Options For Online Board Games

It’s assumed that for most of these games you’d run a video or voice chat service simultaneously (e.g. zoom, discord) for the best connective experience. Prices mentioned are in AUD.

As said, this is not an exhaustive list. So many random sites facilitate games, it’d be too much to list them all! When you want to play a specific game, you either must do the research and discover if it exists online already, or get creative, and say, work out how to play over video chat!

Happy Board Gaming!

Notes collated by Evan Leed 2020

Word Games

Boggle

eWord Challenge. (2+) Sign up for a name. Refresh and join game. Easy-to-join ongoing public games are at Weboggle.info and SerpentineGame.com.

Wordmine on Cyberspaces features video chat for 8 people, join easily with shared link.

Just One

OneWord.games. (3-7) Share room name. Don’t have to sign up.

Fishbowl / The Hat Game

Fishbowl-Game.com. (4+) Share game code. No sign up involved.

Taboo

PlayTaboo.com. (2+) Everyone visits same site, no connecting. Just generates new words.

Bananagrams

Anagrams. (2-8) Not really bananagrams, close enough. Create room and share link, sign up to have a name.

Scrabble

International Scrabble Club. (2-4) Sign up, send game invites. There’s many options for online scrabble!

Scatagories

ScattergoriesOnline. (2-20) Share link. Sign up for extra categories. Gary is a simple alternative with no connecting, just generates new cards.

Out of Context

OutOfContext.party. (2+). Features various “Build the Story” type games (read the rules for each one). Share game code, no sign up involved.

Drawing Games

Pictionary

Skribbl. (2-12) Create room, share a link, no sign up involved. Similar include Sketchful.io (2-64) and Drawasaurus (2-20). Sketchful and Skribbl can have custom words, Drawsaurus has other slightly unique settings.

Fake Artist Goes to New York

Fake Artist Online. (3-10) Share game code. No sign up involved.

Telestrations

Drawphone. (4+) Simplest and best, just share game code. Can adjust timer, can’t draw in colour.

Broken Picturephone. Simple, share room code. No timer, people’s “books” visibly backlog.

Cosel.io. Simple, share a link. 90 sec timer.

Drawception. (6, 12, 15) Sign up first. Create private games and share a link. Can only have 10 min or 90 sec turns, can’t have simultaneous goes. This site is good for displaying drawings.

Deduction Games

Wavelength

Longwave. (2+) Share a link, no sign up involved. Here to There and Telewave doesn’t involve connecting, screen share or take screen shots.

Decrypto

Decrypto. (3-8) No connecting, only gives new codes. Screen share and digitally note take elsewhere.

Liar’s Dice

Liar's Dice on Cyberspaces. (2-8) Just share link. Features video chat. Liar's Dice on FunNode has up to 10 players, join game via lobby, don’t have to sign up.

Codenames

codewords (4+) is the best. Share link. Cyberterms on Cyberspaces has video chat for 8 people. Likes of Codewords.tv and HorsePaste.com are simpler and feature custom words, but allow for easy cheating.

Covidgames.app (4+) for Codenames Pictures. CodenamesGreen.com (2+) for Codenames Duet.

Dixit

Isolant.Games. (3-16) Register and sign up, then share room code.

Skull

Skull.games. (3-6) Just enter room, no sign up involved.

Sites Used For Card Games

Trickster Cards

Simplest card game site! Has 9 different trick- based card games. Share room code, don’t have to sign up. Also available on app for iOS.

500
Bridge
Euchre
Hearts
Oh Hell
Pinochle
Pitch
Spades
Whist

PlayOK

17 classic board games:

Backgammon
Chess
Dominoes
Checkers (few variations)
Mahjong (Solitaire)
Go
Gomoku
Hex
Ludo
Makruk
Mill
Monopoly
Paper Soccer
Reversi
Shogi
Xiangqi
Yahtzee

14 card games:

3-5-8
Barbu-King
Bridge
Canasta
Cribbage
Durak
Euchre
Gin Rummy
Hearts
Oh Hell!
Pinochle
Skat
Spades
Switch

CardzMania

Need to sign up. Add friends to play together. Has 22 different card games.

Solitaires: FreeCell, Klondike, Seahaven Towers, Spider, Yukon

Trick Games: 325, Barbu, Euchre, Hearts, Oh Hell, Pinochle, Rung, Sergeant Major, Spades, Whist

Rummies: Canasta, Gin, Rummy, R. 500

Others: Crazy Eights, Durak, President

Playingcards.io

Has a few games (Go Fish, Match Up, Crazy Eights, Checkers). Just share a link, no sign up involved. At this site you can easily design or set up and run whatever card game you want with the “custom game” option. It gives you a deck of cards to play with, as well as the option to make your own cards. Manual dealing though. You can even set up games with game pieces, spinners, and checkers boards!

Other Games

Advanced Civilization

(CIV). (2-8) Sign up, then add friends and create a game.

Agricola

Play-Agricola.com. (1-5) Join the same game room, don’t have to sign up.

Catan

Colonist.io. (3-4) Create game and share a link. Catan Universe on Steam and mobile is free, but more glitchy.

Chess

Lichess or Chess.org. (2) Share link, don’t have to sign up. Chess.com has more features, sign up needed first, also on mobile.

Diplomacy

Backstabbr. (2-7) Sign up, create a game and share a link to join.

Dominion

Dominion.games. (2-6) Sign up and join “table”. Pay for expansions.

Dominoes

Dominoes.PlayDrift.com. (2-4) Just share a link, don’t have to sign up. Features Draw, Block, All 5s, All 3s.

Go

Online-Go.com. (2) Sign up, join game via lobby. Site has many features. For simpler, see Mattle.online or PlayOK.com.

Hanabi

Hanabi.Live. (2-5) Sign up and join game from lobby. Simply laid out.

Monopoly

Webopoly.org (2-4) Share game ID or game name. No sign up involved. Pogo.com (need to sign up) and Rento (don’t have to sign up) are both more complex with joining up, but have traditional aesthetics.

Set

Set With Friends. (1+) Just share a link, no sign up involved.

Monopoly Deal

Monopoly Deal Online. (2-5) Sign up and join game from lobby. Covidopoly (2+) is a COVID-19 themed version, share game code, no sign up involved.

Quiplash

QwiqWit (3-12) is virtually just Quiplash from Jackbox. It’s free, and can have more players than Quiplash. Share room code, no sign up involved.

Risk

Warzone.com. (2+). Need to sign up. Can customize maps and rules. ConquerClub.com and WarGear.net are among similar sites, though none of these are as simple as playing on Steam/mobile or Pogo.com (2-6).

There are variations of Risk called “Dice Wars”. At QDice.wtf (2-8) you don’t have to sign up, at KDice.com (2-7) you do. At both sites you just join a game room, but can’t make games private.

Stratego

Stratego.io. (2) Simple site, share link, no sign up involved. Stratego.com has more features, but requires sign up.

Tak

PlayTak.com. (2) At least sign up as guest. “Join game” to play with friend.

Uno

UnoFreak.com. (2-10) Just share a link, don’t have to sign up. Most sites don’t allow the game to be played with friends. Can otherwise use Uno app or Facebook app.

PaperGames.io

Site features 4 classic games. Just share link. If the host signs up you can play tournaments. (2+)

Gomoku (2)
Battleship (2)
Game also found at battleship-game.org, just share link
Tic-Tac-Toe (2)
Variation of game also found at bejofo.net, just share link.
Connect 4 (2) Game also found at c4arena.com, just share link.

See PlayOK or FunNode for more classic games.

Online Board Game Platforms

These platforms house multiple games all together. You need to sign up and create an account to play, this generally isn’t much of an obstacle to overcome.

Board Game Arena

This website has 175 different board games. The games are well set up and simple to follow. Very good site! Some games include:

6 Nimmt!
Colt Express
French Tarot
Hanabi
Hive
Quarto & Quoridor
Perudo
Red 7
Stone Age
Saboteur

$ There are better games available for Premium members (roughly $6.50 per month). Only one person in the party needs premium for all to play. Premium games include:

7 Wonders
Carcassonne
Coup
Kingdomino
Love Letter
Puerto Rico
Sushi Go!
Terra Mystica
Werewolf

People on the same wifi network can’t play with each other unless someone in the game has a premium account. Can currently bypass this if an account is just initially created on a different IP network (e.g. create an account on mobile data).

Mattle.online

Can sign up or play as a nameless guest. Has 6 games:

Azul
Blokus
Go
Splendor
7 Wonders: Duel
Century: Spice Road

Board Games on Steam

Steam is a free gaming platform. Some board games are free, most you’d need to pay for. When playing online, everyone needs to acquire the same game. Therefore if it’s a paid game, everyone needs a paid copy of the game.

Some free games:

Simply Chess
Catan Universe (A bit glitchy, also on mobile)
Risk: Global Domination (Pay $18.50 to be able to play whenever you want without wait times. Also on mobile)

$ Some paid games:

You can get most of these games cheaper on mobile. Prices usually range from $10-$25 excluding sales. Games include:

Axis & Allies 1942
Cluedo
Galaxy Trucker
Game of life
Labyrinth: W.O.T.
Monopoly Plus
Pandemic
Scythe
Stockpile
Terra Mystica
Terraforming Mars
Ticket to Ride

$ Tabletop Simulator

Costs around $30, but has an excellently vast selection! Over 30 thousand various games and RPG’s! Can even create your own games on the Steam workshop. Much like Tabletopia it just provides a simulator for you to interact with the pieces. Just slightly harder than Tabletopia with regards to understanding the functionality. Can play some games locally on the same computer.

Pogo.com

Not the simplest website to wrap your head around at the moment. Lots of ads also. The “early access experience” has fewer games. Has 14 very common multiplayer games including:

Boggle
Canasta
Chess
Dominoes
Scrabble
Monopoly
Risk
Yahtzee

Tabletopia

Has over 800 board games! The games aren’t set up and run for you, instead it provides you with a simulator that has all the pieces you need for the game on a virtual table. You need to actively move, turn over, and shuffle all components of the game yourself (which takes a bit to learn). Just interacting with pieces can take a little while as well. Can play some games locally on the same computer. Some games require the premium account. Tabletopia has lots of lesser known games, including:

Terra Mystica
Railroad Ink
Santorini
Secret Hitler
Scythe
Spyfall
Stockpile
Sub Terra
Quips about Christianity

Yucata

158 mostly lesser known games. Includes: Castles of Burgundy, MachiKoro, Puerto Rico, Red 7, Stone Age, Terra Mystica, and 2 variations of Carcassonne.

Board Space

Features 84 mostly abstract games, including Euphoria, Khet, Hive, Raj, and Container. Must download a game client. There’s a small learning curve to knowing how to join others online.

Vassal

Old game client that simulates board games. Bit to learn with how to download the client and games, how to run games, and how to join with others. Benefit to Vassal is that there’s over 2000 games available, though many are removed due to copyright. Used lots for playing War games.

Board Game Apps For Android & iOS

UNO!
Fluxx
Skip-Bo
Classic Games: For the likes of Backgammon, Reversi, Go, Chess, etc. search for the developer “al factory ltd”
Werewolf and Mafia
Chess.com
Catan Universe: Free, but glitchy. Also on Steam
$ Catan Classic Roughly $8 per person, also glitchy
Houseparty: Video chat app with a few games — Trivia, Heads Up, Pictionary, Apples to Apples
Risk: Free to play, pay $18.50 to play without wait times. Also on Steam
Trickster Cards: iOS only, also on web
Hive: Android only, uses BGA account

$ Some examples of paid games

7 Wonders	$8.50
Agricola	$8
Carcassonne	$8
Castles of Burgundy	$9
Exploding Kittens	$2.90
Galaxy Trucker	$6.50
Game of Life	$4
Istanbul	$12
Monopoly	$6
Pandemic	$8
Puerto Rico (iOS only)	$4
Race for the Galaxy	$10
Small World	$8
Splendor	$8
Terra Mystica	$14
Terraforming Mars	$12
Ticket to Ride	$9.50
Through the Ages	$15

Other

$ Jackbox

Collections of different party games. The host pays for it (ranges $12-$30 per pack, different per pack). Platforms include Steam and consoles. Someone with the game streams. Other players don’t need to sign up or buy anything, instead they simply watch and join game with their devices to jackbox.tv.

$ Town of Salem

Similar to Mafia/Werewolf. There’s a bit to understanding with how it runs. Was free, now costs $5-$10 depending on platform (Steam, web, mobile). Classic is free on mobile (limited free goes per day).

Air Console

Website with many different knock-off board games and video games. Players join with their phone as a controller, going on the app or the site. This site functions best with everyone in the same room, but if you can withstand the lag then the host can stream the screen and others can join and play.

$ Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

Fun co-op game that involves one person describing a bomb and others instructing how to defuse. Platforms include Steam, mobile, and consoles. Only the host with the bomb buys the game (ranges $12-$22 depending on platform). Other players just need the bomb manual found at bombmanual.com. Anyone playing remotely can’t have turns with the bomb unless they also buy/install the game.

Online Collectable Card Games

There’s so many different options for online CCG’s. Some, like Magic, require payments to be playable. Some, like MTG Arena, require clients to be set up. It’d take another list of it’s own to name all options (there’s a few good lists online). Here are just 5 CCG’s played for free on browsers (after sign up).

Trivia Games

QuizWitz

Host signs up and streams screen, players simply connect with their devices to catlab.tv. Need to pay $44 to play with more than 6. Can create your own quizzes. Various question types.

Jeopardy Labs

Host just needs to stream screen and other players watch and play along. Don’t have to sign up. Can create your own jeopardy games.

Kahoot

Host signs up on Kahoot.com and streams screen, others connect with their devices to Kahoot.it. Can create your own quizzes. Used a lot for education, but does feature general trivia. Only multiple Choice.

MultiplayerTrivia.com

Players need to sign up. Share link to join private game room. Type in written answers. Simply laid out, but as of the release of this list the site is still in beta and lacks features such as choice of categories.

Protobowl

Create room and share link. “Buzz in” and type answers to the questions being read.