12 online multiplayer board games to play with friends
Board games never fail and these days can be very necessary. We have selected some of the best online multiplayer board games, both for PC, mobile and console.
When it comes to group play, the hard part can be finding a game that everyone likes. Some like Fortnite, but others prefer Mario Kart. Your brother wants to play Call of Duty Warzone and your friend prefers FIFA 20. It’s not easy to please everyone, but it will be easier if you opt for the best online multiplayer board games .
Board games are easy to learn, but difficult to master. Everyone can play without being skilled at the command, and everyone can win with a little luck and good judgment. They are games that most people like , so they are a good choice when you want to agree several people.
We have selected some of the best online multiplayer board games , to play both with people you live with at home and with distant family and friends. We have grouped them into three blocks: browser games you don’t need to install, mobile games, and games for PCs and consoles.
Most of them are free, although there are some paid. But they are cheap and worth it if you go to play once in a while.
They are games for all ages that allow everyone to feel integrated and have fun as a group . Many also include text or voice chats to communicate during the game.
Table of Contents
For PC and console
If you are going to play in a group in local mode, that is, with the players together in the same room, the best option is a PC or a console, because you can use a television or a monitor so that everyone can see the board without problem .
And in many cases you do not need controls, since you can pass the same gamepad from one player to another, if it is a turn-based board game.
Tabletopia
Tabletopía is one of the largest platforms for board games that exists for computers. It collects almost 800 board games , meticulously designed in 3D to be identical to the physical version.
Best of all, they are all free, although some expansions or game modes require purchasing the premium version. But you can play all with your friends.
They are non-player games controlled by the computer, so you have to find friends to play. Luckily it is very easy to send invitations for others to join the game.
There are a lot of great quality games to the point that some of them are released on Tabletopia first, and if they are successful the physical edition is marketed.
Although in these days of world confinement the servers are a bit saturated, it is one of the best options to play board games online with the same fidelity as if you were playing the physical version.
Free download Tabletopía on Steam
Tabletop Simulator
Tabletop Simulator is a board game simulator. Includes 15 classic games such as chess, dominoes, checkers, puzzles , etc.
Players can fully manipulate the 3D environment, which means someone can cheat by changing site tiles or counting extra squares. Or, if you get mad, punch the table and knock the board to the floor. As in real life, go …
But the fun thing is that you can create your own games yourself , literally: draw the board, create the pieces, design the rules, and challenge your friends to play it.
The closest thing to playing a board game in the real world, with all the good and bad that entails …
Tabletop simulator is not free, but it is on sale for € 9 and you can buy 4 copies to give to your friends for € 27.
Download Tabletop Simulator on Steam
Catan Universe
Catan is one of the most popular board games of the last decade. Colonizing, trading, and building are the keys to success . Skillfully lay villages and roads, trade with your friends for raw materials, and make smart use of the thief to block land. Strategic thinking is crucial to beat other players.
Catan is easy to learn, but difficult to master. In Catan Universe you can play the basic scenario for free, with two other players. You have to buy the expansions.
Catan Universe free download on Steam . Also on consoles.
Risk
Another great game that you can also play for free with friends , although only the basic scenario. If you want more scenarios and options, you must go through the box.
Place troops in your territories and conquer those of the enemy. The game is more fun as more players participate, because alliances can be forged.
In the browser
If you don’t want to install anything, you can play online multiplayer board games directly in your PC or laptop’s browser. Some also work on a tablet and the like.
The most common is for a person in the group to create a private room within the game, and from there invite their family or friends by communicating the name of the room, so that only they can enter. Or you create a public room, and let whoever wants to play if you need players.
Cokitos
Cokitos is a free games website focused on educational games, with age categories ranging from 3 years to adults.
It has a very complete online table games section , with classic titles such as Parcheesi, Goose, Chess, Monopoly, Checkers, etc.
Most are intended to be played locally, but you will see that some have the multiplayer queue . Those are the ones you should look for to play with your acquaintances. You create a private room and communicate it to the other players, so they can enter.
Play for free at Cokitos
Board Game Arena
Board Game Arena is one of the world’s largest board game platforms . And it is available in Spanish. It has more than 175 board games and more than two million players.
There are all the classics: Carcassonne, Hanabi, 7 Wonders, Uno , and many more.
Only some are free, the rest require a paid subscription. But the free titles are abundant and of quality, and all the classics are included: cards, chess, etc.
All are official digital versions of board games that are sold in physical format in stores, so they have a proven quality. The only requirement is to create a free account, and meet your acquaintances to play.
Play for free at Board Game Arena
TrivialOnline.es
Who has never played Trivial? It is the ideal game to give a lesson to the smart-ass brother-in-law, or to the intellectual friend …
This TrivialOnline.es is a little different, since there is no board. And it’s focused on multiplayer . You create a public or private room where you choose the agenda of the questions (Science, Cinema, History, Videogames, etc.), as well as the number of questions, and the time to answer them.
The game is in real time, that is, all the players play at the same time. The web asks a question according to the chosen agenda and there is a time limit to answer it.
Players who answer correctly receive between 100 and 200 points, depending on the time it took them to answer. Whoever scores the most points in the set question round wins the game.
Although it is not a flashy game, there are thousands of questions and it is very easy to create a private room to play with acquaintances.
Play for free at TrivialOnline.es
Games.com
Another website dedicated to collecting games played in the browser, with a section focused on multiplayer games. Here you will find dozens of classic board games.
Some only allow multiplayer to be played locally, but others allow online play. In some cases, through a Facebook account.
It is a good option if you are looking for games that are easy to play, and that do not require installation.
Play for free on Juegos.com
For mobile or tablet
The advantage of playing on mobile is that everyone has one , so no one will be excluded because they do not have a PC or console.
However, board games usually have many squares, statistics and scores, which are worse on a mobile screen. Here the tablet has an advantage, and also simulates the board concept better than anyone …
Guess who I am – who is my character?
The classic game of guessing the character chosen by the opponent disposal asking questions that can only be answered with a Yes or No . Do you have a hat? Has green eyes? He is a boy?
The first one to hit the character wins.
It is an ideal game for children, it is in Spanish, two people can play, and it is free . What more could you want?
Free Download Guess who I am – Who is my character? for Android
Carcassonne
In a selection of digital board games like this one, one of the best in history could not be missing.
In Carcassonne you have to place tiles, form landscapes, take over zones and earn points. Place cities, roads, abbeys and fields to expand your landscape and then place your followers. Knights, thieves or farmers … Each follower will help you control your territory.
It is a very entertaining and challenging game for all ages and up to 6 players.
It’s not free, but for just € 5, it’s definitely worth it.
Download Carcassonne for iOS, Android and PC
Sea Battle 2
Everyone has ever played this game as a child, using a sheet of graph paper, and a pen. It’s the classic Sink the Fleet , which you can now play with animated graphics and new gameplay options.
Hide your ships in your grid, and launch missiles or mines at enemy ships, trying to guess where they are.
It is possible to play with other people on the same mobile, or in online mode through the Internet. And it has an advanced mode with different types of weapons, radars, and other new features.
Free download Sea Battle 2 for Android and iOS
Scrabble GO
Scrabble is a board game over 70 years old, but it’s still just as fun as ever. Form words trying to link them with those already placed . The more letters they have, the more points you earn.
It can be played online and challenge friends in different game modes , including Duets, Rush or Leagues.
Free download Scrabble GO for Android and iOS