Quick answer: to play with friends in the browser, pick a game that gives you an invite link or a room code and send it to your group. For a shooter, play Clashroids in a party of up to 4. For a group call, play skribbl.io or Gartic Phone. For word games, play Codenames Online or JKLM.fun. For one-on-one, play chess on Lichess, and for real board games, use Board Game Arena. All seven are free to start and run in a browser tab with no download.
Disclosure: Clashroids is our game, which is why it sits at #1. The other six are third-party games we picked because each one makes it easy to get friends into the same game, and they cover different kinds of groups: drawing, word, chess, and board games. This page is about playing together; for the strongest games overall, see our best browser games 2026 ranking, and for shooters, the best browser shooter games list.
Quick comparison
| Game | How friends join | Group size | Best for |
|---|
| Clashroids | Invite code or link | Party of up to 4 | Teaming up in a space shooter |
| skribbl.io | Private room + invite link | Small groups | Drawing and guessing |
| Gartic Phone | Host invites the group | Small groups | The telephone game, with drawings |
| Codenames Online | Room URL | Two teams | Team word game |
| JKLM.fun | Private room code | Groups | Quick word and trivia minigames |
| Lichess | Challenge link | 2 players | Chess with a friend |
| Board Game Arena | Tables on the site | Depends on the game | Real board games online |
#1 — Our game
Space Shooter
Teams
Invite Link
Our own game, so weigh this pick accordingly. Clashroids is a multiplayer space shooter built on classic Asteroids rotate-thrust-shoot physics, with up to 50 ships per arena. To play with friends, start any game, open the in-game menu and choose Invite Friends: you get a code and a link to send. Friends paste the code under Join Friend on the main menu, or just open the link. A party holds up to 4 players, including you, and in Team Clash and Domination your friends land on your team. Arenas mix real players with AI bots, which fill quiet arenas, so at quiet times most of the opponents around your party may be bots.
✦ Best for a squad of 2–4 players who want to fight side by side in a shooter
Play Clashroids Free →
Prefer a desktop client? Wishlist CLASHROIDS on Steam.
#2
Drawing
Party
Private Rooms
A free multiplayer drawing and guessing game: one player draws a word, everyone else races to guess it. Create a private room, copy the invite link, and send it to your group; the room can even use its own custom word list.
✦ Best for a group call where nobody wants to learn controls
#3
Drawing
Party
Telephone Game
The online telephone game. Each player writes a quirky sentence, the next player draws it, the next describes the drawing, and so on, until you watch how badly the message got mangled. The game itself suggests getting everyone on a voice call first, and that is the best way to play.
✦ Best for laughing at the results together on a voice call
#4
Word Game
Teams
Board Game
The online version of the award-winning party board game Codenames, from its publisher, CGE. Two teams compete to find their agents from one-word clues given by their spymaster. Create a room and share the room URL with your friends; it plays best with everyone on an audio or video call.
✦ Best for friends who like clever word clues and team bragging rights
#5
Word Game
Trivia
Private Rooms
A collection of chill multiplayer minigames, including BombParty, a word game where you must type a word containing the given letters before the bomb goes off. Start a private room and share the code; friends join from the Join a private room box.
✦ Best for short word and trivia rounds between other things
#6
Chess
1v1
No Registration
A free online chess server with no registration, no ads, and no plugin required. You can play against the computer, random opponents, or a friend: choose Challenge a friend and send them the game link.
✦ Best for a one-on-one game with a friend who plays chess
#7
Board Games
Turn-Based
Huge Catalog
A board game site with more than 1,000 board games playable in the browser, with no download. It is the pick when your group wants an actual board game rather than an arcade game, and games can be played in real time or turn-based, at your own pace.
✦ Best for board-game groups who cannot meet at the same table
Bring your squad to Clashroids
Start a match, open the menu, choose Invite Friends, and send the link. Up to 4 players per party, including you, on the same team in Team Clash and Domination. Free in the browser, no download.
Play Clashroids Free →
How to pick a game for your group
Start with how your group talks. If you are already on a voice call, drawing and guessing games such as skribbl.io and Gartic Phone are the easiest way in, because nobody needs to learn controls. If your friends like competing, a team game such as Codenames Online or Clashroids gives you a side to win with. For two people, chess on Lichess is hard to beat, and if your group misses board game nights, Board Game Arena has the actual games. Whatever you pick, check how friends join before you send the invite: some games use a link, others a room code.
Wishlist on Steam
Browser play is free and instant. Prefer a desktop client? A free Steam demo is available — wishlist CLASHROIDS on Steam to get notified when Early Access launches.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are good browser games to play with friends?
- Our picks: Clashroids (our own space shooter, with party invites for up to 4 players), skribbl.io and Gartic Phone for drawing games, Codenames Online and JKLM.fun for word games, Lichess for chess, and Board Game Arena for board games. All of them run in a browser tab with no download.
- How do I play Clashroids with friends?
- Start any game, open the in-game menu, and choose Invite Friends to get an invite code and link. Your friends paste the code under Join Friend on the main menu, or open the link. A party holds up to 4 players, including you, and in Team Clash and Domination modes your friends join your team. In Free-for-All they join your arena as opponents.
- Which browser games can I share with friends instantly with a link?
- Most games on this list use a link or a code: Clashroids gives you an invite link from the in-game menu, skribbl.io has a private room invite link, Codenames Online asks you to share the room URL, JKLM.fun uses a private room code, and Lichess lets you send a game link to a friend.
- Do my friends need to download anything?
- No. Every game on this list runs in a modern browser tab without installing anything. Clashroids also offers an optional free Steam demo, and you can wishlist CLASHROIDS on Steam for the desktop release.
- Are there bots in Clashroids when I play with friends?
- Yes. Clashroids arenas mix real players with AI bots, and the bots fill quiet arenas so matches are never empty; at quiet times most of your opponents may be bots. Your invited friends are real players, and in Team Clash and Domination they join your team.
More Clashroids guides
See the full best browser games 2026 ranking, the best browser shooter games list, or the Clashroids multiplayer space game and space arena game pages.