10 fun team building activities for large groups

Team building activities are a great way to improve communication and collaboration within a team, among others. When done correctly, they can also be a lot of fun. If your team is large, though, finding activities that everyone can participate in can be a challenge. 

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Here are some ideas for team building activities that will work well for large groups, both virtually or in person. These activities are perfect for any workplace, and many are even free. Let’s jump in!

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Virtual and hybrid team bonding games for large groups

If you’re looking for great activities to do with your team, even though you are working remotely or only partially in an office, you’ve come to the right place.

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1. Simply connect with automatically-matched 1:1s

Best for: Virtual teams who want to stay connected but don't have time to organize individual 1:1s

Number of participants: Up to 20

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One of the simplest yet most effective ways to connect virtual teams is one-on-ones (or 1:1s). They are short meetings between two members to chat about anything: work, life, hobbies, or whatever comes to mind. 1:1s are frustrating to organize for large groups - luckily, Gomada makes it possible at the click of a button.

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How it works:

1. Sign up to Gomada for free
2. Invite all participants to the activity
3. Gomada automatically matches pairs
4. Each participant has two 1:1s, each about 10 minutes long (plan for 30 minutes total)
5. If you run the activity monthly, Gomada remembers previous pairings to keep introducing new team members

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2. Reflect on the past months with Memorable Moments

Best for: The end of the quarter, a sprint, OKR cycle, year, etc.

Number of participants: Up to 20

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Memorable Moments combines the best things a team event needs: Sharing some much-needed laughs, snapping team pictures, and reflecting on the ups and downs of your last months at work. Gomada guides you through these moments in a virtual activity, allowing everyone (including the organizer) to enjoy the session. Best of all: Gomada sends emails everyone an activity summary with your picture, notes, and feedback from the team. Memorable Moments is free to try.

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3. Virtual escape room

Best for: Communication and problem-solving

Number of participants: Unlimited amount of 4-8 person teams

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This fun team-building exercise of an escape room will have your group working together to find clues and solve puzzles. After coming together on a video conferencing platform like Zoom or Veertly to start the game, large groups will be able to break off into separate rooms and work on solving the riddles necessary for escape.

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For a magical and experience, jump into the world of Harry Potter – one of our favorite free(!) virtual escape rooms.

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4. Murder mystery

Best for: Bonding and Problem-Solving

Number of participants: 4 – 5,000+

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There are many ways to get everyone in your company invested and enthusiastic about a project. One favorite is getting together for an invigorating murder mystery game, it's sure to be exciting! This type of activity will work well online and is one of the best team building activities for large corporate groups.

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To get going, check out our curated list of our favorite virtual murder mystery adventures.

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5. Paint

Best for: Creativity and teamwork

Number of participants: 20 - 100+

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Through painting, team members will explore the artistic potential they never knew they had. This can be done as a virtual, or in-person activity, making it the perfect fit for teams that meet in a hybrid setting. If in-person, a group mural can be created (if not so artistically inclined you can always create one through paint by numbers). Participants online can create the same motive on their own or collaborate on a digitial painting. 

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Pro tip: If you feel like you need a bit more guidance, follow a Youtube tutorial or book a paint course. 

Offline team building activities for large groups

Is your team too big to meet in a small office space to do some team building? No worries, these games can be played anywhere.

6. Group scavenger hunt

Best for: Communication, teamwork, and creativity

Number of participants: 4 – 300+

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The best way to build trust between teammates is by having them work together as a unit. This activity will allow everyone to use their creative muscles and rely on each other for guidance during hunts where they need to solve clues and overcome obstacles! As an added bonus, these scavenger-style adventures provide some exercise so everyone's happy. This is one of the most fun team building games for large groups.

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7. Corporate castaways

Best for: Problem-solving and collaboration

Number of participants: 25 – 1,000+

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Teams will be able to choose from various challenges in this survivor-themed activity, set up in various stages. The big group is divided into smaller teams which have to compete against each other using different methods of play. Unlike the TV-Show, no team is voted out. At the end, points are tallied to name the ultimate champion after successfully completing all available activities during their time together. One of the best team building games for big groups.

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Our tip: If you’re looking for a team building provider, who organizes everything for you, wherever you are, check out Team Bonding. They work with a network of agencies to make in-person team bonding easy for you.

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8. Marshmallow challenge

Best for: Teamwork and leadership

Number of participants: 4 - 500+

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This challenge consists of building the highest tower from a set of ingredients and requires teamwork, communication, and leadership. As more teams play, even if they are all working towards a similar goal at first, there will eventually be some differences in what each person wants to do, leading them down unique paths. By setting a timer, you can determine the length of this game and increase the pressure.

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To get started, you can find detailed instructions online.

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9. Build a bike

Best for: Collaboration and bonding

Number of participants: 4 - 100+

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Helping out the community while building team bonds is a great way to get your team closer. In this activity, team members will come together to assemble fully operational bicycles for charity! It's an act of kindness with major benefits - not only does it make people feel good about themselves but also makes them grow as a team.

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Our tip: Again, teambonding.com is a good place to get started if you’re looking for a provider near you.

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10. Perfect square

Best for: Teamwork and bonding

Number of participants: 10 – 250+

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This game which consists of being blindfolded while attempting to make a square with a rope is a great way to break the ice with coworkers. It’s simple and it only takes one rule: no peeking! There will be plenty of fun for everyone involved (even if they don't succeed) and lots of teamwork to achieve the goal!

Team building activities for large groups FAQs

When it comes to team building activities for large groups two questions usually come to mind:

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How to manage engagement in large groups?

One easy trick is to work through how to make a large group into many smaller groups. Another would be to have a small number of people to go around ensuring everyone’s participating.

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What are the main types of team building activities for large groups?

• Communication: When team members participate in team-building activities, they can develop communication skills that will help them throughout their professional lives. These new talents can be applied immediately on the job or when interacting with other people at home and work.
• Problem-solving and decision-making: When you give your team members the opportunity to practice solving problems in a relaxed environment, they'll do better at solving work-related issues.
• Bonding and motivation: Team building activities are an important way to create unity and trust within a company. Team members from all levels get the chance for meaningful interactions with one another, which helps them work better as one team, improving motivation in the workplace.
• Creativity and planning: If you want your team to come up with creative solutions for company challenges, it's important that they regularly engage in activities where this type of thinking is required.