In today’s digital age, gaming platforms have become one of the most popular mediums for staying connected with friends, no matter how many miles or borders you are apart. Whether you’re keen to challenge your pals and embrace some friendly competition or you just want to socialise and unwind together, there are plenty of gaming options available.
Below, we’ll recommend some of the most popular online games to try with friends, ideal for creating more cherished memories on any device or browser.
Among Us
Among Us took the online gaming world by storm with its clever fusion of multiplayer action and social deduction, which is possible despite the lack of face-to-face gameplay. Within this online multiplayer, players must complete tasks while on board a spaceship. The plan? To identify the imposters within the ranks.
It was developed by US-based game studio Innersloth. This studio took huge inspiration from sci-fi horror movie, The Thing, as well as the popular party game, Mafia. Among Us can be enjoyed by between four and 15 players. Up to three of which are chosen at random to be the imposters. Crewmates must complete all assigned tasks or identify and eject all the imposters who attempt to sabotage the tasks and kill/eject individual crewmates.
Fortnite
Epic Games unleashed the popular free-to-play battle royale game, Fortnite, in 2017. This survival game has capacity for up to 100 players simultaneously. It’s essentially one big battle to be the last player standing. In fact, Fortnite Battle Royale has become something of a pop culture phenomenon, not least with millennial and Gen Z gamers.
Within less than 12 months of its release, Fortnite Battle Royale drew over 125 million players worldwide. By December 2019, this game had generated $9 billion in gross revenue, which is almost as high as the Candy Crush Saga series. Fortnite: Save the World is an alternative option, which is played more as a survival or tower defence-shooter game. You must work together to fend off zombie-esque individuals and defend areas and objects. Both Fortnite games are available to play on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, as well as the Nintendo Switch and on smartphone devices.
PokerStars Home Games
Poker has long been a favourite pastime for friends looking to pit their wits against one another across the table, using strategy and deception to try and win. Online poker rooms shot to stardom in the mid-2000s, allowing users with relatively low bandwidth internet access to play games with people literally anywhere in the world.
Now, it’s possible to decide who you play against online, with the launch of PokerStars’ Home Games feature. Using Home Games, it’s now possible to create your own private online poker clubs, which are password protected. Only the users you give the password to can enter the club. As the owner of a Home Games club, it’s possible to create poker tournaments across various game types and stake levels, ensuring endless fun and camaraderie with friends.
Jackbox Party Pack
The Jackbox Party Pack features a collection of multiplayer party games ideal for enjoying with friends. You can play them together in the same room or connect together and play them online. From trivia quizzes and drawing challenges to word games and more, the Jackbox Party Pack brings a variety of fun and interaction.
There’s been a host of releases since the original Party Pack arrived in 2014. In fact, the latest iteration, The Jackbox Party Pack 10, was released in October 2023.
Minecraft
The sandbox game of Minecraft was developed by Mojang Studios and released in 2009. It has since become the best-selling video game of all time. As of last year, over 300 million copies of Minecraft have been sold. In addition, there’s almost 140 million active Minecraft players a month. The game and Mojang became such hot property that Microsoft forked out $2.5 billion to acquire them in 2014.
The multiplayer version of Minecraft allows you to compete or cooperate against other players in the same virtual, three-dimensional world. Battle hostile mobs and accrue resources to build, maintain your health and be in a position to survive and attack. Hardcore mode is the toughest mode of all – once you’re ‘killed’ you’re effective banished from playing in that virtual world.
This powerful quintet of online games offers a wealth of opportunities to connect, compete and have fun together, no matter where you are in the world. Let the fun begin!