Some games are all about winning, while others give you an excuse to spend time with friends. If you’d rather spend an evening chatting, laughing, and enjoying something without too much pressure, there are plenty of games on PC and consoles that fit the mood.
Jackbox Party Packs
Jackbox is one of the easiest ways to get a group of friends playing together. One person runs the game on a PC or console, while everyone else joins through a web browser on their phones. You might be drawing terrible pictures, coming up with ridiculous answers, or voting for the funniest responses. Nobody needs a controller or any real gaming experience to join in. You can even play over a video call or screen share, making it a good option for friends who live far apart.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers a much more relaxed way to spend time with friends on Nintendo Switch. Open your island to visitors and spend some time fishing, shaking trees, showing off your house, or simply wandering around together. There’s no pressure to compete or finish objectives. It feels more like visiting a friend’s home than sitting down for a traditional gaming session.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is enjoyable on your own, but sharing a farm with friends adds another layer of fun. Up to four players can work together on PC and consoles, dividing their time between farming, mining, and fishing. The slow pace leaves plenty of room for conversation, so you can catch up with everyone while tending to the crops. There’s always something to do, but nothing demands your full attention every second.
Among Us
Among Us brings a little more chaos to a group session. Players complete tasks while trying to figure out which members of the crew are secretly impostors. Most of the fun comes from accusing friends, defending yourself, and trying to convince everyone that you’re telling the truth. It’s available on PC and consoles, and individual rounds are short enough to fit into a casual evening.
Sky: Children of the Light
For something quieter, Sky: Children of the Light offers a peaceful world to explore with other players. Communication relies heavily on gestures and small acts of kindness, rather than conversations with strangers through text chat. This gives the experience a different feel from games built around competition or constant conversation. It’s available on PC, consoles, and mobile devices.
What to check before inviting friends
Before settling on a game, make sure everyone can join without running into platform or say Xbox accessibility issues. Check whether cross-play is supported, particularly if some friends play on consoles while others use PC. It’s also worth finding out if everyone needs to own the game or if guests can join for free, as they can with Jackbox.
For games with public lobbies, look for options to mute or block disruptive players. Subtitles, readable text, and flexible control settings can also make a difference, especially when the group has different needs or levels of gaming experience.
A different kind of social game
Not every social evening has to involve a console or PC game. Adults in eligible locations might also come across bingo rooms such as those offered by Jackpotjoy, where chatting with other players is part of the experience. However, bingo played for money is gambling, not a conventional social game. Age restrictions and local laws apply, so check the rules where you live. Set a spending limit before playing, treat it as entertainment rather than a way to make money, and stop if it becomes stressful or stops being fun.
Choose the mood, not the genre
The best choice depends on what your group enjoys. Jackbox is a good fit for laughs and silly competitions, while Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley offer a slower way to spend time together. Among Us works well for groups that enjoy a bit of suspicion and friendly arguing, and Sky is a better choice for a quieter session.
You don’t need a competitive multiplayer game to enjoy gaming with friends. Sometimes, all you need is something everyone can join, a little time to spare, and a reason to keep the conversation going.
