Browser games to play with friends: free, no download

The hardest part of playing a game with friends is not the game. It is getting five people onto the same thing at the same time: one has a console, one has a Mac, one is on a phone in a bus, and nobody wants to download 40 GB for one evening. Browser games solve most of that. One person sends a link, everyone taps it, and you are playing.

Here are our picks of free browser games to play with friends at the time of writing (October 2026). They are our picks, not a ranking. Every fact about another game is checked against the sources at the bottom, and our own game, AJ Cities, is one entry among several.

Quick guide

Gartic Phone: the telephone game with drawings

Gartic Phone, from Onrizon Social Games, came out in December 2020. One player writes a sentence, the next draws it, the next describes the drawing, and by the end of the chain “my uncle at the wedding” has turned into something nobody can explain. It runs on its website on computers, tablets and phones, and you start a private room and share the link. It is the best game on this list for people who say they are “not gamers”.

Codenames Online: the word game

Codenames is a board game from Czech Games Edition: two teams, a grid of words, and one clue-giver per team trying to get their side to guess the right ones with a single word. The official online version, launched in 2019, is free at codenames.game. You make a room, send the link, and split into teams. It works well on a call, because the fun is in the arguing.

Jackbox: one copy, a whole group

Jackbox games are not free, but they are cheap for a group: only one person needs to own a Jackbox game to host it. Everyone else opens jackbox.tv on their phone, types the room code from the host's screen and plays. For friends far apart, the host shares their screen on a video call. If one person in your group will buy it, nobody else needs to buy anything.

Smash Karts: for the competitive ones

Smash Karts, from Tall Team, is a 3D kart battle: up to eight players per round, driving around an arena, grabbing weapons and knocking each other out. You can set up a private game for just your friends on any level. It runs on its own site and has phone apps. It is free, with optional purchases such as gem packs.

Lichess: chess with a friend, no catch

Lichess is a free, open-source chess site run by a non-profit. There are no ads, every feature is free, and you can play without an account. It works in the browser and has phone apps too. For two friends who want something calmer than a shooter, it is hard to beat.

AJ Cities: a place to hang out

Most games on this list are rounds: you play, someone wins, you play again. AJ Cities is different. It is a 3D open world set on the edge of Ajegunle, Lagos, and its live side, which the game calls party mode, is somewhere to be together. To be clear, that party is inside the game: there is no real venue, date or ticket.

Here is how a group gets in:

1. Everyone opens ajcities.com on a phone or computer. Nothing to download.
2. Everyone signs in with their email. You must be 18 or over.
3. Everyone picks the same world: always day, always night, or real Lagos time. Each estate holds up to 60 players, and when one fills, another opens.
4. Change your look free at the salon and clothes shop by the gate, then ask the police to let you in. Most nights about four in five who ask get in free; tickets are optional.

Once you are in, walk to Prizm for the nightly set, go down past the bush to the beach, or stand by a radio: every radio plays the same song at the same moment for everyone, so you hear what your friends hear. If someone has to take a real phone call, they pause and stay in the world as “away” for up to ten minutes. More in how party mode works.

If one of your group would rather play alone first, AJ's story is single-player and needs no sign-in.

Tips for a good game night

• Get on a call. Most of these games are better with voices. A video or voice call next to the browser tab is enough.
• Send links from the game's own site. Copies on unfamiliar pages can carry extra ads or worse. More on that in are browser games safe?
• Check who is on a phone. Some games need a keyboard. Gartic Phone, Jackbox, Smash Karts, Lichess and AJ Cities all work on phones; try any other game on a phone before game night.
• Start with something easy. A drawing game warms everyone up before the shooter.

Want more picks? See our lists of multiplayer browser games and free online multiplayer games with no download.

What free games can I play with friends online without downloading?

Our picks are Gartic Phone, Codenames Online, Smash Karts, Lichess and AJ Cities, all free and in the browser. Jackbox is not free, but only the host needs to buy it.

Can my friends join from their phones?

For Gartic Phone, Jackbox, Smash Karts, Lichess and AJ Cities, yes. Jackbox even uses phones as the controllers.

How many friends can play AJ Cities together?

Up to 60 players share each live estate. Pick the same world and you usually land in the same estate; when one is full, another opens.

Is the party in AJ Cities a real event?

No. It is a virtual party inside the game, with no real venue, date or ticket.