What office bingo is
Office bingo is bingo played at work. Instead of numbers, each square describes a person or a moment: has fixed the printer, someone says "let's circle back", has worked from a cafe. Depending on the card, people either find a coworker who fits the square or mark it when it happens.
It suits the moments when a team needs a small reason to talk: a new starter's first week, the start of an all-hands, a Friday afternoon, or a remote team that only ever meets on calls.
Three ways to play
The card builder above has three kinds of card. They play differently, so pick the one that fits the moment.
| Card | Where it works | How people play |
|---|---|---|
| Coworkers | Office, onboarding week, team offsite | Walk around and find a coworker who fits each square. They sign it. |
| Meeting | All-hands, weekly team meeting, long training day | Keep the card open during the meeting and mark squares as they happen. |
| Remote team | Video calls on Zoom, Teams, or Meet | Ask about a square on the call or in the chat and write down who it fits. |
Every card is shuffled from a bank of 40 squares, so neighbors rarely hold the same card.
How to run coworker bingo
- Choose Coworkers, set the number of cards to your headcount, and press Print cards.
- Hand them out at the start of a break or a team event. Give people ten minutes.
- Rules: find a different coworker for each square and ask them to sign it. Each person can sign your card only once. A row, column, or diagonal is bingo.
- Finish with two minutes of stories: which square was hardest to fill, and who surprised you.
Coworker cards work best when people do not already know each other well, such as a new team, a merged department, or a site with several floors.
How to run meeting bingo
- Choose Meeting and print a card for each person, or share the page so people play on screen.
- Tell everyone at the start. Meeting bingo is funnier when the whole room is in on it, including whoever is presenting.
- People mark a square quietly when it happens. The first to complete a line says "bingo" or types it in the chat.
- Keep it to one round per meeting. The point is a shared laugh, not a scoreboard.
Keep it kind. The squares describe things that happen in every meeting, not things a particular person does. Do not add squares about a named colleague, and skip meeting bingo in meetings where someone is receiving difficult news.
How to run remote team bingo
- Choose Remote team and share the card in the chat or print it before the call.
- Take turns reading a square aloud, for example has worked from a cafe. Anyone it fits unmutes or replies in the chat.
- Everyone writes that teammate's name in the square. One name per square.
- The first person with a full line wins. On a large call, use breakout rooms of five or six.
For more games that work on a call, see remote meeting games.
Example office bingo squares
Coworkers
- Has a plant on their desk
- Has fixed the printer
- Knows the wifi password by heart
- Has booked the wrong meeting room
- Has helped a new hire find something
Meeting
- Someone says "you're on mute"
- Someone says "let's take this offline"
- The meeting ends early
- A pet appears on camera
- Someone thanks everyone for their time
Remote team
- Has worked from a cafe
- Has forgotten to unmute
- Has worked across time zones
- Has done a virtual coffee chat
Prizes that cost nothing
Office bingo does not need a budget. The Prize ideas card above suggests one each time you press Generate prompt, such as picking the playlist for the next team call or choosing next week's lunch spot. Small, public, and a little silly works better than a gift card.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to print? Yes. Choose a card type, set the number of cards, and print. No sign-up is needed.
Can we play office bingo on Teams or Zoom? Yes. Use the remote team card, or share the meeting card on screen and have people mark squares on their own copy.
How long does a game take? Coworker bingo takes ten to fifteen minutes. Meeting bingo lasts as long as the meeting. Remote team bingo takes about fifteen minutes for a team of ten.
What is the difference between office bingo and get to know you bingo? They overlap. Get to know you bingo is for any new group, including classrooms. Office bingo adds cards made for work: meetings and remote teams.
Can I write my own squares? Yes. The bingo card generator lets you paste your own list, for example your team's in-jokes, and print it.