The government is working tirelessly to roll out Coronavirus vaccines nationwide. You’ve probably already taken your jab. But we’re still a long way before we get rid of the pandemic. Lots of people don’t feel safe yet and medical experts are constantly reminding people to avoid unnecessary traveling.

While you can always watch a move on Netflix, you probably want to do something different. Playing online games is an excellent idea. But which games can you play with friends online? Discover below.

The Escape Game

The Escape Game puts your puzzle solving skills to the test with a series of assignments. There’s a Harry-Potter themed version that’s appropriate for all ages. Then there’s TEG Unlocked: The Heist geared towards adults.

Either way, the Escape Room is a great game to play with friends. In TEG Unlocked, you play as a secret agent attempting to apprehend art thieves. It’s an episode-by-episode game and many of these parts cost money.

On average, episodes cost $10 apiece or $17 when you purchase two of them. That said, the game’s difficulty level is fairly simple. It also gives you clues although you can only use them once.

Online Blackjack

Playing games with friends is great. But what if you could also challenge one another against RNG software or a real human dealer? Everything is done online. All you need is fast Internet, a web camera for live blackjack and an account at a good blackjack casino.

How can you find great blackjack sites? Try these recommended websites for online blackjack. They’ve been handpicked for you after carefully analyzing them for online security, licenses, bonuses, game variety and payment methods.

Back to blackjack, the game is played against the dealer. You can join a blackjack table together with your friends. But you’ll all play in turns against the dealer. The goal is to beat the dealer in producing a hand of 21.

You can use strategies like card counting or Basic Blackjack strategies to increase your odds. What’s more, you can double down if you think you have great hands or surrender to lose half your wager if you have weak cards.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons came at the right time. COVID-19 was spreading like world fire and everyone was at home for safety reasons. Unsurprisingly, this game caught lots of people’s attention.

It’s a laid-back solo or multiplayer game that lets you do simple things in your own island. You can decorate buildings, go fishing, and hang out with some of the characters from the Super Mario world.

It’s not a free game, unfortunately. It costs $59.99 on Nintendo Switch. But it’s worth it if you like games that give you inventory to build you own little world. It’s also not a lonely game—the game puts you on an island with a guy called Tom Nook. Tom and his friends can help you get acquainted to the island, including selling you items you’ll need to customize your island.

Fortnite

If you’re ever in doubt about what game to play with your friends, challenge them to a competition on Fortnite: Battle Royale. It’s one of the most popular video games out there. It’s free and it’s available on all major devices.

What’s more, Fortnite is a simple game to understand. Th game starts with 100 players dropping on an island. You need to gather weapons quickly, take cover and eliminate your enemies quickly to stay alive to the last minute.

Some experts recommend that you take time before dropping from the Battle Bus. This allows you to let others eliminate one another before you arrive. In turn, you’ll have fewer opponents to handle.

When it comes to using weapons, use a shotgun for short-range kills. They do more damage. When you come across rifles, pick them in their order of rarity.  Gold weapons are the rarest and most powerful weapons on Fortnite.

Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold’em is another card game most popular at casinos. But you can also play it with friends for fun. No, you don’t need to use real money to play this game although real money betting makes Texas Hold’em more exciting.

Unlike Blackjack, this is a game against your friends. At the start of a session, everyone receives two cards. Starting on the left, the first player can increase her blinds or call to play using minimum bets.

If she increases blinds (bets) and you have great cards, you can also match the bet amounts. If you don’t think you have a chance, though, you can fold your cards to pass on that session. In the next round, everyone receives three more cards.

At this stage, you’ll have a great idea on your chances of winning. Some lucky players will usually have formed a decent hand, say two of a kind, a straight, four of a kind or a full house. If you have one of these hands, the best thing to do is to increase the blinds. That way, you can force everyone else to fold and surrender their bet amounts to you.

Note: there are two more rounds in Texas Hold’em. You receive a card in each round. Although you can stay active to the final stage, it doesn’t make sense unless you have winning card combinations.

Minecraft

Minecraft is one of the most popular games in the world for a reason. It is not like any other video game you’ll ever play. Instead, it’s a unique game that lets you build anything in the world using simple blocks.

You can build Egyptian pyramids, sky scrapers, mansions, a farm, a fountain, a city—pretty much everything in the world. However, Minecraft starts with survival. You need to build a shelter before you can think about creating a city.

When it comes to food, the world of Minecraft is packed with fruit, and animals that drop meat you can eat. Take care of yourself. After that, you can decide whether to craft simple items like cake, explore the world or build stuff.