Board Games for Remote Teams: How to Run a Virtual Game Night That Actually Works
The post-pandemic world gave us flexible work. It also gave us the challenge of keeping distributed teams connected. Here's how games can help and how to do it without it turning into a logistical nightmare.
Remote and hybrid teams face a specific problem: the casual connection that happens naturally in an office; the coffee run, the overheard conversation, the lunch table chat, doesn't exist. Without it, teams can become highly functional professionally while feeling oddly disconnected personally.
Virtual team events were often the first solution companies reached for, with mixed results. But the format has matured considerably. With the right approach, a virtual game session can be genuinely fun and surprisingly connective. Here's how.
Why games work particularly well for remote teams
Most virtual team events fail for one of two reasons: they're too passive (everyone watches something together but doesn't really interact) or they're too structured (it feels like a meeting with a game show overlay).
Board games and game-adjacent experiences like virtual escape rooms thread this needle well because:
They require active participation. You can't zone out and stare at your phone when it's your turn to play. The game keeps pulling people back in
They create natural conversation hooks. Instead of "how is everyone doing?" on a loop, you have genuine things to react to, debate, celebrate, and laugh about as they happen.
They scale well to different group sizes. A 4 person team can play a cooperative game together. A 20 person team can split into groups and run a mini-tournament. The format adapts.
They work across time zones. A one-hour game session is easier to schedule than a three-hour offsite. For distributed global teams, that flexibility matters.
What platform should you use?
The good news: you don't need anything beyond whatever video conferencing tool your team already uses. Zoom, Teams, Google Meet they all work fine.
A few tips on the setup:
Use gallery view. Seeing faces matters. Speaker view focuses on whoever's talking, which creates a broadcast feeling. Gallery view keeps everyone visible and makes the session feel more like a group experience.
Encourage cameras on. Don't mandate it, but frame it positively. "It's more fun if we can see your reactions" works better than making it a rule.
Sort audio before you start. Ask everyone to join 5 minutes early to test audio. Nothing derails a game session like spending the first 15 minutes troubleshooting someone's microphone.
Consider a virtual whiteboard for scoring. A shared Google Doc or simple whiteboard app (Miro, Jamboard) works well for keeping score and adding a visual anchor to the session.
The best types of games for virtual play
Not all board games translate well to a video call. The ones that work best tend to share a few qualities: low physical components, high verbal interaction, and rules that can be explained in under three minutes.
Here are the formats that consistently work:
Word and communication games: Games like Codenames or Wavelength are built around conversation and interpretation which is perfect for video calls. Teams talk through their reasoning, debate, and often end up learning something surprising about how their colleagues think.
Trivia and knowledge games: Custom trivia rounds tailored to your team (inside jokes, company history, industry knowledge) work brilliantly and can be run by a host with just a presentation slide.
Deduction and social games: Simpler versions of social deduction games can work well in a video call context, especially with a skilled host managing the flow.
Escape room experiences: Designed specifically for virtual play, these work by sharing screen or using a dedicated platform. A good host walks the team through a scenario, interacts with them in character, and manages the pacing. Most escape rooms work best for 4-6 players as above that number it often leads to some players being ‘left behind’. An option to remove this risk is to have larger teams broken into smaller groups - all have to run the same escape room at a suitable time for them with a competitive element of who can beat it quickest! This can also be beneficial for large teams with different availabilities.
The format: what a good virtual game session looks like
Opening (5 minutes): Quick check-in, brief housekeeping. The host explains what to expect and sets a warm, low-pressure tone. Crucially, they make it clear that no prior game experience is needed.
Main session (40–50 minutes): One or two games, depending on length. The host manages rules explanations, keeps energy up, and makes sure quieter team members are included naturally rather than called on uncomfortably.
Close (5 minutes): Debrief or decompression. What surprised people? What was the best moment? This is where a skilled host can draw a brief thread between the game and how the team works together done lightly, this lands well. Done heavily, it feels like a lecture.
Total: one hour. This respects everyone's time, and leaves people energised rather than drained.
Common mistakes to avoid
Choosing a game that's too complex. If you spend 30 minutes explaining rules, you've used up your engagement budget before the game even starts. Accessible beats impressive.
Not having a host. Asking a team member to facilitate puts them in an uncomfortable position and removes them from being a genuine participant. A professional host changes the dynamic completely.
Treating it like a meeting. If it starts with a status update or a work agenda item, you've already lost the psychological shift you were trying to create.
Making it too long. Ninety minutes is the outer limit for most virtual sessions. One hour is usually the sweet spot.
Run a virtual session with The Travelling Game Café
Our online escape room experiences are designed specifically for remote and hybrid teams — no specialist platforms needed, just your usual video call. Sessions start from $200 for four people and scale from there.
For larger remote teams, we can also host virtual game sessions tailored to your group size and goals.
Get in touch to plan your virtual event →