How to host an online game night with friends
Updated · 2 minute read
To host an online game night, agree a time, make one room, send your friends its code, and pick games as you go. On PlaywithBuddies nobody installs anything, and the whole group stays in the same room from the first game to the last.
Before the night
- Agree a time and a way to talk. A video or voice call on whatever app your group already uses works best, because every game here is more fun when you can hear each other.
- Check who is on a phone and who is on a computer. Every game runs in the browser on both, but a few are easiest with a keyboard.
- Nobody needs an account. Friends can type a name and join as guests; anyone who wants to keep their stats and add friends can sign in with Google instead.
Make the room
A room lasts for two hours, which is plenty for a game night. If someone drops out, they rejoin with the same code.
- 1Open playwithbuddies.com and press Create room. Type a name to play as a guest, or sign in with Google.
- 2You get a six-character room code. Send it, or the room link, in your group chat. If you signed in with Google, you can also invite friends straight from your friends list.
- 3Friends type the code on the home page, or open the link, and land in your lobby, where everyone can chat.
- 4As the host, you pick the game and its rules. When a match ends, the room stays together, so you can play again or switch games without anyone rejoining.
Which games for how many people
Pick by group size first. Every game can also fill empty places with bots, so an odd number of players is never a problem.
| Players | Good picks | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Let Me Go!, Volley Clash, Turbo Dash, Mini Golf | Head-to-head games where every move is yours. |
| 3–4 | Tower Siege, Mini Golf, Let Me Go!, Turbo Dash 2v2 | Co-op against the waves, or 2v2 teams. |
| 5–6 | Battle of Pirates 3v3, Broadside Bay | Team battles on the open sea. |
| 7–8 | Doodle Dash, The Last Gasp, Go Eat Fish | Party games built for a crowd. |
A running order that works
- 1Warm up with something quick and loud: a few words of The Last Gasp, or Blind Drawing in Doodle Dash.
- 2Split into teams for the middle of the night: Turbo Dash or Volley Clash 2v2, or Battle of Pirates in fleets.
- 3Slow down with a thinking game: Let Me Go! or Tower Siege.
- 4Finish with Doodle Dash's Telephone or Masterpiece, where the results are the best part and everyone votes at the end.
Phones, tablets and computers
- Doodle Dash plays either way up. Let Me Go! plays upright on a phone. Most of the others want the phone turned sideways.
- Volley Clash and Turbo Dash have touch controls, and on a computer two people can share one keyboard.
- If the site looks too big or too small on someone's screen, they can change the display size in the settings.
Keeping it friendly
The host can remove anyone from the room. For anything more serious, the Contact page says how to report it.
Keep the chat for the people in the room: codes are private to whoever you share them with.
Questions
- How many people can join one room?
- Up to eight in the biggest games. Each game shows its own limit, and bots fill any empty places.
- Does everyone need an account?
- No. Anyone can join or make a room as a guest with just a name. Signing in with Google keeps your stats and lets you add friends.
- Can we switch games without leaving?
- Yes. The room stays together between matches and the host picks the next game.
- Is it free?
- Yes. It's free in the browser, with nothing to buy and no adverts inside the games.
More guides
Written with the help of AI tools from each game's own rules, and checked against the game.