Keeping remote family game nights fun

A regular game night over video is one of the best ways to stay close to family far away. Most of the problems are predictable, and a little planning fixes them.

By the ClapOut team · Published 1 November 2026 · 5 min read

When family is spread across towns, countries or time zones, a regular game night over video can be one of the best ways to stay close. It gives everyone something to do together, not just something to talk about, and children who are shy on a call often light up once there is a game in front of them. It can also be a slog: frozen screens, a grandparent who cannot unmute, and a board game that only works if you can see the board. The good news is that most of the problems are predictable, and a little planning fixes them.

Choose games that suit a screen

Not every game travels well. The ones that work best over video have a few things in common:

• Everyone has what they need on their own side. Each player has their own device, their own cards or their own sheet of paper, so nobody depends on seeing a shared board through a webcam.
• The rules are simple to explain out loud. Teaching a complicated game over a laggy call is hard work.
• Turns are short, or simultaneous. Waiting for your turn is duller on a screen than at a table.
• There is something to talk about. Games that spark conversation and laughter, rather than silent concentration, make the call feel like a visit.

Some categories that tend to work well:

• Trivia and quizzes, with one person as quizmaster and everyone writing answers on paper and holding them up.
• Word and drawing games, such as guessing a word from a drawing held up to the camera, or a round of "I spy" adapted to things in each person's room.
• Roll-and-write games, where one person rolls dice and everyone fills in their own sheet.
• Online card and board games that each player opens on their own phone or computer, with the video call running alongside for chat.
• Scavenger hunts: "first to bring something blue to the camera" is a reliable hit with small children.

Sort out the tech before the night

Most remote game nights that go wrong do so in the first ten minutes, while someone is still trying to get their camera working. A few ways to avoid it:

1. Use one video app, and the same one each time. Familiarity matters more than features, especially for older relatives.
2. Do a short practice call. Before the first game night, spend ten minutes on a call with anyone who is not confident with the technology. Show them how to mute, unmute and turn the camera on, and leave them with the link.
3. Send the game link early. If you are playing an online game, send the link or code well before the start, so people can open it in advance.
4. Two devices helps. Running the video call on a laptop or tablet and the game on a phone means nobody has to switch between apps.
5. Check the sound. Headphones reduce echo, but in a household of several players, one good speaker in the middle of the room usually works better than everyone wearing earbuds.

Plan around time zones and bedtimes

Across time zones, the hardest part is often finding a slot at all. Look for the overlap where the youngest players are not yet in bed and the earliest risers are not yet asleep. Weekend mornings in one place are often evenings in another, which can work well. Rotating the time occasionally is a kind gesture, so the same family is not always the one up late.

Keep it short: an hour is plenty, and forty-five minutes is often better. Ending while everyone still wants more is the surest way to make people come back next week.

Give the evening a shape

Remote calls drift without some structure. A loose running order helps:

• Five minutes of hello. Let everyone catch up and show off the new pet or the lost tooth. Do not rush this; it is half the point.
• A quick warm-up game. Something with no setup, such as a round of "would you rather", or everyone bringing an object to the camera to guess.
• The main game, twenty to thirty minutes.
• A short wind-down, where everyone says their favourite moment, and the date of the next one is agreed.

Have a host

A remote game night runs best with one person in charge. The host picks the game, sends the links, explains the rules and keeps things moving. They also look after the quieter players: asking a child directly what they would like to do, or giving a grandparent a moment to answer before the conversation rushes on. Rotating the host role between households gives everyone a turn to choose the games.

Include the youngest and the oldest

Small children find long calls hard, especially if they are just watching a screen. Give them jobs: rolling the dice, keeping score, holding up the answer card. Pair them with an adult in their own household so they can play as a team.

Older relatives may struggle with small text, fast talk or new apps. Use larger devices where possible, speak one at a time, and prefer games where they can play on paper rather than learning a new app. If they are playing an online game, a household member can help them set it up on a tablet before the call.

Keep the conversation flowing

On a video call, people talk over each other and then fall silent. Some simple habits help:

• Mute when you are not speaking in a noisy household, and unmute to celebrate a win. Cheering is part of the fun.
• Look at the camera when it is your turn, so the others feel included.
• Narrate what you are doing in a game that others cannot see: "I am drawing a card... and it is a good one."
• If the call is laggy, agree on a hand signal, such as a thumbs up when you are ready, so nobody waits for audio to catch up.

Make it a tradition

The families who keep remote game nights going for years tend to make them a fixed date: the first Sunday of the month, say, or every Friday after dinner. A running scoreboard across weeks, kept by one of the children, adds a gentle season-long competition. Some families post a little prize to the winner of the month, which is a fine excuse to send something in the mail.

A note on card games

Card games are a natural fit for remote play, because each player only needs their own hand. Physical card games are tricky over video, but online card games where everyone joins the same table from their own device work well, with the video call alongside. ClapOut was built for this: everyone opens clapout.app on their own phone, one person hosts a table and shares a four-letter code, and the cards are dealt to each phone privately. There is optional voice chat at the table if you would rather not run a separate call. The clap at the end of a hand works over distance too, and is a good excuse for a lot of shouting.

For more on planning a game night with players of different ages, in the same room or across the world, see our guide to hosting a game night for mixed ages.