You’re spending a lot more hours at home with the whole “social distancing” protocol in effect. There’s not much to do around the house apart from binge-watching a couple of shows on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.
But seriously, for how long can you do that?
The online multiplayer gaming sector is booming right now amid the lockdown and more people are getting into multiplayer gaming to kill time at home.
So, here’s a look at some of the top free multiplayer games for smartphones, PC and consoles you can play with your friends and family.
1. PUBG Mobile: PlayerUnknown’s Battle Ground
This game has taken the mobile gaming world by storm and is the most-played online battle royale game on mobile. PUBG Mobile can be downloaded from the Google PlayStore or the App Store for free.
The game requires you to survive on an island with 99 other rivals where you have to eliminate the rest using the guns and ammunition you find on the Island.
The game comes with a lot of modes and in-game purchases as well to upgrade your avatar
You’ll need an average-spec smartphone to play the game and a good internet connection.
2. Call of Duty: Mobile
This game was launched by Activision as a competitor to PUBG which offers a more modern approach to a battle royale style of play.
The game borrows a lot of elements from the PC and console version of the Call of Duty franchise. It’s an action-packed shooting game which you’ll definitely love.
It is also a battle royale survival game that you can download from the App Store or PlayStore for free. It’s a heavy game so you will need ample storage space for game data and storage.
3. Coup
This is another mobile multiplayer game that will test how good you are at manipulation and deception. It’s based on the popular board game and you have to eliminate other player’s cards to be the best player.
You need to collect ‘Influence’ and strategise to kill the opponent’s cards. You’ll only be able to know how much fun this is when you download and play.
It’s free to download for Android and iOS.
4. Mini Militia - Doodle Army 2
Mini Militia is a 2D game that requires your player to fly using a jetpack and while doing so he has to shoot and kill his opponents using the weapons found on the map. The game supports up to 6 players both online and local multiplayer.
The game supports more than 20 maps and the controls are something you’ll take time getting used to but I am sure you’ll get there.
It’s not a heavy game so you won’t need a heavy-spec phone. The game is available for free both on Android and iOS.
5. Vainglory
For folks who’re into MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games will enjoy Vainglory which is a free-to-play-game. It’s a 3v3 or 5v5 game where all the players start from different points of the map and have to win the game by eliminating an opponent’s base by building an army.
It’s very similar to the Age of Empires series. You can download the game on Android, iOS and it’s also available for free on Steam (PC).
6. F1 Mobile Racing
People who are missing Formula 1 action on the weekends can get a taste of some racing adrenaline with F1 Mobile Racing for smartphones.
The game usually revolves around a career mode but it also has a Duels mode where you can race opponents from around the world and win to earn upgrades for your cars.
The graphics are good and the gameplay is simple with driver-assist features. You can download F1 Mobile Racing for both Android and iOS.
7. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the fourth iteration of the popular first-person shooter PC game which is available as a free-to-play game on Steam. It can be played on the local network as well but for that, you’ll have to download the game separately.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has two teams, terrorists and counter-terrorists (CTs) that play each other in an arena.
Where the terrorists have to blow up a particular area on the map using a bomb the CTs have to eliminate all of the terrorists or defuse the bomb in order to win the game. The game can be played both on Windows and Mac.
8. Fortnite
There’s no dearth of free battle royal games on the internet. Fortnite is one of them. This game was a rage among iOS and console users but slowly made its way to Android as well.
Fortnite is a third-person shooter game that also is based on survival till the end. You get a lot of weapon upgrades and get to tea up with players from across the globe to eliminate opponents.
It’s pacey and action-packed with good character animations to run on all platforms. The Android version of the game can be downloaded from the official website.
9. Call of Duty: Warzone
Call of Duty: Warzone is a survival battle royale game based on the latest Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and is a free-to-play game for both PC and consoles. It revolves around the same concept as PUBG where you’ll be dropped on an island with 99 other players and you have to survive until the end.
The game allows up to 150 players on the same map and adds a lot of futuristic weapons and vehicles.
You can head to Battle.net to download the PC version of the game or to respective game purchase stores on PlayStation or Windows store.
10. Card Games
Don’t have anyone to play cards with at home? Don’t worry, you’ll definitely find someone online to play with. There are plenty of card games like Texas Hold’em Poker and even Teen Patti you can download on your phones and play for free.
If you’re really good at card games like Poker and Rummy and want to make cash by playing you can head to an Indian gaming website called Adda52 where you’ll be able to play these games and make cash at the same time.
Disclaimer: Gambling of any form is illegal in India. Rummy and Poker have been categorised as skill-based games in India which is why you can bet actual money in these games. Although, there are chances that you will lose your money so think twice before playing.
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