Best social multiplayer games to play at home 2024

Among Us Accusations
(Image credit: Innersloth)

Party games provide a great way for friends, new and old, to come together, share a laugh, and just have a good time. With the new reality of many of us spending more time inside of our homes, these games can be a distraction and a source of laughter at an otherwise serious time. Here are our favorites!

Among Us

To say that Among Us has exploded in popularity recently would be underselling the fad. It's a cute, fun, and interesting multiplayer game that supports 5-10 players where not everyone is as they seem. 

Your group is meant to complete various spacey tasks, but among you (get it?) is an impostor hell-bent on killing everyone. He or she will sabotage things to sow chaos and throw you off. This chaos can mask the murders and/or create alibis for the impostor.

Among Us is a ton of fun to play, though the very deceptive nature of it might strain some friendships. You can play online or locally and I'm sure that you're going to have some fun.

Image

Among Us

Among Us is set in space, where you're either a crewmate or an impostor. Deduce or deceive to make it to the end.

Download from: Google Play Store

BombSquad

If you don't want to blow up your friends, are you even really friends? No. So you need to hurry up and download BombSquad! Reminiscent of Bomberman, but with chaotic levels not unlike Super Smash Bros., BombSquad is an awesome game to play solo against AI enemies or, more importantly, to play either online or local multiplayer with up to 8 players.

There are well over ten competitive or co-op game modes to play through, like domination, capture the flag, hockey, keep away, and king of the hill, to name a few. In these matches, you'll jump, sprint, punch, and, of course, bomb your way to victory. The game's silly physics, toy-like appearance, and orchestral score add a lot of charm and humor to the game, ensuring that you and your friends will have an uproariously good time.

Supporting touch screen controls and a variety of controllers, BombSquad's accessibility is a big part of what makes it so great for groups. BombSquad has been around for a while, but it continues to benefit from developer support and updates. It's also free with ads and in-app purchases, so there's nothing to stop you and your friends from giving this great little game a try!

Image

BombSquad

BombSquad will have you and up to seven of your friends working together or facing off head to head with all the wacky shenanigans you'd expect from Bomberman meet Smash Bros.

Download from: Google Play Store

Escape Team

Escape Team lets you enjoy the fun of solving escape room-style puzzles with 2-4 people in the comfort of your home using pen and paper. You download and print off missions from the Escape Team website and then load up the matching mission in the Android app. Then you're off defusing bombs, fixing hacked elevators, keeping planes from crashing, and so on.

The app gives you your countdown clock and delivers a fictional backstory for the missions via audio clips. You can also use the app to request hints if your group gets stuck on a puzzle.

Image

Escape Team

Print off your mission and use Escape Team to solve puzzles and more as you race against the clock! This game supports 2-4 players.

Download from: Google Play Store

Gogogo! - The party game!

Not all party games are truly made for big groups, but that's where Gogogo! - The party game! has you covered. Made for anywhere between three to sixteen players, Gogogo! pits you and your friends against each other in a frenzied series of rotating challenges that will put your humor, creativity, reaction time, and thinking skills to the test. 

There are 50 such challenges included in this innovative party game, all of which are easy enough for anyone to learn and are played from just one person's phone. You can even use Smart View to share your phone's screen on a TV, making Gogogo! uniquely well-suited to raucous party environments for players of all ages. 

If you're bored of replaying the same old Jackbox games over and over again, give Gogogo! a try. 

Image

Gogogo! - The party game!

Bigger groups can have a ton of fun with this superb party game made up of 50 unique challenges for 3-16 players. 

Download from: Google Play Store

Heads Up!

Love it or hate it, Charades is a classic party game that's perfect for all ages. Heads Up! is the popular mobile version of Charades that was made popular by Ellen DeGeneres. It updates the format by having you hold your phone up to your forehead and having your friends and family act out or try to give you clues for the word on the screen.

It's a pretty simple game. If you like Charades, then Heads Up! is probably right up your alley. There are over 40 different themed decks available, and you get eight decks for free. Additional decks are available via in-app purchases and start at $1.

Image

Heads up!

A mobile version of Charades, Heads Up! has you hold up your phone to your forehead. Your family and friends act out the word and you try to guess.

Download from: Google Play Store

The Jackbox Party Pack

Since 2013, Jackbox Games has been developing outstanding social party games that are super intuitive to play and available across a wide variety of platforms. It gets people talking and laughing as any good party game should. Depending on the pack, you can get trivia games, ones based on Pictionary, or other wacky concepts.

These fun party games are available through Steam, most video game consoles, and Android TV devices (linked below) so you can play on your TV or computer. Best of all, there are no special controllers required — up to eight people can play using any smartphone, tablet, or laptop to connect. There are seven Jackbox Party Packs available.

Image

The Jackbox Party Pack

The Jackbox Party Pack is the ultimate multiplayer game. The Party Pack is sure to keep you and your friends entertained for hours.

Buy from: Google Play Store

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

First of all, if you skipped that video linked above, please watch it. It has one of the best trailer songs I've ever listened to and it's been stuck in my head for days. Second, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is perhaps a perfect party game, because it quite literally forces you and your mates to keep the conversation going or perish.

A bomb-defusing game for two players or more, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes gives one player the bomb and the other players the manual for how to defuse it. The players with the instructions can't see the bomb at all and you're all on a short timer to save your lives (and your friendship?!), so shenanigans are sure to ensue in this explosive good time. Bombs are procedurally generated, so it's a new experience every time.

Similar to Jackbox games, only one person needs to own Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. The owner initiates the game and provides a code so that the other players can join in by going to a website on their own phones. It's a wonderfully simple system, which makes this ideal for an on-the-go party game.

Image

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

A portable bomb-defusing game for 2+ players, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is sure to keep you and your friends uproariously entertained for hours on end!

Buy from: Google Play Store

Selfie Games

Selfie Games is a casual party game that requires a Chromecast, Fire TV, tablet, Xbox One, or computer to play. It's designed to be played with groups of 3-10 players, and all each player needs to do is download the app on their phone and snap a few silly selfies.

The selfies are then used as drawing prompts. Once everybody is done with their beautiful works of art they write a fake caption for each selfie sketch with the goal of tricking the other players to choose your caption.

Players get points if their caption is chosen. The host will need to pay $7 to create games, but everyone else can connect and play for free. This monetization model is a bit disappointing, but Selfie Games' fun factor mostly makes up for it.

Image

Selfie Games

Selfie Games is an admittedly odd concept, but it'll challenge your drawing and convincing abilities! Make sure that everyone chooses your captions.

Download from: Google Play Store

Stick Fight

Stick Fight is a hilarious ragdoll fighting game where you and up to 3 friends can smack the virtual snot out of each other in the silliest ways imaginable. Have you ever fired a bazooka that shoots flying snakes? Ever blasted the chains off your opponent's floating platform so that they fall to their death? Tried to dodge a grenade only to crash into spikes and die anyway? All of this fun (and more) is right at your fingertips with Stick Fight!

With ridiculous physics, imaginative weapons, and over a hundred levels to survive and conquer, Stick Fight is a raucous good time for the whole crew. The mobile version has local and online co-op play, a level-editing mode, and customization options for your beloved stick person. Stick Fight is free with in-app purchases, so grab this super game while you have the chance!

Image

Stick Fight

Relive the early days of internet gaming with Stick Fight, the iconic ragdoll fighter.

Download from: Google Play Store

Ticket to Ride

The award-winning train-based board game is a household favorite around these parts, and it also has an outstanding, fully-licensed app for Android. It's a great little game to play with up to four other friends, featuring pass-and-play for playing on a single device, or local area network options if everyone has the app on their own phone.

Setup and playtime are short and brisk thanks to all the card dealing and pieces being handled digitally, making a well-designed game even more fun to play.

On the whole, Ticket to Ride is a fine combination of competition and construction. The in-app purchase grants you access to a new bundle of maps and boards, all of which are totally worth the price.

Image

Ticket to Ride

Enjoy another fun and competitive board game experience on your phone. There's plenty of enjoyment to be had with Ticket to Ride.

Buy from: Google Play Store

Triple Agent!

Triple Agent! is a great party game that's all about deception and espionage. Each player is secretly assigned a role as either a Service agent or a VIRUS double agent. Only the VIRUS agents know who is on each team. The goal for the Service agents is to discover and eliminate the VIRUS agents, while the VIRUS agents try and turn the Service agents against one another.

The whole game is played on one phone and the rules are explained as you play. The base game supports 5-7 players with an expansion available to purchase in the app that offers more operations and customization, along with support for up to nine players.

Image

Triple Agent

Discover the members of the VIRUS team in Triple Agent! It's all about deception while the enemy tries their best to turn you all against each other.

Download from: Google Play Store

Play with friends

Why you can trust Android Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

While there are a ton of outstanding Android games out there, most of the time you'll be sorting through shovelware to find them. Even then you might come across lists filled with single-player and competitive online multiplayer titles like Apex Legends Mobile that don't always fill that itch for a social game. Hopefully one of the games on this list catches your eye. 

The Jackbox Party Pack, in particular, is a load of fun to play with friends and has several updated versions with new games to try out. 

Rachel Mogan
Mobile Games Writer

A lifelong gamer, Mogan has had a controller in hand since the PlayStation 1 ruled the world and Neopets seemed eternal. She loves to play new and old games alike, especially if it's something weird and charming. Puzzlers, JRPGs, adventure, and rhythm games are her favorites. 

With contributions from