Scrabble, Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit… The old board games will never go out of style, but in an age of online gaming, family game nights have taken on an exciting new dimension. Now, instead of being limited to cards and cardboard, players can use digital tech to take on opponents in the same living room. 

Scheming And Deception

Let’s start with a big favourite among younger family members: Among Us. An ideal family game, it separates players into Crewmates (who have to identify and vote out Imposters) and Imposters (who have to take out Crewmates). The fun part: no one knows who the imposter is unless you’ve seen them take someone out, vent or sabotage something. Otherwise, it’s a fun case of guessing who the imposter is, and potentially voting an innocent crew mate off and dispatching him or her into space. Download it to your mobile devices, and enjoy a night of finger-pointing and deception for 4 to 15 players. 

Team Work

If you’re a family of 4 (or fewer) and have enough laptops and desktops to go around, Fortnite strikes an ideal balance between teamwork and shoot-’em-up gaming. It’s free to play, and it’s not nearly as gory and bloody as other games. Squadding up with family members will teach you all how to communicate better… and to have each other’s backs. 

Wacky Drawing Fun

For something simpler and more family-oriented, try something from Jackbox Games. Our pick is Drawful, where 3-8 players each receive a weird and unique prompt that they must try to draw on their mobile device (without the aid of an eraser). Once each artist has presented their work on the shared screen, everyone else anonymously submits a title for their drawing. It’s like Pictionary, but much, much crazier. 

Racing With An Edge

If racing games are more your speed, try some multiplayer Mario Kart Tour on your mobile device. Again, it’s free to play (just register for a free Nintendo account), and this time you can each play on your own phones or tablets. Be warned though: missiles and bob-ombs can be deployed by whoever has them… so expect the same criminal acts of spite and score-settling that you had last time someone whipped out Uno or Exploding Kittens on Game Night. 

Escape Room Intensity

Then, if you’re willing to invest in a big game for a special occasion, Wolf Escape Games brings the excitement (and stress) of a real-world multiplayer Escape Room into your living room. They have three: Phantom's Hour (a two-hour Sherlock Holmes-themed puzzle); Miami Bay (a mystery that’ll tap into your inner Crockett and Tubbs); and the horror-themed Hallows Hill.  

Slasher With No Actual Slashing

If you’ve convened a family Games Night with the specific purpose of getting away from screens and devices, we have a final compromise. Scream: The Game turns competitive games on their head, getting all players to work together to escape the Ghost Face killer from the famous horror movie franchise.

There’s a twist, though: the board and cards come with an accompanying mobile app (available for free on Apple and Android), which allows Ghost Face to phone you to threaten, taunt, stalk or (gulp!) murder players. It’s tense, it’s fun,and it’s not so scary for Gen Alphas (who are, let’s face it, probably more into the spooky stuff than most grown-ups are anyway).  

All of these games are easy to get and play when you have a stable and secure fibre connection. Check out these Vodacom Fibre options to get yourself connected.