Party games online: the best ones for your group, and a virtual night out after

Search for party games online and you get the same few names, usually in a list of fifty. That is not much help on a Friday at 7 pm when six people are waiting on a call. The better question is: how many of you are there, and what kind of night do you want? Answer those and the choice nearly makes itself.

Below are our picks, sorted by group size and mood. They are opinions, not a league table. Every fact about another game (player counts, price, where it runs) was checked in October 2026 against the game’s own site or a reputable source, listed at the bottom. Prices move, so look before you buy.

Step one: count heads

Step two: pick a mood

“We want to laugh at each other”

Jackbox is the obvious answer, and it is obvious for a reason. Only one person needs to own a pack: they host, and everyone else joins on a phone at jackbox.tv with the room code on the host’s screen. On a video call, the host shares their screen. Quiplash 3 takes 3 to 8 players. If your group is bigger, some Jackbox games go further: Jackbox’s own guide lists Bracketeering at 3 to 16 players and Lie Swatter at 1 to 100. At the time of writing, Party Pack 6 was $29.99 as a Steam code on Jackbox’s store.

Gartic Phone is the free alternative for the same mood. It is the telephone game with drawings: write, draw, guess, pass it on, and watch the chain go wrong. It runs free in a browser on phones, tablets and computers, and also on Discord.

“We want to think a bit”

Codenames Online is the free browser version from the board game’s publisher, Czech Games Edition. Two teams, one clue giver each, a lot of shouting. Make a room, share the link, talk over your own call. It handles up to 64 players a session.

Board Game Arena puts real board games in the browser, free since 2010, no download. Many games are free; some are Premium, and a Premium member can open a table that free players join.

“We want to lie to each other”

Among Us is still the easy choice for social deduction: 4 to 15 players online, with cross-platform play between phones, computers and consoles. It is an app, not a browser game: free on the App Store with in-app purchases, and a small price on Steam.

“We just want to hang out”

This is the one most lists miss. After an hour of rounds and scores, a lot of groups just want to be somewhere together. That is what AJ Cities, our game, is for. It is a free open-world browser game set on the edge of Ajegunle, Lagos, and its party mode is a live, virtual Lagos night: your own characters, a gate, a club, a beach.

Plainly: this is a virtual party inside the game. There is no real venue, no real date and no real ticket. It is not a party game with rounds either. It is a place to be, with your group and other players.

• The gate. Everyone starts outside the main gate. Ask the police nicely; most nights about four in five who ask get in free.
• Dressing up. The salon and clothes shop beside the gate change your hair, skin tone and clothes for free.
• The club. Joe-Izzy plays Prizm every night from 9 pm to 1 am Lagos time. Every ticket opens the ground floor, and the bouncers sometimes wave in a guest without one.
• The beach party. Past the bush, opened by tickets from ₦400.
• One radio. Every radio in the estate plays the same song at the same moment for every player.

Pick a world (always day, always night or real Lagos time) and you usually land in the same estate as friends who picked the same one. Each estate holds up to 60 players. You sign in with your email, and it is 18+.

Step three: plan the order

The best online party nights we have seen follow the same shape:

1. Warm-up, 10 minutes. A round of skribbl.io or Gartic Phone while late arrivals turn up. Nobody needs rules explained.
2. Main game, 45 minutes. Jackbox, Codenames or Among Us, depending on the mood above.
3. Hang-out, as long as you like. Move to the estate: meet at the gate, go to Prizm, end up at the beach.

Keep one voice or video call open the whole time so the conversation carries across all three. And keep it simple: one link per stage, sent in the group chat just before you need it.

A note on “free”

Free can mean free for everyone, or free for guests while one person pays. Codenames Online, skribbl.io and Gartic Phone are free for everyone. Board Game Arena is free with optional Premium. Jackbox is free for guests, paid for the host. AJ Cities is free to play, and most guests get in by asking at the gate; tickets are optional, last 24 hours and start at ₦250 (see every ticket).

Want only the no-download, no-cost ones? See free online party games with no download. Planning for a crowd? Try browser party games for big groups.

What is the best online party game for a big group?

For teams, Codenames Online holds up to 64 players a session. For hanging out, AJ Cities holds up to 60 players an estate. skribbl.io takes up to 20 in a private room.

Can you play Jackbox online with friends who are not in the room?

Yes. The host shares their screen on a video call, and players join on their phones at jackbox.tv with the room code. Only the host needs to own the pack.

Is the AJ Cities party a real-world event?

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