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27 icebreakers that work when the cameras are off

27 remote icebreakers that run on voice and chat alone, grouped by what they ask of the room, with times and group sizes for each.

JZBy Jon Zajac · Founder & Chief Icebreaker

Half the grid is initials on a gray square. That isn't a problem to fix before the icebreaker starts. It's the room you're actually running. Anything that depends on watching faces, gestures, or a shared table is out, so every pick below runs on voice, chat, or both.

Before you start: 3 audio-only habits

  • Call the order out loud. With no faces to read, nobody knows whose turn it is. Paste the speaking order into chat and say the next name each time.
  • Move votes to chat. Hands are invisible. A poll or a one-word reply in chat counts every voter.
  • Leave a 3-second gap. On audio, people wait to make sure nobody else is talking. A short pause after each question keeps the quiet people in.

Guess what I'm thinking

These run on yes-or-no questions, so each turn is a short exchange that's easy to follow by ear.

  1. 20 Questions: one person picks a person, place, or thing, and the others get 20 yes-or-no questions to name it. 15 min, 2–5 people. Run parallel rooms for a bigger call.
  2. Botticelli: the chooser gives a first letter and can dodge questions by naming someone else who fits. 15–30 min, 2–12 people.
  3. Movie Botticelli: every question has to tie back to movies. 15–30 min, 5–15 people.
  4. Sports Botticelli: you earn a question by naming a different athlete with the same letter. 30–60 min, 3–10 people.
  5. Historical Event Botticelli: figures, events, and periods, and a guess counts only with a real detail attached. 15 min, 3–15 people.
  6. Artwork Botticelli: small groups hide a famous artwork, and one abstract clue usually unlocks it. Breakout rooms suit it. 30–60 min, 4–16 people.

Chain games

The turn order is the whole structure, which makes these the easiest to run when you can't see the room.

  1. Ghost: add one letter to a growing fragment, and don't be the one who completes a word. 15 min, 2–8 people.
  2. Word Chains: everyone recites the whole chain before adding to it. 15 min, 4 or more people.
  3. Last Letter Animal Kingdom: animals, each starting with the last letter of the one before. 15 min, 5–20 people.
  4. Last Letter City Journey: the same chain with cities. It suits a team spread across a map. 15 min, 2–20 people.
  5. Last Letter Famous Faces: celebrities, 5–10 seconds a turn. 15 min, 6–30 people.
  6. Last Letter Occupation Operation: jobs, and "engineer" doesn't count when "civil engineer" does. 15 min, 2–16 people.
  7. Last Letter Song Titles: song titles that surface music nobody would have brought up on their own. 15–30 min, 3–20 people.

Spot the lie

These need nothing but a voice. Collect the votes in chat so the count is honest.

  1. Two Truths and a Lie: three statements, one invented, then the reveal. 15–20 min, 3–12 people.
  2. Two Truths and a Lie: Movie Edition: the statements are about your history with movies. 15–30 min, 5–20 people.
  3. Fact or Fiction: Pop Culture Edition: two pop culture claims about yourself, one true. 15–30 min, 5–30 people.

The host reads, the room answers

You hold the questions, and everyone else needs only a mic or the chat box. These scale best to a big call.

  1. Trivia: general knowledge, easy questions first, scored round by round. 15–30 min, 3–20 people.
  2. Fact or Fiction: Sports Edition: you read a sports claim and the room calls it before the reveal. 15–30 min, 1–50 people.
  3. Fact or Fiction: Animal Kingdom Edition: small teams take animal claims in turn. Give each team a breakout room to argue in. 60 min, 1–30 people.

One question, everyone answers

These have no rules to explain, which makes them the right pick for the first 5 minutes of a call.

  1. Icebreaker Questions: 20 questions, one honest answer each, and no winner. 15 min, 2–20 people.
  2. This or That: pick a side and give your reason. Answers in chat first, then reasons out loud. 15 min, 4–20 people.
  3. Desert Island Picks: 3 things you'd bring, and why. 10–15 min, 5–30 people.

Make something out loud

These are the most social picks here. Save them for a group that has already warmed up once.

  1. Conducted Story: each person adds a segment and passes it on, so call the order out loud. 15–30 min, 5–20 people.
  2. Late Arrivals: announce pun-named guests at a themed ball, like the Raffes and their daughter Jay. 15–30 min, 3–8 people.
  3. Song Lyric Battle: a topic drops, everyone finds a lyric that fits, and the group votes. 15–30 min, 4–30 people.

Chat-first

These were built for the chat box, so a camera adds nothing.

  1. GIF Battle: a theme drops and everyone answers with a single GIF. 15–30 min, 1–50 people.
  2. Back-to-Back Emoji Describing: partners in separate breakout rooms each pick an emoji for the same prompt, then compare. 15–30 min, 2–16 people.

What didn't make the list

Charades, Mockumentary, and Video Scavenger Hunt all run remotely, but every one of them needs someone to be seen. Save them for the call where cameras are already on.