The best office holiday party games with prizes give people a reason to mix with colleagues they rarely work with, work for beginners and competitive types alike, and don't need anyone to perform on stage. Below are eight that do, what you need to run each one, and prize ideas that people actually want.
1. A poker tournament
A poker tournament gives the whole evening a shape. Guests sit at tables of eight or nine, the field narrows as the night goes on, and a final table decides who wins. It suits a mixed crowd because a good dealer can teach the rules as the game goes, so people who have never played pick it up within a few hands.
What you need: tables, chips, cards and someone to deal each table, or a company that brings all of it. Prizes: a trophy for the champion and something for the top three. We run these as holiday party poker nights in NYC, with professional dealers and a highlight package for every guest afterwards.
2. White elephant gift swap
Everyone brings a wrapped gift under a set price. Players draw numbers, and each person either unwraps a new gift or steals one already opened. Set a clear spending limit and a cap on how many times a gift can be stolen so the game keeps moving. The gifts are the prizes, so there is nothing extra to buy.
3. Team holiday trivia
Split the room into teams of five or six, mixing departments on purpose. Run four or five short rounds: general knowledge, company history, holiday films, and a picture round. Teams make trivia work for people who don't like being singled out. Prizes: a team lunch or a round of drinks for the winning table.
4. Minute-to-win-it challenges
Quick physical challenges with household items, each lasting a minute: stacking cups, moving candy with a straw, unwrapping a box while wearing oven mitts. They are loud, short and easy to watch, which makes them good for a room where not everyone wants to play. Keep a scoreboard and give a prize to the overall leader.
5. Ugly sweater contest
Announce it a few weeks ahead so people have time to find something terrible. Let the room vote with tickets or a quick online poll rather than leaving it to a judge. Prizes in a few categories (ugliest, most creative, best team effort) mean more people go home with something.
6. Gingerbread build-off
Give each team the same kit and forty-five minutes. It works best as a daytime or early-evening activity and needs table space and something to clean up with. Judge on creativity and structural integrity, and let the winners take theirs home.
7. Name that holiday tune
Play the first few seconds of a song and let teams buzz in. It needs only a speaker and a playlist, so it fits a bar or restaurant booking where you can't bring equipment. Mix in songs from different traditions and decades so it isn't won by one corner of the room.
8. Office scavenger hunt
Teams follow clues around the office or the venue, taking a photo at each stop. It gets people moving and talking, and works well early in the evening before food. Prizes for the fastest team and the best photo.
Prize ideas people actually want
- Gift cards for local restaurants or delivery apps
- An extra day off, if your company policy allows it
- A trophy or something with a story, for bragging rights at the desk
- Experiences: show tickets, a cooking class, a spa voucher
- A donation to the winner's chosen charity
- Small prizes for runners-up, so more people win something
How to choose
- Headcount: trivia, poker and name-that-tune scale to a full room; a gingerbread build-off suits smaller groups.
- Space: a poker tournament or build-off needs tables; music and trivia need only a speaker and a microphone.
- Mix of people: pick at least one game where beginners can win, and avoid anything that puts individuals on stage.
- Keep it inclusive: holiday themes work best when they don't assume everyone celebrates the same holiday.
- One main event beats five small ones: a single game that runs through the evening gives the party a shape.