19 Best Games For Long-Distance Friends and Family

Just because your favorite people are based far from you doesn’t mean that you can’t all come together and have fun like you ordinarily would if you were living a few blocks away from each other.

The world is continually going digital and there are a lot of virtual games that can help you stay connected with your loved ones. As much as nothing beats physical meetings, would you rather be bored to your wits end behind your phone screen or connect virtually with your friends and have a nice laugh over a game?

I’m sure you’d pick the latter. But the question is, what games can I play with my long-distance friends and family to strengthen the bond we have?

To answer your question, I have compiled a list of these games, with a detailed description of how to play them and where they can be downloaded. In the end, you just have to choose the one that works best for you, download it, and start enjoying it with your pals!

Without much ado, let’s dive into the best games for long-distance friends and family.

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Best Games For Long-Distance Friends and Family

1. Draw Something (Classic)

This is one of the best long-distance games to play if you have artistic friends or family members.

The game requires two players to draw the picture of a stated word one after the other. In the end, their partners will guess the subject of their drawing within a specified timeframe.

If you are worried about your drawing skills, then you go ahead to play this game. It’s available to download for free on Google Play Store and Apple Store.

2. Mario Kart

If you want to throw in a bit of action and adventure to the game, then Mario Kart is the one for you. In this game, you get to race against other players and win power-ups on your way.

Players either gain or lose points based on performance in a race or battle. The game strives to match players with similar ratings to make it even more competitive.

There is no need to create a personal avatar as this game has characters you can adopt. It mainly features characters from the Mario franchise such as Mario, Peach, Daisy, Toad, and others.

To play Mario Kart, you must have a Nintendo account, a persistent network, and a compatible smartphone – an Android or iPhone is fine. The game can be downloaded for free on Google Play Store and Apple Store with optional in-game purchases available.

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3. Heads Up

Heads Up is a great online game to play with your family and friends that are far from you, especially the witty ones. It’s fun, interactive, and gets you laughing until you’re almost out of breath.

As the name implies, the game requires the players to place their phones on their foreheads, while their friends try to give them a clue to what’s written on their card without saying the word or anything remotely connected to it!

You only have one minute to guess the right word before other cards appear. This game promises a lot of fun as there are several categories to pick from; ranging from animals, celebrities, movies, accents, and more.

One amazing feature of this game is that you can play it completely online either through zoom or Google Meet. Like other games, we have reviewed above, Heads Up works on both Android and iOS devices.

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4. Yahtzee

Yahtzee is best suited for people who love dice games. If you fall under this category and your far-away friends love it too, then go ahead and play this game.

There are five dice involved and each player will have to roll the dice to get the highest score they can in a play. Each player is entitled to play 13 times before the game is over.

However, you can roll up to three times per play and after each roll, the scores are recorded on a board. In the end, the scores are summed up and the player with the highest score wins! It’s that simple!

Yahtzee is free to download on both Android and iOS devices. You can also play it online from your browser.

5. Kahoot

Kahoot is the game to go for when you are in the mood for quizzes and you have smart and nerdy friends.

It is a great idea for educational fun games that require answering some trivia questions. You can create your unique quiz based on topics that might be of interest to your friends.

Playing the game is simple. You only have to create unique quizzes based on topics that might be of interest to your friends. They in turn provide answers to the quizzes. The player with the most right answers wins the round.

As usual, it doesn’t matter where your friends are located. You only need to send them an invite link once you are done with the quizzes.

Alternatively, you can organize facetime or zoom meetings to play this game. This game is available for both Android and iPhone users. You can download this free on either the Google Play Store or the Apple Store.

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6. Quiplash on Jackbox Games

Quiplash is the ultimate game of fun. It is exciting, interactive, and provides premium entertainment for all players.

The objective of this game is to prove you are the funniest or wittiest person among the group with your answers. The more hilarious your words are, the more likely you are to get all the points.

To play this game, at the beginning of a round, players are prompted with a question and each of them provides an answer. In the end, the audience votes on their favorite answers. If you have more votes, you’ll earn more points.

One great feature of this game is that, as much as it accommodates between three to eight players at once, you can have more than 10,000 audiences. That’s a lot! And everyone gets to cast their votes.

Also, the game isn’t just available on smartphones, it also works on computers including Mac, Linux, and Windows.

7. Skribbl

If you and your friends love drawing, then Skribbl should be on your list for your next virtual game night with them.

To play this game, each player gets a turn to draw from the options provided in under 80 seconds. When you are not drawing, you have to guess what other players are drawing and type it before they are done.

The faster you are, the more points you get to win. In the end, the crown goes to the person with the highest points.

One great advantage Skribbl has is that it allows a player to create his room with customized words and drawing time. You can send invites to your friends once the room is created.

Each room supports up to 12 players. I love that the game isn’t only available in English. You have other languages like Korean, Italian, Tagalog, and Hungarian.

You can download Skribbl for free on either the Google Play Store or the Apple Store for iPhone users.

8. Checkers

Checkers is another great board game for your distant friends and family anytime you like. You can add some spice to this game by selecting a category such as Fourth of July checkers, St. Patrick’s checkers, or Halloween Checkers.

To play Checkers, each player needs to make a move that will ultimately bring their opponent to ruin. This game works on all devices and can be downloaded from the Play Store and Apple Store.

Alternatively, you can play the game straight from your browser without downloading any app.

9. Clue

If you have been dying to play Sherlock Holmes with your friends or family, Clue provides the perfect opportunity to do this.

To play this game, each player assumes the role of one among six suspects in a murder case and tries to figure out how the victim was murdered, the exact location of the crime, and the murder weapons.

Players strategically move around a game board representing the rooms of a mansion for murder clues. Various colored pieces illustrate the characters, murder weapons, set, and solution cards.

Every player also gets to access a detective notepad where they keep an accurate record of the rooms, weapons, and characters. You can play this with your friends either on your Android or iOS device, or even your PC.

10. Psych

Psych is an exciting online game to play with your friends and family. This game guarantees lots of fun and provides ample opportunity for you to discover new facts about your friends.

To play this game, you have to come up with fake answers to real questions. Your opponents are saddled with the responsibility of figuring out which of your fake answers is real. You earn points for choosing the right answer.

The game is free to download from Apple Store and Play Store.

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11. Twenty Questions

Twenty questions is a guessing game best suited if you and your friends love mental challenges. Here, you simply need to think of something and the system will automatically read your mind and ask specific questions.

The game is fun and exciting to play with your loved ones primarily through Zoom or Google Meet. You can play it straight from the website by first choosing your desired language and allowing the AI to do what it does best – ask questions.

You can also download the app free from the Apple Store or Google Play Store.

12. Kiss Marry Kill

Kiss Marry Kill will get your friends or family laughing with each round. The game can be played in real-time or virtually.

To play this game, players get to pick three characters and then go on to decide who they want to kiss, who they would marry, and finally who they are going to kill in the worst way possible.

I love that the game reveals friends’ innermost thoughts for each other. At least, you get to know who’s crushing on you, who would love to spend the rest of their lives with you, and then – who would kill you.

The game is available for free download on the Google Play Store and Apple Store.

13. Never Have I Ever

This fun online game will get your far-away friends and family spilling lots of crazy secrets. It’s also a fun and exciting way to learn more about each other.

To play this game, players get to be honest about the activities they have never indulged in. You have different categories of questions to choose from.

There are normal, popular, party, sexy, and a couple of dirty questions. The game can be played virtually with friends anywhere in the world and there can be as many players as possible.

You can play the game with your smartphone after downloading it on Google Play Store, the Apple Store, or simply from the website.

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14. Truth or Dare

If you are looking for the ultimate game of fun, then you need to play Truth or Dare. The game is guaranteed to keep you on your toes throughout the game.

Playing it requires players to take turns in choosing a truth (a question they must provide an honest answer to) or a dare (an action they must follow through on). You gain points when you successfully complete either of them.

It’s a great way to learn more about your friends. Players can decide on the consequences of losing in a round to make the game more interesting. You might pay some cash or give in to some hideous request.

The game can be downloaded for free and works on both Android and iOS devices.

15. Monopoly

Monopoly is one of the most classic online games and a great choice for your long-distance friends or family members especially if they are as interested in financial literacy as you. This game allows you to make some money moves.

Monopoly is anchored on real estate and involves from two to eight players. Each player aims to bankrupt his competitors while fighting to remain financially buoyant by purchasing properties and managing his money in the best way that will guarantee income.

This game is available on App Store and Google Play Store and can be purchased for only $3.99.

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16. Online Chess

If your friends or family love mentally stimulating games, then you should play online chess the next time you’re organizing a virtual hangout.

The game can be played directly from their website and it usually starts with each player having a white-colored box at the bottom of the chessboard. Then the cheese pieces are set appropriately, while the second rank is filled up with pawns.

The rooks on the other hand are stacked up in a corner, followed by the knights. There is the bishop and finally the queen and king. The winner of the game of chess is the player who makes the right moves and captures the king of the opponents.

This game is available for download free on both Android and Apple devices. You can either go to the Google Play Store or the Apple store.

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17. Scattergories

This is another interesting online game for your long-distance family and friends that will surely improve your vocabulary.

To play this game, each player has to make a list of words that all start with the same letter. You score a point for each word on your list that isn’t on anyone else’s list.

A round can last for over three minutes and you can play as many rounds as possible. I love that the game is excellent for mental stimulation and an opportunity to learn new words.

It is a fun, competitive game and can be enjoyed by anyone, young or old. Scattergories is available for free download on both Android and iOS devices.

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18. Crazy Eights

If you and your friends love card games, this game is right up your alley. The game aims to discard your cards and it requires a high skill set, logic, and adaptive skills.

To play this game, there are 52 standard cards. A player is served five cards to play. The left-over cards are placed facedown on the table with the top card facing up to signal the commencement of the game.

Each player is required to place cards with similar shapes or numbers as the top card. In the end, the player that exhausts his cards becomes the winner of the game.

For other players, the final scoring is determined based on the points of all the cards they still have. This game can be played virtually, and once a player creates a private room, he can invite others to join in.

The app download is compatible with all Android and iOS devices.

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19. Bingo Blitz

Bingo Blitz is the last on my list mainly because it’s my favorite. What do they say about saving the best for the last?

If you are like me, who loves exploring and adventure, and you have friends that share the same personality, then Bingo Blitz is the best online game for you.

This game is a perfect blend of beautiful design, vibrant playing community, and smooth gameplay. It allows you and your friends to explore amazing places all over the world without necessarily traveling together.

While exploring, you get to collect a lot of amazing gifts for free. You can play the game on Facebook or simply download the app from Android’s Google Play Store or Apple Store.

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Wrapping up

Distance shouldn’t be a barrier to having fun with your far-away loved ones. As you can see, there are a lot of virtual games you can play with them.

Feel free to choose any of the games I have reviewed above and have fun playing them with your friends and family.