Have you found yourself missing all the fun times you had with your friends? Here’s a quick list of 5 games that require little to no commitment and that have the option of letting you create private rooms.
Jackbox (3+ Players)
Jackbox is the only game on the list which at least one player will need to purchase. However, there is a way to go about it. Technically, all you need is to have one player stream the game. Follow this link to find a list of channels streaming Jackbox and simply enter the room to access the game. That way, there’s a good chance you’ll end up playing as an observer but you can still have fun voting for silly things. Alternatively, you can join a public Discord server like “College Friends” where they organize Jackbox game nights quite often.
Pictures Against Humanity (3+ Players)
The audience of PULP is mature but we figured that a disclaimer is needed nonetheless. To quote Wil Wheaton, “it will be in exceedingly poor taste and outrageously profane”. Essentially, you won’t need your brain for this game. This online version of “Cards Against Humanity” follows the same basic principles, except you have more freedom. For instance, you can make up your own answers or include gifs, images, and other links regardless of how atrocious they might be.
Skribbl.io (2+ Players)
Skribbl.io takes the trophy for being arguably the most enjoyable pictionary game on the Internet. If you’re anything like me, you’ll draw ridiculously abstract visualizations and gloat as your friends question their platonic love for you.
Drawphone (4+ Players)
This one was inspired by a board game called “Telestrations”, except it’s online and you don’t need to worry about your markers drying out. Drawphone is a game in which players create drawings and then guess what others drew. You don't really need to know how to play in advance. The game will tell you exactly what to do as you go. (Source: Tanner Krewson, the creator of Drawphone)
Codenames (4+ Players)
Just like the previous one, this last game is inspired by a real board game. The premise is simple, you split into two teams: Blue and Red. Each team has a Spymaster who knows where the assassin, spies, and innocent bystanders are on the board. The board is filled with nouns, each corresponding to a particular character mentioned earlier. The spymaster’s goal is to come up with a word, an association of sorts, that will help their team guess which codename(s) to pick. If you learn best while observing others play, I recommend watching this episode of TableTop where they play the original game.
And most importantly..
..don’t overthink it. It’s easy to waste your time looking for that perfect game. The stability of your friendships should not depend on the quality of games you play. Think about it, when you’re with the right people, regardless of how nonsensical or obscene a game is, you still manage to have a blast. So what are you waiting for? Fire up Skype, Discord… or Zoom (hopefully not) and rekindle your friendships with a few Friday night laughs.