List of the best board games that you can play right now on your smartphone with your friends and family. (Image: Pixabay)
With millions of peopled locked down at home, mobile gaming is experiencing a surge like never before. But games like PUBG, Call of Duty and more are not everybody’s cup of tea, especially if you are looking for a game to play with your parents or family. Or you might be looking to chat with some of your friends while playing a lite board game that does not require much attention.
Here is a list of a few board games that you can play with your friends and family during lockdown 4.0:
Ludo Talent
Ludo Talent is a bit of a modern take on the classic game. It has a Magic mode, that lets you play with powerups. The game has three powerups (+1, barrier and dice) all of these powerups help you win the game and make it more challenging for your competitors. There is also a normal mode in which you will be able to play ludo with normal rules. This game also lets you speak with each other while playing.
The drawback of this app is that it is only available for Android and not on iOS. Apple iPhone/iPad users can download Ludo Star instead. However, keep in mind that Ludo Star does not allow you to communicate via voice with your friends.
Rento
Rento is a variant of the popular board game Monopoly. In it, you have to take your turns and purchase properties and collect rent. The game is available for free and allows you to set different rules per game, making each game you play have a different twist on it. The game is a bit long (just like monopoly), however, it lets you and your friends have fun while playing and keep on chatting with each other, with the help of the in-game messenger service.
Game of Life
Game of Life is another fun game that most of us have played during our childhood. In this game, you need to spin the wheel, cover the board distance (living your life by making decisions at each and every turn) and at the end have the most money left in your empire. It is a fun and quirky game that you will like playing, due to the endless number of decisions you can take to influence your in-game life.
This game is paid in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. It costs around Rs 200 (the price keeps fluctuating).
Chess
If a battle of brains is what you prefer, you can download a version of chess from your respective app store and invite someone to play with you. This way it will help you not get bored while at the same time helping you keep your mind sharp. Chess is a game that requires a lot of strategy and thinking, so keep in mind that you will not have your mind as free while playing this when compared to all other games on this list.
Fleet Battle
Fleet Battle is a version of Battleship, which is a game that some of us have played, while others have seen during a sitcom episode. In it, you place your ships around a map, while your opponent does the same. Both of you then take turns trying to sink the other one’s battleships. The first one to sink the opponents whole fleet wins. You also get the option to chat with your opponent while playing the game.
Bonus: Pandemic: The Board Game
Well, considering the situation we had to add in a bonus game, which ironically is called Pandemic. It costs around Rs 400 (the price fluctuates a lot) on both Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
In this game, your job is to become a member of the CDC and travel the world trying to eradicate a disease before it turns into a pandemic. Each player gets a role with abilities and disadvantages. If you are successful, you just saved the world. But if you make a mistake, you just became the reason behind a pandemic.