Here is our list of the best online family games.
Online family games are fun and interactive activities for families that happen on video conference apps such as Zoom and Google Meet. Examples include Jackbox, Heads up!, and Skribbl. These activities aim to bring families together and strengthen bonds regardless of distance.
These exercises are examples of online games for large groups and online party games. These challenges are also similar to online team games.
This list includes:
- free online family games
- online games for long-distance families
- online family board games
- family games to play remotely
Let’s get to it!
List of online family games
Online family games are an excellent idea for faraway families. However, the distance between relatives can create differences. Therefore, it is better for families to interact occasionally to increase understanding and strengthen bonds. Here is our list of the best online games for families.
1. Heads Up!
Heads Up! is one of the best free online family games.
Participants must download the Heads up app before joining the Zoom call.
Here is how you can play the game:
- You will pick a participant and choose a category.
- The selected family member will place the phone on their forehead with the screen facing forward.
- The participant with the phone will have to guess the word on the screen with the help of other participants.
- The players watching will act out the word or phase the best they can.
- When the member guessing gets the answer right, they will face their phone screen downwards to move to the next word, or if they are stuck, they can move the screen upwards to pass and move on.
The participant who gets the highest score will win the game.
Pro tip: When playing online, the player should tweak the settings of the video conference app so that they do not see themselves on screen and spoil the surprise!
Learn more about Heads Up!
2. Snowball Fight
Snowball Fight comes under the category of online minute to win it activities. Such activities are short, fun, and great online games for long-distance families.
To play the game, you will invite all the family members on a Zoom call. The participants will also turn on their cameras and be prepared with cups and balls of paper. First, you will ask the participants to make balls out of paper and toss them in a cup. Then, the participants will place the cups at an equal distance and throw the balls in them.
The player with the most balls in the cup will be the winner.
3. Tower Power
Tower Power is a fun game that can be downright hilarious. In this game, all family members will join the video call. Then, you will ask each member to build a tower out of the items they have within arms reach. The players cannot leave the screen or go to another room to retrieve objects. The tower will only be of items that are reachable to the participants.
You should give participants one minute for this activity and choose the winner depending on who built the highest or most exciting tower.
4. Human Dictionary
Human Dictionary is a great game to play at online family reunions. Beyond being fun, this challenge can boost vocabulary and learning skills.
In this game, you will ask two participants to say a word starting with the same letter. The players must say the words at the same time to make the game fun and fair. As you are playing the game online, you can also type the words in the chat box because saying the words simultaneously may cause confusion.
You can mark an extra point for the player that says the word first. Then, when you have the words, everyone will get 60 seconds to write however many words pop into their mind that comes between these two words in the dictionary.
5. Two Truths And A Lie
Two Truths And A Lie is a simple yet fun game you can play without any preparation. First, participants will hop on the Zoom call.
Family members will take turns telling two truths and one lie. The rest of the family will guess which sentence is a lie and which two of them are truths.
The players should think of some unique facts about themselves to make the game challenging.
Here are some examples:
- I was in a music video
- I once ate a large pizza all by myself
- I hate comedy TV shows.
The lies should be believable and sound doable compared to the truth. This trick will help you win and make the game enjoyable. You may think you know everything about your family, but this game can uncover some truly unexpected and fascinating facts!
6. Pictionary
This game resembles Skribbl but does not require a website or app. You can start the game by dividing the participants into two teams and providing them with cards.
To play the game, each team will select a member who will draw for them. That member will choose a number and tell the host what they will draw. The team that guesses correctly will win. You can use the video conferencing app’s whiteboard feature as the canvas for the game. You can direct message the prompt to the artists, or use an online generator to get prompts.
7. Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt at home is just as fun as an in-person hunt. Since you cannot arrange a hunt by hiding all sorts of objects, you can ask the participants to collect objects from around the house.
For this game, you can prepare a list of objects before the call. Then, when the game starts, you will name the objects individually. As soon as you announce the name, the participants will find that item, for example, a hairbrush, from their house and show it to the camera. If you list common things, then the game will be boring. A better idea is to create an interesting list and make unique items.
Here are some examples:
- An antique hairbrush
- A cartoon spoon
- An old phone charger
- A toothbrush with toothpaste on it
- An empty pack of snacks
The player that brings all the items onscreen first will win.
Here are more online scavenger hunts.
8. Jackbox
Jackbox is an online game that allows multiple members to play from anywhere. To play this game, one person will install Jackbox party on their computer or laptop and share their screen via Zoom. A code will be displayed on the screen, which the rest of the players will put into the Jackbox website using their phones.
Once the codes are in, your phone will act as a controller, allowing you to play along easily. Different Jackbox party packs have a variety of games for you to choose from. You can select the one you like and have a great time!
Learn more about Jackbox!
9. Jeopardy
Jeopardy can be engaging but requires some prep. All you need to do is find the right game online. Many websites allow you to create your own Jeopardy board with different categories and answers. You can personalize this board or make it in a way that will engage the participants.
If you do not know how to play the game, then here are the rules:
- One player acts as the host and prepares the Jeopardy board. The board is divided into columns, each having a different category. Each column contains scores from lowest to highest.
- The players will have to answer a specific question for each of the scores. However, the participants must answer in the form of a question.
- This game changes the question-answer format and provides the answer while the players have to guess the question.
You can divide the players into six teams, each having two to three people. To host can provide hints in case the players get stuck.
Check out more online game show ideas.
10. Skribbl
Skribbl is an easy game to play with your family. You do not necessarily have to be a gifted artist to play the game. Some smart work can make this game interesting and engaging. Skribbl is a website where you can play a guessing game. Every player joins a room using a provided link arranged by one of the family members.
The member who enters the room gets a chance to draw. You will see a choice of words in front of you when it is your turn to draw. You must choose one option and make the best image possible so others can guess correctly. The player who gives the first correct answer will be awarded the highest points.
Learn more about Skribbl.
11. Escape Room
Virtual escape rooms are just as fun as in-person exit games. These escape rooms can handle a large group of people, provide an interactive experience for the players, and create an exciting ambiance and environment to get invested in the game.
You must book a virtual escape room weeks before the actual call. On the day of the escape room, the participants will get a link to join a Zoom call where they will meet the escape room host. There will also be a guide physically present at the location. The guides and gamemasters will perform all the necessary physical actions to progress. These include opening drawers, unlocking doors, and moving around to view objects.
The family members will work in groups to look for hints. After finding the hints, the players will solve the puzzles and look for the solutions. The team that finishes the game first will win.
12. Family Feud
Family Feud is a popular show and is one of the most fun online family games. In the show version of the game, there are two teams or families consisting of five to six members. Each team takes turns answering the questions. The questions do not have a single fixed answer. Instead, these answers are all collected using a 100-people survey, and the eight most popular answers are considered. Each team takes turns answering, and they get their scores based on the popularity of their response.
You can find a Family Feud game online or create your own. Customizing will take some work, but you can make a personalized game for your family by conducting your own surveys. You can send a bunch of questions to each family member a few days before the game and record the answers. For example, you can ask questions like:
- What is the best place for our next family vacation?
- Who is most likely to stay out all night?
- Who makes the best food?
The teams will take turns answering these questions and get points based on the popularity of their answers.
13. Most Likely To
Most Likely To is a fun game that does not have any rules. All you have to do is come up with several questions, starting with “who is most likely to,” and have your family say the answers. If saying it out loud seems chaotic, then you can ask the members to write their answers in a chat box.
Here are some questions you can prepare:
- Who is most likely to end up in a movie?
- Who is most likely to talk in their sleep?
- Who is most likely to sleep through anything?
- Who is most likely to cry watching Disney movies?
- Who is most likely to pass out on a roller-coaster?
- Who is most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse?
- Who is most likely to keep a wild animal as a pet?
All participants will get a chance to answer each question. The player with the most votes on a question will be the winner.
14. Categories
Categories is a fun game in which you assign a category to the participants and speak a letter. The object of the game is to think of random words starting from the letter and coming in that category.
You can play Categories using a website, but that might take away the fun since anyone can cheat. A better way to play is to ask the family members to grab a pen and paper. You can use an online generator tool to provide a word and a category. The players will write as many words as possible, starting from that letter and falling in the specified category. You can also set a timer of 20 to 30 seconds.
Once all members are done, compare the answers. The players will get a point for every word that any other player does not mention. After that, you can continue the game for as many rounds as you like. The player with the highest score, in the end, will win.
15. Mad Libs
Mad Libs is the best choice if you are looking for laughter. This game is excellent for all ages and easy to understand. Mad Libs is a fill-in-the-blank game where players provide different types of words at random without knowing the context of the story. You can arrange Mad Libs Cards beforehand, either online or in person. It is better to use a digital whiteboard or online platform that provides the blanks to fill. Another option is to share your screen, show the Mad Libs file, and ask the participants to fill in the answers.
Without showing the story to the other participants, a reader will ask the other participants to come up with adjectives, nouns, exclamations, verbs, and colors.
Once the words are filled in, the reader will read the story out loud. You will end up with a unique storyline!
Learn more about playing Mad Libs online.
16. Online Trivia
If you are looking for a personalized and family-related game, then you should play online trivia. You can arrange this activity over Zoom and have a simple game by asking questions and waiting for replies. Or, you can make this game more fun by using an online trivia maker. This trivia maker will help keep the game organized and more exciting.
The trivia can be related to your family or set according to the players’ interests. Of course, you can use premade sets as well and alter them. The benefit of using such sites is that the scores are automatically calculated depending on who gives the correct answers the quickest.
Here are online trivia games for Zoom.
17. Werewolf
Werewolf is one of the best family games to play remotely. However, this game is more suitable for a large group of people, so if you have a virtual family reunion with fewer than four folks, then you might want to select a different activity.
To play this game, you and your family must first understand the roles:
- Werewolf: Kills the villagers
- Villager: Eliminates a suspected person
- Seer: reviews the identity of a chosen person
- Doctor: Can save a chosen person
- Host: oversees the game and assigns the roles
You will need a host for this game. The host will start by assigning the roles via direct message.
The host will let the players know the identity of other werewolves so they can plan and play accordingly. There will be three rounds. If more than one werewolf gets caught during the three rounds, then the villagers will win. You can adjust the rules according to the number of people playing.
The game starts with the participants having a ten-minute discussion and then voting on who they think is a werewolf. Based on the results, the host eliminates a person and reveals their identity.
Next, the host announces “nighttime” and asks others to turn off their cameras and mics. During this time, the werewolves decide who they want to eliminate, the seer asks for the identity of a person of their choice, and the doctor saves the person they believe will be targeted by the werewolves. Finally, the host announces the results, and the cycle continues for two more rounds.
This game is fun if you have enough family members to play!
18. Monopoly
Online family board games are great for when you want to keep the setting and mode simple. For example, you can find a Monopoly game online and play it with your family. Some websites allow players to have a video chat while playing.
Monopoly is a famous family game. If you can play a virtual Monopoly game with your family, then the enjoyment and fun offered by the game can be worth your time. The rules of the game will probably be the same on all platforms. However, the format and mode might vary depending on the mode of the game on the website.
If you are not into Monopoly, you can play other board games online as well.
Learn more about virtual Monopoly.
Conclusion
Online family games are great for a virtual family reunion. These games suit all ages, and you can keep everyone invested. The best part of online family games is that the family members actively participate and reduce shyness.
Our list of the best online family games consists of multiple options. It is better to choose a game that fits the interests of the family members.
For more fun, check out Google Meet games and Zoom games.
