Online board games: Dots and Boxes, plus 20 classics
Blue0(to play)
Orange0
Blue to play. Close a box to go again.
Online board games are a good fit for work because the rules do the hosting: nobody has to be funny on cue, and quiet people get a turn like everyone else. Start with the free Dots and Boxes board above. It is built for two teams on one shared screen, with no sign-up. Below it: the rules and a winning strategy, where to play board games online with coworkers (ten platforms, checked on their own sites), 20 games sorted by group size, and a 45-minute plan for a board game hour on a video call.
How to play Dots and Boxes
A pencil-and-paper game from the 1800s, in three rules. It takes a minute to learn and a while to get good at.
- Take turns drawing one line. Tap the gap between two dots next to each other, across or down. Blue goes first.
- Close a box, claim it. Draw the fourth side of a box and it fills with your color. You score a point and go again.
- Keep going until the board is full. The team with the most boxes wins. A 5 by 5 board has 25 boxes, so it can't end in a tie; a 6 by 6 board can.
How to win at Dots and Boxes
- Never draw the third side of a box. It hands your opponent a free point.
- Early on, draw lines that don't touch anything else.
- Late in the game every move gives something away. Give away the shortest chain of boxes you can.
- When your rival hands you a long chain, sometimes stop two boxes short and give them back, so they have to open the next chain for you.
Play it with two teams on a call
- One host shares the screen. Open this page and share the browser tab on Zoom, Teams or Google Meet. Split the call into Blue and Orange.
- Teams call their lines. Each team picks a captain for the turn, who says where to draw: "top row, second gap." The host taps it.
- Rotate the captain. A new captain every turn gets quiet people talking. A 5 by 5 game takes 10 to 15 minutes.
Where to play board games online with coworkers
Ten online board game platforms and official apps, each checked on its own site in October 2026. For online board games with friends or coworkers on a call, the big question is whether people can join from a link without making an account.
Board Game Arena
A browser site with well over a thousand board games, played live or turn by turn, on a computer, tablet or phone.
- Free?
- Free to play with an account. Some games need a Premium member to open the table, and free members can join it.
- Players
- Set by each game
- At work
- Great range, but everyone needs an account, so send the sign-up link a few days ahead.
Codenames Online
The official browser version of the word game, from its publisher Czech Games Edition.
- Free?
- Plays in the browser; the publisher also has a separate app.
- Players
- 4 to 8 or more, in two teams
- At work
- The easiest team pick: enter a nickname, share the room link on your call and play.
PlayingCards.io
A browser tabletop for card games and simple board games such as chess, with a room code to share.
- Free?
- Playing and creating games is free; a subscription adds extras like rooms that don't expire.
- Players
- No hard limit; about 8 recommended
- At work
- No account needed, so it suits breakout rooms. Talk on your video call.
Buddy Board Games
Classic games in the browser, chess, checkers and backgammon among them.
- Free?
- Free to play, with ads.
- Players
- Up to 8, depending on the game
- At work
- No sign-in or download, so people join in seconds.
Tabletopia
A browser tabletop with more than 2,500 board games, also on Steam.
- Free?
- A free plan, plus two paid plans; the top plan lets guests without an account join your games.
- Players
- Set by each game
- At work
- Good for groups that want modern board games. Check the plan before inviting guests.
Yucata
A browser site with more than 200 games, mostly played turn by turn.
- Free?
- Completely free and ad-free.
- Players
- Set by each game
- At work
- Better for a slow office league than a live call, since most games are turn-based. Needs a free account.
Lichess
A free, open-source chess server in the browser and on phones.
- Free?
- Free, with no registration and no ads.
- Players
- 2
- At work
- Perfect for an office chess ladder: send a challenge link and play over lunch.
Catan Universe
The official digital version of the trading and building game.
- Free?
- Free to download, with expansions sold in the game.
- Players
- Up to 3 with friends in the base game
- At work
- Fine for a small group of fans. Everyone needs a Catan Universe account.
Ticket to Ride
The official app of the train route game, on computers, phones and consoles.
- Free?
- A paid game.
- Players
- Private games with friends; the board game takes 2 to 5
- At work
- Cross-platform private games work well, but every player has to buy it.
Tabletop Simulator
A physics sandbox on Steam where you move real-looking pieces, with chess, dominoes and thousands of community games.
- Free?
- A paid game.
- Players
- Up to 10 at one table
- At work
- Fun for gamers, but a hard ask for an office: everyone buys it and installs Steam.
Want something lighter than a board game? Our free memory game is another board for a shared screen, and the free online escape room works for a team of any size.
20 online board games for coworkers, by group size
Classics and modern favorites that teach fast and play well with people who don't call themselves gamers. Most are on at least one of the platforms above, and all of them work on a table in the office.
For 2 to 4 players
Lunch-break games for a pair or a small table.
1. Chess · 2 players
The classic office ladder: one board in the break room and a sheet to record wins.
2. Backgammon · 2 players
Quick games with a bit of luck, so a beginner can beat the office expert.
3. Azul · 2 to 4 players
Pick colored tiles and build a pretty wall. Few rules, lots to think about, and nobody gets shouted at.
4. Splendor · 2 to 4 players
Collect gems, buy cards, race to 15 points in about half an hour.
5. Carcassonne · 2 to 5 players
Lay tiles to build a map of roads and cities. Calm, friendly and easy to teach.
6. Ticket to Ride · 2 to 5 players
Claim train routes across a map. A favorite first modern board game for people who only know the classics.
7. Catan · 3 to 4 players
Trade and build, with lots of table talk. An extension takes it to 5 or 6.
8. Pandemic · 2 to 4 players
Cooperative: the team wins or loses together, which makes it a natural team-building game.
For 4 to 8 players
A full table, or one breakout room on a call.
9. 7 Wonders · 3 to 7 players
Everyone plays at once, so seven people finish in about 30 minutes.
10. King of Tokyo · 2 to 6 players
Roll dice as giant monsters fighting over a city. Loud, silly and short.
11. Sushi Go Party! · 2 to 8 players
A quick card-drafting game with a menu you change each time. Easy for non-gamers.
12. So Clover! · 3 to 6 players
Cooperative word clues: everyone writes clues on their own board, then the table solves them together.
13. Blank Slate · 3 to 8 players
Fill in the blank and try to match exactly one other player. Rounds take seconds.
14. Tsuro · 2 to 8 players
Lay a tile, follow your path and try to stay on the board. Taught in a minute, done in about 15.
15. Mysterium · 3 to 7 players
Cooperative: one player gives picture clues without speaking and the rest solve a mystery together.
For big groups and teams
Party games that scale up when the whole team plays.
16. Hues and Cues · 3 to 10 players
Give one- or two-word clues to a single color on a big chart. Simple, visual and funny.
17. Concept · 4 to 12 players
Get your team to guess a word using only picture icons. Works as teams for bigger groups.
18. Herd Mentality · 4 to 20 players
Answer a question the way you think most people will. You win by agreeing with the group.
19. Apples to Apples · 4 to 8 players
A rotating judge picks the funniest match for a describing word. Play in pairs or small teams and a big group fits.
20. Trivial Pursuit · 2 to 6 players
Play it in teams and almost any headcount works, with one person reading the cards.
Playing Trivial Pursuit in teams? Warm up with our Trivial Pursuit-style questions. For a word round, the word games page has a free word scramble for two teams.
How to run a board game hour on a video call
One host screen for a game everyone plays together, then breakout rooms so smaller groups can play their own. Here is a 45-minute plan.
- 0:00Welcome, split into teams and share the Dots and Boxes board from the host's screen.
- 0:05One game of Dots and Boxes, Blue against Orange, with a new captain every turn.
- 0:20Breakout rooms of 4 to 6. Each room opens one no-account browser game from the list above.
- 0:40Back in the main room. Each room shares its winner and the funniest moment.
- 0:45Done. Post the next date in the chat.
Make it run smoothly
- Pick games with no accounts. Room links and codes beat sign-ups. Test each link with a co-host the day before.
- Send links in the invite. People who join late can still find the game.
- Name a captain per room. They share their screen and keep the room moving.
- Split time zones. Run two shorter sessions instead of one at an awkward hour.
More ideas for the same hour are in our virtual game ideas guide, and group games for adults covers games with no board at all.
Work-safe notes
A game night should leave everyone feeling better about the people they work with.
- Skip games built on betting, even with play money.
- Skip games where the fun is lying about the people at the table. Bluffing about cards is fine; accusing coworkers isn't.
- Keep it optional, and give people who don't want to compete a job: scorekeeper or host.
- Mix teams across departments and seniority, so the same people don't always win.
- Think about color: our board uses blue and orange plus a B or O in every box, so it reads without color too.
Run it with a host
If nobody wants to be the one sharing the screen, a live host can run a one-hour game for you. Each of these keeps the board game feel:
- Clue with a Twist: a murder mystery at a winter gala, where teams work out the weapon, the room and the culprit. Closest to a deduction board game.
- Oregon Trail: a story-led journey with themed challenges and, if you like, a new team every round. Good for mixing departments.
- Your Favorite Game Shows!: small teams play rounds inspired by TV game shows. The easy pick for a big group.
See all our virtual game shows and virtual escape rooms. They run on Zoom by default, or Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request. Book about 2 weeks ahead, and teams split across time zones can book two sessions.
Hosted team games, with today's prices. Get a free quote with your date and headcount.
