisdom through vulnerability. Mistakes become teachings and trust and psychological safety increase.
19. Bucket List Sharing
Group Size: 10-25 people | Duration: 20 minutes | Difficulty: Easy
Write a bucket list of your top three: "See the Northern Lights, write a book, learn pottery." Three teammates also want to see the Northern Lights, so the group trip planning begins. Remember that dreams unite strangers.
Step-by-step instructions:
- List three items only and mix attainable and dreams
- Explain why each matters
- Find shared items between everyone
- Actually follow through
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: Dreams unite people and unexpected connections form. Accountability partners emerge and, for a few minutes, work becomes secondary as real relationships develop.
20. Values Alignment Game
Group Size: 6-18 people | Duration: 25 minutes | Difficulty: Medium
Pick the top five values from a list of thirty. Compare team patterns. 70% chose "flexibility" in the top three, which explains resistance to rigid processes. Only 20% picked "competition", which means that collaborative approaches work better. The progress? Conflicts suddenly make sense.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Provide thirty value options and ask employees to rank their top three
- Everyone shares their top value with an explanation
- Identify team patterns and discuss surprises
Platform Recommendations: Google Forms and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: Behavior matches values. Conflicts make sense. Team identity emerges. Management gets easier. Decisions align naturally.
Problem-Solving Games to Play Over Text
These problem-solving texting games develop collaboration and critical thinking.
21. Desert Island Decisions
Group Size: 6-15 people | Duration: 20 minutes | Difficulty: Medium
On Desert Island Decisions, ten survival items are available: knife, matches, tarp, fishing line, first aid, mirror, rope, water purifier, flare gun, and rations. Pick five as a group. Watch negotiation styles emerge and note what teams value short-term versus long-term.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Present the ten-item list
- Everyone picks their top five first, shares, and defends their choices
- The group negotiates the final five and must reach a consensus
- Explain the final logic
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: This game reveals decision-making styles and it's a consensus-building practice. Low stakes, high engagement. Leadership emerges naturally. Negotiation skills visible.
TeamOut Tips:
- In small teams, every person takes turns picking an item. Larger groups can use group votes for each decision.
- Increase engagement by debating item priorities, exposing different negotiation styles. This texting game is a problem-solving activity.
22. Zombie Apocalypse Planning
Group Size: 8-20 people | Duration: 25 minutes | Difficulty: Medium
Design a team survival plan using your team's skills. Sarah (first aid trained) becomes a medic, Mike (camping enthusiast) handles shelter, and Jennifer (marathon runner) scouts. A ridiculous scenario makes the truth easier. Real skills inventory emerges.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Set the scenario parameters and write an inventory with your team's skills
- Assign survival roles
- Address weak points
- Vote on leadership structure
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: This game works like a skills audit disguised as fun. Natural roles emerge, and hidden strengths become obvious. Teams self-organize and insights apply to real work.
23. Budget Allocation Challenge
Group Size: 5-15 people | Duration: 20 minutes | Difficulty: Hard
You have $100K to improve team experience. Allocate across categories: tools, training, retreats, wellness, equipment. Watch priorities crystallize. 40% retreats, 30% tools, 20% training, 10% wellness. Values become visible through spending.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Set a fixed budget amount and define spending categories
- Individual allocations go first, followed by sharing the reasoning
- Negotiate team budget
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: Money forces real choices. Consensus requires compromise. Values become visible. Influences actual spending. Practice for real decisions.
24. Ethical Dilemma Discussions
Group Size: 6-12 people | Duration: 30 minutes | Difficulty: Hard
Present a workplace dilemma. A client asks you to fudge data slightly. If you refuse, you lose the account, which impacts team bonuses. The responses reveal risk tolerance, ethical boundaries, and creative solutions. Practice before pressure matters.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Present a realistic scenario
- Allow individual responses first
- Share reasoning and discuss alternatives
- Seek common ground and note value differences
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: Practice before pressure. Values in action. Trust through transparency. Team ethics emerge. Policy gaps identified.
25. Innovation Brainstorming Relay
Group Size: 10-30 people | Duration: 30 minutes | Difficulty: Medium
Solve real company problems in rounds. "Improve remote onboarding." First person: "Welcome video from team." Next: "Personalized by manager." Next: "Include fun facts about each member." Building beats criticizing. 47 ideas emerge from 15 people.
Step-by-step instructions:
- State the problem clearly and set 30-second turns
- Each person builds on the previous
- No criticism allowed
- Continue full round and compile all ideas
Platform Recommendations: Slack and Microsoft Teams
Why It Works: Building beats criticizing. Speed prevents overthinking. Everyone contributes equally. Real problems get solved. Implementation actually happens.
The Bottom Line
Your team doesn't need another Zoom happy hour, but they sure need a connection that fits between meetings, works across time zones, and that feels fun instead of forced.
These 25 texting games work because they meet people where they are, with very few adjustments needed. They can be on their phones, with only five minutes to spare, wanting to connect without video call performance. Start with one game. Pick something easy and let voluntary participation drive adoption.
The main advantage? You can start right now. Copy the Two Truths and a Lie instructions and paste them into Slack. See what happens, it might surprise you!
Ready to take team building further? At TeamOut, with a track record of organizing over 1,000 corporate retreats and team-building events, we know these texting games are perfect for any remote team.
In the meantime, when you're ready to bring everyone together in person, let TeamOut handle the logistics while you focus on connection. Schedule a free call with us today and learn why teams that play together, whether through screens or in person, stay together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should we play texting games teams enjoy without burnout?
Once per week hits the sweet spot. Enough to build momentum, but not enough to annoy. At TeamOut, we've seen teams sustain weekly games for years. Daily games die in two weeks, and monthly games lose momentum. The exceptions are quick daily games like "This or That" during rough patches.
What if team members don't participate?
Never force it. Some people connect differently. Track who engages and who doesn't, but don't weaponize it. Often, non-participants lurk and enjoy without engaging. If participation drops below 30%, switch games, not people.
Are these games appropriate for professional settings?
Law firms run emoji stories. Investment banks play Two Truths. We've facilitated games for Fortune 500 boards. Professional doesn't mean boring. Match game intensity to company culture.
How do we handle different time zones?
Asynchronous games are your friend. Set 24-hour response windows. Rotate synchronous game times. Create regional sub-groups for live games. Document everything so Asia enjoys Europe's acronym interpretations.
What's the ideal team size for these games?
5-15 people for most games. Under 5 feels forced. Over 15 gets chaotic unless you have stellar facilitation. For larger teams, create pods. Combine departments for cross-pollination. Reunite monthly for all-hands games.
Can these games replace in-person team building?
The short answer? No. "Different tools for different jobs". Texting games maintain a connection between retreats, but they're appetizers, not the main course. For teams that'll never meet in person, these games are your lifeline. We've seen fully remote teams build stronger cultures than co-located ones using these tools.
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