Games to Play on Zoom (That Work on Any Video Call)

The easiest game to play on Zoom is a live quiz: the host shares their screen with the questions, and everyone answers on their own phone by entering a 5-digit room code - no installs, no extra accounts, and it works identically on any video-call tool. One game can hold up to 200 players, so it fits a small team check-in and a company all-hands alike.

Below is the exact setup for running a live quiz over a video call with Glowit, a free live quiz platform, followed by 7 more games that translate well to remote meetings and online classes - most of them need nothing beyond the call itself.

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How to run a live quiz on a video call, step by step

Because the questions live on your shared screen and the answers live on players' phones, this setup works with any video software that can share a screen - Zoom or any other meeting tool.

1. Create your quiz at glowit.io (free, Google sign-in). Write questions in the editor, pick a ready-made quiz from the public gallery, or let the AI generator build up to 25 questions from a topic or an uploaded document.
2. Start your meeting and share your screen with the game lobby, so everyone sees the 5-digit room code.
3. Players open glowit.io on their phones, type the code and a nickname, and appear in the lobby - no app, no sign-up. Phones are for answering; the shared screen shows the questions.
4. Run the game: every question has a timer, faster correct answers score more points, a live leaderboard appears between questions, and a podium closes the session.

Why screen-share + phones beats chat-based games

Everyone plays simultaneously - no waiting for turns, no chat-scroll chaos, and quiet participants compete just as hard as vocal ones.
Scoring is automatic: points for correct and fast answers, tallied live between questions - nobody keeps score in a spreadsheet.
Cameras stay on: answering takes one tap, so people keep watching the shared screen and each other instead of vanishing into another window.
It scales: the same game works for a 6-person team and a 200-player audience.

7 more games that work on Zoom

Virtual scavenger hunt - give 30 seconds to grab an object matching a prompt ('something yellow', 'the oldest thing on your desk') and show it on camera.
Whiteboard drawing game - one person draws a word or phrase on the meeting whiteboard while everyone guesses in the chat.
Emoji movie titles - post a film's plot as emojis in the chat; the first correct guess wins the round.
Two truths and a lie - a classic that needs no tools; the group votes on the lie with reactions.
Guess the desk - participants send a photo of one corner of their workspace in advance; the group matches each photo to a person.
20 questions - one person picks an object or famous figure; the group gets 20 yes/no questions to identify it.
Background detective - players switch their virtual background to a place that matters to them; the others guess why.

Zoom games for teams vs. games with students

For remote teams, use games as a meeting opener rather than a standalone event: a 5-question quiz about the company, the product, or last quarter's inside jokes takes 6-8 minutes and resets the energy of a long call. For onboarding sessions or team days, a longer 15-20 question trivia game with a podium gives new members an easy way to shine.

For online classes, a live quiz doubles as a review tool: generate questions from your own lesson material - Glowit's AI generator accepts an uploaded PDF, DOCX, HTML, or TXT file up to 60,000 characters - and run it in the last ten minutes of class. The timer and leaderboard keep remote students engaged in a way a worksheet can't.

Frequently asked questions

Can you play a quiz on Zoom without extra apps?

Yes. With Glowit, the host shares their screen with the questions while players answer in their phone's browser at glowit.io using a 5-digit room code. Nobody installs anything, and players don't create accounts - only the host signs in with Google.

How many people can join a quiz on a video call?

Up to 200 players can join a single Glowit game, each from their own device. That covers everything from a small team ritual to a company all-hands or a large online class.

Does this work on video tools other than Zoom?

Yes. The game runs in the browser and the questions appear on whatever screen you share, so it works with any meeting software that supports screen-sharing.

How do I come up with quiz questions quickly?

Use the AI generator: type a topic or upload a document (PDF, DOCX, HTML, or TXT up to 60,000 characters) and get up to 25 editable questions in seconds. It's free with a monthly allowance of 100 AI questions, and there's also a gallery of ready-made public quizzes.

Is it free to run games on Zoom this way?

Yes. Glowit's core is free with no credit card: quiz creation, the AI generator, and live games for up to 200 players. Most of the other 7 games in this guide need nothing beyond your meeting software.

What if some participants join from a laptop instead of a phone?

That's fine. Players join in any browser - phone, tablet, or laptop - by entering the 5-digit room code at glowit.io. On a laptop they can keep the call and the game side by side in two windows.

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