The best games to play over FaceTime let the call do the talking. Four classics need nothing but the call; for the rest, keep FaceTime on your phone and open a shared game link on a second screen — drawing games, Codenames, chess, or a full poker table.
Phone: the call. Prop it up at eye level so everyone sees your face, not your ceiling.
Second screen: the game. Everyone opens the same game link on a laptop, tablet or a second phone, so the call keeps the whole screen.
14 games that work on a video call
Every game here works on FaceTime, and on Zoom, Google Meet or WhatsApp too. Filter by the size of your group, by games that need nothing but the call, or by what’s free. 9 of them need an app or a browser link; the rest need nothing, or a sheet of paper.
A browser on a second screen (phone, tablet or computer)
One person deals a table and drops the private link in the chat; everyone opens it, types a name and sits. The call is the table talk — FizzPoker has no voice or video of its own.
Tip: Pick turbo blinds (3-minute levels) and a table of six typically finishes in about half an hour; Rematch on the results screen deals the next game with the same seats. Tables of 2–4 and one bot need no account; 5–9 seats and more bots need the host’s free account.
The telephone game with drawings: write a sentence, draw someone else’s, describe the next drawing — then watch the chain fall apart together at the end.
Tip: The reveal is the best part, so keep everyone on the call until the end of the round.
Host: a free account and screen share. Players: kahoot.it and a PIN
Build a quiz about the group (or pick a public one), share your screen, and everyone answers on their own phone. Only the host needs an account.
Among Us
Free on iOS and Android; $4.99 on Steam
Players
4–15
Needs
The app on each player’s phone or computer
Crewmates do tasks while impostors sabotage; meetings decide who gets ejected. The video call replaces the in-game chat, which makes the accusations far louder.
Tip: Mute during rounds and unmute only for meetings, or the impostors get caught instantly.
Choose “Play with a friend”, set a time control, and send the link. Chat on the call while you play — or talk a friend through the opening.
20 Questions
Free
Players
2+
Needs
Nothing but the call
One person thinks of a person, place or thing; the others get twenty yes-or-no questions to work it out.
Tip: Pick a category first (movies, people on the call, things in your kitchen) so it doesn’t drag.
Charades
Free
Players
4+ in two teams
Needs
A camera that shows your upper body
Act out a title without speaking while your team guesses against a one-minute timer. Send the actor their word privately in a text.
Tip: Step back from the phone so the camera catches your arms, and turn off any background blur.
Two Truths and a Lie
Free
Players
3+
Needs
Nothing but the call
Each person tells three things about themselves, one of them false; everyone votes on the lie. It works for new groups and old friends alike.
Trivia night with a quizmaster
Free
Players
2+, or teams
Needs
A host with ten questions
One person reads questions in rounds (music, geography, the group’s own history); players text their answers to the quizmaster so nobody can copy.
Tip: Rotate the quizmaster each round so the host gets to play too.
Pictionary on paper
Free
Players
4+ in teams
Needs
Paper and a thick marker
Draw on paper, hold it up to the camera, and let your team guess. Low-tech, and the drawings end up funnier than on any app.
Tip: Draw big and dark — thin pencil lines disappear on a phone camera.
Prices, player counts and platforms checked against official store listings and sites in September 2026. Prices are US list prices and can change.
FaceTime’s own games: SharePlay
Apple’s built-in route is SharePlay. During a FaceTime call you can open a supported multiplayer game from Game Center, tap Start SharePlay, and everyone on the call plays together. You need a Game Center profile and a game that supports it — Apple doesn’t publish a list, so check the game’s App Store page. FaceTime can also share your screen, which is how you’d show a game only you own, like a Jackbox pack.
The catch is mixed groups. Friends on Android or Windows can join a FaceTime call from a link in Chrome or Edge, but SharePlay and screen sharing aren’t available to them. For a mixed group, browser games are the safer pick: each person opens the same link on whatever they have.
Picking a game for your group
Just the two of you
Chess on lichess or a heads-up poker table give you a real game with a conversation on top. Heads Up! works with two, but it’s at its best with a crowd shouting clues.
Three to five
The sweet spot for skribbl.io, Two Truths and a Lie, and poker — four or five players is a lively table where everyone plays most hands. Codenames needs four to split into teams.
Six to nine
Gartic Phone gets funnier the longer the chain, Among Us needs at least four and shines around eight, and one poker table seats up to nine. Charades in two teams is the no-tech option.
Ten or more
Group FaceTime calls hold up to 32 people, but talking over each other gets hard well before that. skribbl.io rooms take 20, Gartic Phone takes more, and a quizmaster trivia night scales to any size if answers go by text. For poker, split into several tables — the virtual poker night planner does the math.
Tips for a smoother game night on video
Two screens beat one. Call on the phone, game on a laptop or tablet (or the other way round) so nobody is squinting at a thumbnail-sized board.
Headphones for anyone on speaker. Echo is the fastest way to kill a round of charades.
Pick a host. One person sends links, keeps time and decides when to switch games. Ten minutes per round keeps the energy up.
Mind the camera in card games. Point it at your face, not your second screen — poker players on the call will happily read your cards off your laptop.
Start with a no-props game while people join, then move to the main event once everyone has their second screen ready.
Anything where the call carries the talking: 20 Questions, Charades, Two Truths and a Lie and a quizmaster trivia night need nothing else. For more structure, open a shared game link on a second screen — skribbl.io, Gartic Phone, Codenames Online, chess on lichess or a poker table all run in the browser.
What can you play on FaceTime without downloading anything?
The no-props classics need nothing at all, and browser games like skribbl.io, Codenames Online and FizzPoker only need a link. Among Us and Heads Up! are apps that each player (or the guesser) has to install.
Can Android users join FaceTime games?
Android and Windows users can join a FaceTime call from a link in Chrome or Edge, but Apple says SharePlay and screen sharing aren’t available in FaceTime on the web. Browser games work for everyone, since each person opens the game link on their own device.
How do you play games together with SharePlay on FaceTime?
During a FaceTime call, open a Game Center game that supports SharePlay, tap Start SharePlay and follow the prompts. Everyone needs an Apple device and a Game Center profile, and the game has to support it.
Can you play poker over FaceTime?
Yes. Deal a free table on FizzPoker, send the link in the chat, and everyone opens it on a phone or computer while staying on the call. A table seats 2–9 players, 2–4 need no account, and the chips have no cash value. On turbo blinds a game fits comfortably inside a call, and Rematch starts the next one with the same seats.