Buzz
If your child is growing weary of the isolation brought by lockdown, bored with solo gaming, and missing out on socializing with friends, it might be the perfect time to introduce them to online multiplayer games. To assist, I’ve curated a list of five fantastic virtual games your child can enjoy with their friends—along with a nostalgic bonus suggestion for added enjoyment.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Since its debut in March, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has dominated the gaming world. It’s an ideal lockdown game for children (and adults, truthfully). Its charm lies in its gentle, delightful nature, its ability to consume hours of time, and its online multiplayer feature. Friends can freely visit each other’s Animal Crossing islands. Even the process of connecting is endearing: purchase a virtual ticket and take a virtual flight to your friend’s island!
Once you’ve exhausted exploring each other’s islands, you can engage in various activities together. While the game includes a few built-in mini-games, many players enjoy creating their own imaginative games, much like they would at a real playground. (Here are some suggestions to get you started.)
Minecraft
Minecraft offers virtually limitless opportunities for your child. Its kid-friendly, open-ended sandbox design is enjoyable solo, but connecting with friends during lockdown elevates the experience to new heights. Collaborate to conquer the Ender Dragon (a long-term goal requiring resource management and teamwork), engage in mini-games, or simply build a harmonious virtual world free from real-world worries.
Setting up multiplayer in Minecraft can be a bit challenging, so refer to this detailed guide for assistance.
Houseparty
Houseparty is a lively alternative to Zoom. This video-chat app, designed for mobile devices and tablets, combines video and text chat with entertaining mini-games. It’s an ideal tool for kids stuck at home to bond with older family members.
You can invite MeeMaw or PawPaw to join in and enjoy its four free games, which include a Pictionary-style game, trivia challenges, and more. Far more enjoyable than FaceTime, it’s completely free and user-friendly, making it easy for even the least tech-savvy relatives to connect and share moments with their favorite youngsters.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Despite the release of countless competitive first-person shooters since 2012, CS:GO remains a fan favorite. It boasts a massive, dedicated player community, is free to play, and its well-balanced, team-oriented gameplay continues to captivate players year after year.
A word of caution: Counter-Strike: GO isn’t suitable for younger children due to its intense violence. However, if you’re comfortable with digital combat and your child is of an appropriate age, give it a try. You’ll soon understand why it’s the most popular first-person shooter of all time.
Roblox
Roblox is a vibrant, kid-safe 3D platform filled with endless games and digital adventures for children and their friends to enjoy. Creators worldwide have designed and shared thousands of mini-games and virtual worlds on this platform, many rivaling or surpassing traditional games in quality.
What sets Roblox apart is its creative potential. Users can utilize its straightforward coding tools to craft any game or experience they dream up, from underwater exploration to prison escapes to high-speed racing. While the platform is mostly free, it features an in-app currency for upgrades and certain user-generated content. However, there’s also a wealth of completely free experiences to dive into.
Honorable mention: Dungeons & Dragons
If your child shares my geeky tendencies (heaven help them), they might have had to pause their bi-weekly Dungeons & Dragons sessions because of the lockdown. However, nerdy kids and parents can still enjoy D&D, even if they can’t gather in Tyler’s basement to roll dice together.
It’s a bit involved, but if your aspiring half-orc barbarian is eager to dive in, explore Roll20.net. This web-based platform offers a shared virtual tabletop, voice and video chat, and digital dice rollers, providing everything needed to play any tabletop role-playing game online.
Dungeon masters will have access to all the necessary tools to design maps and adventures. Pair Roll20 with DND Beyond (Dungeons & Dragons’ official digital toolkit), and you can enjoy authentic pen-and-paper D&D with friends—no physical pens or paper required.
