Playing together from a distance: online rooms and video calls

A call for talking, a room for playing

At a distance there is no phone to pass round: single phone mode only works when you are sitting at the same table. To play from your own homes you need a room: the host creates it, everyone else joins from their own device and the server runs the game over the internet. It doesn’t matter that Chloe is in Edinburgh and Ravi in Bristol: each of you sees on your own screen only what you are meant to see.

For voices and faces, use whatever video or voice call the group already uses. If you can, keep the call on one device (the computer, say) and the game on another: that way nobody has to jump between apps while the clock is ticking.

Opening a room, step by step

1. Start the call and wait until everyone is there.
2. The host picks the game, goes to the Play on your phones section and taps Create room.
3. The room code appears: four characters. Next to it are three buttons: copy the code, show the QR, and Share invite. At a distance the invite link is the handiest: paste it into the call’s chat.
4. Whoever taps the link can open the app if they have it, or choose Continue in browser and play at playpartygames.app/play without installing anything. Alternatively, they can simply type the code into Join with a code.
5. In the lobby everyone marks themselves as ready, the host adjusts the settings and starts. If someone has wandered off, the host can start anyway.

One feature that really helps at a distance: from the lobby the host can switch to another game with Change the game without anyone having to leave. One room and one link are enough for the whole evening.

If the connection drops (and sooner or later it will)

With five or six homes linked up, someone will lose their signal for a few seconds. The app tries to reconnect on its own and, when it manages, lets you know with “You are back online”. While you are in a room it also tries to keep the screen on, so a phone resting on the table doesn’t go dark in the middle of a turn.

• Going back to the lobby doesn’t cost you your place. Your role and points stay yours, and a button takes you straight back into the game. If a vote is under way in the meantime, you rejoin at the next phase.
• Leaving the room is different: the app warns you that you will lose your place in the current game. Anyone who joins once a game has started waits for the next one.
• If the host drops out, after a short wait the role passes to another connected player, so the game doesn’t get stuck.
• Host tools: the host can hand the role to someone else and remove a player, who can still come back in with the code.

Many games also have a button to break the deadlock when someone vanishes: in Impostor the host can skip the turn of a player who isn’t responding or close the vote, in The Spy they can force the final vote, and in Would You Rather they can show the result even if one choice is missing. Rooms are temporary: when the evening is over there is nothing left to delete, and if they sit idle for a long time they close by themselves.

The games that work best at a distance

The best fit is games where everyone has a piece of private information or an answer to give on their own: in a room each player sees it on their own phone, and the call is only there for the discussion.

• Impostor: everyone presses and holds to see their role, so nobody can peek. During the round you can type your word or say it out loud on the call; then there is a chat for the discussion, and the vote is secret, with the verdict shown to everyone at the same moment.
• The Spy: questions and answers out loud, accusations and votes on the phone. If you are wondering which of the two to choose, there is a guide on the differences between Impostor and The Spy.
• Doodle Guess: in a room there is a shared drawing board. The artist draws on their own screen and the drawing appears on everyone else’s; the guessers type their attempts, and the app tells you “you’re almost there!” when you are close.
• Name, Place, Thing: everyone fills in their own answers, then results and scores reach all of you at once. No sheets of paper to photograph and send in the chat.
• Most Likely To and Would You Rather: a secret vote or choice on your own phone, with the result revealed to everyone together. Perfect for getting a family call laughing.
• Who Am I?: the card is on everyone else’s phone, not yours. Ask your questions out loud and the others answer only yes, no or maybe.
• Crossword, Word Wheel and Word in Bloom: the grid, the wheel and the letters are kept in sync on every screen.
• For two players, Duel and Tic-Tac-Toe work perfectly well even hundreds of miles apart: more ideas in the guide to games for two.

A tip for Doodle Guess: don’t shout the answer on the call. Type it. Whoever guesses first scores more points, and if you say it out loud you hand it to everyone else.

The ones that need a little patience

Some games are made for being in the same room, with voices overlapping and gestures you have to see in person. You can still play them at a distance, but it helps to know where they trip up.

• Charades: the word appears only on the actor’s phone, and the actor also marks the correct answers. The problem is the camera: without video there is no game, and with a tight frame all you see is head and shoulders. Whoever is acting should step back and stand in good light.
• Trio Sync: the pair of clue-givers alternate one word each, and the lag on the call makes voices overlap. Speak more slowly than usual and leave a moment of silence after each word. The guesser has their own button to buzz in, which stops the clock, so they don’t need to shout to claim the answer.
• Forbidden Word: the clue-giver and the guardian each see the card on their own phone, which helps at a distance. The weak spot is the team all guessing at once: many calls only let one voice through at a time. Have one teammate answer at a time, or keep answers very short.

The rest depends on the group: if the call runs smoothly, these games make for great evenings too. If the connection is patchy, start with Impostor or Most Likely To and save Charades for when you next see each other.

Etiquette for games on a call

• Before you start, do a quick sound check: anyone with an echo should put headphones on, and anyone with background noise should mute when it isn’t their turn.
• The app decides the order. In turn-based games the screen says who is speaking now: follow that, not whoever has the loudest voice.
• Count to one before you answer. Lag on a call is normal, and talking over each other is the quickest way to wreck a round.
• The timer that counts is the one on screen, not the one you hear. If you still have two seconds and Jack’s time has already run out, it is not a conspiracy.
• Never share your screen during the game. A secret role shown to everyone by mistake ruins the game in a second.
• Silence the notifications on the phone you are playing on, and if you need a break, ask for it between turns, not once the timer is running.

If it falls to you to explain a new game to the people on the call, keep it short and play a practice round: there is a method in the guide on how to explain the rules of a game. Everyone can also open the rulebook on their own phone, right inside the room.

Children and under-13s

Calls with grandparents and cousins are a classic, and the most enthusiastic players are often the youngest. The first time the app is opened it asks for a date of birth: under 13, online play is switched off. Only a parent or guardian can enable it, by confirming their permission and setting a PIN of 4 to 8 digits.

Before you get going, the app reminds you of something worth repeating to young players: nicknames, answers and drawings are visible to the other participants. Only join rooms run by people you know, and never write your full name, school, address or contact details, either in your name or in the chats.

If you would rather not enable online play, there is a middle way: the child plays as a pair with an adult on the parent’s device, counting as a single player. For choosing games that suit different ages, have a look at the guide to family games for all ages.