8 Free Online Multiplayer Games To Play With Friends
Updated: June 19, 2024
Published: September 27, 2021
Free online multiplayer games have always been popular. With the COVID-19 pandemic and people spending more time indoors, having online games to play with friends provides a way to learn, have fun, and even socialize without having to leave the comfort of your own home.
There are many different types of online multiplayer games. From mobile apps to web browser options, free online multiplayer games exist across IoT devices.
So, we have compiled a list that provides a variety of options so you can browse what piques your interest and give it a try.
Source: Pexels
Online Multiplayer Games
- Codenames: Codenames is an online multiplayer game for two to eight people to play at a time. The only thing you’ll need is internet access and a web browser to get started. Originally, the game was created as a board game, but with the digital option, people from anywhere in the world can play together. The game relies on two teams that are split up and users try to communicate with their allies using clues. Each player is presented with a grid of words, and the clue giver will provide clues to help their teammates guess the words on the board that they are referring to.
- Mario Kart Tour: A timeless classic is back. Mario Kart Tour is an online single or multiplayer game that removes the need of a console to connect back with Mario and friends. Those interested in playing the game can download it from the Apple App Store or Google Play on their mobile devices. You can challenge friends to competitions or explore virtual worlds while racing, hang gliding and going underwater.
- Call of Duty Mobile: As one of Activision’s most popular games, Call of Duty Warzone offers an online and free experience to play. The game features 150 players and various worlds to play in. The first-person shooter game is wildly popular and adrenaline-producing.
- Words with Friends 2: Are you a fan of Scrabble? Now, you can have a scrabble-like board at your fingertips any time you wish to play. Choose to play with other friends who have the online game downloaded to their phone, or be randomly paired with another player from anywhere in the world to test your word-making skills. Additionally, you can test yourself and boost your own skills by playing the single-player games on the app. Even if you wish to take a break and stop playing for a while, you can come back to the game and all of your past data will still exist.
- Minecraft: Minecraft is another popular online game that allows up to eight friends to join in an online game at the same time. Minecraft is a good game to boost engineering and building skills. For the mobile version of the game, users must pay a one-time download free. If you have an Xbox Game Pass, then it is free.
- Pokemon Go: At one point in time, everywhere you looked, people were playing Pokemon Go wherever they were. The game relies on your mobile phone, clock, and GPS to interact in the real-world while catching virtual Pokemon on your device. You can connect with friends and even give digital gifts within the game. The game was slightly edited during the pandemic to allow users to catch more Pokemon closer to home.
- Catan Universe: Settlers of Catan is a highly addictive strategic board game. However, there’s an option for online play with Catan Universe. To play and connect with friends, you’ll need to have a powerful gaming PC because the game relies on a 64Bit operating system, quad-Core CPU, dedicated graphics card, and 4GB of RAM to play.
- A Dark Room: Click on the link, and you’ll quickly find yourself in an online game that begins with just a few clicks of your mouse. However, the game transforms into one of strategies where you will end up battling enemies with the goal of growing your post-apocalyptic town. The strategy comes into play when you have to manage your town’s resources and optimize your character’s success on his/her expeditions.
Source: Pexels
Benefits of Online Multiplayer Games
There is a seemingly never-ending list of online multiplayer games to choose from and play. Even though it’s just playing a game, there are multiple benefits to spending time doing so. Here’s a look at some of the upsides of online games to play with friends.
Self-reliance
Online multiplayer games can help to improve the player’s confidence. Along with sometimes having to work in teams or groups, online multiplayer games provide the opportunity to be involved in competition. Competition has the outcome of boosting confidence as players need to believe that they can win and learn how to do so in their own right. Only you can push yourself to want to do better every time you play.
Social interaction
Naturally, the multiplayer games allow for social interaction, even if it is digital. Some people may argue that playing games online is the opposite of social interaction since you spend time behind a screen, but these games actually just offer a new way of communicating with friends, or meeting new people. You can form alliances and teams and learn from people with various different perspectives on life. It could open the door to learning how to solve problems in new ways. Some games offer chat boxes to talk to other players, or you can even communicate out loud with a headset.
Fun
Of course, the ultimate goal of online games, or any game for that matter, is to have fun! Online multiplayer games provide a channel for excitement, adrenaline, problem-solving, and communication. Every time you play, the experience will be different even if the game play processes are the same.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’ve played free online multiplayer games before or not, it’s never too late to give a new game a try. From the abbreviated list above, you can choose adventure games, games of strategy, learning games, or find a game that better suits your desires by performing a quick online search for what you’re looking for.
You can even find games that help you hone valuable skills, like spelling, for example. No matter what you’re looking to achieve, enjoy your game playing experience!