Whether you're spending this Super Bowl by yourself or just want to connect with some long-distance friends and family, it’s always a smart idea to have a few different virtual Super Bowl party ideas in your back pocket. If you’re all out of Zoom party ideas these days, that’s fair. Every last one of us has some degree of Zoom fatigue, even for those video calls that are supposed to be purely celebratory. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to make Super Bowl Sunday feel fun even when spent far away from the people you love.
First and foremost, set up that Zoom call on Sunday, Feb. 13. Make sure everyone’s got the right link, that your parents remember their login info if they need it, etc. Once that’s out of the way, figure out how you plan to watch the game. Will you be streaming it separately? Sharing screens with the person who still has a cable login? If you’re looking for a way to watch the Super Bowl without cable, you’ll be able to stream the game for free through Peaco*ck, the NBC Sports app, NBCSports.com, or live TV streaming subscriptions such as through Hulu or AppleTV. You could also forgo watching it live altogether and just collectively keep tabs on Twitter for updates. To each their own Super Bowl.
If you need some inspiration beyond “chips and dip,” here are 18 Zoom Super Bowl party ideas to make your virtual gatherings more fun.
1. Pick Out The Perfect Zoom Background
Don't worry about decorating your entire living room. Just pop up a festive Super Bowl Zoom background and you'll be good to go. This option is ideal if you plan to have a true virtual watch party. This way, you’re still putting in some effort to celebrate and be on theme without distracting from the game and halftime performance — and honestly the commercials, too.
2. Organize A Drink Drop-Off
Up your standard Zoom happy hour game by having drinks delivered right to your guests. You can use a service like Drizly or Instacart to drop off your friends' favorite six-packs or give them mixers and garnishes for a fun at-home co*cktail kit. If you’re opting for an alcohol-free Super Bowl, send over some soda, fancy seltzer, or kombucha to your buddies.
3. Socially-Distanced “Potluck”
Have everyone make their favorite football game snack and show it off onscreen during the game. If your friends are within driving distance, you could also organize food drop-offs and deliver mini snack spreads right to their doorstep. Go for Super Bowl classics such as chips and guac, spicy chicken wings, and pizza, or try something totally new and inventive.
4. Make It Thematic
Is the Super Bowl a theme in and of itself? Sure, but you could also up the ante with a Zoom party theme. Make it a throwback game and have people rep old-school jerseys — or maybe even throwback hip hop and R&B fashion in honor of this year’s halftime performers. To make your party properly Gen Z and TikTok approved, throw a Euphoria-themed Super Bowl party because you can, you want to, and you love glittery makeup.
5. Games, Games, Games
Take a break from the Big Game with some more games. There are plenty of Super Bowl games you can play over Zoom, from football trivia to sports-themed Scattergories to general Super Bowl bingo. It turns watching the game into a game itself.
6. Pre-Game With Your Favorite Sports Movie
For a low-key tailgate party, host a Zoom watch night and screen your favorite sports movies. (Yes, High School Musical absolutely counts.) If you want to say on-theme with a football movie, everything from The Waterboy and Remember the Titans to The Longest Yard and The Game Plan is fair game.
7. Great American Football Bake-Off
For football-loving foodies, have a little friendly competition in the kitchen. Set some guidelines beforehand. Maybe your final dish must be football-shaped. Maybe it has to be some sort of baked good. Maybe you need to make the most impressive charcuterie board. The prize for Best In Show is getting to eat your delicious creation, no sharing. Truly, a win-win.
8. Football 101
Need to brush up on your football facts? This will help, because you'll have people prepare PowerPoint presentations based on hyper-specific and strange sports trivia. Share important information like how tall all the players are and who they're currently rumored to be dating. Rank every football team based on whether you think you could beat their mascot in a fight. The more random, the better.
9. Karaoke: Super Bowl Edition
Put on your own halftime show by performing your favorite song that’s either tangentially related to sports or by one of the artists performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. “That's How I Beat Shaq” by Aaron Carter? A perfect choice. Humming the Sunday Night Football theme? Even better. Choosing any song by Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, or Kendrick Lamar will get you hyped for halftime.
10. Touchdown Dance-Off
Time to put those TikTok dances you've learned over the past few years to good use. When your team scores, you must perform a brief touchdown dance. It can be as simple as a shoulder shimmy — the only requirement is that you fully commit. If you can do it in pairs, even better. Everyone loves a joint celebration.
11. Set Some Drinking Game Rules
Take a drink every time a player with a hot mic swears on national TV. Take a drink when a Super Bowl commercial makes a reference to these ongoing "unprecedented times." Make up whatever rules you see fit, or check out lists on TikTok, Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram for more idea starters. There are so many out there, there’s bound to be one that you and your friends vibe with.
12. “That’s My Baby!”
This theme is great because it gets people emotionally invested in the game — even those who don’t normally love football. Everyone picks a player for whom to be a surrogate parent. Every time they’re shown on the screen, you shout, “That’s my baby!” If they do A Very Good Sports Thing, you sob and say how proud you are to have raised such a fine young man.
13. Commentator Bingo
Before the game starts, have everyone help make a list of phrases you think the commentators will say: things like "this next play is very important" or "(insert player here) is doing what he does best!" You can use an online bingo card maker to create the cards, text or email them to the group, and have everyone start at kickoff.
14. Super Bowl Ad Bingo
This party idea is similar to the one above, but it focuses more on the non-game part of the Super Bowl. After all, for many casual viewers, the advertisem*nts can be just as entertaining as the game itself (if not more). Or, you could forget the bingo aspect altogether and just make it into a drinking game. Make bets on which celebrities will make appearances or which companies will go all-out on big Super Bowl budgets.
15. Pre-Game Tasting Soiree
What better way to prep for the big game than to hold a virtual soiree before it even begins? You could simply have a fancy co*cktail party, wherein everyone shows off their unique concoctions or you all have a set co*cktail to make and compare. Or, you and your friends could put together a testing menu of sorts — be it beer, wine, cider, La Croix, soju, or anything else — fit with scorecards to fill out and reveal at the end.
16. Collaborative DJ Night
Make a collaborative Super Bowl playlist on Spotify with everyone who is joining the virtual party. Each person must add at least one song to the playlist before the party begins, and they can add more as the night progresses. Have everyone press play at (roughly) the same time without shuffling on to have a synced, curated soundtrack for the night.
17. Replay Retro Super Bowl Highlights
Remember any of your favorite commercials from Super Bowls past? Cue them up on YouTube for a nostalgic watch party. In addition to ads, you can put on some of the best halftime performances to reminisce on — Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child in 2013, Prince in 2007, Coldplay in 2016, and J-Lo and Shakira in 2020 come to mind. If you’re a big football person, definitely replay some of the best game highlights.
18. No Context Football
This party idea is definitely one for those who know nothing about football — or for a friend group where there’s only one person who knows the sport well. Turn the volume down relatively low and narrate the game yourselves, fit with nonsensical explanations for what’s happening and why fouls are being called. The more outrageous, the better! It will be a funny way to get everyone chatting with creative juices flowing.
This article was originally published on
