Quick Answer: Hosting a virtual party? The best games rely on screen-sharing or mobile-based web apps. Top remote games include Jackbox Party Packs, Codenames Online, Gartic Phone, and browser-based Trivia using randomized team breakout rooms.
Browser-Based Games (Free & No Install)
- Codenames Online: The official web version of the hit board game. Two teams, word associations, pure deduction. Works beautifully over video chat.
- Gartic Phone: The digital equivalent of the Telephone game mixed with Pictionary. Participants draw, describe, and laugh at the decaying communication. Highly entertaining.
- Skribbl.io: Fast-paced multiplayer drawing and guessing. Custom word lists can be added to make inside-jokes for your specific friend group.
Screen-Share Games (Host owns it)
- Jackbox Party Packs: The gold standard. The host streams the main screen via Zoom/Discord, and all players use their smartphones as controllers. (Quiplash, Drawful, and Trivia Murder Party are highlights).
- GeoGuessr: Put everyone on a team. The host streams Google Street View of a random location in the world. The group debates architecture, license plates, and trees to figure out where they are.
No-Tech Video Games
You can play standard party games over video without apps. Play "Categories" (Scattegories format), "Bring me a..." (scavenger hunt around the house), or use a digital Dice Roller to play Yahtzee together while sitting thousands of miles apart.