Sometimes you just want a quick game with friends without installing anything, creating accounts or buying a console. Every game on this list runs in a web browser and lets you play together, either online with a short room code or side by side on the same device. Here's what each one is best for.
Line Mafia: the party game for a group
Best for: 3 to 10 people on a call or in the same room.
Line Mafia is a drawing and social deduction game. Everyone sees a category (like Animals or Food), and everyone except the mafia also sees the secret word. Players take turns adding one line each to a shared drawing, going around the table a few times. The mafia doesn't know the word, so they have to watch what others draw and add lines that fit without giving themselves away.
When the drawing is finished, everyone votes on who they think the mafia is. If the town catches the mafia, the mafia still gets one chance to guess the word, and a correct guess steals the win. With 7 or more players there are two mafia who know each other.
Why it works with friends: the fun is in the arguing. "Why did you draw a circle there?" is a great question in Line Mafia.
How to play together: create a private room to get a five-letter code, then share the code or invite link. There's also Quick Play to join public rooms, and a practice mode against computer players.
Dojo Duel: 1v1 fighting
Best for: two friends who like a bit of competition.
Dojo Duel is a Tekken-style fighting game with eight fighters, each with their own special moves and a signature four-hit finisher. Matches are first to two rounds.
How to play together: two players can share one keyboard, or plug in two gamepads. Online, create a private room and send the code to a friend, or use Quick Match to find an opponent.
Why it works with friends: it's easy to pick up (simple combos like J J K work for every fighter) but rewards learning to block high and low, so rivalries form quickly. Our fighting game basics guide will give a beginner a fair chance.
Doodle Brawl: draw it, then fight with it
Best for: creative friends who enjoy a laugh.
In Doodle Brawl, each player draws their own weapon, and the drawing becomes a physics object: long weapons reach further, heavy ones hit harder but swing slowly, and odd shapes turn into secret weapons. Then you fight with them.
How to play together: online 1v1 by room code or Quick Match, each player using their own drawing. You can also save a weapon and share it as a link or picture: whoever opens it has to draw something that beats yours. That makes it a great asynchronous challenge too.
Why it works with friends: every match starts with "wait, what did you draw?" Our weapon guide explains why some drawings beat others.
Memory Duel: a calmer head-to-head
Best for: two players who prefer brains over reflexes, including mixed ages.
Memory Duel turns matching pairs into a battle. Each player secretly places their half of every pair, then you take turns finding your opponent's matching cards. On harder settings the board turns and slides between turns, which keeps it tense even for adults.
How to play together: two players on one device (with a "look away" screen while each player places their cards), online by Quick Match or room code, or send a challenge link so a friend can try to beat your score on the exact same board.
Why it works with friends: it's quiet and fair, and the challenge link means you don't even have to play at the same time.
Which one should you pick?
- Big group on a video call: Line Mafia.
- Two competitive friends: Dojo Duel.
- Friends who like to be silly and creative: Doodle Brawl.
- A calmer game, or playing with family: Memory Duel.
Tips for smooth online games
- One person creates the room and shares the code; everyone else joins with it.
- Online play connects players directly. If a connection fails, try again or have the other person create the room, because some networks (like strict school or office Wi-Fi) block direct connections.
- Every game also has a solo mode, so anyone can practise first.
All of these are free. Pick one, send the link, and you're playing in under a minute.