12 Virtual Team Building Activities for Remote and Hybrid Teams

Half your team is at home. Half is in the office. Everyone has done the virtual quiz, and nobody wants another.

Good virtual team building activities fix that. They get people talking, laughing and working together without a webinar feel. This guide gives you twelve: four free ideas you can run on any call, and eight you can book. Suppliers are in the UK, the US or fully virtual, and each is labelled.

Want in-person ideas too? See our guide to team building games for work.

What are the best virtual team building activities?

Here are the twelve, starting with four free virtual team building activities. For each, “Fit” tells you the group size, the time and where it runs.

1. Desk object show and tell

Everyone picks one object within arm’s reach and explains why it’s there. It takes minutes to set up. The stories are often better than the objects.

• How it works: Give each person 90 seconds. One person goes first, then picks the next.
• Good for: New teams, and teams who only ever talk about work.
• Fit: Up to about 12 people per call, 20 to 30 minutes, on any video platform.

2. A quiz written by the team

Skip the generic quiz. Let each person write one question about themselves or the company’s history. The answers start conversations.

• How it works: Collect questions in a shared document beforehand. A volunteer hosts, and small groups answer in breakout rooms.
• Good for: Mixed teams across several offices.
• Fit: Any size with breakout rooms, 30 to 45 minutes, on any video platform.

3. Coffee roulette

Pair people at random for a short chat with no agenda. It works well as a monthly habit. It also helps colleagues who never share a room.

• How it works: Draw pairs from a hat or a spreadsheet. Suggest a walk with a phone call, so nobody has to stare at a screen.
• Good for: Large teams where departments rarely meet.
• Fit: Pairs, 15 to 20 minutes, camera optional.

4. Photo scavenger hunt

Post a list of ten prompts, such as “something blue” or “your view right now”. The first to share a photo for each prompt in the group chat wins that round.

• How it works: Set a timer, call out a prompt, and let people scramble. Award silly prizes.
• Good for: Teams who want energy, not talking.
• Fit: Any size, 15 to 20 minutes, using a chat tool.

5. Escape From The Meeting

Escape From The Meeting (virtual, works anywhere) is a 60-minute virtual escape game. Coworkers solve clues over chat to find five excuses to leave a bad meeting. You’ll know the feeling.

• How it works: Teams investigate digital evidence and collaborate over chat, with a host guiding the game.
• Good for: Distributed teams across time zones. There are no cameras, forced introductions or putting anyone on the spot.
• Fit: 60 minutes, fully online.

6. Discover Live

Discover Live (virtual, works anywhere) runs live-streamed tours of cities with a local guide. The tours are live, not recorded, and the guide responds to your team’s questions in real time.

• How it works: Your team joins from any device. The Private Group Tour offers 200+ destinations, with the length set to suit you.
• Good for: Global teams, and anyone who has “done the trivia and the escape rooms”. Closed captioning is available.
• Fit: Up to 2 hours, online.

7. Moonstone Murders (virtual murder mystery)

Moonstone Murders (Leeds, London, Manchester, Europe and global, with a virtual option) offers a Virtual Murder Mystery. An Inspector presents four suspects on video and your team questions them to find the guilty party.

• How it works: Professional comedy improvisers play the suspects. Your team acts as detectives.
• Good for: Teams who don’t know each other well and need an icebreaker.
• Fit: The game works for groups from 8 up to 120. It runs up to 2 hours, on video.

8. Create Your Team Theme Song

Create Your Team Theme Song (US, with a virtual option) is a songwriting session with an award-winning songwriter. Your team writes original lyrics and leaves with a recording.

• How it works: The songwriter guides you step by step as people brainstorm ideas. No musical experience is required.
• Good for: Remote or hybrid teams that need one hour to reconnect, including quieter team members.
• Fit: 13 to 30 people, up to 2 hours, virtual available.

9. couch + cork

couch + cork (virtual, works anywhere) runs interactive virtual wine and cocktail tastings, creative workshops and trivia. It’s one of the more relaxed online team building activities on this list.

• How it works: In the Virtual Wine Tasting, a wine educator hosts a live tasting and teaches how to read labels and store wine. Wine is shipped to guests. A certified educator also leads a live Virtual Mixology Class.
• Good for: Teams that want to connect without another meeting. The sessions use low-pressure ways to join in.
• Fit: Online. Ask the supplier about group size and timing.

10. The Breathing Room

The Breathing Room (Cardiff and London, with a virtual option) runs science-backed breathwork sessions. The Virtual Breathwork Session is built for distributed teams, with groups of 350 or more.

• How it works: A facilitator leads the group online through breathwork techniques to shift mindset and boost energy.
• Good for: Busy teams who need to feel calm, focused and energised.
• Fit: Groups of 350 or more online, up to 2 hours.

11. Eden Fay

Eden Fay (UK, with a virtual option) leads mindful art and craft sessions. Virtual options include Doodle Meditation, Paper Weaving, and Craft Kits with a Virtual Workshop for a relaxed festive celebration.

• How it works: You work directly with Eden, an artist and certified mindfulness teacher. The focus is on slowing down, “not on how the finished piece looks”.
• Good for: Teams focused on wellbeing, and anyone who wants some chilled out bonding.
• Fit: 13 to 30 people, up to 2 hours, online.

12. human room

human room (US, with a virtual option) runs facilitated conversation for remote and hybrid teams. The founder is a certified coach and EQ facilitator.

• How it works: The Virtual team session is a structured, safe conversation built around your goals. The listing says: “not games, so everyone can take part”.
• Good for: Teams moving fast and stretched thin, who are starting to lose connection.
• Fit: Up to 2 hours, online.

Our top three picks

Of the eight bookable virtual team building activities, these three stand out.

• Best for mixed time zones and no cameras: Escape From The Meeting. It’s hosted for you and nobody is put on the spot.
• Best for something nobody has seen: Discover Live. A live local guide beats another quiz.
• Best icebreaker for a new team: Moonstone Murders. A mystery gives strangers something to argue about.

How to make virtual team building activities work for hybrid teams

Hybrid teams are the hard case. The rule is simple: everyone joins through the same online structure. Don’t run a room-first event with remote people watching. That is where most virtual team building activities go wrong.

A few habits help every session:

• Give people optional ways to take part, such as chat, breakout rooms or camera off.
• Write a clear run-sheet, and name a host who manages the room.
• Pick something to do with hands, such as a posted kit or a drink.

Timing matters too. In a YouGov poll for Acas of 1,052 employees in Great Britain, 31% said they dislike team-building activities, the most disliked of those listed. Acas recommends running activities in working hours. That’s good advice for online team building activities too.

Accessibility counts as well. Our piece on why engagement programmes fail on accessibility is worth a read. For the wider picture, see remote work trends in 2026.

Want more options? Browse the Something Different directory, our connection and conversation experiences, games and challenges and wellbeing and recovery sessions.

What should I ask before booking virtual team building activities?

Ask these before you pay:

• What is the group size limit?
• Which platform does it use: Zoom, Teams or a browser?
• Is a host included?
• Are cameras required?
• Do kits need posting, and what is the cut-off date?
• Are captions available?
• Which time zones can the host cover?
• What does the price include?

FAQ

How long should virtual team building activities last?

Many bookable sessions here run up to 2 hours, so check the length first. Short sessions are easier to fit into working hours.

Are virtual team building activities worth it?

They can be, if people get to interact rather than watch. Choose sessions with a host and optional ways to join in. Then ask the team what they thought.

What are good free online team building activities?

Desk object show and tell, a team-written quiz, coffee roulette and a photo scavenger hunt are free virtual team building activities. They need only a video call and a shared chat.

How do I include people who dislike team building?

Offer a choice of activities and keep cameras optional. Run them in working hours. Games with no put-on-the-spot moments, like a chat-based escape game, help shy colleagues.

The bottom line

The best virtual team building activities give everyone a way in. Start with a free one this week. Then book a host for the big moments. Browse the Something Different directory to find a supplier.

Photos supplied by Create Your Team Theme Song (top), Escape From The Meeting and couch + cork.