Best online multiplayer games to play with friends

Playing games by yourself is fine, but everything gets better when you bring friends into it. The problem used to be that multiplayer meant everyone had to be in the same room with controllers and a TV. That's not the case anymore. There are tons of free online multiplayer games you can play together from anywhere, and most of them run straight in your browser.

Whether you're planning a proper game night over Discord or you just want something fun to do during a group call, these are the best multiplayer games to play with friends online.

Drawing and guessing games

If your friend group has even one person who can't draw, these games are going to be hilarious. That's sort of the whole point.

Skribbl.io is the go-to drawing and guessing game for groups. One player gets a word and has to draw it while everyone else races to guess what it is. You can create private rooms so it's just your friends, and you can even add custom word lists to make things more personal (or more chaotic). Rounds are quick, so nobody's sitting around waiting too long.

Gartic Phone puts a twist on the formula. It works like a game of telephone, but with drawings. One person writes a sentence. The next person draws it. The next person describes that drawing. By the time it comes back around, the original message has usually turned into something completely unrecognizable. It's one of those games where the results are funnier the worse everyone is at drawing.

Competitive games for the tryhard friends

Every friend group has that one person who takes everything way too seriously. These games are for them (and honestly, for everyone else too, because beating them feels great).

Slither.io drops you into a massive arena where you control a snake and try to outgrow and outlast everyone else. The controls are dead simple, but there's real strategy to how you move around the map and trap other players. It's free for all, so even though you can't team up officially, you and your friends can join the same server and see who survives the longest.

Typeracer is surprisingly intense for a typing game. You race against other players by typing out a passage as fast and accurately as you can. Your car moves forward based on your typing speed. It's the kind of game that starts out casual and then turns into a genuine competition when someone in the group turns out to type 120 words per minute. Great for bragging rights.

Strategy and board games online

For friend groups that like to think a few moves ahead, online board games and strategy games are perfect. They're slower paced but way more satisfying when you pull off a good play.

Chess is the obvious one, and you've got two great options. Chess.com is the biggest platform with polished features and tons of game modes. Lichess is completely free and open source, with no ads and no premium tiers. Both let you create private games and invite friends directly. If you're evenly matched, a chess game between friends gets really tense.

CardGames.io has multiplayer versions of classic card games like Hearts, Spades, and Euchre. You can set up private tables for your group, and the interface is clean and easy to figure out. It's the closest thing to sitting around a table with a real deck of cards.

Tabletopia is for when you want the full board game experience. They've digitized hundreds of actual tabletop games, complete with dice, tokens, and game boards. You move pieces around a virtual table just like you would in real life. It takes a minute to learn the controls, but once you do, it's a fantastic way to play board games with friends who live far away. Browse more options in our board games section.

Geography challenges

Geography games have gotten really popular, and they're surprisingly fun to play as a group. You don't need to be a map expert either. Half the fun is watching someone confidently guess the wrong continent.

City Guesser shows you a video of someone walking through a city, and you have to guess where in the world it is. You can play it competitively with friends and see who gets closest. The videos are actual street-level footage, so you're picking up on clues like street signs, architecture, and what side of the road people drive on.

Geotastic is similar but uses street view imagery and has a bunch of different game modes. You can play in teams or head to head. It's free to play and has a solid multiplayer system. For more geography games, take a look at our geo games collection.

Text adventures and co-op storytelling

If your friends are the creative type, text-based games offer a completely different kind of multiplayer experience. Instead of competing, you're building a story together.

AI Dungeon uses AI to generate interactive stories where you can type literally anything and the game responds. The multiplayer mode lets multiple players contribute to the same adventure, which gets wild fast. One person might try to negotiate with a dragon while another decides to open a pizza shop in the same scene. It's unpredictable and that's what makes it fun. Check out our text games category for more like this.

Tips for a great online game night

A few things that'll make your game night smoother. First, get everyone on a voice call. Discord works great, but a regular phone call or Zoom works too. Games are way more fun when you can hear everyone reacting in real time.

Second, pick games that match your group. If half the group is casual, don't jump straight into competitive chess. Start with something like Gartic Phone where everyone can participate and nobody feels left out. You can always move to something more competitive later.

Third, rotate who picks the game. That way everyone gets to play something they enjoy, and you'll probably discover new favorites you wouldn't have tried otherwise.

For a big list of games that work great in groups, check out our free online games page. Everything there is free, runs in a browser, and most of it supports multiplayer. Happy gaming.