Office Christmas Party Games: 8 Ways to Play, Matched to Group Size, Room and Comfort Level
For Christmas party games at work, choose by headcount first. Up to 20 people can play Imposter or Who's most likely to from one phone; above 20, play charades in two teams or put it on the projector so the whole room is in one game. The table below also marks which games single people out.
The eight options at a glance
| Game | Headcount | Room | Screens | Length you set | Workplace comfort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas charades, two teams | Any, in two teams | Space to stand | 1 phone | Turns of 60, 90 or 120 s | Acting is optional: describing in words is allowed |
| Charades on the projector | Any, in two teams | Meeting room or restaurant with a screen | 1 laptop + screen | Same | Nobody holds a phone to their forehead |
| Christmas Imposter | 3–20 named players | Around a table | 1 phone, passed round | Discussion timer off, 1, 2, 3 or 5 min | Everyone speaks one word per round; the vote names suspected imposters, so keep it light |
| Imposter "fishbowl" | A panel of 6–10, the rest watch | Meeting room | 1 phone | Same | Volunteers only on the panel |
| Who's most likely to, Coworkers set | 3–20 named players | Anywhere | 1 phone | 5, 10, 15 or 20 questions | Check the room: everyone points at one person |
| Most likely to, hands-up version | Any | Anywhere | 1 screen or a printed list | As many questions as you read | People raise a hand for themselves; nobody is pointed at |
| Printable Christmas charades cards | Any, in two teams | Anywhere, no screen | None | Set by the host | Same as charades |
| Most likely to on a video call | 3–20 named players | Remote | Host shares one screen | 5, 10, 15 or 20 questions | Players type a name in the chat instead of pointing |
Player limits, timers and question counts in the table are the games' own settings. The comfort column is our judgment of what each format asks of people.
8 people: one table, two games
Eight is enough for Christmas Imposter. Everyone gets the same secret Christmas word except the imposters, who have to bluff. With 8 players the game's Auto setting picks 2 imposters. The Christmas category has 44 words and 10 look-alike pairs for undercover mode. Follow it with Who's most likely to on the Coworkers set, which has 84 questions such as "Who's most likely to bring treats for the whole team?" and "Who's most likely to forget to unmute themselves on a call?".
20 people: the upper limit for one phone
Imposter and Most likely to both take up to 20 named players, so a team of 20 can still play as one group. At 20, Auto gives 4 imposters. Passing the phone round 20 people to deal the cards takes a while, so this works best seated. For a standing crowd, switch to charades in two teams of 10: only the guesser holds the phone, and their team acts out or describes the word. Turns last 60, 90 or 120 seconds, and the game shows a list of correct and passed words at the end of each turn.
?cat=christmas: the 48 Christmas words are preselected. The round length and answer method are set here. Open this game.50 or more: one screen, two teams, or a panel
The three big-room versions are set out step by step in classroom and team icebreaker games: charades on a projector with the laptop's arrow keys, an Imposter "fishbowl" with a volunteer panel, and a hands-up Most likely to read from the question list. What changes at an office party is the room:
- Restaurant or rented room: ask in advance whether you can connect a laptop to their screen. If not, the printed Christmas cards need no screen.
- Two teams of 25 or more: rotate the guesser every turn and let the acting team change every turn too, so people who would rather watch can stay in the audience.
- Time: a 30-minute charades slot holds at most twenty 90-second turns (30 × 60 ÷ 90). Hand-overs and checking the word list mean you will play fewer.
What makes a game safe for work
The games and settings on this page avoid two things: questions about looks, money or relationships, and putting one person on the spot without a way out.
- Tick Coworkers, untick Friends and Family. Friends and Family are ticked by default. The Coworkers questions are about habits at work ("Who's most likely to have a color-coded calendar?"). Leave Couples off.
- Make every turn skippable. In charades a passed word costs nothing. In Most likely to, Tie / skip moves on without naming anyone.
- Let people describe instead of act. Charades works with words too, which helps anyone who does not want to perform.
- Keep names on the device. Player names and scores stay in the browser that runs the game and are not uploaded (see Privacy). Ask before sharing a title board photo that has names on it.
Next steps
- A family gathering instead: Christmas party games for one phone and Christmas games for the whole family.
- No screen at the venue: print the Christmas charades cards.
- Something that gets people out of their seats: Hunt Cards has an office scavenger hunt with a 45-minute run sheet.