Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

You can now play Minesweeper (and more games) in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft’s newest app, Games for Work, is adding a handful of casual games right into Microsoft Teams to allow users to play against each other during meetings. Games available through the app include Solitaire, Minesweeper, Wordament, and IceBreakers — all games that are noted as being safe for work and ad-free by Microsoft.

Games for Work – Now on Microsoft Teams for Enterprise

All four games are interactive and support multiple players, ranging from just two players all the way to 250.

Recommended Videos

Each game offers a different play experience, with Solitaire focused on head-to-head competition and Minesweeper leaning heavily into the cooperation element of gameplay where users have to work together to solve problems. IceBreakers is designed to encourage conversations among co-workers as a variation on this or that, prompting players to choose between two options such as yes or no questions. And Wordament focuses on creating team competition through a word challenge that can easily accommodate large groups.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The Games for Work app was developed by Microsoft Casual Games, a part of Xbox Game Studios. The app was created with the goal of addressing team-building needs and offers users the ability to experience games right in the Microsoft Teams app.

In a Microsoft blog post, Jill Braff, general manager of integrations and casual games for Microsoft said: “Games promote creativity, collaboration, and communication in powerful and unique ways, and we can’t wait to see the how the Games for Work app on Microsoft Teams inspires productivity and helps foster connections in the workplace.”

The Games for Work app is only available for Microsoft Teams Enterprise and Education customers

Paige Lyman
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Paige Lyman is a freelance writer and journalist who covers culture and entertainment. She has contributed stories to Digital…
You can get Orcs Must Die 3 for free from the Epic Games Store, today only
Orcs Must Die 3

As part of its celebration of the 2024 holiday season, Epic Games is giving away a free title each day until January 1. Today, that late stocking-stuffer is Orcs Must Die 3, an action-packed battle through hordes of orcs that combines aspects of hack-and-slash gameplay with tower defense. Normally $30, this game is yours for the low price of just a click, but only until tomorrow at 11 a.m.

Epic Games has given away one free item each day since December 19, and this one joins the ranks of heavy hitters like Vampire Survivors, Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles, TerraTech, Wizard of Legend, Dark and Darker, Dredge, Control, Ghostrunner 2, Hot Wheels Unleashed, and Kill Knight. There are three more free games to be had after today, but we aren't sure what they are yet. It's a safe bet that Epic will save its most impressive giveaway until last, so keep your eyes peeled on January 1.

Read more
You can play Halo’s original 1999 demo for the first time
Master Chief in Halo Combat Evolved.

The Halo franchise has been around for a long time, but we've never seen a leak quite this big before. More than 25 years of Halo content has leaked onto the internet, including a playable version of the game from before it was even a first-person shooter.

Halo Studios — formerly 343 Industries — has been working with the modding team Digsite since last summer to scour through game files and bring back content that hadn't made it off the cutting room floor, according to Video Games Chronicle. Last month's release of the Halo 2 E3 2003 demo was the result of this project.

Read more
3 new PS Plus games that you should play this weekend (December 27-29)
Key art for Star Wars: Tales from Galaxy's Edge - Enhanced Edition.

Did you just get a PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, or PlayStation VR2 for Christmas? If so, you've come to the right place. One of the best things you can do is buy a PlayStation Plus Premium or Extra subscription, as that will give you access to a large catalog of games from every PlayStation platform to check out on your new hardware. As for more specific recommendations, this week I want to highlight some of the hidden gems that were part of December's addition to PS Plus. That includes a Star Wars game that's one of the best PSVR2 titles, an eerie Alien game that you only have another week or so to claim, and an underrated 2023 indie.
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge -- Enhanced Edition
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge Enhanced Edition - Official Trailer | PS VR2

One standout launch title for PSVR2 was Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge -- Enhanced Edition. This is a VR game that does a fantastic job of whisking players away and immersing them in various parts of the Star Wars world as a Jedi, bounty hunter, and more. That includes a digital version of Batuu, the planet that Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland and Disney World is based on. It's still one of the best games you can play on PSVR2 and worth checking out for any Star Wars fan. In general, PS Plus Premium's VR game catalog is worth it for anyone who owns Sony's headset. Tales from the Galaxy's Edge is simply the latest cherry on top.

Read more