The Best Free Games to Play on Zoom
Virtual games are a great way to bring everyone together without having to actually be in the same place. There are so many games to play on Zoom that will have everyone laughing, and we want to share some with you!
While the pandemic led to a lot of bad things, one silver lining1 is that everybody has got really good at technology.
That’s why Open For Christmas has put together a list of the very BEST online games that you can play for free!
11 Great Games to Play on Zoom
1. The Laughing Game
Simple but highly effective! This game is as easy as it sounds.
All you need to do is take turns trying to make everybody else on the call laugh, in whatever way you wish.
The more people that laugh during your turn, the more points you get.
To make it a bit tricker, you can include a rule where the person trying to make others laugh also isn’t allowed to laugh. And if you end up laughing at yourself then you get no points for that round.
We love this game as there’s no limit on numbers or ages of players, and you can even enjoy it with just the two of you.
You also need no equipment or preparation for this game, making it perfect for those last-minute zoom parties.
2. Pictionary
One of the most popular game night games, but make it virtual.
Tell all the participants to arrive at the zoom night armed with a pen and paper.
You’ll need everybody to open up a word generator like this one: Pictionary word generator.
You can change the difficulty level depending on the age group of your family video call.
Go around the group in any order, and when it’s someone’s turn to draw they use the word generator.
While pointing their video camera at the piece of paper, they draw the word that’s been generated.
People shout out their guesses and the first person to get it right is awarded 5 points.
The person drawing gets 2 points for every drawing that people get right.
If you’re playing seriously then you might want to include a scorekeeper to keep track and make sure people aren’t cheating!
The first player to make it to 50 points is a winner.
Bonus Game: PlayDough Pictionary
If you have more time to prepare, then a great alternative for kids (or adults who are still big kids) is to use playdough to make sculptures of the word. Don’t stop here though, make your own playdough games to play on Zoom and share them with us in the comments!
3. Twenty One
A popular drinking game that is just as fun with or without a drink.
P.S. This one works best with a group larger than 5.
It can seem a bit complicated at first, but once you get started it’s super fun and a great challenge.
The aim of the game is to count from 1 to 21. The first player in the circle starts by calling out number 1. Then going around the circle each player counts until the number 21 is reached.
Once the group gets to 21, the person who it ends on makes a rule to say or do in place of one of the numbers.
For example, 4 could be standing up and sitting back down, or instead of saying the number one you say ‘Uno!’.
Eventually, all of the numbers are replaced with a rule that the players have to remember.
Every time somebody makes a mistake, the game starts again.
If you’re playing this as a drinking game, the player who says the number 21 drinks, and anytime somebody makes a mistake they have to drink.
You can also add drinking-related rules such as number 13 means finishing your drink.
4. In-House Scavenger Hunt
If you’re bored of zoom-quizzes and trivia nights, a scavenger hunt is an exciting way to get people up and moving instead of writing down answers.
You need somebody to make a list of items and criteria for people to find, and the first person back gets one point, and the best item for that criteria gets two points.
After calling the criteria, everybody runs to find those objects around their home.
You can do a mix of items to find and more adventurous tasks to keep things fun.
Scavenger hunt example questions:
- Best fancy dress outfit in under 2 minutes
- Funniest Hat you own
- Most expired food or drink in your home
- Make the best fashion accessory using a trash sack
- Take the best selfie with a pet (or toy)
- Find a plant
- Balance the biggest thing possible on your head
Get creative and silly with this list for the most fun results.
This one is great because it gets people up and moving around, which keeps their energy levels up making for a really fun video call.
5. State the Cheese
If you’re looking for a quick and easy virtual game that won’t take hours, State The Cheese is great fun and easy to set up.
All the participants need is a slice of cheese or some circular cuts of apple.
Somebody picks a state, country, or object, and everybody has one minute to bite their slice into that shape!
Once the time is up, show the group your creation for everybody to choose which one is the best.
You could also do this Pictionary style with a random word generator, and the group has to guess what word you’ve tried to make.
6. Two Truths, One Lie
Before the call, let everybody know that they need to write down two unusual truths about themselves and one made-up lie.
During the call, each play reads out their three statements, and the other players have to guess which is the lie.
Go around the group figuring out each person’s lie.
You can also do this spontaneously and make up your truths and lies on the spot.
7. Hum That Tune
Go around the group taking it in turns to hum popular songs and theme tunes.
People shout out their guesses until somebody gets it right and then you move onto the next person!
If your video call is at Christmas time then you can choose festive songs or soundtracks from popular Christmas films!
It might help if you ask people to think of a few songs before the call so you can minimize thinking time during the call.
8. Whose Knees Are These!
If you’re looking for something that nobody has played before, this game is sure to be a winner.
Before your scheduled virtual call, have one person ask each call participant to send them videos of a setlist of body parts, and a baby photo.
They then use the photos to make a hilarious PowerPoint presentation featuring images of people’s knees, feet, eyes, hands, and baby pictures.
All you have to do is guess who the photo is of. Great fun when you’re tired of endless virtual trivia nights!
9. Most Likely To
Get to know what your family really thinks of you!
This one can be played as a drinking game or just for fun.
All you do is go through different categories of “most likely to” and “least likely to” scenarios, and the group discusses who would be the one to do that thing.
You can make a list beforehand, or think of categories on the spot, so it can take as much or as little preparation as you wish.
Think of funny criteria such as: most likely to flirt their way out of a parking ticket, most likely to go out in their sippers, most likely to burn thanksgiving dinner.
10. Charades
Video calls are perfect for one of the most well-known party games – Charades!
Use this brilliant Charades Word Generator to find a prompt, and take turns acting them out following the usual rules of charades.
11. Bad.Cards
If you’re familiar with Cards Against Humanity, then you will love this.
This is a good game for your adult party, and for those with a dark sense of humor. DEFINITELY not child-friendly.
You can play the free online version here.
The game basically involves people taking turns to choose the funniest card to match the chosen prompt card.
Bonus Virtual Game
And for those music buffs out there, we’ve got the perfect quiz for your next zoom call:
90s Music Quiz – 55 Questions And Answers
Which of the 11 Game to Play on Zoom are you picking?
We hope you’ve found the perfect virtual family games for your next zoom video get together.
There are loads of options out there, but we narrowed our list down to include our tried and tested favorites.
Our list includes a variety of choices, some requiring no equipment and some needing a little more prep beforehand.
So wherever your family or friends are in the world, they’re sure to have a brilliant time.
Online games are a great way to catch up with those all around the world, and we hope our suggestions will make it an even more enjoyable experience!
Take a look at some of our similar Open For Christmas articles below.
Related Christmas Activities and Games:
- 15 Funny, Wacky, Weird & Wonderful Christmas Songs To Sing This Holiday
- 9 Seriously Fun Games To Play With Three People
- 90s Music Quiz – 55 Questions And Answers
