When the pandemic started, many of us turned to games online to bring us together when we physically had to be apart. And the online gaming scene did not disappoint — after all, it brought us games like jackboxTV and Among Us. With so many families and friends living in different states, the demand is still high for free online games.
We’ve compiled a list of 30 free games to play with your friends and family. With the varying passions of your crew, there are games from drawing to strategy games similar to Risk. You and your friends will have a great time playing through this list, which has some modern twists on well-loved classics.
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30 Best Free Online Games
1. Drawphone
Have you ever played telephone? This game is telephone but in drawing form. In order to play this game, you need a minimum of four players, but there’s no limit to how many you can have. When playing, you create a room and give the room code to your friends. Every friend is given a prompt to draw; then you press the pass button. Once the drawings are passed, you guess what the drawing is and repeat. You get to choose what kinds of prompts you’ll be drawing, and you can set time limits on draws.
2. Out of the Loop
Out of the Loop is a hot seat game (hot seat means you pass the device around to different players). In this game, three to nine players join together and grab a device to play with. There’s one person who’s out of the loop. There’s a keyword, and in order to figure out who is “out of the loop,” you answer silly questions about the keyword. Every round takes five to 10 minutes, and the game is available on both iOS and Android.
3. Vote’s Out
Vote’s Out is a browser game you can play on any device. Similar to Jackbox, you get a room and a room code. For three to12 players, every game lasts between 10 – 20 minutes. Every round, you have a minute to input an answer to the question. Questions range anywhere from “I hope my last words are …” to “My next pet is going to be …” — This game can be played with any age range and is a whole host of fun for any family or friend group.
4. Lords of the Arena
Lords of the Arena is a massive multiplayer online game designed to allow you to play through roleplaying campaigns and missions together. For a browser game, it’s pretty complex and allows you to get deep into your quests with your friend.
It’s a simple download game that you play with your friends in real time. You get to choose a hero, and there are 30 heroes to choose from, plus you’re able to explore the lands and go into dungeons that have minibosses to gain experience.
5. The Third Age
Another online game to play without downloading is The Third Age which allows you to play and battle other players across the game through strategy plays.
You’ll spend time building up power to become a force in the realm. You can play with other players you know or with strangers on the internet. It’s a great way to release some stress.
6. Plato
Plato is an app that houses games you can play online with your friends. It holds all of the classic board games.
Plato has several free online games, such as pool, mini golf, archery, bankroll, and many more.
You can chat with your friends through the app as you’re playing the games. It’s a great spin on classic board games that keep you on your toes and having fun.
7. Mario Kart Tour
This modern twist on a classic game is an excellent way to play with friends and family. You can challenge up to seven other players. And play on courses similar to the original Mario Kart.
However, you’ll need a Nintendo account to play this game, and so will everyone else you’re playing with.
This app is available on Apple and Android, but it’s a mobile-only game.
8. Scrabble Go
If you’re a word nerd, this is the game for you. It’s a free online game that replicates the well-loved classic. You can have as many as four people playing at once.
Even if you don’t know how to play Scrabble, this game is good because it comes with a tutorial on how to play.
You’ll need to download the app to start, but you don’t need an account.
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9. Jade Goddess
Another excellent MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game), Jade Goddess centers around Eastern mythology. Through your journey, you’ll choose a hero, develop his or her abilities, and even tame a wild animal!
Of course, this game has a social component. You can bond with other users on the game and play with players you know in real life, too! You and your friends will have a blast.
Like many free online games, you can play with friends. In order to meet up with your friends in this game, you add them to your friend list and create a group. This option is available in your character’s toolbar.
10. Spyfall
Wanna be a spy? Play Spyfall with your friends. This game is designed to be similar to the classic board game Clue. And the spy is randomly selected before the start of the game.
The goal is to figure out which players are in on the secret and who the spy is before the spy realizes what’s going on.
It’s available on both mobile and desktop.
11. BrowserQuest
BrowserQuest is a massive roleplaying game that you and your friends will enjoy immensely. You play as a young warrior set to take on a terribly dangerous quest.
While the graphics are considered rudimentary, the quest becomes increasingly more difficult, and you’ll need to upgrade your character in order to complete them. In this game, when you destroy the mobs (the enemy in fighting), you receive loot. Some of the loot you can use to do the upgrades you need or even use them on your character. The best loot they have in the game is the invincibility potion that turns your character’s outfit into the Firefox logo.
12. This is Your World
If you love free online trivia games, you’ll love this game! You answer questions to earn cards in order to win the game.
This can be played as a single-player game, or you can play with friends. Better yet, if you download the game, you can play it offline. So if you’re at a party and the power goes out, you’ll still have something to do.
13. Stronghold Kingdoms
Stronghold Kingdoms is a multiplayer strategy game. In it, you play as a regal lord or lady. It’s an MMORTS (Massively Multiplayer Online Real Time Strategy) genre game, and the goal is to carefully construct your castle so that it stands the test of time.
You’ll navigate throughout the medieval world and trade with other kingdoms to develop your own stronghold.
It’s a fun game to play with friends. You can combine forces to create a huge kingdom or fight against each other in this game.
14. Rail Nation
If you love trains, this game is for you. You can build up an empire with your railroad and gain prestige which helps you control the turnout of the game. Team up with other players to join ranks on the leaderboard.
The goal is to expand your railway empire as far as possible. This game is available on your browser, Android, or iOS.
15. Cards Against Online
Cards Against Online is an online version of Cards Against Humanity. All you have to do is invite friends to your room to play and let the fun begin. There is a minimum of three players needed but a recommendation of four or more.
16. Time Heist
If you love competition games, Time Heist will get you going. It’s a trivia game. Each team picks a captain for this game. Once a captain is selected, teams must compete against each other in a game of trivia in galactic proportions.
You can play in fast, regular, or legend mode.
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17. Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 is similar to the popular game Overwatch, but it’s completely free to play on Steam. However, if you want to customize your character, you’ll need to purchase different skins. In this game, there are nine character classes: Spy, Pyro, Soldier, Heavy, Medic, Sniper, Demoman, Scout, and Engineer. When you choose one of these classes, you’re given the abilities of that class and are able to go into battle. When customizing your character, there are skins, which are essentially like new skin for the character, sometimes with a whole different art style than what was originally planned.
18. Four
Four is Scrabble with a twist. It’s one of those free online games that’s simple yet entertaining. The goal is to guess your opponent’s words, similar to Battlefield. You’ll get a bucket of colorful balls and a random set of letters. When you guess a letter correctly, a ball in your bucket will pop. Pop all your balls first, and you win! If you guess four words correctly in a row, you’ll add balls to your opponent’s bucket.
19. Catan Universe
Catan Universe is a multiplayer game where you can play the classic board game Catan but online. This strategy game is a family favorite because you can build alliances and gang up on other players, all for the chance to build the biggest kingdom on the board.
You can play it on the browser or download the app. The app has a smoother interface and is easier to play.
20. Words With Friends + Chess
Words With Friends is essentially an online Scrabble game. It even has its own dictionary of words that you can check if you’re not sure if something is a word. If you play something wrong, the AI will tell you.
While you can only play with one player at a time, you can have many games going at once with all of your friends to see who has the better vocabulary.
And there’s even a Chess With Friends made by the same company.
21. Best Fiends Stars
While you don’t actively play with your friends at the same time on Best Fiends Stars, you can challenge them to different puzzle matches throughout the game. You race to collect different items throughout the game before they’re eaten by slugs. Ewww. Who wants that? You get to challenge them by sending little Facebook messages through the game and challenging them to the level that you’re on.
22. Wizard 101
Wizard 101 is one of the many downloadable free online games. In this game, you create a fun wizard and select a school of magic. The wizards are fully customizable. Wizard 101 offers every player a deck of magic cards, and in the event of a fight, you use these cards to cast spells. You have a wide variety of side quests with the goal of defeating dark magic.
23. Apex Legends
Apex Legends is a battle royale-type game offered by EA. (A battle royale game is an online multiplayer video game genre that blends last-man-standing gameplay with the survival, exploration, and scavenging elements of a survival game.) It has both a mobile and a PC version. In this game, you choose between many legends (the characters that you play) and pick an arena to play in. This game is a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena). You play with a squad of people, and every legend has special abilities aiding in the squad’s win.
24. Rocket League
Want to play an off-the-walls game where you’re playing soccer … in a car? Rocket League is the game you want! Found on Steam, this wacky game will keep you and your friends in stitches the whole time you’re playing it. It comes with full customization of your car; you can hit the track and play soccer with your car.
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25. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a traditional first-person shooter game. A first-person shooter game is a game where you’re in the viewpoint of a character who has a gun and is shooting. It’s one of the most played games on Steam (a library of games that can be purchased or downloaded onto your computer), and you and your friends will have a blast playing it.
Even better, it’s recently been made available for free — so you won’t have to shell out any money to participate in an amazing, active, competitive community.
26. Hearthstone
Hearthstone is a digital card game that you can play with your friends. It’s unique because it doesn’t have a physical version — so you have to play online.
But it can also be played on Android and iOS software. So it can be downloaded and played completely for free. If you’re willing to spend money, you can get better decks of cards — but you’ll get them eventually if you stick with the free version.
27. Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact is very similar to Zelda Breath of the Wild. It’s an open map and has great exploring opportunities. With this game, you can play either by yourself or with up to three other people. In this game, you play one of two twins on a mission to find the opposite twin.
28. World of Tanks and World of Warships
If you like historical multiplayer games, then World of Tanks and World of Warships is the game series for you. You can choose from one of 300 historical vessels to play on.
You can enter battles with your friends together and claim rewards together. So it makes a great game if you and your friends are all history buffs — since that’s the principal attraction of the game.
29. Fall Guys
Fall Guys is another quirky game on our free online games list. It was developed by Mediatonic and designed for up to 60 players. You can find this game on Epic Games, which is a service much like Steam.
You run around as little jelly bean creatures and compete against each other in a series of wacky games. This game is ideal for larger parties because of its large player limit.
30. Slapshot: Rebound
Slapshot: Rebound is the ultimate hockey game. Unlike other hockey games, you don’t have as many of the supports, which is great because it means it’s up to you and your team’s skill level to beat the AI. Slapshot: Rebound is found on Steam and can be played online.
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