Best online board games to play with friends

What makes a good online board game for friends?

A few questions decide which game suits your night:

• How many of you are there? Some games are duels at heart. On Ping44, chess and draughts stretch from 2 to 32 players with tournaments, while Barricade, Four in a Row and the Property Game take 2 to 8.
• How long have you got? A game of Four in a Row takes minutes. Chess and draughts last as long as the clock the host sets. The Property Game can run for a fixed time or until one player is left.
• Strategy or luck? Barricade, Four in a Row, chess and draughts have no dice and no hidden cards: the better plan wins. The Property Game mixes dice rolls with buying, trading and bargaining.
• Can newcomers join in? The best games teach themselves in a minute. Every Ping44 game has a built-in how-to-play page, and in chess, draughts and Barricade the board only offers moves that are allowed.
• Can everyone take part? Teams, everyone-for-themselves modes and tournaments keep a big group playing at once, and anyone else can watch.

Barricade: race across, slow the others down

Barricade is a race with a twist. On your turn you either move your pawn one square or place a wall two squares long to slow someone down, but a wall may never shut a pawn off from its goal. The first pawn to reach the far edge wins, or, if the host picks it, the center square.

Two players play the classic game on a 9×9 board with 10 walls each. With 3 to 8 players, the host picks teams that share a pawn and its walls, everyone for themselves starting around the edges, or a knockout tournament. Bigger 11×11 and 13×13 boards make for a longer race, and the turn timer runs from 15 to 90 seconds.

Best for: groups who like a strategy game with simple rules and lots of "how did you do that?" moments.

Four in a Row: quick, simple, tense

Four in a Row is the game everyone already knows: drop a disc into a column and be the first to line up four of your color across, down or diagonally. The classic game is red against yellow on a grid of 7 columns and 6 rows.

With more players, the host picks teams that take turns dropping for their side, everyone for themselves on a grid that grows up to 13 columns for 8 players, or a knockout tournament whose matches in each round are played at once. The turn timer runs from 10 to 60 seconds.

Best for: a quick warm-up, mixed ages, and anyone who has never played a board game online.

Chess: the deepest duel

Chess on Ping44 has the full rules, checked by the server: check, checkmate, castling, en passant, promotion, draw offers and draw claims. Every game is timed, with 1 to 30 minutes per player and 0 to 10 seconds added per move.

Two players simply play a game. Up to 8 can play team chess on one board, four a side, with teammates taking their team's moves in turn. Up to 32 can play a tournament of groups and knockouts, or knockouts only, while everyone without a match can watch any board live.

Best for: chess clubs, office leagues, and friends who want a proper rematch.

Draughts (checkers): fast and tactical

Draughts is English draughts on an 8×8 board, the same game Americans call checkers. Captures are compulsory, a piece must finish every jump it can, and a man that reaches the far row is crowned a king that moves both ways.

It has the same modes as chess: one match for two, two teams on one board for up to 8, or a tournament for up to 32, all with the same clocks.

Best for: a game the whole family half-remembers, where one forced capture can turn everything around.

Property Game: buy, build and trade

The Property Game is an original take on the classic property-trading board game, on its own 40-space city board, for 2 to 8 players. Everyone starts with 1,500 coins and collects 200 for passing Start. Buy the properties you land on or send them to auction, complete color sets, build houses and hotels, mortgage when cash runs short, and trade with the other players.

The host sets a turn limit from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, and a game length from 15 minutes to 3 hours, or plays until one player remains. When time runs out, the highest net worth wins. Coins are virtual and have no cash value.

Best for: a long game night with plenty of deal-making.

Team and tournament play

Board games on Ping44 aren't limited to two players at a table:

• Teams: in chess and draughts, two teams share one board and teammates take their team's moves in turn. In Barricade, each team shares a pawn and its walls. In Four in a Row, the teams take turns and every member wins together.
• Everyone for themselves: Barricade and Four in a Row can put up to 8 players on one board, each with their own color.
• Tournaments: chess and draughts run tournaments for 2 to 32 players, in groups then knockouts or knockouts only. Barricade and Four in a Row run knockout tournaments where every match of a round is played at once. A drawn knockout match is replayed, then settled by a coin toss.

Which board game should you choose?

• Two of you, ten minutes: Four in a Row, or chess or draughts with a short clock.
• Three to eight players at once: Barricade or Four in a Row, everyone for themselves, or team chess.
• A long evening: the Property Game.
• A big group or a club night: a chess or draughts tournament for up to 32.

You don't have to choose just one. When one game ends, the host can pick another: everyone stays in the room, and room scores keep adding up.

Why Ping44 for board games

• Five board games in one room, next to card, word, drawing and trivia games.
• The server runs every rule. It checks every move and keeps every clock, so there's nothing to argue about.
• Private rooms. Only the people you invite can join, by link, room code or QR code. There's no matchmaking with strangers.
• Voice and text chat built into the room, for when you're not around the same table.
• Spectators welcome. Anyone in the room who isn't playing can watch.
• Free, with no ads and no purchases, in the browser on phones, tablets and computers, with nothing to install.

How to start in under a minute

1. Go to ping44.com, sign in (free, with email or Google) and create a room.
2. Share the invite link, the room code or the QR code. Friends can join as guests by just picking a name.
3. In the lobby, choose Board games, then pick Barricade, Four in a Row, Chess, Draughts or the Property Game in Game settings.
4. Adjust the settings, such as the mode, the board or the clock, and start.

Frequently asked questions