[At-Home Time] A roundup of board games you can play online
When you want to play with friends who live far away over the internet, it’s easy to default to PC games—but don’t forget, there’s always the option of board games.
In this article, we’re introducing lots of board games you can play online that are sure to get everyone excited.
Some are picks from video game titles, and others don’t require any apps or special gear—you can play them using only things you already have in your room right now!
It’s a super modern way to have fun, made possible precisely because video calls have become the norm.
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[At-Home Time] Roundup of Board Games You Can Play Online (1–10)
Bobu Jiten
“Bobu Jiten” is a game where the questioner describes a given word without using any katakana, and the answerer tries to figure out what the word is.
If the answer is correct, both the questioner and the answerer receive one point each, and the person who collects the most points in the end is the winner.
Although it’s originally a board game played with cards, as long as you decide on the prompts in advance, you can enjoy it online via video chat services like Zoom.
You’ll find yourselves laughing at the unexpected ways each person tries to express the prompts.
Weird feeling
This is a game where you create your own single-character kanji to express words that can’t be written with existing kanji.
The key is whether people can see your character and correctly guess the original word you had in mind.
After everyone presents their invented kanji, points are awarded to the person who made the best one.
Repeat this three times, and the player with the most points at the end wins.
It’s a fun game that boosts your imagination and works as brain training.
It’s also great for online drinking parties and meetups with people you don’t know.
Catan
It’s fun because you can play it with anyone.
Set on the uninhabited island of Catan, the game proceeds in the order of rolling dice, receiving resources, trading, and building.
Since you can change the map each time, it never gets boring no matter how many times you play.
It’s a globally famous game, so it might be nice to play with people from overseas.
Online play doesn’t take up space and you don’t have to gather in person, so it’s great for casually jumping in during your free time.
[Home Time] A roundup of board games you can play online (11–20)
Chinese checkers
In Japan, this game has also been known since the Showa era as “Diamond Game,” so many of you may have played it.
The rules are simple: the first player to move all their pieces to the camp located diagonally opposite their own wins.
You cannot enter the opponent’s camp, but you may pass through its boundary lines.
Although it’s called “Chinese,” it’s said to be based on a game devised in Britain toward the end of the 19th century and has nothing to do with China.
Splendor (The card game)
The bundled set of Splendor can also be enjoyed on apps and in your browser! In this game, you build a vast fortune as a jeweler.
On your turn, you choose one of three actions: collect gems; spend gems to purchase a development card worth points; or reserve a development card to block other players from buying it.
You can also earn points by collecting gems to acquire noble tiles.
Keep gathering and trading gems to rack up points, and when any player reaches 15 points, the game ends.
The player who reaches 15 points is the winner.
Tokaido
Here’s a game where you travel the Tokaido as a wanderer.
You start in Kyoto and head toward Edo.
Increase your travel points by eating local specialties, enjoying the scenery, soaking in hot springs, and buying souvenirs.
It’s great for middle and high school students because you can learn about the geography and history of old Japan.
It also gives you the feeling of having traveled to various regions.
A quick play during a busy workday seems like a refreshing break.
Board games set in Japan are pretty rare, aren’t they?
Saboteur
Saboteur is a board game themed around gold mining, and you can play it for free on Board Game Arena, a website where you can play board games online.
The goal of the game is to connect paths and search for the gold nugget hidden at one of three goal locations.
The fun twist is that each player is assigned a hidden role: either a “gold miner” or a “saboteur.” If you’re a gold miner, you straightforwardly aim for the gold; if you’re a saboteur, you must prevent the others from reaching it.
Since your role isn’t revealed to other players, you can choose whether to keep it secret or disclose it, and try to figure out whether others are lying—allowing for bluffing and deduction similar to social deduction games like Werewolf.