How to use the team generator
- 1Type or paste everyone’s names, one per line or separated by commas.
- 2Choose the number of teams, or switch to People per team if you know how big each team should be.
- 3Tap Make teams. Every tap of Shuffle again deals a brand new set.
- 4Tap Copy teams to paste the list into your group chat or notes.
Fair ways to pick teams
Letting two captains take turns choosing players is a classic, but it’s slow and somebody always gets picked last. A random draw fixes both problems. Every name has the same chance of landing on any team, and nobody has to stand around waiting to be chosen.
This generator shuffles your list with the Fisher-Yates method, the standard way to put a list in a truly random order, using your browser’s built-in secure random numbers. Then it deals the names out one at a time, like cards. That keeps the teams as even as possible: when the names don’t split evenly, some teams get one extra person, never more.
Want to balance skill as well? Make the teams, take a look, and agree on one or two swaps. A random draw gets you most of the way there, and a quick swap settles the rest.
Teams for party games
Plenty of our free party games are played in teams, and all of them run on a single phone. A few that work well once your teams are set:
- Charades: one player acts out a prompt without talking while their team shouts guesses against the clock. Good with two teams of three or more.
- Fishbowl: one bowl of words and three rounds. Describe it, then say just one word, then act it out. Best with two teams of four or more.
- Draw and Guess: one player draws the secret word on the phone with a finger, and their team races to guess it.
Keeping track of points? The free online scoreboard has big buttons for every team.
Tips for big groups
For a class, a team-building day or a family reunion, it’s often easier to set the team size than the number of teams. Switch to People per team, choose 4, and the generator works out how many teams you need.
You can paste names straight from a spreadsheet column or a sign-up list, and each line becomes one name. Duplicate names are kept, so if two people share a first name, add a last initial to tell them apart.
Frequently asked questions
Is the team generator really random?
Yes. It uses your browser’s secure random number generator and a Fisher-Yates shuffle, so every possible split is equally likely. Each time you tap Shuffle again, you get a fresh draw that has nothing to do with the last one.
What happens if the names don’t divide evenly?
Names are dealt out one at a time, like cards, so team sizes never differ by more than one. With 10 names and 3 teams, you get one team of 4 and two teams of 3.
Can I choose how many people are on each team?
Yes. Switch to People per team and pick a size, and the generator works out how many teams you need. With 10 names and 3 people per team, you get 4 teams: two of 3 and two of 2.
How many names can I add?
Up to 200. You can paste a whole column from a spreadsheet or a sign-up sheet, and each line becomes one name. Names separated by commas work too.
Is my list of names saved?
Your list is saved in this browser on this device, so it’s still there the next time you open the page. Nothing is sent to our servers. Tap Clear to remove it.
Is the random team generator free?
Yes. It’s free to use, with no sign-up and no app to install.