Shelby Hutchinson lists a few free games to help us bide our time indoors in isolation.

As desperately as we all wanted it to be over by now, COVID continues to reign down on the world. Since it’s still recommended we stay indoors and isolate as much as possible, here’s a list of free online games you can play with your friends online to pass the time.

All Bad Cards

For those who haven’t already experienced the wickedly funny ‘Cards against Humanity’, ‘All Bad Cards’ adapts the card game as well as its various expansion packs into an online platform where you and your friends can play from the comfort of your own desktops. It’s a game that doesn’t really require any sort of skill or strategy. The only goal is to make the Card Czar laugh; however, making yourself laugh is just as important.

Secret Hitler

Another online adaptation of a popular board game is the social deduction game Secret Hitler. This one is a little more complicated, but once you get the hang of it, accusing your friends of fascism is a blast. There are two teams, the liberals and, of course, the fascists, and among the fascists lies the secret Hitler, unbeknownst to everyone. For the fascists, their job is to sabotage the liberals while simultaneously gaining their trust, and enact fascist laws. For the liberals, their job is to catch the fascists and ultimately Hitler and prevent World War 2. It’s a game of lies, deceit, treason, and treachery.

Fake Artist Goes to New York

On the same theme of social deduction games, Fake Artist Goes to New York is a masterpiece. Each player is tasked to create a painting of an object, but one player remains clueless as to what that object is: that’s the fake artist. One line at a time, the players collaborate to paint, while the fake artist must blend in and pass themselves off as authentic. You don’t have to be an artist to play, but it’s probably best you keep that a secret. For online players, I recommend using https://draw.chat/index.html as your group canvas.

Minecraft

Minecraft has made a resurgence in recent years. It’s a game that can be enjoyed on your own just as much as with others, building your own ideal, blocky world. The game is available for $30 across various gaming platforms, offering a variety of options for multiplayer gameplay, however this year to celebrate their 10-year anniversary, Mojang has released a free browser edition of Minecraft classic. The browser edition also provides a link to share with your friends, so you can all play together for free, with no downloads. This is perfect for anyone who doesn’t wish to download or buy the game itself, and for anyone who wants to celebrate the nostalgia the classic game brings.

Among Us

This list would be incomplete if Among Us wasn’t included. If you haven’t already familiarised yourself with the game that’s taken the gaming world by storm, it’s like Fake Artist as listed above, but in space and with murder. One or two people are ‘imposters’ and their goal is to sabotage their teammates from finishing their tasks on the spaceship by killing them WITHOUT GETTING CAUGHT. The rest of the team must complete their tasks, and figure out who the imposter is before it’s too late. This game can be played online in public groups all around the world, or you can create your own private group with friends.

The game is available for free on Google Play, iOS, and Android.

Feature Image: Daisy Peachman, Yak Media Designer