THE VIRTUAL WHITE ELEPHANT
White Elephant, rebuilt for video calls. Everyone plays on their own screen, the game runs itself, and every steal gets the moment it deserves.
Free to try with up to 8 people. Works with Google Meet, Zoom and Teams.
PLAYER 7 OF 30
Dana, you're up.
Open or steal?
#3 · Guitar case · Huge
Heated blanket
Marcus · 2 of 3 steals
#9 · Lumpy sack · Pocket
Open a gift
Steal
THE OTHER 29 ARE VOTING
HOW IT WORKS
01
Send one link
Name your party, set the budget and date. Your team signs in with their Google or Microsoft work account. No passwords, no spreadsheets.
02
They drop and wrap
Everyone pastes an Amazon link, then wraps it in the Wrap Studio. A $12 mug in a massive suitcase? Encouraged.
03
Play on your call
Everyone taps Open or Steal on their own screen. Turn clocks, steal limits and heckles run themselves. The host gets to play too.
04
One cart, done
When the game ends, every gift lands in one Amazon cart with each winner's address ready. Check out once.
FOR THE SKEPTICS
Every part of the game people complain about, we fixed. Starting with the worst one.
When the last turn ends, side deals open for 5 minutes. Offer anyone a 1-for-1 swap. You both say yes, the cart updates, and nobody goes home with something they hate.
Heated throw blanket
You
Hot sauce flight
Owen
Owen wants your blanket for his hot sauce flight.
Robbed and left with nothing
Get robbed, get revenge
Lose a gift and you're up next, with the whole room watching. Most Robbed even gets its own award.
It drags on forever
A clock on every turn
Take too long and the room plays you off, Oscars style. 30 people, about an hour.
Being put on the spot
Play from your own screen
Vote, react and chat without unmuting. The quiet ones are usually the best thieves.
Gifts nobody actually wants
Know before you steal
Photos, price, the best review and the worst one, for every opened gift.
INSIDE THE GAME
The pre-game opens when the invite goes out. By game night, everyone already has a rival, a guess and a gift they want.
Pick how hard the invite roasts you
Holiday roast
"Your last gift was a candle. We remember."
Gentle roast
"Bring something better than last year. Low bar."
Warm hype
"You're going to crush this. Probably."
Every player chooses a welcome: holiday roast, gentle roast or warm hype. Nobody gets roasted who didn't ask.
Pick a shape. Pick a size. Lie about it.
14 shapes and 8 sizes, from Pocket to Absurd. A $12 mug can ride in an absurdly massive crate.
Or let AI wrap it.
a rubber duck wrapped in tacos
Describe the whole wrapped gift and get 4 wraps to pick from. Wild or pretty, your call.
The Heckle Wall
whoever wrapped a gift in a guitar case, I see you
♥ 31I wrapped mine in spreadsheet paper as a cry for help
♥ 24alliance offers accepted in my DMs
♥ 12Friendly banter all the way up to the party. Most-loved post wins Hype Machine.
Scout the boxes
41 GUESSES SO FAR
Tap any wrapped box and guess what's inside. Whoever called it gets a shout-out at the awards.
Call your shot
Who will be Grand Thief?
Predict the Grand Thief. Right calls earn the Oracle award on game night.
Hot take of the day
DAILY QUESTION
Worst gift you ever got at work?
"a single AA battery. No note."
"a mug with my old boss's face on it"
A new question every morning keeps the lobby busy. Keep your streak alive.
Every steal gets a moment
SLEIGHED!
Sirens, a bandit mask and a new steal word every time. Never the same twice.
Overtime, Oscars style
The clock is growing a beard.
Meanwhile, 29 coworkers age slightly.
A vaudeville hook is warming up.
Run out the clock and the room starts playing you off. The heckles change every time.
Banter, live
Owen steal the blanket, coward
Priya DO NOT take my waffles
Jess I have number 1 and I am already sweating
Chat and reactions on every turn, so the other 29 never just sit there.
Three steals and it's sealed
Heated throw blanket
Robbed, 2nd time. One more and it's sealed.
A wax seal locks a gift after its third steal. Choose wisely.
The Gift Wall
Owen just wanted the desk putting green. That's 14.
Heads up: Dana stole the heated blanket. 11 of you wanted it.
Spend 3 wants on the gifts you're after. Everyone sees what's hot.
A soundtrack under the call
2 people tapped "too loud." Turned it down.
Holiday music and steal sirens play under your Meet, Zoom or Teams call, with a volume everyone can reach.
Awards for everyone's worst moment
GRAND THIEF
Dana · 7 steals
PLAYED OFF
Dave · +94s overtime
BIGGEST FAKE-OUT
Owen · Massive box, $12 mug
Grand Thief, Most Robbed, Played Off, Biggest Fake-out, Best Wrap and more.
The Trading Post
Owen wants your blanket for his hot sauce flight.
5 minutes of side deals after the last turn. 1-for-1 swaps, both say yes, no take-backs.
Santa's Mailroom
Write a note and Santa reads it aloud. Send it to your kids, your mom, or the coworker who stole your waffle maker.
THE DIFFERENCE
One Game Lead shares a screen and clicks every open and steal. Players can log in to follow along, but only to watch. We think the people playing should get to play.
| THE USUAL WAY | STEALMAS | |
|---|---|---|
| Who plays | One Game Lead clicks every turn; players can only watch along | Everyone, on their own screen |
| Collecting gifts | Every player makes a new account, or the host enters all the gifts | Players use their work sign-in and add their own |
| Wrapping | Pick a wrap from the menu | AI paper, odd shapes, decoy sizes, a note to the thief |
| Deciding to steal | A name and a thumbnail | Photos, price, best and worst review |
| Between turns | Waiting | Votes, reactions, chat, wants |
| After the game | A list of winners and links to buy one by one, or players buy their own | One Amazon cart on the company card, addresses ready |
A RESPECTFUL DISAGREEMENT
"Virtual White Elephant is awkward."
"The steal/reveal dynamic doesn't translate as well to video calls."
Elfster Blog, "Secret Santa vs White Elephant vs Dirty Santa," Elfster Editorial Team, published July 9, 2026, updated August 2026. Read it yourself
CHALLENGE
ACCEPTED
We love a good Secret Santa. But White Elephant on video isn't awkward because of the game. It's awkward because nobody built it for video. So we did.
Their chart. Our column.
Elfster's own comparison table, White Elephant column, word for word. We added one.
| ELFSTER SAYS | STEALMAS | |
|---|---|---|
| Office appropriate? | Can create awkwardness | Roasts are opt-in, gifts lock after 3 steals, and the Trading Post means nobody gets stuck with a dud. |
| Works virtually? | Harder (needs coordination) | Built for video. Everyone plays on their own screen and the game coordinates itself. |
| Best group size | 8–25 (slows above 30) | Up to 100 in one party, with a clock on every turn. |
| Tone | Competitive, chaotic, fun | Same. We kept every bit of it. |
BUILT FOR WORK
One-tap work sign-in
Google or Microsoft, the same secure sign-in your team already uses every day. No new passwords to create or forget.
Private parties
Only your invite link and your company's email domain get in.
Addresses stay private
Only the host sees them, and they're deleted 30 days after gifts are ordered.
Jokes with consent
Players pick their own welcome: roast or hype. Hosts can review and rewrite every line.