Let’s face it, you’ve been cooped up for weeks, maybe months, and you’re slowly losing grasp of reality. Laws of physics seem to melt as time dilutes when there aren’t things you’re ‘supposed to be doing. And what about all those hobbies you wanted to start or the long list of high and mighty plans you’ve always put off saying, “Ehhh, I’ll do them when I have the time”,? All those ambitious to-do list entries don’t sound enticing anymore and deep inside you wonder if you’re going to be the first person in history to die from chronic boredom syndrome.
Too much of a good thing is bad, and this holds true with free time as well. When we have limited free time, it becomes that much more valuable and we want to spend it with our friends and family. Well, of course, you can’t just walk up to your friend’s place for a chat without getting a smack on the bum from Prahari-dai right now, but no worries! In this article, we cover the top 10 games that you can play with your friends, even when you’re locked up in quarantine.
And, by the way, a record-breaking 1.2 BILLION games were downloaded this week alone. That’s crazy!
Rest in Pieces:
This popular and wildly exciting game is a spin-off on classic endless runners like Temple Run and Subway Surfers. The catch is that instead of running on the ground like a plain mortal, you’re a fragile porcelain doll swinging side to side in what I can only describe as a very artistically satisfying background.
The horror theme in this game really sets this apart from other generic endless runners. The beautifully designed characters and their nightmares(where the entire story takes place) are sure to keep you entertained for hours on end.
Hades’ Star:
This underappreciated space strategy game taking place in an ever-expanding universe is another one that might get you excited. In Hades’ star, you colonize planets and mine their resources while building an armada of fleets for yourself and exploring the vastness of the ever-expanding landscape.
The multiplayer option on this game allows you to complete missions that are tricky with the help of your friends. Geared around a ‘build and conquer’ theme like so many other popular games, this could hand down be one of the best sci-fi-themed strategic action games for mobile.
Dragon Ball Legends:
With the Dragon Ball franchise getting steam once again in recent times, Dragon Ball Legends is another action-packed Bandai Namco creation that will help satisfy your love for the DB series. This action RPG game features epic 3D visuals and animations that follow the story of a mysterious Saiyan known as Shallot. And just for the fun of it, the dude’s memory has been messed with, and it’s up to you to help him gain it back once more.
The play-to-win train that many commercial free-games base their business model on isn’t very noticeable in this game. This has made this game very much appreciated in the DB fandom community. With great graphics and fun gameplay, this is one you should definitely check out if you’re a DB fan.
Real Racing 3
If you’re the type that likes to put on a helmet and burn some rubber, boy/girl we have a perfect pick for you.
Real Racing 3 features top-end accurately recreated cars from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and a boat-load of other creators. You also get to test your racing skills on legendary tracks like Silverstone, Hockenheimring, and Le Mans. With many multi-player features integrated into the main gameplay experience, and countless events to enter and make opponents taste the dust, this is one of the best racing games right now, gameplay-wise and graphics-wise.
Breaking Bad: Criminal elements
If you’re a Breaking Bad fan, chances are you’ll be obsessed over this. With gameplay similar to The Sims games, you build… you guessed it, your very own meth-lab empire.
As you progress in the game and earn money from your prized *cough* pharmaceutical product, you conquer rival drug-rings and establish a monopoly over the supply. The game is a little over-the-top with ads, and the pay-to-win is a bit on your face. Nevertheless, classic Breaking Bad fans are sure to appreciate this a lot.
A classic board game made virtual: Ludo
Well, is this really a surprise?
My inboxes are filled to brim with Ludo requests right now from far uncle-aunties to people I haven’t heard from for years. And rightly so, I mean… Ludo is probably the most popular game of chance that we Nepali peeps have enjoyed since childhood. The interesting mix of player strategy and just raw dumb luck is what makes Ludo especially addicting and fun to play.
So don’t leave those requests hanging, it won’t hurt to chill for a while sometimes and play a casual game of Ludo 😉
Also Read: Best Apps for Study and Work to boost your Productivity!
Lichess:
“Oh well, isn’t chess a game for nerds!”, I hear you complain. “And it’s boooring!”, you might add.
Chess is the closest two human minds will come to full-out warfare using nothing but a board with pieces. Just looking at other people playing chess may give a wrong impression. Despite showing poker faces outside, each party in his mind is contemplating dirty tactics, sketching out strategies, and thinking about a whole plethora of moves with only one goal in mind: to capture the enemy king.
Chess as a sport is one with probably the largest active player-base in the world. With thousands of years of history behind the game, learning chess will not only give you cheap entertainment for a while, but it can also be a weapon to sharpen your mind and train yourself to think strategically in real-life situations. And if you turn out to be a born-natural in the game, you gain a new hobby to work on! More competitive folks can even compete in different competitions organized from time to time.
Even if you aren’t familiar with the rules, or never have even touched a board in real life, using apps like Lichess it takes hardly 15 minutes to learn the basic rules and movement patterns of the pieces. Once you have these down, you can challenge your best friend (or foe!) to a friendly game of chess and test your mental strengths.
Mobile Legends, Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans (and other similar strategic action games)
Gosh! I still remember the time I used to be super into COC. I even set up alarms in the middle of the night to fight Clan wars!
Most people had a love-hate relationship with games like Clash of Clans. You either loved it or you hated it. Nonetheless, no one could escape the inevitable COC talks whenever a group of more than 2 members of the same clan met each other.
Strategic action games like Mobile Legends, Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, etc are a great way to refresh yourselves when you’re in need of a quick break. What makes games like these even more appealing is that you can form clans (or groups or squads, whatever the main gimmick is) and attack other clans proving your friendship to be stronger than the other. Jokes aside, games like these where you can team up and communicate with each other, be it in your daily life or the next clan battle can be an excellent way to fight loneliness during the quarantine.
Bring out the guns: Fortnite, PUBG and Freefire
For many reasons, nothing beats taking a virtual machine gun and killing random strangers on the internet who did nothing wrong except play the same game as you. All for a virtual chicken dinner which you never get to see the sight of.
Multiplayer shooter games are BIG, and for a reason. Whether it be the classic CS titles, classic old Mini Militia or the newer Last Day on Earth games, these games provide hours of fun and entertainment to the whole gang. You can voice chat your buddies as you discuss conspiracy theories of where the remaining players are hiding or just plain joke around with them. The popularity of this genre of games speaks for itself, and if you’re one of the peeps that enjoy the thrill of the manhunt, you might want to send an invite to your friends to lay down the sadness and enjoy yourselves a bit.
Gartic.io, Skribbl.io and other .io games:
I’ve personally always been a fan of the simplicity yet sincere fun of games like slither.io, agar.io, etc can pack. The latest heir of the .io tradition, Skribbl, is a simple drawing and guessing game that lets you play Pictionary with your friends, or with random strangers over the internet. It provides hours of fun, and the lighthearted wholesome atmosphere surrounding the game will refresh you and your friends whenever you’re in need of a “feels boost”.
The whole point of the game is to guess what the other is drawing. Sort of like that one game where you act out movie names, but this time with pictures. The one with the most points wins.
Despite the huge popularity of Skribbl.io and its cousin draw.io, android apps for them aren’t available yet. Gartic.io is the next best thing and comes with even more concepts and features to make gameplay even more interesting. Slither.io and Agar.io are some others you can have loads of fun playing. In Slither, you play a snake that gets larger as it eats mystical glowing dots on the screen, WHILE you attempt to murder any and all other snakes that dare step in your way while simultaneously preventing such a fate for yourself. In Agar, you play a cell. Yes, a simple microscopic cell that eats other cells (players) to become the largest in the game. Watch out for viruses though. Both the in-game one and the one that causes COVID-19.
You can team up with your buds and dominate entire game servers while having loads of fun. This genre of lighthearted games is also at the top of the list of games you should definitely try out with your friends and buddies.
Did you like our list, or did your favorite game miss a spot? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!
