Games to Play With Friends: Fun Ideas Online and in Real Life

The best game to play with friends depends on how many of you there are and whether you are in the same room. This page splits the ideas that way: two friends, a small group of three or four, a bigger group, and friends who are far apart. Browser games here are free and need no download. Real-life games need cards or nothing at all.

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Pick by group size

Group	Good picks
2 friends	Head Soccer 2022, Connect 4, dominoes, 20 Questions
3 or 4 friends	Ludo, Stickhero Party, card games
5 or more	MiniBattles, charades, Two Truths and a Lie
Friends far away	Online Tic Tac Toe, dominoes with a friend link, Guess Who

Games for two friends on one screen

• Head Soccer 2022. One-on-one football with big-headed players. Choose 2P Versus. Player 1 runs with A and D, jumps with W and shoots with F or G. Player 2 uses the arrow keys and K or L. Each match lasts about a minute.
• House of Hazards. Each player does chores around a house while the other sets off traps. Press Add Player to get a second player card and check the keys on it.
• Board games. Connect 4, checkers and dominoes are quick to start. Our best board games for 2 players lists a dozen.
• More ideas. 2 player games for one keyboard has keys for six games.

Games for three or four friends

• Ludo Legend. The setup screen shows four seats: blue, yellow, green and red. Each human player has a dice box by their corner. See how to play Ludo.
• Goose Game Multiplayer. A dice race on a spiral board for 2 to 6 players, with a coloured goose for each. See how to play snakes and ladders for a similar game.
• Stickhero Party 4 Player. A cooperative jumping game with one key per player: green jumps with I, blue with T, black with W and red with the Up Arrow. Everyone has to reach the finish line.
• 2,3,4 Player Games. A collection of 21 short games, each with a new scenario.

For cards with three players, see 3 player card games. For more screen-based games, see 3 player games.

Games for a bigger group

• MiniBattles - 2 3 4 5 6 Player Games. Every player gets a single button, and each round is all against all with a win counter. It holds up to six players on one screen.
• Charades. Two teams. One team picks a word for the other to act out without speaking, against a time limit.
• Two Truths and a Lie. Everyone says three statements, two true and one false, and the group guesses the lie.

The rules for both are in games to play with friends without anything.

Games to play with friends in real life

You do not need a screen for any of these:

• 20 Questions, word chain and categories work in a car, a queue or a café.
• A deck of cards makes a full evening. Try 2 player card games for pairs, or Crazy Eights and rummy for groups.
• Paper games such as tic tac toe, hangman and dots and boxes need a pen. See how to play dots and boxes.
• Best friend quiz. Take the best friend quiz to see who knows whom better.

Games to play with friends who are far away

Check that the game has an online mode, because many browser games are same-screen only.

• Online Tic Tac Toe. One player enters a 4-digit code to host as Player X, and the friend enters the same code to join as Player O.
• Domino Online Multiplayer. According to the developer, you send a link and play together even if you are far apart. It has a chat.
• Guess Who Multiplayer. Use the globe button for online play.

Our guide to online games for two players on different computers explains how to set it up and what to do when the game is same-screen only.

Tips for a good time

1. Let everyone pick once. A rotating pick keeps it fair.
2. Check the keys before you start. On one keyboard, agree who sits where.
3. Keep rounds short. The loser gets a rematch quickly.
4. Have a backup. If a game flops, switch to something with no setup.