The online multiplayer games with friends that work best for a hangout are the ones you play in the browser, with nothing to download, where the conversation is the point: guessing drawings, giving clues, voting in secret, making the group laugh. Free classics like skribbl.io, Gartic Phone and Codenames online do exactly that, and there are also social games (a fake trial, an open mic, a trivia night with live polls) you can play in shared 3D rooms.
A quick note before we go on: remocast, the studio this blog is about, is not a gaming platform. It’s a 3D studio for talking and recording. But its scenes lend themselves to group games, so here’s which ones and how, alongside the best-known browser games.
What makes a good game to play with friends online
Not every multiplayer game works for a night with your crew. The ones that do have this in common:
- Everyone gets in with a link. If someone has to install something, make an account on another store or update their computer, you lose twenty minutes.
- They run on any device. The friend with the old laptop needs to be able to play too.
- Rounds are short. Nobody sits around watching for too long.
- They give you something to talk about. The best part of a group game is almost always the argument afterward.
If you’re after a get-together with several activities, virtual activities for friends has more ideas.
Browser games to play with friends
These are online hangout classics. You play them in the browser, and someone creates a private game and shares the link.
| Game | What it is | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| skribbl.io | One person draws a word and everyone else guesses in the chat | Big groups and quick laughs |
| Gartic Phone | “Telephone” with drawings: sentence, drawing, sentence, drawing | Watching an idea fall apart |
| Codenames (codenames.game) | Two teams; a spymaster gives one-word clues to find their agents | Groups who like thinking as a team |
A practical tip: these games are much more fun with voice. Open the game in one tab and your conversation in another, so you can hear the complaints of whoever drew a horse that looks like a chair.
Games and activities to play in remocast’s rooms
remocast runs in the browser with nothing to install (there’s also a desktop app), and it’s free. Everyone has a 3D avatar that can wear a photo of their face, with a mouth and hands that follow their voice. There are emoji reactions (laughing, crying, thumbs up and down), and the host can create a poll in any room for everyone to vote on, with live results on each person’s screen. That’s enough to build these games.
1. Fake trial with a secret jury
The Courtroom holds up to 15 people. The host assigns the roles: judge, jury (0 to 6 members), accused, plaintiff, defense and prosecuting lawyers, witnesses and public. The public listens without talking.
The game: accuse someone of an absurd “crime”, like eating the last slice of pizza in 2019 or leaving the group chat on read for a week. The lawyers defend and prosecute, the witnesses make up their versions, and the jury votes in secret. The judge bangs the gavel and the verdict, “To jail!” or “Not guilty”, appears on everyone’s screen. There’s a full guide in how to hold a mock trial online with friends.
2. Comedy open mic with a timer
The Stand-up scene is a comedy club for up to 12 people. The host picks each set’s length (15 or 30 seconds, 1, 2, 3 or 5 minutes, or open) and builds the lineup; anyone can sign up. When time’s up, the next comedian goes up automatically. A light on stage goes from green to amber and then to blinking red in the last seconds.
With 30 second turns and surprise topics it becomes an improv game. At the end, a poll decides who was the funniest. More formats in stand up comedy games online.
3. Movie night with trivia
The Cinema has 15 seats facing a giant screen and a shared queue of images, uploaded videos and YouTube links. Everyone sees the same thing at the same second. The host controls play and pause, next, previous and volume, and decides whether only they or everyone can add to the queue.
To make it a game:
- Guess the movie: queue up stills or trailers with no title; whoever guesses first wins.
- Who picked this video?: everyone adds a video to the queue and the others guess whose it is.
- Post-show trivia: the host runs a poll with questions about what you just watched.
More ideas in how to watch videos together remotely.
4. Road trip with surprises
In Out the Window, the group rides in a vehicle that drives itself down an endless road. It holds up to 12 people, with 9 vehicles and 10 landscapes. The fun part for games is the optional road events: tornadoes, UFOs, zombies, meteors, a volcano and more.
The game: every time something happens, whoever is talking has to work it into their story without stopping. “The question road trip” also works: one awkward question per stretch. More about this scene in car podcast.
5. Trivia and live polls in the studio
In any room, the host can create a poll and everyone votes. That’s enough for a quick trivia game:
- The host prepares ten questions, ideally about the group (“Who showed up late to their own birthday?”).
- Each question goes out as a poll with three or four options.
- Results appear live, and then the arguing begins.
It also works for “Who among us is most likely to…?” votes, which tend to end in laughter.
How to organize game night
- Pick two or three games, not ten. Switching games every five minutes gets tiring.
- Have a host. Someone who creates the rooms, shares the links and says when to move on.
- Start with something easy. A drawing round or trivia breaks the ice before the trial or the comedy.
- Record it if you want the memory. In remocast, the host can record the room as a video; an absurd jury verdict deserves to be saved.
Rooms are created from the Library in the host’s account, and the host shares the link; friends join with their own account. Create your free studio and try your first night.
Frequently asked questions
What online multiplayer games with friends can you play without downloading?
Browser games like skribbl.io, Gartic Phone or Codenames at codenames.game need no install. You can also play social games, like a mock trial, an open mic or trivia with polls, in 3D rooms like remocast’s.
Is remocast a gaming platform?
No. It’s a browser-based 3D studio for talking and recording. Its scenes (Courtroom, Stand-up, Cinema and Out the Window) and live polls lend themselves to group games, but it doesn’t have video games as such.
How many people can play together in remocast?
It depends on the scene: up to 15 in the Courtroom and the Cinema, and up to 12 in Stand-up and Out the Window.
What’s the best game for a group that doesn’t know each other well?
Something with short rounds and simple rules, like a drawing game or poll trivia. Save roasts and trials for when there’s more trust.
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