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Best games to play with friends during lockdown


Lockdown has left many of us with plenty of free time. In fact, so much free time, it’s been hard to know what to do with it – especially if you’ve been furloughed or are unable to work. Depending on what type of person you are, the idea of a few months staying at home could either frustrate you, or bring music to your ears. But we know that in order to keep everyone safe, it needs to be done.

During this time, we’ve seen some really creative examples of people keeping themselves busy. From mindfulness practice, to Endsleigh’s own staff spending their free time creating masks for the NHS, lockdown has given many of us some time to slow down and get creative with our hobbies.

Unsurprisingly, a common go-to activity has been lockdown games. If you’re still stuck for things to do, or fancy trying something different, here are a few popular games to play during lockdown with family and friends.

Free games online

Social media games

Platform: Facebook Games
Cost: FREE
More info: Did you know that Facebook has a games section? You and your friends can play games like Pac Man, Cooking Mama, Black Jack and so on. The ‘gaming’ section can be found in your Facebook dashboard and can allow you to interact with your friends without being physically near them.

Platform: Messenger Video Call Games
Cost: FREE
More info: Facebook Messenger has upped its game recently. You can join a video call with multiple friends and play interactive games together. To find the games, click the area where your face is, click the smiley face icon and navigate through the different tabs until you find a game you think everyone will enjoy. While they’re not as in-depth as a game of chess and sometimes a bit silly, they’re sure to liven up the party and make everyone laugh.


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Lockdown games on zoom

Many businesses, fitness instructors and groups of friends have turned to Zoom (or other video call software) since lockdown has begun - you may have seen our recent Zoom Bingo blog post. There are some ways you can get creative using Zoom in order to have some fun with friends and family during lockdown.

Game: Group quiz
Cost: FREE*
More info: One of the most popular things to do over Zoom at the moment is a ‘pub quiz’. This requires someone to play quiz master and pull together some questions and a structure. Or you could ask each person to prepare 10 questions each (depending on how many attendees you have!). Simply pull this into a quick slideshow, share screens with attendees and you have yourself a quiz! You could even spice things up by enforcing a fancy dress rule!

Game: Charades
Cost: FREE*
More info: This one could be interesting if you have a poor Wi-Fi connection, but it could definitely bring some fun. Take turns to act out film names/book names/phrases and let the others try and guess. This could be especially enjoyable for those who are living alone and haven’t had much interaction with others for a little while.

Game: Bingo
Cost: FREE*
More info: Don’t worry if you don’t have Bingo equipment at home, you can get creative. Before your game begins, find some free Bingo templates online and email them out to everyone who’d like to play. They can then print the templates at home. If they don’t have a printer, they can take a few minutes to write out the numbers on plain paper.

Then you can cut up some paper into small pieces, write down Bingo numbers on each piece, scrunch them up and put them in a bowl ready to pull out once your game commences. You could even set some prizes! For example, once lockdown is over, everyone chips in to get the winner a box of chocolates!

*When using the free version of Zoom, you’ll have a 40 minute time limit.

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Free online card games

Game: Solitaire/Bridge/BlackJack and more
Cost: FREE
More info: There are so many different platforms for playing instant online card games. From multiple different versions of Solitaire, to Bridge, to BlackJack, there are plenty to choose from. Simply type something along the lines of ‘free online card games’ into your search engine and pick your favourite.

Game: Cards Against Humanity (CAH)
Cost: FREE
More info: This is probably one of the best games to play with friends/family that don’t include children. This is because if you’ve played the physical version of this game, you’ll know it’s a little, well, risqué to say the least! The CAH website is currently offering a deck of CAH cards which you can download for free.

Best mobile games to play with friends

There are hundreds of free mobile games out there for both iPhone and Android. It was hard to choose the best app games to play with friends, so we’ve picked a few of the best reviewed to tell you about.

Game: Heads Up!
Cost: FREE (sometimes has a $1 registration fee)
More info: Heads Up! is an app-based game launched by American comedian, Ellen DeGeneres. It’s a guessing game where the app displays a word, one person holds their phone to their forehead and must guess the word before the time runs out by asking the other players questions. The option to video record the game makes for even funnier memories to look back on!
Available for: iOS and Android

Game: Words With Friends 2
Cost: FREE
More info: For the wordsmiths among us, this game is very similar to the likes of Scrabble. Use your letters to create words and score points. And you can do it whether your team is in the same location, or spread out around the world.
Available for: iOS and Android


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Game: Super Stickman Golf 3
Cost: FREE
More info: This is a golf game set in a lively world filled with animated golf courses. Each of your team will need their own device to play and compete to get the highest score!
Available for: iOS and Android

Game: Pokémon Go
Cost: FREE
More info: Now that lockdown restrictions are slightly lifted and we’ve been given the ‘okay’ to travel, this is a great one to play when getting your daily exercise. Pokémon Go lets you walk the streets outside your home in the hunt for Pokémon. All you’ll need is a phone, the app and a GPS connection to get started. This could be a great one if you’d like to go for a socially distanced walk with some friends, or help your family get their daily exercise whilst playing a game.
Available for: iOS and Android

3 board games to play on Zoom

You may not have thought about it yet, but some of your good old-fashioned board games could be adapted for video calls. When searching for the best games to play with friends, some of them may be sitting under your nose. Here are some ideas.

1. Trivial Pursuit

This is a great game to play over Zoom as all you need is for one person to own the board. They act as the person in charge, showing the cards/video to the rest of the team when necessary. If well-organised, this can be fun for everyone involved.

2. Pictionary

Pictionary is perhaps one of the best options for family games online. Everyone just needs some pens/pencils and paper, along with their internet connection. It can make for an entertaining evening of artistic rivalry.

3. Codenames

Codenames is another easily adapted board game to play via Zoom. A new success in the world of board games, it involves teams trying to guess which words belong to the opposing team. All you’ll need is for one person to have the game, then they communicate with the rest of the players. Players can chat with their own teams via text or the Codenames app.


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We hope these game ideas will bring you some entertainment. With restrictions on how many times you can leave the house, where you can go and who you can see, lockdown has been tough for many of us. Whether you’re looking for gadget and possessions insurance, or just need to get in touch regarding your account, we’re here to help.

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