Fun Brain Teaser Games for Virtual Team Building

Virtual team building can be tricky to organize, especially when members of the team are scattered across different locations. While there’s no substitute for face-to-face interaction, there are still plenty of ways to keep your team connected and engaged.

For instance, fun brain teaser games are an excellent way to bring virtual teams together and keep their minds stimulated.

Here are some great brain teaser games for virtual team building that you can try.

1. Team Crossword Puzzles

Crosswords are one of the classic brain teaser games, and they’re a great way to encourage collaboration and problem-solving among team members. You can set up a virtual crossword puzzle game where each team member has to fill in a piece of the puzzle. In the end, the team can check the answers together and compare their results.

Preparation: Choose a platform that allows collaborative puzzle solving (e.g., PuzzleMe) and share the link with participants.

How to Play: Teammates discuss the clues in a video call, entering answers together until the crossword is complete.

2. Spot The Difference

Spot the difference games are fun, visual brain teaser games that can be played in a virtual setting. Assign one member of the team to be the designer, who will design two pictures with slight differences. Then, the other team members have to spot the differences as quickly as possible.

Preparation: Remind everyone to keep three small items nearby that they can adjust and prepare a timer to keep the round brief.

How to Play: Participants switch off video, make their changes, then come back on camera. Others guess the alterations, and the first to spot all changes wins.

3. Rebus

Rebus puzzles are a great way to test your team’s problem-solving skills. Rebus puzzles involve a combination of words and images that have to be combined to form a phrase or sentence. The team can work together to decode the puzzle and figure out the answer.

Preparation: Compile a collection of rebus puzzles and share them on a virtual whiteboard or slideshow.

How to Play: Display each puzzle and let participants work together to decode the hidden phrase before moving to the next one.

4. Riddles

In a classic brain teaser game, riddles can be a great virtual contest idea to get your team thinking. Ask the team to come up with a riddle and then have each member take a turn to guess the answer. This can be a great way to get everyone interacting and having fun.

Preparation: Create a list of riddles that range in difficulty and avoid puzzles that require specialized knowledge.

How to Play: Read each riddle aloud during a call. Allow participants to discuss guesses, then reveal the answer before moving on.

5. Scavenger Hunt

This game is an old favorite that can easily be adapted for virtual team building. To start, divide the team into smaller groups and give each group a list of items to find. These items can be specific objects or clues that lead to a larger puzzle. For example, the team might have to find a specific type of plant or a website with a special offer.
For added difficulty, you can set a time limit for each group to find the items. Once all the items are found, the team can come together to solve the puzzle.

Preparation: Draft a list of household objects and send it to participants ahead of the meeting.

How to Play: Players have a set time to locate items and show them on camera, explaining any personal significance before moving to the next item.

6. Virtual Escape Room

This is a perfect way to test your team’s problem-solving skills. Create a virtual escape room with a series of puzzles for the team to solve. Puzzles can range from riddles to hidden objects and even word puzzles. The team has to work together to solve the puzzles in order to “escape” the room.

Preparation: Design puzzles and clues that link together, then set up the experience in an online form or shareable document.

How to Play: Participants work together over video call to solve each puzzle, entering answers into the form until they reach the final “escape” prompt.

7. Pictionary

This classic game is a great way to develop the chemistry of the remote team. You can divide the group into two teams, and each team takes turns drawing pictures and guessing words. The team that guesses the most words correctly wins the game.
For a virtual spin on the game, you can use an app such as Drawize or Skribbl.io.

Preparation: Select a drawing platform (e.g., Zoom’s whiteboard) and make a list of words or phrases in increasing difficulty.

How to Play: Each person takes a turn drawing while the others shout out guesses. The first correct guesser becomes the next artist.

Final Thoughts

These are just a few fun brain teaser games that can be used for virtual team building. Brain teaser games provide a great way to engage team members in a fun and creative way and help to develop relationships between team members, improve communication, and foster collaboration.

If you’re looking for fun virtual team-building activities you can try, check out BreakoutIQ. We can help you connect your teams wherever they may be through easy, engaging activities. Contact us today for more information.