How to Host a Virtual Game Night This Weekend
Whether you're in the middle of a social distancing journey (open in new tab) or not, we can all agree: there are few things that look better than a night with friends and family doing something other than scrolling through Netflix (open in new tab) millions of times. Thankfully, this weekend you can host a virtual game night. The world is your app store, and a fun night is just a FaceTime or Zoom call away (opens in new tab).
Now, I understand that not everyone (or everyone's family and friends) is super tech savvy, so I've divided these 12 games into three different categories 1) online games for beginners, 2) family-friendly games for all ages, 3) Dedicated to the eyes and ears of your friends.
Now let the games begin.
The game that has surpassed generations of technological advances is finally on your phone, the rusher. Yes, the game you loved as a child, a teenager, and a young adult is now on your most cherished screen. Compete against seven other players (as long as they are your in-game friends). The game charges $5/month, but for me, it's just another vanilla iced latte on my way to work.
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You may recognize this guessing game from The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Contestants have a limited amount of time to guess the word hidden in the cell phone they are holding to their forehead based on the clues given by their friends. Now that the universe loves us, it's available on the video chat app Houseparty (opens in new tab). You can have all this fun from the comfort of your couch.
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It's time to put your friends to the (creative) test Drawful 2 is a concept similar to my childhood favorite drawing game, Drawing Pictionary, but with a weird twist. You draw illustrations of everything from "smelly CEOs" to "shaving bears." Then your friends type in what they think the picture is, which becomes a multiple-choice incorrect answer. Then everyone, and I mean everyone online around the world, will try to guess the answer. Get ready for a good laugh.
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The famous game "Cards Against Humanity" has been rebooted online. All it takes is for one nice player to head over to the website and click a button to set up a new game. From there, the site will ask them to enter a nickname, followed by a shareable link to invite others. When everyone is ready, click the Start button to begin the game. (If you don't have a lot of friends around, you can choose up to 10 computer players to play against you.)
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Forget Scrabble and let your parents know how much fun Words with Friends is. It retains the fun of timeless word games, but makes it easy to catch people trying to get away with words that aren't in the dictionary. Currently, you can only play the game for two players, but that won't stop you.
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My mom told me about this weird but super fun game. When I learned that there was an equally fun app for this game, I knew I had to spread the word. The game is a feline-themed version of Russian roulette, where you draw cards from a pile of exploding kittens to get into the game while avoiding getting pissed off.
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Karaoke is only for a) really close friends or b) people who share a piece of DNA, i.e. family. That's why Ridley's game Sing It Back is perfect for a virtual game night with the family. The person who has this game will probably have to sit out the entire game to do the singer's job. They intone a verse of a well-known song, and the responding team is tasked with singing back the next verse. Get your vocal chords ready.
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This is the classic board game you love, but now it's digital. In the online multiplayer version, you and four other families compete to see who can own the most real estate in Atlantic City. You can even create custom games with your family's favorite house rules, so it's as if you've never left the kitchen table.
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No explanation necessary, so I'll be brief. Charades is a game in which team members try to guess the word they are playing from a randomly selected pile of candidates. The person who correctly guesses the most words wins. In a perfect world, only two people would participate in a FaceTime/Zoom call as liaisons for each team, but that doesn't have to happen here.
Settle ongoing disputes, like Coke vs. Pepsi. Or, if you're feeling really creative (and have kids in the chat), here's an idea: do you want to be able to fly or read minds? This is a chameleon of a game and can be played by all ages. Best of all, everyone's a winner.
Forget the games you spent your teenage years texting your crush, and look at it through a 2020 lens. Pick an object, a celebrity, a place, etc., and have them ask you up to 20 questions about what you are. It's super easy and you don't even have to plan before you get into FaceTime.
Bingo is like the board game Dolly Parton (opens in new tab). Everyone loves her. The game is easy to play, hard to fool (at least virtually), and can be circled in a short time. So if you or your relatives have the short attention span gene like I do, perfect, go to a website like My Free Bingo Cards (opens in new tab) and play a traditional game with virtual callers, everyone's favorite movies and Set up your own fun categories around TV shows.
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