Top Virtual Onboarding Games to Engage and Integrate New Hires
Onboarding new employees is already challenging, but doing it virtually can make it even harder. Remote teams often miss out on the casual watercooler chats, quick introductions, and spontaneous collaboration that help new hires feel connected. That’s where virtual onboarding games come in.
These interactive games not only break the ice but also foster engagement, build trust, and introduce new team members to your company culture – all from their own home or remote workspace. In this guide, we’ll explore the best virtual onboarding games that make your remote onboarding process fun, memorable, and effective.
Why Virtual Onboarding Games Matter
Before diving into the games themselves, it’s important to understand why they’re so effective:
Boost Engagement: Interactive activities keep new hires active and attentive, while encouraging creative thinking.
Build Connections: Games help employees form relationships with teammates, even from a distance.
Teach Culture: Creative games convey company values, mission, and culture in a way that’s fun and memorable.
Ease First-Day Anxiety: Breaking the ice with games makes the first day less intimidating, especially for introverts.
Top Virtual Onboarding Games
1. Escape From The Meeting
Onboarding usually comes with a lot of Zoom calls, but not every new hire loves being on camera. Escape From The Meeting is a virtual escape game designed to be introvert-friendly and 100% hilarious.
Through humor and puzzles, new hires “escape” from an absurd meeting scenario, creating laughter and inside jokes they can reference for weeks afterwards. This game also sends a subtle but powerful message: your company values positive work culture and effective meetings.
Why it’s great: Humor helps new hires relax, laughter creates lasting bonds, and the no-camera format gives introverts and video-fatigued employees a chance to shine.
2. Company-themed Trivia
Want your new employees to learn about the company’s history, founders, and culture in a way that doesn’t feel like a lecture? Try a company-themed trivia game.
The trivia can cover fun facts about your brand, quirky inside knowledge about different teams, or even “who said it” quotes from company leaders. Competitive energy keeps the group engaged while everyone picks up company knowledge along the way.
Why it’s great: Turns company knowledge into a fun challenge, sparks friendly competition, and helps new hires quickly feel like insiders.
3. Digital Scavenger Hunt
Instead of handing new hires a static handbook, turn the learning process into a game. Hide QR codes or digital clues across your company’s workspace (Slack channels, file repositories, the company website, or internal wikis).
Employees must solve riddles and follow the trail to uncover documents, tools, and processes. This gamified scavenger hunt makes onboarding feel like an adventure while teaching new hires where to find the resources they’ll need every day.
Why it’s great: Encourages exploration, makes workflows memorable, and transforms learning company processes into a playful quest.
4. Coffee Roulette
Most onboarding programs connect new hires with their managers or direct teammates. But what about other new hires joining around the same time?
Schedule short virtual coffee chats pairing new hires together. These casual conversations help people build relationships outside their immediate teams and create a support network of peers going through the same learning curve.
Why it’s great: Forges friendships across departments, gives new hires a peer buddy system, and makes onboarding less lonely.
5. Virtual City Tour
If your company has a connection to a specific city, such as where it was founded, where it’s headquartered, or where most of your customers are based, then bring that city to life for your remote employees.
A virtual city tour could include 360° videos, live guides, or trivia about landmarks and local culture. It’s a fun way to help new hires feel grounded in your company’s story and to build a sense of belonging, even if they’re scattered around the globe.
Why it’s great: Builds pride and connection to your company’s roots, creates shared experiences, and adds a sense of place for remote teams.
Why Virtual Onboarding Games Work
Onboarding shouldn’t just be about paperwork and presentations. Games make the process interactive, engaging, and memorable. They ease the pressure of starting a new job, help remote employees connect through laughter and creativity, and ensure that company culture comes to life from day one.
Whether it’s solving puzzles, competing in trivia, or bonding over coffee, these virtual onboarding games help transform a potentially stressful process into one that feels energizing and welcoming.