There are more ways than ever to play some of the most popular board games online with friends, from setting up a simple video call to play TCGs such as Magic: The Gathering to more elaborate apps and digital replacements that elegantly swap plastic for pixels and cardboard for code. Things have come a long way since the days of playing chess by mail. Tabletopia: A tabletop sandbox that can run in a browser window, this can give you the best of both worlds.Yucata: No need for downloads with this browser-based board game library.

Dedicated websites: From Cards Against Humanity to Diplomacy and 18XX, take on fans of your favourite board game across the internet.

VASSAL: An old-school option ideal for wargamers and strategy lovers look to take their tactics online.

BoardGameArena: Load up your web browser and play board games online without paying a penny.

Digital board games: A polished experience if you know which board game you're looking to play online.

Tabletop Simulator: Play board games online in a physics sandbox with thousands of user-made mods.

Voice and video chat: Keep things simple by chatting with friends over Skype, Discord and Google Hangouts.

There’s no need to miss out on your tabletop hobby when you can’t meet up in person, however - there are loads of ways to play board games online with friends. It’s not just party board games that serve as a reason to get together in person and socialise games of all kinds have the power to get people chatting and interacting in a way that digital offerings such as video games just can’t match.īut sometimes you simply can’t be in the same place as your preferred players - whether that’s due to a common problem like living far apart or something specific and unusual like, say, social distancing during a global period of self-isolation. One of the best things about board games versus playing games online is being together with friends, family or even strangers in the same room.

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