15 Virtual Happy Hour Games and Ideas

What is a virtual happy hour?

Virtual or remote happy hours are becoming more popular thanks to the pandemic. Although “happy hour” is often associated with alcohol it can refer to any get-together. It is an hour of your day dedicated to team bonding where everyone leaves work behind and plays games or has a chat. “Virtual” means that the event happens online. Your virtual meeting can take place on a virtual event platform like Remo, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Hangout.

How can I organize the perfect virtual happy hour?

Dry January is over and it’s time to celebrate! You and your team need to take the time to create new memories in 2022. A virtual happy hour will help everyone relax and get to know each other in a casual space. Sure, many people have returned to in-person offices but event trends show that remote working is here to stay. A virtual event will bring everyone together for some much-needed team-building activities. 

Nowadays, we’re all looking at screens and skype from one end of the day to the other. So, we need to come up with some ideas to avoid the dreaded ‘zoom fatigue’. The first thing you’ll need is an engaging virtual events platform. Remo is the perfect choice for an interactive virtual happy hour. We have many features that will bring your event to life and help your colleagues build friendships from home:

• We have customizable floor plans that can give your virtual happy hour a unique location.

• You can set your event on conversation mode so your guests can move freely from table to table.

• We have polling and Q&A features which are perfect for hosting quizzes.

Top 15 Fun Virtual Happy Hour Games and Ideas

1. Spotify playlist

Create a collaborative Spotify playlist (or apple music or any other) before your virtual happy hour so everyone can add in the songs they like. Music is a good way to create a chilled atmosphere so everyone can relax like a physical houseparty. Also, your song choice can be a good conversation starter. It’s one of the best virtual happy hour ideas to get to know your team.

2. Icebreakers

With the pandemic, many of your team bonding events may have been canceled. Don’t forget that this could be your team's first get-together. Try some icebreaking games for the first few minutes to avoid the awkwardness. Something as simple as two truths and a lie can be a fun way to start your virtual happy hour.

3. Fancy Dress - Costumes

You don’t need Halloween for an excuse to put on a costume! Challenge your colleagues to dress up in the funniest costume they can find! People can dress up in themed costumes and then vote on the best outfit. Everyone gets a laugh and of course, the winner gets a prize. You could send out a dress-up bag with some props to get people going. You could include some of these props:

• Face paint
• Plain t-shirt to design
• Fair Dye 
• Wigs

This would be a great picture to screenshot and share on social media. You know what they say, a picture is a memory that lasts a lifetime!

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4. Talent Contest 

Nothing gets the crowd going like a good talent contest. A great virtual happy hour idea for a light-hearted Friday evening. Send out an email before the event to see who would be interested and create a line-up of the performers. Any talent is welcome from singers to poets or mimes.

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5. Pictionary

Use an app that will generate different words for your team to draw out and guess. This is one of the more creative virtual happy hour activities for the artists on your team. You’ll need a user-friendly whiteboard to draw on. Remo uses Miro whiteboard which has a drawing function that’s perfect for Pictionary.

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6. Mixology class

We all love a good adult beverage during happy hour. Get a skilled mixologist to come along to your virtual happy hour to teach your team to make some drinks, or use a cocktail kit like Cocktail Courier. You could try making cocktails like margaritas, sex on the beach, or daiquiris. You can even have a cocktail making competition and see which team comes up with the best recipe. Of course for people who don’t drink alcohol, mocktails are an option. Nothing like a sugary beverage to get the team bonding!

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7. Trivia Quiz

Test who has the best pub trivia on your team with a table quiz. You can have a different theme for each round. Some fun happy hour theme ideas include around the world, guess the lyric, or name the celebrity. Try to use some questions that teams can’t google to be as fair as possible. You should put people who don’t know each other as partners as a virtual team-building exercise.

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8. Paint and prosecco

Getting creative has been popular during Covid-19 lockdowns. But of course, we all miss our friends so why not make it a group activity? A few glasses of prosecco will get the creative juices flowing. And this virtual happy hour game might show the creative side of some of your colleagues!

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9. Heads Up!

Heads up is a great app you can use for a virtual happy hour game. It is a quiz where the people in your group describe a word that is on the app on your phone. In the end, you add up your score to see how many questions you got right. 

The themes of the quizzes are really fun and include:

• Disney movies 
• 90’s songs
• Accents

There’s something for everyone and you’ll be sure to get a laugh during your game night.

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10. 30 seconds

Similar to charades, but instead of acting something out you describe it. You have 30 seconds to describe 5 words without saying the word that’s written down. You can use gestures, singing, or gestures to get the meaning across. Things might get heated, so remember it’s just a social hour game!

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11. Book club

It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a virtual happy hour but fun nonetheless. You can select a book to discuss on your video call over a glass of wine or a beer. Be sure to select an exciting book club read that will get the whole remote team chatting!

12. Never have I ever: Lockdown Edition

So many of your team members have taken up exciting new hobbies since the start of the pandemic. Get a list of never have I ever ideas and see what new skills your colleagues have picked up over the last two years from board games to painting. Of course, this is a drinking game. So everyone takes a drink if they have done something on your hobby list. Everyone will be tipsy and bring your virtual happy hour to the next level!

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13. A scavenger hunt 

Get a list of things that you have to find around the house and then show it on camera. Try to come up with a fun list of items to find so everyone can get a laugh. Some items you could include on your list are a childhood toy, your favorite food, or a pair of matching socks. This will help your team get to know each other during your virtual happy hour.

14. Murder mystery

A virtual murder mystery is perfect for a team that loves to play games. Give everyone their character before so they can dress for the occasion. You can select an online murder mystery application and upload it so everyone on your video chat can see what’s happening. Make sure to send prizes to the winning detective!

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15. Virtual escape room

A virtual escape room is a great way to put your team’s problem-solving skills to the test. As with physical escape rooms, and as the name suggests, the aim is to be the first team to get out of the room. There are many virtual escape rooms you can sign up for online, or if you have the time you could create your own.

It’s Happy Hour Time!

Now that you know our top ideas for your next virtual happy hour it’s time to organize your virtual social event. Even with social distancing, it can be difficult to meet team members in person. So remote team meetings are a must!

Of course, you’ll need a fun virtual events platform for your next event. Not all video conferencing platforms are the same, some have better features than others. Why not try out Remo? We have all the features you need for your happy hour. Book a free demo with our team to learn more - you’ve got nothing to lose!