You can play Would You Rather, trivia, This or That, and emoji guessing games on Google Meet by opening a browser room beside the call and sharing its link. If you want to stay entirely in the call, try a scavenger hunt, word association, or Twenty Questions.
Below are 20 free ideas with rules: seven live games on Meeting Games, followed by thirteen activities you facilitate yourself. The browser games are separate from Google Meet; they do not require a Meet add-on. The manual activities do not create a room or an automatic scoreboard.
Pick a game for your call
Times below are planning estimates for short sessions, including a brief explanation. Allow extra time for people to join, and adjust the number of rounds to your agenda.
| Game | Suggested time | Where you play | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Would You Rather | 3–5 min | Live browser room | A quick vote and discussion |
| Trivia Rush | 5–10 min | Live browser room | Friendly competition |
| This or That | 2–4 min | Live browser room | A short work opener |
| Emoji Pictionary | 5–8 min | Live browser room | Workplace and everyday phrase puzzles |
| Two Truths & a Lie | 5–8 min | Live browser room | Spotting the false prepared statement |
| Emoji Master | 5–10 min | Live browser room | Movie, saying, place, and food puzzles |
| Rapid Fire | 3–6 min | Live browser room | Timed quick picks |
| Emoji check-in | 1–2 min | Call chat | A low-pressure warm-up |
| Desk scavenger hunt | 3–5 min | Call video or voice | A change of pace |
| Twenty Questions | 5–10 min | Call voice or chat | A small group of friends |
Need help choosing? The meeting game picker suggests a format and round count for your group and time slot. For a work-specific hosting checklist, see Google Meet games for work.
7 live browser games to play beside Google Meet
For these games, the host creates a room and shares the invite link. Players join with a nickname on a phone or a second browser tab. Keep Google Meet open for conversation and present the game tab for questions and results.
1. Would You Rather
Use it for: a quick opener when you want a reason for people to talk.
Open Would You Rather, create a room, and run a few two-choice questions. Everyone votes on their own device. After the split appears, invite one person from each side to explain their choice in one sentence. Move on before the debate takes over the meeting.
There is no correct answer, so it is an easy starting point for a mixed group. For a short work call, choose a few rounds and keep discussion optional.
2. Trivia Rush
Use it for: a team social or a call that has time for friendly competition.
Start a Trivia Rush room and choose the question settings before inviting players. Everyone picks from multiple-choice answers, then sees the reveal and scoreboard. Announce the number of questions at the start so the group knows when the game will finish.
Choose a broad category for a mixed team. Save a specialist topic for a group that has agreed on it. The virtual trivia guide has more hosting ideas.
3. This or That
Use it for: a standup or weekly sync with only a few minutes to spare.
Open This or That for everyday preference questions and quick A-or-B voting. Explain the first choice, let everyone answer, show the split, and continue. One optional comment per reveal is enough.
This is the lighter choice when a hypothetical Would You Rather question would need too much explanation. If you prefer to ask questions aloud, use the This or That prompt list as a manual alternative.
4. Emoji Pictionary
Use it for: a visual guessing round with workplace and everyday phrases.
Create an Emoji Pictionary room. Each puzzle presents an emoji sequence and multiple-choice answers. Players guess individually, then the answer and scoreboard are revealed. Share the game tab so everyone can see the puzzle clearly.
You can also run a manual version from the emoji phrase list with answers. In that version, the host keeps score rather than using a live room.
5. Two Truths & a Lie
Use it for: a prepared statement quiz without asking people to invent personal facts.
The live Two Truths & a Lie game shows three prepared statements. Players choose the one they think is false, then see the answer and scoreboard. Explain that distinction before starting: this version is a quiz, rather than a way to collect facts about coworkers.
For the traditional personal-facts activity, use idea 10 below. It works through chat and does not need an app room.
6. Emoji Master
Use it for: a social group that enjoys movies, sayings, places, and food puzzles.
In Emoji Master, players decode an emoji puzzle and choose from multiple-choice answers. Use a short set of rounds, reveal the answers, and let the scoreboard settle the winner.
Pick this over Emoji Pictionary when the group wants the broader entertainment and category-based puzzles. See the emoji guessing guide for more examples of the format.
7. Rapid Fire
Use it for: an energetic reset with a visible countdown.
Create a Rapid Fire room for timed quick-answer prompts. Players make their picks before the countdown finishes; the reveal appears and the game continues automatically. Tell the group about the timer before you start.
Keep this separate from a trivia quiz: the aim is fast participation and seeing the room's preferences, rather than testing knowledge. Choose This or That instead if people need more reading time.
13 activities you can run through the call
These are manual activities, not additional Meeting Games app modes. Use chat when it is available to your participants; otherwise take answers aloud or have the host read the choices. For larger groups, choose simultaneous answers instead of giving everyone a long turn.
8. Emoji check-in
Plan: 1–2 minutes. Ask, “Which emoji describes your week?” Give everyone a moment to choose, then post together. Invite two volunteers to explain their picks and move into the agenda. There is no score; the shared response is the point.
9. Desk scavenger hunt
Plan: 3–5 minutes. Name a simple item such as something blue, something useful, or something that makes you smile. Give the group 30 seconds to find it, then ask volunteers to show or describe it. Run three prompts. People can stay seated and describe an object if they prefer.
10. Personal Two Truths and a Lie
Plan: 5–10 minutes for a small group. One volunteer writes three numbered statements about themselves in chat, with one false statement. Everyone guesses 1, 2, or 3, then the volunteer reveals the lie. Give two or three people a turn rather than trying to cover a large call.
Use light topics such as food, hobbies, and travel. For prepared prompts and examples, see Two Truths and a Lie for work.
11. Word association
Plan: 2–4 minutes. Start with a word such as “coffee.” In an agreed speaking order, each person says the first related word that comes to mind. Keep answers to one word and avoid repeats. Stop after one circuit or restart with a fresh word if the chain stalls.
12. Alphabet category sprint
Plan: 3–5 minutes. Pick a category and a letter, such as “food beginning with S.” Give everyone 20 seconds to think, then reveal answers together in chat. Award one point for a valid answer and an extra point for an answer nobody else used. Play three rounds with new letters.
13. Twenty Questions
Plan: 5–10 minutes. One person chooses an everyday object without naming it. The group takes turns asking yes-or-no questions, up to a total of twenty. Anyone can use their turn to guess. The chooser answers honestly, and the group wins if it identifies the object before the questions run out.
14. Mystery desk object
Plan: 3–5 minutes. A volunteer chooses an object out of view and gives three clues, one at a time. After each clue, everyone gets one guess in chat. Award three points for a correct guess after the first clue, two after the second, and one after the third. Switch the clue-giver for the next round.
15. Memory chain
Plan: 3–5 minutes. Start with “For our imaginary team picnic, I am bringing apples.” The next person repeats the list and adds an item. Continue in an agreed order. If someone forgets an item, the group can help; restart when the list becomes too long. This works best with a small group.
16. One-word story
Plan: 3–5 minutes. Build a story one word at a time in speaking order. Give the group an opening such as “Yesterday, our office robot…” and let each person add one word. Finish after two circuits, then have the host read the story back. Keep it collaborative rather than scoring grammar or speed.
17. Caption contest
Plan: 4–6 minutes. Present a harmless photo or simple drawing you have permission to use. Give everyone one minute to write a caption. Read the entries, then let each participant vote for one other person's caption. The host counts the votes and announces the winner.
18. Closest-number challenge
Plan: 2–4 minutes. Prepare a question with an answer you can show, such as the number of paper clips in a jar. Everyone submits one number before the reveal. The closest guess wins; announce beforehand whether ties share the point. Run a few rounds using quantities the host has actually counted.
19. Draw and guess
Plan: 5–10 minutes. A volunteer shares a drawing surface and draws a simple object without letters or numbers. The rest of the group guesses in chat for up to one minute. Give one point to the first correct guess, then rotate the drawer. Prepare a short list of familiar objects so nobody has to improvise a difficult clue.
20. Name five
Plan: 3–5 minutes. Give a volunteer a friendly category such as “five things you might pack for a picnic.” They have twenty seconds to name five valid items. Let the group help if they get stuck, then switch the category and volunteer. Use everyday topics rather than testing specialist knowledge.
How to set up a browser game on Google Meet
- Open the game page and create a room before the activity starts.
- Copy the room invite link and paste it into your meeting chat. If chat is unavailable, share the site address and five-character room code aloud or on screen.
- Ask players to join with a nickname from a phone or a second browser tab. Keep the Meet call open for voice and video.
- Use Meet's presentation control to share the game tab. Follow Google's screen-sharing instructions if your meeting settings or device need a different setup.
- Check the player list, explain how many rounds you plan to play, and start when the group is ready.
- Stop at the agreed time and return to the meeting agenda.
Host lobby of a sample room, using sample players.
For a five-minute work opener, choose one game and keep explanations short. For a friend hangout, allow more conversation between rounds. The app's standard game listings are for groups of 2–50; a call with more people should use a manual activity or separate groups rather than assume a larger room limit.
More ideas for your next call
- Free online games for virtual teams compares browser games with other team activities.
- Google Meet games for work focuses on running a short work session.
- Zoom icebreakers for work covers another video-call setup.
- Five-minute meeting games helps you fit an activity into a short agenda.
Ready to play? Start a Would You Rather room, choose a trivia quiz, or browse all live games.