Roundup
The Best Board Games for an Office Party
The filter for a work game is stricter than for any other occasion: it has to be genuinely fun and incapable of embarrassing anybody.
By Scooter M. · Published · Last updated
How this page is funded: the buy links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change the order of the picks or what we say about them. Full disclosure.
Games we claim to have play-tested: 0. Every gift guide in this category implies a shelf of played games behind it. We do not have one, and we would rather say so. What we do instead is on this page: the publisher’s own player count, playing time and age band for every pick, cited to the publisher; a live price rather than a remembered one; and a plain answer on who should skip each game.
The short answer
For an office party, buy Codenames. Czech Games Edition states 4-8+ players and 15 minutes; it is played in two teams, the content is a grid of ordinary words, and there is no mechanism by which anybody can be embarrassed. For a bigger room, Herd Mentality - Big Potato states 4 to 20 players.
A work party is the most constrained gift context on this site, and the constraint is not budget. It is that the game must be incapable of causing a problem. That rules out most of what makes party games funny at home: personal revelations, embarrassing confessions, anything with adult content, and anything where one person can be singled out.
It also rules out length. A work event has a fixed shape - people arrive, an hour passes, people leave - so a 45-minute game with a ten-minute explanation effectively cannot be played at all.
The three tests every pick here passes
Nothing personal. No pick on this page asks anybody to reveal anything about themselves. The content is words, icons, sushi and dice. Monikers and The Chameleon are both excellent party games and both are off this list - Monikers is rated 17+ by CMYK and leans on shared cultural references, and The Chameleon is built on accusing people of lying, which is funny among friends and less funny among colleagues.
Takes whoever turns up. Attendance at a work event is unpredictable. Six of these eight take seven people or more, and Herd Mentality takes twenty.
Finishes inside twenty minutes. Six of the eight are 20 minutes or less by the publisher’s own figure, which means the game can be played twice, or once with time to spare.
| Game | Players | Time | Age | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codenames | 4-8+ | 15 min | 10+ | Czech Games Edition |
| Herd Mentality | 4-20 | 20 min | 10+ | Big Potato Games |
| Just One | 3-7 | 20 min | 8+ | Repos Production |
| Concept | 4-12 | 40 min | 10+ | Repos Production |
| Happy Salmon | 3-8 | 90 sec | 6+ | Exploding Kittens |
| Sushi Go Party! | 2-8 | 30 min | 8+ | Gamewright |
| Anomia | 3-6 | 20-30 min | 10 & up | Anomia Press |
| Qwixx | 2-5 | 15 min | 8+ | Gamewright |
Concept is the one exception to the twenty-minute rule at 40 minutes by Repos Production’s figure. It earns the place because it takes twelve people and is played entirely with icons, which makes it the best option for a team where not everyone shares a first language.
How to choose between them
If the event has a fixed sit-down structure, Codenames or Sushi Go Party!. If people are standing and circulating, Herd Mentality or Happy Salmon. If it is a team of eight or more and you can only buy one thing, Herd Mentality, on player count alone.
For a Secret Santa or gift exchange at work, the constraint changes to price - see our white elephant page, which includes publisher list prices where the publisher publishes one.
Quick picks
Ranked on how well each one fits the job in this page’s title, using the publisher’s own player count, playing time and age band. Tap any row for the full write-up, including who should skip it.
| # | Product | Best for | Gift fit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Codenames4-8 players · 15 min · 10+ | Best team game | 9.6 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | Herd Mentality4-20 players · 20 min · 10+ | Takes the whole department | 8.9 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Just One3-7 players · 20 min · 8+ | Warmest | 9.3 | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 | Concept4-12 players · 40 min · 10+ | Best for a multilingual team | 8.4 | Check price on Amazon |
| 5 | Happy Salmon3-8 players · 2 min · 6+ | Best ice-breaker | 8.0 | Check price on Amazon |
| 6 | Sushi Go Party!2-8 players · 30 min · 8+ | Best proper game at eight | 9.0 | Check price on Amazon |
| 7 | Anomia3-6 players · 20-30 min · 10+ | Cheapest per head | 8.2 | Check price on Amazon |
| 8 |  Qwixx2-5 players · 15 min · 8+ | Best for a lunch break | 8.0 | Check price on Amazon |
#1 - Best team game
Codenames
Czech Games Edition · The gift you give when you know almost nothing about the person
The single safest board game gift there is. Two teams, a grid of words, and one person giving one-word clues. It explains in about a minute, it works at four people or ten, and nobody has to read a rulebook to enjoy it.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
A word game. The room splits into two teams; one person on each team can see which words belong to their side and gives a single-word clue to point their teammates at them.
Does it fit this page?
Czech Games Edition states 4-8+ players, 15 minutes. Two teams and a word grid - nothing personal ever comes up.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 4-8+ | Czech Games Edition, published game page |
| Age | 10+ | Czech Games Edition, published game page |
| Length | 15 min | Czech Games Edition, published game page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- Teaches faster than almost anything else on this site - the core rule is one sentence
- Scales past its printed maximum, because extra people simply join a team
- Everyone talks, including the people who are losing
What is not
- The two clue-givers do most of the thinking; quiet guessers can drift
- Wants an even-ish split into two teams, so it is awkward at exactly three
- Word games do not suit everybody, and you cannot always tell in advance
Who should skip it
Skip it for a group of two or three - it wants teams. Skip it for someone who dislikes word games, or who is playing in a second language.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain9.8
- Works for non-gamers9.7
- Group size range9.4
- Repeat plays9.2
- Feels like a gift8.8
Gift fit 9.6 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#2 - Takes the whole department
Herd Mentality
Big Potato Games · A room with far too many people in it
Big Potato prints a player range of 4 to 20, and that number is most of the reason to buy it. You are trying to write the same answer as everybody else, which rewards being ordinary and is very funny in a full room.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
A question gets read out, everyone writes an answer, and you score by matching the majority. The one person who answered differently collects the pink cow.
Does it fit this page?
Big Potato states 4-20 players, 20 minutes, and everyone writes an answer at the same time.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 4-20 | Big Potato Games, published product page |
| Age | 10+ | Big Potato Games, published product page |
| Length | 20 min | Big Potato Games, published product page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- Twenty players is a genuinely rare ceiling, and it is the publisher's own figure
- One rule, no strategy to learn, nothing to read between turns
- Works while people are eating, which most games do not
What is not
- Rewards conformity by design, which some people find irritating rather than funny
- Question cards start repeating in a household that plays it weekly
- Very little to it at four players
Who should skip it
Skip it for two or three people. It needs a crowd to produce the majority it is built around, and it falls flat at a small table.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain9.7
- Works for non-gamers9.5
- Group size range9.8
- Repeat plays7.4
- Feels like a gift8.2
Gift fit 8.9 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#3 - Warmest
Just One
Repos Production · A mixed group where you would rather nobody lost
A cooperative word game with a lovely twist: everyone writes a one-word clue in secret, and any clue two people duplicated gets thrown away. It is warm rather than competitive, and it is very hard to dislike.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
Everyone except the guesser writes a single-word clue for a hidden word. Matching clues cancel out, so the group is trying to be helpful and original at the same time.
Does it fit this page?
Repos Production states 3-7 players, 20 minutes, cooperative - nobody beats a colleague at anything.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 3-7 | Repos Production, published game page |
| Age | 8+ | Repos Production, published game page |
| Length | 20 min | Repos Production, published game page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- Cooperative, so one competitive relative cannot spoil it
- Works across a wide age range - the publisher's floor is 8
- Wipe-clean boards mean setup is opening the box
What is not
- Caps at seven, so it is the wrong pick for a real party
- Everyone needs to be able to write, which rules out the very young
- Rounds are short, so a long evening gets through a lot of cards
Who should skip it
Skip it for a party of ten or more - it stops working past seven. Herd Mentality or Codenames handle a crowd far better.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain9.6
- Works for non-gamers9.6
- Group size range7.6
- Repeat plays8.8
- Feels like a gift8.6
Gift fit 9.3 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#4 - Best for a multilingual team
Concept
Repos Production · A gathering where not everyone shares a first language
You get people to guess a word by pointing at icons rather than speaking. That makes it one of the very few party games that works across a language barrier, which is genuinely useful at a mixed family gathering.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
A guessing game played on a board of universal symbols. You place markers on icons - green, liquid, small - and the room works out what you mean.
Does it fit this page?
Repos Production states 4-12 players and the game is icons rather than words.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 4-12 | Repos Production, published game page |
| Age | 10+ | Repos Production, published game page |
| Length | 40 min | Repos Production, published game page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- Takes twelve players, which very few good games do
- Almost no reading, so it crosses languages and generations
- People can join and leave mid-game without breaking it
What is not
- Forty minutes is long for a game with this little structure
- The icon board takes a couple of rounds to feel readable
- Scoring is close to beside the point, which frustrates competitive players
Who should skip it
Skip it for a group that wants to win something. Concept is closer to a shared activity than a contest, and people who want a scoreboard find it thin.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain8.6
- Works for non-gamers9.0
- Group size range9.5
- Repeat plays7.8
- Feels like a gift8.0
Gift fit 8.4 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#5 - Best ice-breaker
Happy Salmon
Exploding Kittens · Ninety seconds of chaos, over and over
The publisher lists the play time as 90 seconds and that is not a typo. Everyone shouts an action at once until somebody empties their hand. As a stocking filler for a house with children it is close to unbeatable.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
A card game with no turns. You call out the action on your top card until you find the person calling the same thing, do the high-five or the fist-bump, and move on.
Does it fit this page?
Exploding Kittens states 3-8 players and 90 seconds. Two rounds and a room has stopped being awkward.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 3-8 | Exploding Kittens, published product page |
| Age | 6+ | Exploding Kittens, published product page |
| Play time | 90 sec | Exploding Kittens, published product page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- An age floor of 6, so young children genuinely play on equal terms
- Ninety seconds means it fits anywhere - before dinner, at a table, in a queue
- Ships in a cloth pouch rather than a box, so it travels
What is not
- Extremely loud and physical
- No strategy at all, which is not what every recipient wants
- Needs three people minimum, so it is not a two-person gift
Who should skip it
Skip it for anyone with limited hand or arm mobility - the game is built entirely on physical gestures - and skip it for a quiet household.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain9.8
- Works for non-gamers9.6
- Group size range8.0
- Repeat plays7.0
- Feels like a gift7.0
Gift fit 8.0 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#6 - Best proper game at eight
Sushi Go Party!
Gamewright · Eight people who want something prettier than a party game
The big-box version of Sushi Go!, and the reason to pay the difference is the player count: Gamewright states 2 to 8. Very few genuinely good light games seat eight people, and this one also looks lovely on a table.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
Everyone holds a hand of cards, keeps one, and passes the rest along. Round after round you are collecting sets that score together.
Does it fit this page?
Gamewright states 2-8 players, 30 minutes - a real card game rather than an activity.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 2-8 | Gamewright, published product page |
| Age | 8+ | Gamewright, published product page |
| Length | 30 min | Gamewright, published product page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- Two to eight players from one box, which covers most households
- The menu is configurable, so the second play is not the first play again
- Charming enough that it does not feel like a consolation gift
What is not
- Passing hands around a table of eight takes noticeably longer
- Scoring needs the scorepad and a minute of arithmetic
- Costs meaningfully more than the small Sushi Go! box
Who should skip it
Skip it if the group will only ever be two or three - the small Sushi Go! box does that job for less money.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain8.6
- Works for non-gamers8.8
- Group size range9.6
- Repeat plays8.8
- Feels like a gift9.0
Gift fit 9.0 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#7 - Cheapest per head
Anomia
Anomia Press · A cheap gift that gets played the same night
You flip cards until two symbols match, and then the two people involved race to name something in the other's category. Pure reflex, very cheap, and over in twenty minutes.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
A fast card game. When your symbol matches someone else's, you both scramble to shout an example of the category on their card first.
Does it fit this page?
Anomia Press states 3-6 players, 20-30 minutes, from a deck of cards.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 3-6 | Anomia Press, published product page |
| Age | 10 & up | Anomia Press, published product page |
| Play time | 20-30 min | Anomia Press, published product page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- Rules explained in under a minute, genuinely
- Small box and low price make it an easy add-on gift
- Being slow at it is funny rather than embarrassing
What is not
- Rewards fast recall, so it frustrates anyone who is not quick under pressure
- Caps at six players
- It is loud, which matters in an apartment or a restaurant
Who should skip it
Skip it for someone who freezes under time pressure, and skip it if the room needs to stay quiet. This game is shouting.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain9.6
- Works for non-gamers9.2
- Group size range7.6
- Repeat plays7.8
- Feels like a gift7.2
Gift fit 8.2 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
#8 - Best for a lunch break
Qwixx
Gamewright · A table where somebody always complains about waiting
Six dice, a pad of scoresheets, and fifteen minutes. Everybody uses every roll, so nobody is ever waiting for their turn - which is exactly why it works with grandparents and children at the same table.
#ad We do not hold a current price for this product, so we do not show one. How we make money.
What it actually is
A dice game. One person rolls, but every player marks something off their own sheet from that roll, so there is no downtime.
Does it fit this page?
Gamewright states 2-5 players, 15 minutes. Dice and a scorepad, done before the hour is up.
What the publisher states
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 2-5 | Gamewright, published product page |
| Age | 8+ | Gamewright, published product page |
| Length | 15 min | Gamewright, published product page |
Read from the publisher’s own page. Where a publisher does not state a figure, there is no row for it here.
What is good about it
- Nobody waits - every roll is used by every player
- The scoresheets make the rules self-explanatory
- Very cheap, and about as portable as a game gets
What is not
- It is a dice game; luck decides more than skill
- Score pads run out and need replacing
- Does not look like much when unwrapped
Who should skip it
Skip it for someone who wants meaningful decisions - Qwixx is mostly about making the best of what the dice gave you.
How it scored as a gift
- Easy to explain9.6
- Works for non-gamers9.4
- Group size range7.8
- Repeat plays8.0
- Feels like a gift6.6
Gift fit 8.0 / 10. That is our editorial judgment of how safe and well-aimed this is as a present, read off the published specifications - not a verdict on how good the game is, and not a test result. It is deliberately not marked up as a rating in this page’s structured data. How we pick.
How these were picked
We have not played these games and we do not pretend to have. What we did was read each publisher’s own page, take their stated player count, playing time and age band, check that every pick genuinely fits the constraint in this page’s title, confirm it is still being sold, and pull a live price rather than a remembered one. Every figure here names the publisher it came from, so you can check it yourself in about a minute.
How we pick sets out the full method, including what would change a ranking.
Questions people ask
+−What is a good board game for a work party?
Codenames. Czech Games Edition states 4-8+ players in 15 minutes, it is played in two teams, and the content is a grid of ordinary words - so there is no way for it to embarrass anybody or single a person out.
+−What game works for a team of 15 or 20 people?
Herd Mentality, which Big Potato states as 4-20 players in 20 minutes. Concept (4-12 by Repos Production) is the next largest. Most other party games stop around eight.
+−Which party games should I avoid at work?
Anything rated for adults only, anything built on personal revelations, and anything where one person is accused of something. Monikers is 17+ by CMYK’s own rating and The Chameleon is 14+ and built on bluffing - both are good games and both are the wrong call in a workplace.
+−How long should an office party game take?
Fifteen to twenty minutes including the explanation. A work event has a fixed window and people leave on time, so anything that takes ten minutes to teach will not get played at all.