Games to play over a video call
The problem with playing a game over a video call is not the game, it is the logistics. Everybody has a different device, nobody wants to install anything, and by the time you have explained the rules the toddler has gone.
These all work the same way and it takes about twenty seconds. One person opens the game and shares their screen on the call. Everybody else opens the site on their own phone, taps Join, and types the five-letter code showing on the shared screen. Their phone becomes their buzzer or their controller; the shared screen is the board everybody watches.
Nobody needs an account and nothing is installed. If somebody drops off the call they can rejoin with the same code.
- 1. AI Jeopardy2+ teamsThe best one to start with. Give it any theme - your family, a holiday, a decade - and it builds the whole board. Everybody buzzes in from their phone.
- 2. Live Quiz2-40 playersA live quiz where the questions are on the shared screen and the answers are on each phone. Works with two people or thirty.
- 3. Buzz2-40 playersPure buzzer. You ask the questions out loud yourself, and it settles who got in first - which is the one thing a video call genuinely cannot do.
- 4. Buzzer Trivia2-6 playersReady-made rounds if you do not want to write questions. Pick the age range and go.
- 5. CharadesAny groupThe phone shows the word to one person only, which is exactly what you need when everybody can see everybody else's face.
- 6. Headbands2+ playersThe word goes on YOUR screen where you cannot see it and everyone else can. Made for a video call without meaning to be.
- 7. Find the Imposter3-12 playersEverybody gets the same word except one person. Works beautifully over video, because reading faces is the whole game.
- 8. Draw & Guess3+ playersOne person draws on the shared screen, everybody else shouts. No pen or paper needed at either end.
Questions
Do we all need accounts?
No. Nobody needs an account, an email address or an app. One person opens the game, everybody else joins with a five-letter code.
How does joining work?
The host shares their screen and a five-letter code appears on it. Everybody else goes to the site, taps Join, and types that code. Their phone becomes their controller.
Does it work on Zoom, Teams, FaceTime and WhatsApp?
Yes - the call is just how you see each other. The game runs in the browser and the code works regardless of which video app you are using.
What if somebody's connection drops?
They rejoin with the same code and pick up where they were. The code stays live.
How many can play?
It depends on the game - the live quiz handles up to forty, most of the others are best from three to ten.
Is it really free?
Yes. No account, no trial, no advertising, nothing to buy.