Do you also miss your game night during the crisis? Are you done with the solo games and would you like to play a game online with your friends? Don't worry, because we have created a Top 10 Quarantine Games with 10 games that you can play with your friends while video calling!
Playing online games during quarantine
The first step is of course the video calling itself! You can do this very easily and for free via various apps, such as Whatsapp, Skype, Google Meet, Houseparty or Zoom. We prefer to use Google Meet (our best and clearest connection) or Zoom (if we meet with several people at the same time).
Of course, in theory you can play almost all games together while video calling, but we collected (with your help!) the 10 best quarantine games.
Tip: with some games it is nice to add an extra telephone to the group conversation, which you focus on the game itself. This way you don't have to move the image back and forth and you can still see each other during the conversation! (Remember to mute this phone to avoid echoing.)
1. Just One
Just One is a super fun party game where you try to guess as many words as possible together with the other players. The rules of Just One are very simple and everyone can participate! You write your hint on the erasable boards and one player must guess the mysterious word using all the hints. But be original and be careful not to accidentally choose the same hint as another player, otherwise your hint will be invalid!
Just One is a cooperative game and so you all work together. The goal is to score as many points as possible (maximum 13) and for each correctly guessed word you get one point. But… a wrong word means you lose a card!
Do your fellow players not have Just One ? Then they can use a white piece of paper for their hint.
Buy Just One here.
2. Welcome To
Welcome to is a super cool flip-and-write game in which you build your own neighborhood. Each round you turn over cards from three piles, giving you three different actions that all players can choose from. The target? Be the first to achieve the public goals and score the most points. Because there are many different cards in this game, a game of Welcome to is different every time!
Do your fellow players not have Welcome to ? Then they can download the free Welcome to app for the score form . This way, only one person needs to have the game and you can still play the game together!
Tip: add an extra telephone to the video call that focuses only on the assignment cards. This way everyone can always see the assignments and you can also see each other while playing. (Remember to mute this phone to avoid echoing.)
Buy Welcome To here.
3. Werewords
Werewords combines two of our favorite game elements: Werewolves & Guess the Word. In Werewords, players try to guess the secret word by asking questions that can be answered with 'yes' and 'no'. Try to guess the secret word before time runs out and you win!
Although, it is less simple than it seems... One of the players is a werewolf and he already knows the secret word! As a result, the werewolf can confuse players by asking distracting questions. Can you unmask the werewolf and guess the secret word?
Werewords works with an app that you can easily share by sharing your screen during video calling. We do this with Google Meet. Tip: add an extra telephone/laptop/computer to the group conversation to continuously share the screen, so you don't have to click back and forth. (Remember to turn off the sound on this phone/laptop/computer to avoid echoing.)
Buy Werewords here.
4. Qwixx
Qwixx is perhaps the most popular dice game in the Netherlands and you can play it very well during video calling. The active player rolls the dice and the nice thing is that everyone can use that roll. So you never have to wait for your turn.
You can explain Qwixx very quickly to new players and there are a lot of cool expansions. We have already played quite a few games of Qwixx during video calling! Everyone should have the game, but fortunately the game is not expensive.
Tip: add an extra phone to the video call that focuses only on the dice. This way everyone can always see the dice result and you can also see each other while playing. (Remember to mute this phone to avoid echoing.)
Buy Qwixx here.
5. Clever
Clever is one of the best dice games of the moment. Even though it is a very small game, the different choices make it feel like a large board game. It is a super tactical dice game with a lot of possibilities. You can also play Clever very well during video calling by pointing your camera at the dice. All players must have the game, but fortunately Clever is not expensive.
Tip: add an extra phone to the video call that you only point at the silver tray. This way everyone can always see the dice result and you can also see each other while playing. (Remember to mute this phone to avoid echoing.)
Buy Clever here.
6. Time and time again
Keer op Keer is a dice game that is not about numbers, but about colors. Check boxes on your playing field to fill columns and areas of one color as quickly as possible. Each turn you choose a dice color and a dice number. You combine these, allowing you to check adjacent boxes of the chosen color.
In addition to points for complete columns, you also get a bonus if you have checked all boxes of 1 color. The game ends when a player has checked 2 complete colors. Who has the most points?
Keer op Keer is a very entertaining dice game that you can quickly explain to new players. Everyone needs the game to play it again and again while video calling, but fortunately it is not expensive.
Tip: add an extra phone to the video call that focuses only on the dice. This way everyone can always see the dice result and you can also see each other while playing. (Remember to mute this phone to avoid echoing.)
Buy Time and Time here.
7. 30 Seconds
30 Seconds , who doesn't know it? In this super-famous party game you will explain as many concepts as possible to your fellow players in 30 seconds. For each correctly guessed point you can move forward one step on the score track. But… the dice can still change that. Will you be the first to reach the finish line at 30 Seconds ?
You can play 30 Seconds perfectly during video calling! If only one person has the game at home, you can send a photo of the card with the concepts on it to the other team via WhatsApp.
Tip: add an extra phone to the video call that focuses only on the scoreboard. This way everyone can always see what the score is and you can also see each other while playing. (Remember to mute this phone to avoid echoing.)
Buy 30 Seconds here.
8. Code names
Another winner in the 'guess the word' category! In Codenames, two rival secret services battle for victory. The head of the secret service gives instructions to his teammates and his fellow players in turn try to guess which words he means. But be careful not to accidentally point out an opponent's word or even worse… choose the assassin!
Only one person needs to have Codenames for this game. It is useful if you send a photo via WhatsApp of the map with the color codes on it.
Tip: add an extra phone to the video call that focuses only on the cards with words on them. This way everyone can always see which cards are left and you can also see each other while playing. (Remember to mute this phone to avoid echoing.)
Buy Codenames here.
9. Similo
Similo is a great card game for fans of Dixit, Mysterium, Obscurio and Muse. The game leader tries to guide the other players to the correct character among the 12 cards on the table. To achieve this he may give hints with other cards, but he may not talk!
By laying out the cards in a certain way, he can indicate whether the character he is looking for does or does not match the card played. Do the other players know how to interpret his hints correctly or do they vote away the wrong cards?
The nice thing is that you can also combine the different Similo games with each other. For example, give hints with the cards from Similo History and choose the 12 cards on the table from Similo Fairytales .
You can easily play Similo while video calling. Tip: add an extra phone to the video call that focuses only on the cards. This way everyone can always see the cards and you can also see each other while playing. (Remember to mute this phone to avoid echoing.)
Buy Similo here.
10. Tiny Towns
InTiny Towns you build a small city in the forest. Each player has a player tableau on which he builds his city using raw materials. At the beginning of each turn, the active player may indicate which resource should be taken (and the other players must therefore take it too!). You use the raw materials to create patterns on your player tableau, which you then use to build buildings.
But… the buildings must be located where the raw materials were located. And your player tableau isn't that big. So it can happen that you are not waiting for the active player's 'stone' at all!
Tiny Towns has simple rules and plays well. It's a game for 1 – 6 players, so you can play it solo too! Everyone needs the game to playTiny Towns while video calling. You can agree with each other which building cards you will use during the game and then you can start right away!