Long distance games to play online with friends
Friends move away. Siblings go to university, parents retire somewhere sunny, the group chat ends up across four time zones. These games are a small way to stay in each other's day. Each one takes a link to start and a few minutes to play, runs in any browser, and costs nothing.
Online games to play with long-distance friends
1. Battleship
Everyone knows the rules, including the grandparents. Slow enough to chat through, and better than the paper version because nobody can mis-mark a grid.
About 10 min a game · How to play Battleship
2. Word Duel
For the friend who already posts their Wordle score every morning. Now you can race them on the same word instead of comparing afterwards.
About 3 min a game · How to play Word Duel
3. How Well Do You Know Me
Switch to the Friends pack and settle who really knows who. Comfort food, holiday style, party habits, the ideal Saturday. Every reveal starts an argument.
About 5 min a game · How to play How Well Do You Know Me
4. In Sync
Tea or coffee, window or aisle, pineapple on pizza or absolutely not. Pick at the same time and see how often you agree. Quick enough for a sibling who never has long to talk.
About 2 min a game · How to play In Sync
5. Checkers
A proper game to play with a parent or grandparent who taught you in the first place. Captures are enforced by the board, so nobody argues about the rules.
About 15 min a game · How to play Checkers
6. Dots & Boxes
The game from the back of every school notebook, now playable across a continent. Pick a bigger grid for a longer game.
About 5 min a game · How to play Dots & Boxes
7. Dice Duel
A dice game in the style of the family classic. Luck keeps it friendly between players who aren't equally good at strategy games.
About 10 min a game · How to play Dice Duel
8. Reversi
Easy to learn, and the lead changes hands constantly. Legal moves are highlighted, so nobody gets stuck.
About 10 min a game · How to play Reversi
9. Connect 4
The easiest game to talk someone into. Everyone already knows how to play, and a round takes five minutes.
About 5 min a game · How to play Connect 4
Games for friends in different time zones
You don't have to finish in one sitting. Rooms keep their board, so if it gets late on one side of the world, close the tab and come back to the same link later. You'll both be back in your seats with the game where it was.
Simultaneous games are the easiest to fit into a lopsided schedule. In Word Duel and How Well Do You Know Me you both play at once, so nobody's stuck waiting for a turn.
Games to play with family far away
For relatives who don't want another app, a link is as simple as it gets: tap it, type a name, play. Start with Connect 4 or Checkers, which everyone already knows, and put them on speakerphone at the same time.
If nobody is around, every game except How Well Do You Know Me has a solo mode against the computer, so you can practise before the family rematch.
Questions
- What games can you play with long-distance friends?
- Anything two people can play from their own screens. Battleship, Word Duel, Checkers, Connect 4, Reversi, Dots & Boxes, a dice game and a friendship quiz are all here, free, in the browser.
- How many people can play?
- Every game is for two players. For a group, start a few rooms and play a little tournament, since rematches keep a running score.
- Can we pick up a game later?
- Yes. The board is kept on the server, so reopening the same link puts you back in the game.
- Is it free?
- Yes. There are no ads and nothing to buy.