Every remote manager needs to care about the bonds created by team members. They need to ensure that everyone is involved throughout the team process, encouraging everyone to consider each other more than mere coworkers.

One of the things managers learn as they lead their teams is how important it is for a team to support one another positively. They become aware that informal interactions and team-building games are some of the best ways for remote teams to improve their morale and make their relationships more robust. Regardless of the industry your organization is in, team building is crucial to ensure your business operates productively and efficiently. If your team is not receiving that positive boost they need or feels like they are a part of the team, they will clock out and eventually leave the company.

However, relationships in remote teams are a challenging task for most managers to establish and maintain. As the leader of your remote team, you need to bring them closer together through socially interactive games. Here’s our list of the best social games to play with your remote team.

Brightful

If you want a platform that allows you to build trust and increase teamwork among your remote team members, then Brightful is the place for you. Brightful has created several games that enable managers to establish that much-needed human connection among their teams. The social games they provide will undoubtedly spark excitement and laughter during these virtual gatherings.

The social games you can expect from Brightful are Mimi and Werewolf. For Mimic, the players will need to rely on their wit to see through the deception of their fellow team members. The players need to decrypt the secret word or figure out which of their team members is the Mimic picking them one by one. Mimic can be played between six to sixteen players, but the minimum amount is four.

Werewolf is another social game that is available on Brightful's platform. Werewolf has the players assigned different roles, with some of them being villages while the others become werewolves. The villagers need to survive by eliminating the werewolves before being killed one by one. Once nighttime falls, the werewolves will choose a villager to kill, but some villagers will have special abilities that can be activated during the night. During the daytime, the villagers need to discuss who among them is the potential werewolf killing them off.

Skribblo

If you need something fun that brings your remote team together and wants to bring out their artistic side, then Skribbl.io is for you. If you’ve ever played Pictionary before, then the rules for this game should be familiar to you. Skribblo is guaranteed to get everyone on your team involved and provide some much-needed laughter.

Here how it works, each player logs on and joins the private team room. At this point, the players will take turns being the artist. When you're up, everyone needs to choose a word from three different options, and you need to draw that word out in 80 seconds. Once the timer is up, the other players need to speculate what you have drawn. The player that manages to guess the quickest receives the most points, and the player with the most points at the end wins the game.

War of the Wizards

War of the Wizards is one of the more unique games to play with your remote team. The game is conducted live and lasts for 90 minutes. The mechanics behind this game is made up of escape rooms, storytelling, world-building, puzzle-solving, and RPG games.

Essentially, a group of wizards has been fighting each other for eons, but none of them remember the reason behind it. As the minions of these wizards, you and your team are going to tell stories, solve puzzles, and complete challenges to obtain “sparkle points,” cast spells, and do whatever is necessary to eventually end this war peacefully. The game provides an exciting adventure perfectly suited for your remote team. Furthermore, you don’t need to be an expert at these types of games to enjoy them. War of the Wizard was made accessible for everyone of any skill level.

Scattergories

Scattergories is a classic game that has always been capable of bringing people together. The concept behind this game is easy to pick up, and online generators make it easy for this game to become a virtual fun time for everyone involved. To get started, you need to send each player a link to the room. Once the game begins, the game chooses one letter, coupled with a list of categories. The players have a single minute to come up with a world that fits within the category and starts with a particular letter. While it sounds simple to play, the game provides you with a challenge you weren’t expecting to receive.

Gartic Phone

Gratic Phone is somewhat similar to Skribbl, except with a twist. The game is a simple drawing game where one player needs to decipher what the other has drawn. Each player begins by creating a prompt which another player needs to draw. That drawing is then passed on to another player who needs to describe what they are seeing, and another player needs to draw out that guess. That cycle continues depending on the number of players in the room.

The classic mode of this game provides exciting and chaotic gameplay, but if you really want to turn things up a notch, there are other modes available. Speed Run allows everyone to get a shorter time to draw, while Knock-off enables you to replicate a drawing as the timer goes down.

Spyfall

Spyfall is a game that requires everyone to set their best-laying faces and fake it until they manage to achieve victory in Spyfall. The game has you play as a spy that is attempting to remain hidden, while other players strive to deduce who the spy is. Every player receives a role and knows specific locations, the exception being the spy who needs to lie their way through an assortment of probing questions. It makes an excellent companion game for video calls since you can see who among you is being shifty.

Codenames Online

Codename Online is a word-based game that tests everyone on your team's ability to communicate with one another. The game received an award for being one of the best board games in 2016, and an online version was created for free and is equally as fun.

The players are split into two color-coded teams, red and blue, with each side having a spymaster. The spymaster is in charge of handing out one-word clues. The team needs to guess the corresponding word until every one of their colors has been cleared. The moment when your fellow team members figure the words correctly from a single word will have them jumping with joy and excitement. The first team to successfully clear out their words wins the game.

Capitalism Lab

Capitalism Lab is a highly acclaimed business simulation game, recognized as a leading title in its genre. It serves as the successor to Capitalism 2, enriched with numerous new features to enhance the player's experience in the realm of big business. The game offers a rich array of options, from managing different aspects of a company to exploring macroeconomic simulations, and it continuously evolves with innovative updates and expansions.

The additional downloadable content (DLC) such as the Subsidiary DLC, City Economic Simulation DLC, and Digital Age DLC further broaden the game's scope, allowing players to delve into various business environments and scenarios. User-created MODs add another layer of depth and customization, introducing new products, industries, and gameplay mechanics. Capitalism Lab not only entertains but also educates, making it a top choice for those passionate about business strategy and management simulation.

Conclusion

Each of these games can provide your remote team with a social experience that will leave them smiling with joy by the end of it all. These games will help them develop those team bonds that are missing out from working remotely. So make sure to schedule some time to play these social games with your remote team members.