What is a virtual happy hour?
In today’s world, we can take full advantage of our technology in order to be together wherever we are. Choose a platform, create a meeting time, and invite anyone you want to your event. This can be a simple catch up, a gaming event, a show-and-tell, or whatever memorable thing you want! It doesn’t matter if you’re on the other side of town or the other side of the globe, a virtual happy hour can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere, anytime.
How Do You Make Virtual Happy Hour More Fun?
Here’s a list of fun ideas, games, and themes to add some flair to your Virtual Happy Hour! We know that the daily Zoom meetings and email exchanges can become dull, lifeless, and expected. It doesn’t have to be this way, especially if you add a little flair to your day or week with these fun Virtual Happy Hour ideas. From virtual scavenger hunts to multiplayer poker, there’s something here for everyone.
Virtual Happy Hour Ideas
Lip Reading Virtual Happy Hour Idea
It’s time to turn our awkward chat and video cut outs into a fun game! We’ve all experienced the hassles that come with technology, and it’s time to add some fun to those anxious Zoom chats.
How to do it:
- Every 15 or 20 minutes, mute a random person’s audio
- Shout out a code word for everyone else (such as “seltzer” or “whiskey”) to signal the start of the game
- Have the muted person continue talking while everyone else attempts to guess what it is they’re saying
Cuddles and Cocktails Pet Virtual Happy Hour Idea
Turn up the fun by inviting everyone to bring their pets to the Happy Hour!
How to do it:
- Ask everyone attending if their pets can be shown on-screen (there can be pet substitutes for our pet-less friends; you can turn this game into any sort of show-and-tell)
- Show off your pets, brag, and chat!
Poker Virtual Happy Hour Idea
Make your Happy Hour even better by playing some virtual poker! Hold your cards out for the camera instead of laying them out on the table, and put your Zoom call to use by studying your friends or co-worker’s poker faces. If you can’t drum up a deck of cards for everyone, there are plenty of virtual poker games online that can be played by groups.
Virtual Happy Hour Themes
There’s Been A Murder Virtual Happy Hour Theme
Everyone loves a good murder mystery, and there are ways to play it remotely! Whether by playing Clue or coming up with the events yourself, solving a virtual murder with friends is fun. The host can enable private chat allowing people to sleuth with one another and run theories without involving anyone else. Use fun virtual backgrounds to simulate what room you might be in, and try not to act like a suspect!
Virtual Escape Room Virtual Happy Hour Theme
How do you theme your Virtual Happy Hour around an escape room? Your host can help you with the game, guiding your team with an adventure or simply prompting you through clues and puzzles to enjoy during your event. This is a great theme for smaller groups, though this might take some time to prepare so don’t miss the meeting! This is one of the best ways to have some great virtual team building.
Island-Themed “House Hunters” Virtual Happy Hour Theme
It’s time to don your real-estate agent hats! We all wish we had our own exotic islands to vacation on, and this theme asks everyone to find their perfect island getaway for your Virtual Happy Hour. Each one of your “real-estate agents” presents an assigned number of properties, typically 2-3. Give people bragging rights or other points when they make a “sale” under this theme. This is a great conversation starter and a way to have everyone share their dream islands and locations.
Virtual Happy Hour Games
Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Team scavenger hunts use technology to connect players across any distance for some great fun!. Whether it’s trivia, photo and video submissions, games, or more, a virtual team building event is a great way to get everyone laughing and playing together. It’s fun, individuals or teams can complete challenges, and everyone will get to know one another better. This is the perfect event for corporate teams, friends, family, or whatever!
A mix of everyone’s favorite kinds of trivia and challenges will keep everyone strategizing and laughing. Have your host guide you through this fun time that is sure to make any Virtual Happy Hour a blast.
GeoGuessr
This is a free, fun way to “get away from it all” virtually. GeoGuessr presents your Virtual Happy Hour guests with pictures of places all around the world. You simply drag and drop an icon on the map wherever you think the picture was taken, from Spain to the UK to France to Canada. GeoGuessr also has many themed ideas, such as Abandoned Places, GeoDetective, and I Saw the Sign. You can play for free, and they even have Battle Royale modes, World Exploration and a landmark guessing game called Famous Places.
Retro Games
Use the Retro Games site to breach a world of pure gaming nostalgia! You can play Super Mario Bros., Oregon Trail, Tetris and more. The games are free to play and a huge majority are multiplayer! Laugh along with your friends and coworkers during your Virtual Happy Hour as you lay Tetris blocks or peruse their curated online museum of video games. There’s certain to be many games that your team will want to play together.
Your Virtual Happy Hour can be many things, but one thing it should never be is boring! There are many games out there, and with these themes and events we hope that you can find something for your team to enjoy together. Virtual Happy Hours should be celebrations of each other, a place to relax and have fun and find mutual enjoyment, whether it’s a scavenger hunt or a game.
