Free Board Games Online With Friends: What to Play, and Where, With No Download
By The Rondovo team · Published · Updated · 12 min read
The easiest way to play free board games online with friends is in a browser, so nobody has to install anything. Board Game Arena has the largest library of licensed board games and most of it is free. Free official apps cover a few household names such as UNO, Phase 10 and Scrabble, with ads and in-app purchases. Rondovo, our site, has 35 free games of its own, including original takes on the kinds of games people ask for most: a rail route game, a gem trading game, a crossword tile game and a colour matching card game.
In short
- Biggest free library: Board Game Arena. Most games are free; some need one Premium member to open the table.
- Household names: the official UNO!, Phase 10 and Scrabble GO apps are free to download, and paid apps exist for Monopoly, Ticket to Ride and Exploding Kittens.
- No download, no sign up for guests: Rondovo. One host opens a room, friends join with a four letter code on any device.
- Board games with no rules engine: playingcards.io gives you a free shared table of cards and pieces, and you enforce the rules yourselves.
- Pick by group: two players, family, strategy night, quick card games or word games. Each has its own section below.
What counts as free?
"Free" covers several very different deals, and it is worth knowing which one you are getting before you invite six people.
- Free in the browser. Open a link and play. Board Game Arena (for its free games), Rondovo and playingcards.io work this way.
- Free app with ads or purchases. UNO!, Phase 10 and Scrabble GO are free to download and paid for with ads and in-app purchases. Everyone in the group has to install the app.
- Host pays, guests play. Board Game Arena Premium games work this way: one Premium member opens the table and friends on free accounts can join. Premium is $5 a month or $42 a year by BGA's own announced prices (the yearly price rose from $36 in July 2025).
- Paid app. The official Monopoly, Ticket to Ride and Exploding Kittens apps cost money up front, and every player needs their own copy.
Where to play board games online for free
Board Game Arena
Board Game Arena (BGA) is the default answer for online board games with friends, no download. It runs in any browser, games can be live or turn based over days, and you can invite friends to a private table. The catalogue is huge and includes Ticket to Ride, Splendor, Carcassonne, Azul, Wingspan, 7 Wonders, Kingdomino, Exploding Kittens, Ludo, Connect 4, Yatzy (the classic dice game), chess, checkers and backgammon.
Popular licensed games are often Premium, and free accounts have some limits. For most friend groups, one person paying for Premium covers everyone.
Rondovo
Rondovo is our own site, so weigh this accordingly. Every game is free to host, guests never pay or sign up, and nothing is installed. The host opens a room, everyone joins at rondovo.com on their own device with the four letter code, and a TV is optional: put the table on it when you are in one room, or get on a video call when you are apart and have everyone pick "Just this screen", so each person sees the board without anyone sharing their screen.
What Rondovo does not have: licensed versions of famous games. Our board and card games are original games in familiar styles, with their own names, art and twists. There is no matchmaking with strangers and no built-in voice chat. It is made for playing with people you invite.
Official apps
If your group is set on the real thing with the real name, these are the licensed apps (as of October 2026):
- UNO! by Mattel163: free, with ads and in-app purchases.
- Phase 10 by Mattel163 (now listed as Phase 10: Casual Card Game): free, with in-app purchases.
- Scrabble GO by Scopely: free, with in-app purchases, and you can invite friends.
- Monopoly: The Board Game by Marmalade Game Studio: a paid app with online play and extra boards sold separately.
- Exploding Kittens: a paid app that plays 2 to 5 online or in the same room.
- Ticket to Ride and Splendor have official paid apps, and both are also on BGA.
- Catan has its own app, Catan Universe, with a limited free tier. Our guide to games like Catan covers every way to play it.
Free virtual tables
playingcards.io gives you a shared table of cards, dice and pieces in the browser. Nothing checks the rules. That is fine for a card game you already know and hard work for anything with a big rulebook. Tabletop Simulator is the heavyweight version, but it is a paid download on Steam, so it does not fit a no download night.
The best free board games online, by what your group wants
Two players
Two-player games are where online play shines, because there is no waiting for a full table.
- Connect Four. On BGA as Connect 4. On Rondovo, Drop Four plays one, three or five rounds, the host picks the board size, and it also works as two teams for up to eight people.
- Chess, checkers and backgammon. All on BGA, free.
- Dots and boxes. On BGA. On Rondovo, Dotty adds a die: roll it and draw that many lines, so you cannot always avoid giving a box away.
- Tic-tac-toe with a twist. XOXO on Rondovo is best of three, with an Ultimate mode of nine boards in one that is a real game for adults.
- Something deeper for two. Splendor plays very well with two (BGA or its app). Prism, Night Express and Wordsmith on Rondovo all work with two as well.
Family night
For mixed ages, choose games with simple turns and some luck, so the youngest player can win.
- Ludo. On BGA and on Rondovo. Ours keeps the familiar rules (roll a six to come out, knock rivals home) with host settings for the usual house rules: tokens each, exact roll to get home, and an extra roll for a knock.
- Monopoly. The official app is paid. On Rondovo, Atlas is our city buying game for 2 to 6. It ends after a lap limit the host sets, and the highest net worth wins, so it finishes in about 45 minutes instead of going on all night.
- Yahtzee-style dice. On BGA as Yatzy.
- Bingo and Tambola. Both on Rondovo for up to 16 players, with the caller's lines shown on the TV, or on every player's screen when there is no TV.
Strategy night
These are the games people mean by modern board games. Expect more planning and longer turns.
- Ticket to Ride. Collect coloured train cards and claim routes between cities, 2 to 5 players. Play it on BGA or the official app. On Rondovo, Night Express is our rail game across a map of the USA for 2 to 5. It adds Express lines that pay more but can only be claimed while the Signal is green, and Junctions that borrow a rival's line.
- Splendor. Take gem chips, buy cards that make later cards cheaper, and attract nobles. 2 to 4 players, on BGA and in its app. Prism is our gem game in this style, first to 15 prestige with Patrons in place of nobles.
- Catan. Officially on Catan Universe and BGA. Isle of Tides is our own hex island game for 2 to 6 with a new map every game.
- Carcassonne, Azul, Wingspan, Terraforming Mars and Concordia. All on BGA. We do not have our own versions of these, and BGA is the place to play them.
Quick card games
Card games suit a weeknight call because you can stop after any round.
- UNO. The official app is free with ads. On Rondovo, Showdown! plays 2 to 10: match the colour or number, and press Showdown! when you are down to one card before someone presses Catch!. First to 250 points, or the host sets a single round.
- Phase 10. The official app is free. On Rondovo, Summit is our ten stage climb for 2 to 6, with Ropes as wilds and Storms that skip a player.
- Exploding Kittens. A paid app, and on BGA. On Rondovo, Nine Lives plays 2 to 10: draw until someone draws the Kaboom, unless a Spare Life saves them.
- Sequence. We could not find an official free online version. AfterMath on Rondovo plays the same kind of game for 2 to 12: play a card, claim its square, and make five in a row. Four or more play in teams.
- Golf-style card games. Low Deck on Rondovo: twelve hidden cards, swap and reveal, clear matching columns, lowest total wins.
- Hearts. On BGA.
Word games
- Scrabble. Scrabble GO is the official free app. On Rondovo, Wordsmith is our crossword tile game for 2 to 4, with seven tiles on your own screen, bonus squares, and 50 extra points for using all seven in one turn.
- Wordle-style puzzles, together. Five Letters on Rondovo has everyone race the same word, while the TV shows only colours so nobody can copy.
- A two-player word race. Bookends on Rondovo deals a first and last letter, and the first real word that fits wins the round.
- Codenames. It has an official free browser version. Our games like Codenames guide covers the rest.
Classic board games and where to play them online
As of October 2026. Player counts are for the table game; apps sometimes differ.
| Classic | Players on the table | Official online option | On Board Game Arena | Rondovo game in that style |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ticket to Ride | 2 to 5 | Paid official app | Yes | Night Express (2 to 5) |
| Splendor | 2 to 4 | Paid official app | Yes | Prism (2 to 4) |
| Catan | 3 to 4 (6 with extension) | Catan Universe, limited free tier | Yes, Premium | Isle of Tides (2 to 6) |
| Monopoly | 2 to 8 | Paid official app | Not found | Atlas (2 to 6) |
| Scrabble | 2 to 4 | Scrabble GO, free with purchases | Not found | Wordsmith (2 to 4) |
| UNO | 2 to 10 | UNO! app, free with ads | Not found | Showdown! (2 to 10) |
| Phase 10 | 2 to 6 | Free official app | Not found | Summit (2 to 6) |
| Exploding Kittens | 2 to 5 | Paid official app | Yes | Nine Lives (2 to 10) |
| Sequence | 2 to 12 | None we could find | Not found | AfterMath (2 to 12) |
| Connect Four | 2 | None we could confirm | Yes, as Connect 4 | Drop Four (2, or teams up to 8) |
| Ludo | 2 to 4 | Traditional game, many apps | Yes | Ludo (2 to 4) |
"Not found" means we searched BGA's catalogue in October 2026 and could not find it.
How to run an online board game night that works
- Choose by group size first. Six people rules out Splendor and Wordsmith. Two people rules out base Catan.
- Open the room before people arrive. Send the link or code in the group chat ten minutes early so the slow joiners are seated when you start.
- Use a call. Video helps for bluffing games like Nine Lives. Voice is enough for Ticket to Ride.
- Set a turn timer. Online games stall when one person wanders off. Thirty to sixty seconds is plenty for most card games.
- Start light, end heavy. A round of Showdown! or Drop Four while people arrive, then the long strategy game once everyone is settled.
- Rotate the host. On BGA that matters for Premium. On Rondovo it just spreads the fun of picking the game.
For a whole evening built around these, see our game night games and the best board games for groups if you are buying a box. Pick a game for tonight, open a room, and send the code to the group chat.
Questions people ask
What is the best free website to play board games with friends?
Board Game Arena has the biggest free catalogue of licensed board games. Rondovo is a good choice when you want no sign up for guests, no downloads, and games that also work on a shared TV.
Can you play board games online with friends without downloading anything?
Yes. Board Game Arena, Rondovo and playingcards.io all run in a web browser on any device. The official UNO!, Phase 10, Scrabble GO and Monopoly apps do need a download.
Is Board Game Arena really free?
Most of it is. Some popular games are Premium, which means one Premium member must open the table. Premium is $5 a month or $42 a year by BGA's announced prices.
Can you play Ticket to Ride online for free?
Not fully free in an official form. The official app is paid, and on BGA it may need a Premium host. Night Express on Rondovo is a free rail route game in the same style.
What board games can you play online with a big group?
Sequence-style AfterMath plays up to 12 in teams, Showdown! and Nine Lives seat 10, and Drop Four splits up to eight into two teams. For bigger groups, see our party games for large groups.
Can we play on a TV?
On Rondovo, yes, without a console: open rondovo.com/tv in the TV's browser (or on a laptop plugged into it), the host adds it to the room with the code it shows, and everyone plays from their own device. Our TV games without a console guide explains the setup.
Board Game Arena, UNO, Phase 10, Scrabble, Scrabble GO, Monopoly, Ticket to Ride, Splendor, Catan, Catan Universe, Exploding Kittens, Sequence, Connect 4, Connect Four, Yahtzee, Carcassonne, Azul, Wingspan, 7 Wonders, Kingdomino, Terraforming Mars, Concordia, Codenames, Wordle, playingcards.io, Tabletop Simulator and Steam are trademarks of their owners. Rondovo is not affiliated with them.