6 Free Online Games to Keep Your Mind Sharp While Social Distancing

Trivia, digital board games and more ways to stay entertained when your puzzles are on back order

Free online games
Photo: Getty Images

While many puzzles and board games are on back-order due to high demand from people social distancing at home, there are plenty of other ways to keep your mind active online.

Whether you’re missing the camaraderie of your weekly trivia night or the strategy of winning a never-ending game of Monopoly, there’s a way to tap into that remotely.

Below, we’ve rounded up some of the best free online games to keep your brain (and social skills) sharp while safely staying home.

The best part? They’re all free!

Digital Board Games

Free online games
Getty Images

Feeling bored? Luckily, your favorite board games have migrated online — much like the rest of us — and are available to play remotely. Game night doesn’t have to end just because we’re all staying in the house! Single or multi-player Scrabble, Monopoly, and more classics are available online at Pogo.

Movie Trivia: Emoji Edition

Free Online Games
Alex Darbyshire, Clifford Barton, Gaby Darbyshire and Scott Donaton

Consider yourself a true movie or literature buff? Think you’re literate in emoji-parlance? Well, then you might as well try your hand at guessing these film and book titles, spelled out entirely in emojis. (We’ll even throw in a freebie: #1, spoiler alert, is Silence of the Lambs).

In case these didn’t stump you (congrats — they’re hard!), there are a handful of apps that offer even more categories to puzzle through, like Guess The Emoji on the App Store.

Map Out Your Geography Skills

Free online games

While we may not be able to travel at the moment, that doesn’t mean we can’t map out some future adventures. Test your knowledge of geography around the world — including state and country capitals, mountain ranges and famous rivers — and compare against your friends on Seterra, a quiz site focused on geography that offers print-out maps as well. You never know when the information might come in handy!

Test Your Wit with Cards Against Humanity

1FBCB6B4 cards against humanitycredit: Brent Knepper

That’s right, your favorite risqué party game is also available online! With three ways to play, including several cards that aren’t available in the store-bought packs, there’s plenty to keep your friends laughing over a virtual happy hour.

Stay Social with House Party

Free online games

In the mood to play a game, but also hang with your friends? House Party gives you the best of both worlds, allowing you to video chat with your squad while playing virtual rounds of fan-favorite guessing game Heads Up and various other options.

Live Trivia Night

Free online games

If you’re missing your local bar trivia night, check their social networks to see if they’re hosting online sessions. NYC Trivia League — which previously spanned over 120 bars across Manhattan — is holding live trivia nights that you can join in for free every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on their Instagram.

Alternatively, you could designate a friend to be the quiz master and host your own weekly trivia night on Zoom or any other video-conferencing platform.

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