The best trivia games for groups & team building | Virtual and in-person

Year in Review Trivia

Celebrate the end of the year with a walk down memory lane as you and your team answer trivia questions about the headlines, films, songs, and random happenings that made the year what it was. This team trivia event will see your team members working as teams to determine who has the best grasp on the year in review. You’ll compete to name what popular movies, hit songs, celebrity gossip, and news stories defined the year, with questions covering the obscure and the omnipresent elements of the past 12 months. This trivia event is an ideal way to end the year in a fun and collaborative way, and it is perfect for any holiday party that you are thinking of organizing. Relive the best parts of the past year in this unforgettable trivia event.

Timewarp Trivia

Timewarp trivia will see your team members tested on their knowledge of past events and popular culture with four rounds of trivia, each themed after a different decade: the ‘80s, '90s, ‘00s, and 2010s. These questions will cover the big events of the decades, the movies, music, and television that ignite our nostalgia, and everything in between, meaning that your teams will have the chance to flex their specific knowledge of the formative decades of their lives (and perhaps, demonstrate how little they know about the formative decades of their coworkers lives). This is a great middle ground between theme trivia and general knowledge trivia since it is fairly structured, but it is also organized enough that people can feel comfortable that their interests or subject areas will come up.

Music Trivia

Test your team’s knowledge of all things musical in this exciting-themed trivia event. Questions will cover everything from the Billboard Hot 100 and famous one-hit wonders to musical theory and the history of music. These questions can include things like naming the frontman of Phish (Trey Anastasio), remembering Elvis’s first feature film role (Love Me Tender), or knowing which opera What’s Opera, Doc is satirizing (Wagner’s Ring Cycle). Be prepared to name that tune and identify band logos as your team determines who knows the most about music and what kinds of music they know the most about.

Movie Trivia

A trivia event for the true cinephiles in your workplace, this movie trivia competition will cover everything from the most kino of Oscar-bait films to the schlockiest B-movies you’ve ever heard of. You’ll need to know facts about actors, awards, releases, and box office records, among a host of other bits of movie trivia. With the event broken down into multiple different rounds, everyone will be able to participate even if they only go to see one movie a year. Engage in competitive trivia about pre-code movies, Holiday favorites, and obscure films that perhaps most of your team members have even heard of, as well as the all-time classics that your team members know and love.

Cuisine trivia

Trivia for the foodies in your workplace: this event will test your team’s knowledge of every aspect of cooking, from the fundamentals of salt, fat, acid, and heat to the complex histories of various regional cuisines and traditions. Discover who on your team knows the science behind cooking and who on your team has a detailed knowledge of food history. Everyone eats, so this trivia event is sure to cover a wide range of different team members' interests and food knowledge. You can even narrow the focus of the event down to questions about specific regional cuisines or something like spirits and drinks.

True Crime Triva

Take a walk on the darker side of life and test your team’s knowledge of all of the salacious true crime and unsolved crime stories that have made headlines for decades. The Serial fanatics in your office are sure to enjoy this trivia event where they will go head-to-head to determine who has a better knowledge of cold cases, historical true crime stories, and grisly serial murders. From Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, these questions will challenge your knowledge of all things seedy and criminal, and you’ll be expected to sort fact from fiction as you accurately recall the key details of hundreds of different true crime stories. Whether your team members have never listened to a true crime podcast or have strong feelings about Netflix’s What Jennifer Did, this is sure to be a fun and intriguing trivia event.

Nerdy Trivia

Nerd culture has become incredibly mainstream, and as such, a lot of members of your team might have a specific interest in some niche of sci-fi, fantasy, comic books, horror, or any other bit of esoteric nerd content. You’ll answer questions about everything from the cosmology of Middle Earth to type weakness in Pokemon to what exactly the Kessel Run is, and you’ll get to learn about the interests of your team members as you see who is focusing on answering what questions. The great thing about nerdy trivia is that the theme is broad enough to cover a lot of ground while still niche enough to let everyone participate in regard to the nerdy interests they bring to the table.

Holiday Trivia

Put your team’s knowledge to the test with an exciting, holiday-themed trivia event that is sure to spark competition and lots of laughter. In this festive trivia experience, your team will face off in four rounds that span a wide range of topics, each with a seasonal twist. From classic holiday movies and music to pop culture, sports, global cuisine, and even dog breeds, participants will encounter surprises at every turn. The trivia can be tailored to a holiday of your choice, including Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Mother’s Day, Chinese New Year, or even general holiday season themes. Whether your team is full of holiday fanatics or just loves a good competition, this event offers something for everyone, engaging them with diverse topics and fast-paced fun.

While you may want to hold a team building event that tests your team members' smarts and keeps them engaged and working together, trivia might not always be the best answer. Sometimes, team members might not be up for something as general as a trivia event, and more focused events can turn off team members who aren’t particularly interested or knowledgeable about the subject (someone who isn’t a particular music buff might sit out of a music trivia event for fear of feeling like dead-weight). If you are looking for a team-building activity that feels like trivia but requires less memory of obscure 80s pop songs and Cuban dictators, there are plenty of options.

Escapes are very popular activities for those wanting to test their thinking skills, but they are also logistical nightmares. You can avoid all of the trouble of scheduling and getting your team members to an escape room in one of these exciting online escape room experiences. Under the guidance of an experienced host, your team members will solve puzzles, gather clues, and move through complex and wonderfully themed virtual escape rooms that can range from a haunted house or a murder mystery to more mundane, fun events like an office Christmas party. If your group is large enough, they can break off into mini-teams and compete with one another to determine who can solve the escape room the fastest.

If you think that your team members might like a bit more of a tactile event to test their wit and skills, consider signing up for a brick-building competition event. Everyone who participates in this event will have a package of LEGO bricks, and they will join a virtual event space to put their brick stacking skills to the test. A host will guide your team members through various games that test their physical and creative abilities as they attempt to build the largest tower possible, create self-portraits, and make dioramas of various ecosystems. If your team members are looking for a way to get a bit of light competition during a fun team-building activity that will put a lot of different skills to the test, this event is right up your alley.

Part trivia game, part scavenger hunt, part race against the clock, and a virtual scavenger hunt are sure to be a hit amongst your team members. These virtual events will see your team members working in teams to solve riddles, answer trivia questions, identify songs and images, and more to decode a list of items that your team will need to race to gather around their homes. This fun and competitive event will blend a mind-bending trivia event with the chaotic energy of a scavenger hunt. This event is a great way to bring everyone on your team together since the challenges are varied enough that everyone will have the opportunity to compete and bring their own unique talents to the event.

Get your teammates shouting “good answer” to one another in this classic reimagining of the famous TV game show. This game will test your teammates' intuitions, creative thinking, and ability to stay on the pulse of the population as they are tasked with guessing (or deducing) the most common answer that survey respondents had to a series of questions. This fun and fast-paced game will last multiple rounds, giving your team members a chance to compete, break out into different teams, and have quality laughs as a professional host guides everyone through the game.

Another classic game show reimagined for the virtual space, this team building activity will test your team's knowledge of the prices of everything from a bottle of Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw Merlot to a mint condition copy of Spawn #1 ($3.95 and about $115 respectively). This fast-paced and fun game will bring your team members together to compete for the title of best price estimator (or value appraiser), and since shopping is such a common aspect of most people’s lives, everyone will be able to participate in the event with ease. Schedule a fun-filled evening of fairly specific trivia tonight.

Another fun twist on a classic game format, this virtual bingo event swaps numbers on a bingo card for a variety of puzzles, challenges, trivia questions, and mini-games that will have your team members testing all of their knowledge and skills to correctly identify what the caller is asking for and mark that square off their card. This fast-paced event features a diverse array of different challenges and tasks, so everyone will be able to be involved, even if they aren’t the best when it comes to trivia. Your team members will be solving puzzles, racing around their homes in mini-scavenger hunts, identifying songs, and a collection of other challenging mini-games in their effort to get five in a row and win the round of bingo. Given how quickly the game moves, you can play multiple rounds in a night, and you’ll get the chance to determine which of your team members has the skills needed to conquer these unique bingo challenges.

Another popular party game translated into the digital space, this virtual Pictionary experience is a great way to let your team members get creative as they compete with one another to mind-meld together and work on the same page. Teams will attempt to draw out clues using the various drawing tools that their computers make available to them, and they will get the chance to play the classic game while an engaging host keeps score, organizes the event, and ensures that everything goes smoothly. Pictionary is a super-simple, super fun game that anyone on your team can play, and that is sure to be a big hit, particularly if your team is composed of creative types (and not-so-creative types can have fun guessing).

There is a reason that so many trivia events happen at bars, and it is because it can help get everyone relaxed and engaged, and a little brain juice doesn’t hurt for the trivia skills. While you may not be able to bring happy hour directly to your team members' homes, you can do the next best thing and sign everyone up for a group mixology workshop. In this course, all of the necessary non-alcoholic ingredients will be shipped directly to your team members' homes, and they will have the chance to work with a professional mixologist to learn how to make a trio of classic cocktails. The menu is constantly in flux, and you can work with the host to create a tasting menu that suits your team member's desires. There are also non-alcoholic options available. As an added bonus, the host might even ask for a bit of spirit-themed trivia drawn from the wine and spirits trivia event.

While further away from the general theme of trivia than other options, a cooking class for team building is always a fun way to spend an evening. These virtual team building activities pull double duty because not only will you get to spend the evening socializing with your team members in a digital space, but you’ll also have the chance to learn practical life skills, and everyone will leave the event with a home-cooked meal or dessert. These cooking classes can cover everything from basic techniques to regional cuisines to desserts and pasties, so no matter what kind of dish you are hankering for, you can find the course that suits your needs. If you are looking for a meal, why not bring your team members together for a homemade pizza, pasta, or sushi making event? Want to skip dinner and learn some baking skills? Consider an eclair, croissant, or cake baking class. All of the dry ingredients will be shipped directly to your participants, and everyone will get a gift card to ensure that they have the wet ingredients on hand for the course.

Trivia events are a great way to bring people together in a relaxing but still structured setting that encourages a bit of healthy competition. There is a reason that bar trivia is as popular as it is (and there is no reason that your participants can’t have a few drinks themselves while the event is going on). Hosting a trivia event for your team members gives them a space to socialize and learn more about each other (in what other context can you find out who amongst your team members has a near encyclopedic knowledge of the canon of Rodgers and Hammerstein). These events can be customized to fit your needs, and they can be held very easily in an online space because they don’t require much commitment from your attendees (or yourself) once a date and time are finalized.

Virtual trivia provides a lot of advantages over more traditional virtual team building games, in no small part because it is so easy to run and get engaging participation in. Once you’ve signed up for a trivia session, you simply have to inform your team members of when it will be held, and they’ll have to do no additional prep work or have anything ready when they log on. This makes the event incredibly accessible for all the members of your team, and it gives them a chance to be part of the experience without having to worry about the more complicated elements of the process.

In addition, because the barrier to entry is so low, everyone can feel comfortable participating and working alongside their team members to enjoy the game being played. Even the specialty themed trivia events aim for a broad enough group of questions that everyone will be able to participate (music trivia might ask questions about movie musicals, movie trivia may ask questions about singers appearing in films), so you can give your team members a chance to make their own contributions to their team.

Also, since the event is taking place online, all of your team members can relax, unwind, and just sit at home while they participate in the event. Bar trivia is very popular for a reason, and since everyone is at their own homes, they can enjoy a nice drink, listen to their favorite music, and socialize with their team members just as easily as if the event were being held in person. You can also incorporate a white elephant gift exchange into your trivia for the ultimate virtual holiday party. This laid-back atmosphere will help your team members get the most out of the evening and will ensure that everyone is comfortable and ready to participate.

Finally, trivia offers a way for your team members to break up into smaller teams, learn more about one another, and have a bit of light-hearted competitive fun. It’s laid-back for team members to have a sense of buy-in to the event (since they want to win) while keeping the mood light (since the stakes are just bragging rights), so you can be sure that everyone is having fun while still having a chance to spend time learning more about one another and bonding as a team. 

The first thing that you’ll do in most virtual trivia events is break up into teams since one of the major pleasures of a trivia event is working as a team to prove your arbitrary superiority over other teams. Once teams are set up, a host will explain the rules of the event and begin the first round. Different trivia events will have different structures, with some being simple rounds of questions and answers, while others will have more elaborate round structures and scoring systems (questions may get harder as you go, for example).

Trivia events are a fantastic way to bring your team together for an engaging and interactive team building experience. These events are ideal for groups looking to strengthen relationships, encourage collaboration, or simply provide a lighthearted break from the daily grind. One of the key advantages of trivia is that it’s easy to participate in. Trivia events are accessible to everyone, regardless of their knowledge base or background. 

Unlike other activities that may require special skills or preparation, trivia allows each participant to contribute in some way, whether they’re answering pop culture questions or identifying historical facts. This inclusivity ensures that all team members feel involved, ultimately creating a sense of friendship among participants.

Trivia also encourages collaboration, as participants are divided into small teams where they can pool their knowledge and work toward a shared goal. Each team member brings unique strengths and problem-solving abilities in a way that mimics real-world collaboration. The competitive element of trivia adds excitement while keeping the pressure low, making it ideal for those who prefer a more laid-back atmosphere. The relaxed nature of trivia events allows employees to unwind, laugh, and enjoy themselves outside the usual work context.

Another great advantage is the flexibility of trivia events. They can be customized to fit your team’s interests or goals, whether you opt for general knowledge trivia or a themed event focused on movies, music, or holidays. This customization ensures that everyone can contribute meaningfully while still being challenged. Additionally, the friendly rivalry between teams adds a layer of excitement that helps boost team spirit and engagement. 

As team members work together and share laughs over surprising answers, they form stronger bonds that can translate into improved collaboration and communication in the workplace. Overall, trivia is an ideal team-building event that combines inclusivity, fun, and collaboration, promoting a positive team environment where everyone can shine.

General trivia questions

This part of the event is pretty straightforward. Your team members are asked questions, and every team needs to try to figure out the correct answer in order to score points. These questions are the bread and butter of a good trivia night, and regardless of the subject, they will aim to test your team’s knowledge of these subjects. The level of difficulty can be fine-tuned for your individual groups, but you can assume that they won’t all be gimmicky questions.

These questions will be given to your team members as a large group, with everyone working on the same set of questions; then, they’ll be moved off into smaller groups to discuss and finalize their answers. Regardless of the theme or focus of the trivia night you opt to host, these questions will be the centerpiece of the event. You may want to consider asking the host in advance for some of the questions (not to cheat, but to have an idea of what is coming and how you want to tune the event to your team members' specific needs).

Picture round

Most trivia events also include some form of picture round, where your team members will be asked to identify themed pictures, stills from television or film, logos, or some similar collection of images. This tests your team’s ability to recall information and their ability to identify a whole host of different images, which adds an additional element of skill and trivia knowledge to the event. These trivia questions will add an extra dimension to your event.

Sound round

Like the picture round, a music or aural round of trivia will involve identifying songs, sound clips, or other musical cues relevant to the topic of your trivia event. This can be a version of a name that tune (encompassing anything from one-hit wonders to commercial jingles), famous movie lines, or even something like the sounds of monster roars. As with all rounds of trivia, this will test your knowledge of a specific subject area while keeping the game feeling fresh and new.

A real selling point of trivia is that it is a team activity that encourages collaboration and putting your heads together in a way that makes sure everyone can contribute their expertise to the team’s success. This team-based gameplay will help make sure that the night is both a fun, competitive event and a chance for team members to work together alongside one another as they become more comfortable working with one another. Regardless of the focus of the trivia, this kind of collaboration will be necessary, and it will add to the fun of the event (since you’ll work out which of your team members know their mid-80s show tunes and which has a deep knowledge of 15th-century Venetian architecture).

The ability to spend time thinking with your team members, defer to one another on their areas of expertise, and take advantage of your diverse set of skills makes a trivia event a fun and engaging mirror to work as a team in almost any other professional context. While you won’t be tasked with knowing much about the cast of The Wizard of Oz in your day-to-day workflow, knowing that you can trust some of your team members and knowing that they have their own bits of specialized knowledge and experience is a practical and effective skill to learn.

One of the other selling points of a trivia event is that it isn’t really about speed; it is about understanding the question and working together to get the right answer. Everyone will have the same collection of questions, so rather than racing the other teams, you’ll have a chance to sit down and work with your team members to come up with the answer. In most cases, you’ll get a few questions at the same time, and you’ll break off into a separate digital room to discuss your answers with your team members. Then, you’ll reconvene, provide your answers to your host, and learn the correct answers. Scores will be tallied, and the next round will begin with either another collection of questions or something like a sound or picture round. 

One of the decisions you’ll need to make when hosting a team trivia event is whether or not you want the event to be themed around a specific subject or if you want it to be more general knowledge trivia. General knowledge trivia might be a bit less intimidating (since your team members won’t be saying to themselves, “I know nothing about that topic; why should I bother), while themed trivia can make for a more competitive and eventful evening if everyone is on the same page about the specific subject.

In addition, running a themed trivia event can be useful for customizing it to your team’s interests or focus. If your team works on accounts for local restaurants, a cuisine trivia event might be more on-brand than a general event. You can even go further and customize specific questions to be more in line with your team’s work and interests.

Regardless of how you opt to structure your virtual team building activity, it is sure to be a great opportunity for everyone on your team to come together and have a bit of competitive fun. These trivia events provide your team members with a chance to relax, get to know one another a little better, and perhaps win some bragging rights amongst their coworkers.