Key Takeaways

Employees love a workplace that encourages fun, openness and genuine connections.

Break the ice to bridge the distance and create an inclusive work culture.

Icebreakers help you hit the much-needed pause button and step away from tedious tasks, deadlines and work pressure.

If you’re thinking about building a virtual team, you’ll need to figure out how to help your employees connect with each other better.

One of the challenges virtual teams face is that they may feel distant and disconnected due to the remote nature of their work. Since they don’t physically interact, it’s important to break initial barriers among them and help them to know each other better.

This is where engaging icebreakers can help!

Think of them as tiny tools with a big purpose: helping your team open up, build connections and feel like they belong!

So onboard your virtual team members and virtual assistants, use our recommended virtual team icebreaker ideas and get started to smash the ice!

What Are Icebreakers for Virtual Teams?

Icebreakers are fun, interactive games and activities that can help build rapport and strong connections among team members.

Activities like one-minute introductions, trivia quizzes, virtual charades or virtual escape rooms will encourage active participation, increase comfort, improve communication and strengthen group dynamics.

You can tailor these icebreakers to suit the virtual setting of your virtual team easily.

Comfort breeds confidence and communication fuels teamwork. So break the ice with unique games and get ready for a more collaborative virtual team!

Which Are the Best Virtual Icebreaker Ideas for Teams?

Our icebreaker menu involves questions, activities and games you can use to melt the awkwardness and unite your team.

Depending on what stage of team building you’re in, you can pick your favorite icebreakers and press play for fun!

Menu	Jumpstart	No-Rush Round	Deep Dive
Starters (The One With the First Smash)	– Guess my city – The favorites – This or that? – Trivia quiz – Any new hobbies? – Use a GIF/ emoticon – Rose, thorn and bud	– Describe your mood – One-minute introduction – Share your workspace pic – Draw the picture – Highlight of the month – Who is the baby?	– Guess the song – Virtual pictionary – Illogical debate – Can you hear me now? – Word association game – Codenames – Typing speed race
Main Course (The One Where the Ice Has Cracked)	– The best advice ever – Two truths and a lie – Problem swap – Whose story is it? – Fast five – Would you rather? – Guess whose desk	– 5-minute breakout rooms – Three snaps – Virtual bingo – Personality quiz – Rank your favorite – Productivity hack exchange – Language learning blast	– Virtual scavenger hunt – Virtual escape room – Virtual charades – Movie lines games – Among us – Overcooked – Mafia
Desserts (The One Where the Ice Has Shattered)	– Random question of the week – Improvement suggestion – Next skill wish	– Who’s most likely to? – Coffee time – Shoutouts – The gratitude attitude	– Defining moments – Complete the lyrics – ‘Together mode’ guess who?

Starters

The ‘Starters’ stage is the simplest yet most engaging way to break the ice among virtual team members.

In this stage, your virtual team members aren’t too familiar with each other. So these games and activities are a great starting point for initial meetings to encourage team members to share a little about themselves.

A useful tip is that you can use question generators for icebreakers that need new, interesting questions.

With a mix of mini, mid-length and longer icebreakers, here are some examples to help you kick off conversations!

1. Guess My City

This game is a quick way to spark curiosity and engage your virtual team!

Each team member shares two or three clues about the city they are from and the others have to guess the city correctly. They can mention popular attractions, famous food or any unique aspect of the city.

Here’s a quick example:

Clues:

• This city has the second-largest library system in the USA.
• The first pizzeria in the United States was opened here in 1895.
• It’s known as “The City That Never Sleeps.”
• It’s home to Times Square and Central Park.

Answer: New York City, New York

2. The Favorites

This icebreaker is all about asking team members about their personal preferences and learning more about each other. It’s a low-pressure, easygoing game that fosters interesting discussions!

You can ask each team member about their favorite color, food, song, book, movie, ice cream flavor, holiday tradition or tailor specific questions to your group.

3. This or That?

This activity reveals your team members’ preferences between two options and encourages conversation. You can ask for a preference between two options, such as “Tea or Coffee?”, “Summer or Winter”, “Pizzas or Sandwiches” or “Morning person or Night owl?” and each member has to choose their favorite.

4. Trivia Quiz

Think of this as a mini game show! You can break your virtual team into small groups and conduct quick rounds of themed or random trivia questions (pop culture, history, fun facts, etc).

Beyond the ‘aha!’ moments, this activity will boost focus, spark friendly competition and strengthen team bonding. Get to know who’s a secret expert on what and create a relaxed environment!

5. Any New Hobbies?

Ask your team members one simple question and give endless chances to connect! Pose this question: “Have you tried any new hobbies lately?”

Whether it’s crocheting a scarf, baking sourdough, playing Dungeons & Dragons or gardening, this activity will reveal niche hobbies, bring out hidden talents, help discover shared interests and invite everyone to share something beyond their work!

6. Use a GIF/ Emoticon

Make the best use of your virtual setting and get your virtual team to express visually.

Many virtual tools allow you to share emoticons and GIFs. So ask your team to answer basic questions like “How was your weekend?” or “Describe today” using emoticons or GIFs. Your chats will liven up with facepalms, sleepy emojis or the Stitch eye stretch GIF.

This exercise helps with mood check-ins, quick laughs and creative breaks.

7. Rose, Thorn and Bud

In this reflective exercise, each team member must share a positive win (a rose), a challenge or a pain point (a thorn) and something they’re looking forward to (a bud) from their day or week.

With this mini check-in activity, you make people feel heard and allow space for both highs and lows. This will help everyone open up, connect with others and offer fresh perspectives.

8. Describe Your Mood

In this imaginative activity, each virtual team member has to describe their mood for the day. But here’s the twist—they must express it using the chosen theme!

You can choose any theme, from weather and animals to colors and emojis!

For example, if the chosen theme is color, they could say, “I’m feeling as bright and energetic as the yellow color” or “My mood is as dull as the grey color.”

Replace the usual “How are you?” with wholesome mood check-ins and invite your team members to be as creative as they wish!

9. One-Minute Introduction

This activity is as straightforward as its name, where each team member must give a short introduction of themselves in under a minute.

They can share their names, the places they’re from, key skills, favorite hobbies and fun facts.

This icebreaker will ensure brevity and help everyone express themselves without getting too boring.

10. Share Your Workspace Pic

Similar to the “Guess Whose Desk” icebreaker, in this activity, everyone shares a picture of their workspace.

From professional desk setups to cozy couch corners, from tangled cables to tiny indoor plants, dive into each other’s work-from-home worlds and connect over little moments!

11. Draw the Picture

When words feel boring, let the pictures do the talking!

Give your virtual team members prompts like “your mood right now”, “your dream weekend plan” or “favorite childhood memory” and ask them to sketch it.

They can use paper or an online whiteboard tool to draw and express their creativity. From quirky doodles to quick scribbles, from stick figures to masterpieces—all drawings are welcome!

Once everyone’s done, they can share their drawings via camera, screenshare options or common file upload and have a good time laughing and connecting over art!

12. Highlight of the Month

In this uncomplicated yet uplifting icebreaker, ask each team member to share a personal or professional highlight from the past month. They could talk about a fun trip or a proud work achievement, giving them the spotlight.

Together, you can track work-related progress, celebrate small and big wins and appreciate individual growth.

This activity will help you recognize everyone’s contributions and accomplishments, boost team morale and create a positive workspace!

13. Who Is the Baby?

Remember the “Baby Shower” episode from The Office (U.S.) where the employees must guess which baby photo belongs to whom?

Try that activity with your virtual team, where everyone shares a childhood picture beforehand and has to guess who’s who as the pics are shown one by one!

Among wild guesses, endless giggles and a whole lot of “awws”, share childhood stories and bond on a personal level!

14. Guess the Song

Play the starting hook, a tune or a part of a song and ask your virtual team members to name the song. Bonus points if someone guesses the music artist!

To level up the challenge, you can also play different versions with humming, jumbled lyrics, emojis or instrumental versions.

Let everyone channel their inner musician and break the ice with a dose of joy!

15. Virtual Pictionary

Split your virtual team into groups in this virtual drawing game. One person is given a random word or phrase via private chat or a Pictionary generator.

They must draw it out on a digital whiteboard or online drawing tools while their group members shout out or type their guesses!

The goal is to guess the word before they run out of a set time limit (usually one minute to keep the energy high)!

Boost creativity and competitive spirit in your team and break the ice effortlessly.

16. Illogical Debate

Throw the logic out the window and watch everything turn into a madhouse in this hilariously chaotic icebreaker!

Your virtual team members must debate on the most ridiculous topics like:

• The superiority of cats over dogs.
• Should socks always match?
• Should Mondays be cancelled forever?
• Are spoons winning in a battle against forks?

Loosen up your meetings, reveal everyone’s silly sides and let everyone defend nonsensical things as if their lives depend on it!

17. Can You Hear Me Now?

Challenge your virtual team’s listening skills with this engaging game. Share a simple image with only one person from your team and ask them to describe it without any gestures or saying what it actually is.

The others have to listen carefully, follow all step-by-step instructions and draw the image as best as they can.

Reveal the image after the set time limit and break the ice with laughter!

18. Word Association Game

In this fast-paced, simple game, every team member says the first word that comes to their mind after listening to the previous word.

For example, you can start with a random word like “sky” to which someone can immediately respond with “clouds” and so the game continues with the next person building off the previous word.

You can set a time limit (like 5 seconds) to make the game more snappy and eliminate members who take too long to answer.

It’s a great icebreaker to warm up and charge your brain for the rest of the day!

19. Codenames

Encourage teamwork and careful deduction in this virtual version of a popular party board game called Codenames. Players must guess specific words on their respective teams’ boards, guided by one-word clues from their teammates. Here’s how you play:

1. Divide your team into two groups.
2. Share a grid of 16–25 random words with everyone.
3. Each team picks a Spymaster who gives a one-word clue and a number hinting at how many words relate to that specific clue.
4. The team must discuss and pick the right words without calling out the words from the opposite team’s grid.
5. They must also avoid the “assassin word”, which, if called out, ends the game instantly.
6. The team that calls out the most words wins the game!

20. Typing Speed Race

Let your virtual team compete to see who types the fastest and with the fewest mistakes!

Choose a typing paragraph, share it with your participants and ask them to type the prompt into the chat box or a typing practice website.

Watch all fingers race and keyboards click to win the badge of the fastest typist!

Main Course

Teamwork is more than just working on spreadsheets and PowerPoints. It’s about sharing trust, energy and ambition!

So nudge your virtual team members from being coworkers to collaborators using fun team-building activities in this ‘Main Course’ stage! They’ll help you build morale and team camaraderie in no time.

And here’s a small tip—keeping them short and sweet spares the boredom, helps people stay engaged and keeps them excited for the next one!

21. The Best Advice Ever

Ask each participant, “What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?” Allow some moments of reflection and open up the meeting for discussions and conversations.

This question inspires each team member to share personal learnings and everyone leaves the meeting with something insightful.

22. Two Truths and a Lie

In this hilarious, classic game, each team member must share three statements about themselves—two truths and one sneaky lie—and the others must debate and catch the lie.

Use this light icebreaker to add humor in the meeting, create a playful atmosphere, encourage storytelling and help your virtual team interact better!

23. Problem Swap

Want to build quick connections effortlessly? Play the problem swap game and see it happen!

Divide your virtual group into pairs and ask each person to share a problem with their partner. Each person will get patient ears to feel heard, receive unbiased but constructive feedback and listen to new solutions and approaches.

24. Whose Story Is It?

Let each team member send you a personal story privately through chat or Google Forms. It can be any story—a funny incident, a scary experience or a surprising anecdote.

You’ll have to share your screen or read out each story without giving away the person it belongs to and others have to guess who wrote it.

It’s an exciting game to know more about each other and amuse yourself after a long workweek.

25. Fast Five

In this rapid round of quick, easy-to-answer questions, each team member must answer five questions on the spot without overthinking.

Here are some examples:

• Go-to karaoke song?
• Dream travel spot?
• Pizza topping you hate?
• Favorite cartoon growing up?
• Superpower you’d pick?

Kick-start your meetings light-heartedly and help your virtual team connect faster!

26. Would You Rather?

Pose two quirky or challenging options in this icebreaker called “Would You Rather?”

You can ask funny questions like “Would you rather have an itchy nose you can’t scratch or a pebble in your shoe you can’t remove?”

Or work-related questions like “Would you rather always have typos in your emails or always send them late?”

Or intriguing ones like “Would you rather communicate telepathically or know every single language on the planet?”

Keep up the energy and playful atmosphere at your virtual workplace!

27. Guess Whose Desk

In this straightforward guessing game, each team member clicks a snapshot of their desk or workspace with unique stationery, computer devices, coffee mug and so on.

You’ll share each snapshot during the virtual meeting and everyone will guess who the desk belongs to.

This game will help everyone notice interesting details about each other, feel closer and build connections in a fun way!

28. 5-Minute Breakout Rooms

Split your large virtual team into smaller groups using the breakout room function in your virtual meeting tool. For the next five minutes, each group gets the chance to catch up, casually chat, discuss common interests or share something fun.

No rules, no agenda, no judgment—use this icebreaker to give your team members a space to reset!

29. Three Snaps

Ask your virtual team to share three photos each that tell a story. These meaningful snaps can be family snaps, pet pictures, recent selfies, nature clicks or anything that gives a peek into their world.

It’s a low-effort activity that gives you a glimpse into each other’s lives in seconds.

30. Virtual Bingo

A bingo grid and chaotic interactions—that’s all you need for this activity!

Create a bingo grid filled with personal, creative or quirky prompts like:

• Plays a cello.
• Is left-handed.
• Celebrates a festival you don’t.
• Has lived in another country.
• Speaks more than three languages.

Share this common bingo card with everyone and assign them breakout rooms that change every few minutes. Let your team members talk and find out who fits what bingo square. The first one to fill five squares vertically, horizontally or diagonally, wins!

Try this dynamic activity to discover fun facts, surprising revelations and spark informal chats in virtual settings!

31. Personality Quiz

Ask your virtual team members to take random, funny personality quizzes through online quiz makers like Buzzfeed.

They could take quizzes like “What is your spirit animal?”, “What kind of teammate are you?” or “Which fictional character do you resemble the most?”

Discover each other’s strengths, learn quirks and have fun without putting anyone on the spot!

32. Rank Your Favorite

Run a popularity contest by creating “rank order” polls that allow your virtual team members to rank items in the list. You can use these prompts:

• Rank these Taylor Swift songs from your most favorite to least favorite.
• Rank these sitcoms from comfort-watch to passable.
• Rank these animated movies from most iconic to overrated.

After the vote, you can share the results and open the floor to interesting debates and discussions!

33. Productivity Hack Exchange

Let each virtual team member take the centre stage and share what productivity tools and hacks help them get through their workday.

They can share focus tips, organization ideas and time-management techniques to improve efficiency.

With this icebreaker, you’ll create a space to swap practical ideas and get mutual support.

34. Language Learning Blast

Ask your virtual team member to teach new words or phrases from a language they speak or are learning. They could teach greetings, compliments, funny words or poetic expressions.

For global virtual teams, it’s a fast icebreaker that celebrates linguistic and cultural diversity and promotes an inclusive environment.

35. Virtual Scavenger Hunt

You’ve likely played the good old scavenger hunt. Why not mold it to your virtual setting and create a super fun icebreaker?

Assign fun tasks like “grab a snack” or “fetch something pink” and watch them race around their houses trying to complete the tasks. Remember to give bonus points for speed and creativity!

Get people moving, laughing and bonding in this chaotic team-building game.

36. Virtual Escape Room

No keys, no four walls, no panic rooms—just brains, teamwork and a ticking clock in this virtual escape room game!

Give exciting puzzles, riddles and challenges to your virtual team and let them scratch their brain to work out those clues together.

You can present a fictional scenario where your team must escape a haunted castle or rescue a stolen artifact.

The setting is virtual but the pressure is real! With communication and creative problem-solving skills, watch your team decode clues, crack passwords and “escape” the situation before time runs out!

37. Virtual Charades

Play classic charades where each virtual team member acts out given words or phrases and others guess them. No speaking, mouthing or sounds allowed—only over-the-top miming and theatrical gestures count!

You can even tailor the game to movie or song charades or choose specific themes.

Get people out of their shells and have a dramatic day with this icebreaker!

38. Movie Lines Games

Read out lines or monologues from iconic movies and let your virtual team members guess the movie in this exciting icebreaker game.

You could add your own fun variations, like using a dramatic voice while reciting or reading lines from niche movies.

Play this pop culture game and get your team to bond over beloved films and characters.

39. Among Us

Give this popular game of misdirection a virtual twist where your virtual team members must catch the “Impostor” among them.

You can use the free mobile game app for up to 10 people. In this game, a secretly assigned impostor sabotages your spaceship and kills other members before they’re caught!

40. Overcooked

Smaller virtual teams can play this cooking simulation game, where team members work together in a chaotic kitchen to prepare and serve food while facing different hurdles.

Assign roles like chopping, cooking, plating and washing and let your team coordinate to send out orders on time!

41. Mafia

For this classic party game, secretly assign your team members roles as either Mafia or Villagers. The Mafias must eliminate all the Villagers before getting caught, while the Villagers must identify the Mafias before it’s too late.

To play this game virtually, the Mafias pick someone to eliminate via a private chat to the host. The host announces who was eliminated and then begins the game of discussions, suspicions and voting to eliminate one player who everyone thinks is a Mafia.

Repeat rounds until either the Mafias are caught or they outnumber the Villagers.

From fun accusations to creative storytelling, this team-building game will definitely do the trick!

Desserts

In this ‘Desserts’ stage, take some time out of your busy schedules and back-to-back meetings with these interesting icebreaker games and recharge for your work week!

42. Random Question of the Week

As the name suggests, ask a random question weekly on your virtual chat or meeting and motivate everyone to share personal stories or insights.

Here are some prompts you can use:

• What’s one thing you’re looking forward to the most this weekend?
• Any movie recommendations for the holiday season?
• What was the best part of your work last week?
• If you could read only one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
• Is the glass half empty or half full?

With interesting and personal answers coming up, your virtual team members will be better acquainted with each other.

43. Improvement Suggestion

In this insightful virtual team icebreaker, each member shares one tweak or change they’d like to make to their work or meetings.

These improvement suggestions can help people collaborate better, improve efficiency or simply make your workplace more lively. For example, someone could suggest:

• Can we start Mondays with a quick coffee chat for ten minutes?
• Can we have a no-call Friday?
• Let’s use more visuals in team updates, like charts, icons or quick doodles.
• Can we reschedule the weekly meetings of the marketing team from Mondays to Tuesdays?
• We should start a company Discord channel!

44. Next Skill Wish

Know what skills your virtual team members aspire to learn with this simple icebreaker question: “What skill do you wish to learn next?”

These skills could be work-related like “improving verbal communication skills,” personal skills like “learning to speak French,” or amusing things like “learning to do the perfect handstand.”

Get a sneak peek at each other’s future goals, hobbies and hidden interests, find overlapping passions or get inspired to try new things!

45. Who’s Most Likely To

Read out prompts like “Who’s most likely to own five planners?”, “Who’s most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse?” or “Who’s most likely to go skydiving?”

Ask your virtual team members to vote and explain their choices. Use this icebreaker question as a great conversation starter!

46. Coffee Time

Missing the spontaneous watercooler chats that happen in an in-person office? Why not take a virtual coffee break instead?

You can have informal conversations with your virtual team members about their weekend plans, shows they’re binge-watching or new recipes they’re trying out.

Start your meeting with a calm vibe and help your teammates feel less isolated with a quick chat over a cup of coffee (or tea)!

47. Shoutouts

In this heartwarming icebreaker, encourage your virtual team members to give shoutouts to someone on the team and uplift the mood of the meeting!

It could be a small compliment, something funny or any thoughtful shoutout.

Create a culture of peer-to-peer recognition, boost confidence and watch team bonds thrive!

48. The Gratitude Attitude

Invite your team members to express what they’re thankful for by answering: “What’s the one thing you’re grateful for today?”

It could be something work-related, like “I’m grateful for my team’s patience this week.” Or something personal like “I’m grateful for my good health.” Or something silly like “I’m grateful for strong coffee that keeps me going throughout the week!”

This icebreaker will shift everyone’s mindset to something positive and lift their moods!

49. Defining Moments

Ask your virtual team members to talk about the defining moments from their lives that shaped them into who they are. Active leadership means caring about your team’s wellbeing and showing support in their highs and lows.

As they take turns sharing about personal milestones, professional journeys, childhood memories or tough challenges, watch your team bond on a personal, deeper level.

50. Complete the Lyrics

As the name of the game goes, select a few lines from well-known songs and ask your team members to complete the lyrics.

Jam to your favorite songs in this icebreaker game that’s sure to lift your mood!

51. ‘Together Mode’ Guess Who?

Play this game using Microsoft Teams’ Together Mode. After enabling this mode, all your virtual team members will appear in the same virtual space (a conference hall or office).

Select a team member who’ll be the “secret person” others must guess. Let team members ask “yes or no” questions like “Does this person wear glasses?” or “Does this person have long hair?”

As players get eliminated based on their responses, they turn off their videos until the “secret person” is revealed.

Use this game to beat the meeting fatigue and have a great bonding session!

Why Should You Break the Ice in Virtual Team Meetings?

Virtual team building is important to see better collaboration and morale among your team members. Breaking the ice is the first step to bridging the distance and creating an inclusive work culture.

Here are the top reasons why you should break the ice in virtual team meetings.

Makes Employees Feel Welcome

What better way to start a work journey than a workplace that encourages fun, openness and genuine connections?

Icebreakers are the perfect solution for a warm welcome to your virtual team. With fun games and activities, you can replace the initial awkwardness, hesitation and distance with curiosity and leave a positive first impression!

Creates Psychological Safety

Your employees must be able to speak up, ask questions, give feedback and feel seen. A workplace that offers this safe space is the best place to thrive.

Icebreakers create a relaxed atmosphere, allowing your virtual team members to voice out their ideas confidently, embrace their real personalities and not fear judgment or embarrassment.

In a psychologically safe virtual environment, your team members will be their most productive and creative selves!

Builds an Inclusive Environment

Icebreakers are a fun way to close the distance among your team members and create an inclusive environment. Every member is welcome to participate and feel seen, regardless of their role, location or background.

There are no linguistic or cultural barriers and everyone is encouraged to celebrate differences. Using games and activities where everyone can participate, you help create a sense of belonging and make everyone feel a part of the group effortlessly!

Provides Space To De-Stress

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is true for any workplace that never takes a break from its routine.

Icebreakers help you hit the much-needed pause button and step away from tedious tasks, deadlines and work pressure.

So lighten up your workplace by playing fun games with your virtual coworkers, reduce work stress and return to your work feeling re-energized!

Creates Fun Experiences and Memories

Your work takes up a huge chunk of your time, so you must make it memorable! Don’t let the virtual nature of your work feel impersonal and boring.

Whether it’s virtual pictionary, virtual scavenger hunts or virtual bingo, an icebreaker injects fun, laughter and joy into your workday.

Use them as mood boosters, turning dull virtual meetings into fun experiences your virtual team remembers for life!

Fosters Collaboration

The key goal of icebreakers is to help you improve teamwork and collaboration within your virtual team. Icebreakers get people talking, interacting beyond formalities and knowing each other better.

As your team shares, connects and communicates more freely, you’ll notice it’s easier for them to build trust and comfort.

Get a high-performance virtual team that shares a willingness to work together, innovate and succeed!

Which Tools Can You Use for Virtual Team Icebreakers?

Here are the essential tools you’ll need to connect with your coworkers virtually and lead virtual icebreaker exercises.

Video Conferencing Tools

You can use virtual meeting tools to host icebreaker activities and games. Many come with breakout room options and in-built chats. Here are some top video conferencing tools for you:

• Zoom
• Google Meet
• Microsoft Teams

Remote Whiteboard Tools

Virtual whiteboard tools aren’t just for brainstorming—they’re also great for icebreakers! For visual activities and doodling games, you can use:

• Miro
• LucidSpark
• Mural

Game Tools

Use these fun tools for game sessions and interactive icebreakers:

• Random Word Generator (for pictionary words)
• Parabol (for random icebreaker questions)
• Buzzfeed (for quizzes and trivia games).

Wrapping Up

In the debate between virtual teams and traditional teams, many think it’s easier to collaborate in traditional, in-person work settings.

But you can break the myth by using clever techniques to manage your virtual teams.

And if you want to run the most effective virtual teams, hire through Zenius! With us, you can build a cost-effective team without the hiring hassle.

Build your virtual team with Zenius!