Great Multiplayer Games For Keeping In Touch While Traveling
Travel can be an incredibly freeing experience. It’s a breaking from the normal, everyday-ness of life. A break from work, from school, from whatever it is that you need to break from. But it’s also a break from the better parts of life. From home, from comfort, and from friends. Understandably, that can be pretty hard on kids, especially if you plan on traveling for a while.
Community and connection are incredibly important for kids. For everyone really, but especially for kids.
Luckily, we live in an increasingly connected world!
There are tons of great ways for kids to keep in touch with friends while traveling. Messaging platforms can be a great choice when kids have a lot to say, or kids can join online classes or clubs if they need a more organized time together. But sometimes kids need a place to hang out that falls somewhere in between.
Online games fill that niche. Playing multiplayer games together over the internet allows kids to spend unstructured time together with enough organized activity to keep them going. It’s also a ton of fun! Online gaming for kids does come with some caveats, though.
Not every game out there is great for creating those moments of connection that kids need. And the way many online games are designed, kids will often be interacting with complete strangers. Depending on what ages your kids are, the kinds of multiplayer experiences that would work best could be completely different!
Let’s take a quick look at why.
Different Types of Online Multiplayer in Games
If you plan on helping your kids connect with their friends through games, making sure it’s a game that features online multiplayer is a pretty important first step. But different games handle the concept of multiplayer gameplay in vastly different ways, from dumping every player into a single environment and setting them loose, to limiting players to simple, predefined actions.
Knowing what multiplayer looks like in your kids game will both help you to make sure the get the most out of their game time and help you to keep them safe.
Here’s some of the most common ways for games to handle multiplayer.
Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs)
Massively Multiplayer Online games are games that go all-in on player interactivity. These are the games that either dump everyone who wants to play into a single, very large world. A great example of this is EVE: Online, which has players from all around the world piloting their starships in one, GIGANTIC galaxy. Players can talk with other players no matter where in the game/real world they are.
More typically, MMOs will divide their players into smaller, but still massive, buckets divided out by region or play style. That way people in a certain geographic region can connect to the servers. This helps make gameplay smoother, but if you are located in a different geographic region from your kid’s friends, it’s important to make sure you get logged into the correct server! Otherwise they won’t be able to find each other in the game.
I would NOT suggest MMOs for younger kids due to their open nature and how easily players can come into contact with literally any other player. Older teens who have experience navigating the dangers of the internet are probably fine, though.
Some examples of popular MMOs would be:
- World of Warcraft
- EVE Online
- Destiny 2
Instanced MMOs
In video games, an instance is a subdivision of the overall game that can only be accessed by specific players. In many games, instances are created for special story-telling levels where having random other players drop into your game could affect the ability of players to immerse themselves in the story.
MMOs like World of Warcraft and Destiny 2 use instances for their “dungeons.” However, other MMOs put almost all of their gameplay into instances that can only be accessed by the player that started it and their party members.
Instanced MMO’s will typically still have large “everybody” areas where players can interact with other online players who are not in their party. These are typically the areas where people gather to visit in-game markets, find other people to play with, and generally just hang out.
Because of that, I still would not let younger kids play instanced MMOs.
Some examples of instanced MMOs are:
- Guild Wars (the old one)
- No Man’s Sky
- Dungeons and Dragons Online
Lobby-Based Multiplayer Games
Non-MMO multiplayer games are typically divided into games that favor adding players into the game with a number of other random players and games that favor adding players into game servers that can only be accessed by specific people.
From a gameplay perspective, this is great because if someone just wants to hop on and play a game with other people, they can do that without needing to round up all their friends. However, a lot of these games also offer the ability to team up with your friends so that you stay with them and can work together in the game. This is great for older kids, since they’re much more likely to chat with their friends than the randoms they are playing against.
These games are typically competitive games, like shooters or sports games, and often lack an overarching story-based progression.
This is where it gets interesting for younger kids! Many games allow you to set up private games with just your kid and their friends so they can play together without strangers being able to access them. Usually these private servers aren’t difficult to set up and require knowing both the server name and a password to get into.
Some examples of Lobby-based Games
- Fortnite (and other shooters)
- Rocket League (and other sports games)
- Among Us
Server-Based Multiplayer Games
In contrast to lobby-based games, server-based games lack the lobby-based matchmaking system. Playing multiplayer in these games requires you to have access to the specific server or instance that you want to join, like with the private games in the lobby-based system. With a little know-how, many of these games allow individuals to run their own private servers, or public servers that can be joined by anyone who finds it.
If your purpose for playing the game is keeping your kid connected with their friends, private servers are often an excellent option, as they are essentially creating a place to play together without any outside interference. Setting up younger kids on a private server where they can play with their friends is also one of the most secure options for playing multiplayer games over the internet, and is what I recommend for any kid that is younger than 13.
Just be aware that many games often also offer public servers that can be joined by anyone.
Tip: Creating a private server that can be joined by any of your kid’s friends at any time requires running the server on a device that will always be on. You can do that on a personal computer, but in general it is a better option to set up your server with a dedicated hosting option.
Some great server-based multiplayer games are:
- Minecraft
- Stardew Valley
Asynchronous Multiplayer Games
Not all multiplayer games require all the players to be online at the same time. Async games let each player take the time they need to make their move before sending it over the internet to their friend’s computer. This is basically like playing a turn-based board game in person.
This style of play is admittedly slower than fast-paced games like shooters, but it also doesn’t depend on a fast internet connection to work, which is great if you’re having trouble finding internet while traveling!
- Chess.com
- Board Game Arena.com
- Age of Wonders Games (Hot Seat)
Limited Multiplayer Games
Some games have a few multiplayer features, but ultimately feel mostly like playing a game on your own. Typically, these games will let you send gifts to other players or make trades with them, but don’t actually have interactive game play.
If both your kid and their friends like playing one of these kinds of games, the back and forth of sending gifts can help maintain that connection, but I would not recommend using one of these as a main way of staying in touch.
Some examples would be:
- Pokémon Go
- Lots of other Mobile Games
Best Online Games for Staying in Touch with Friends and Why
Now that we have a better understanding of what the different types of multiplayer games are, we can move on to the fun part!
I personally believe that pretty much any game can be used as a way of fostering that sense of connection between your kids and their friends, as long as it holds their interest and gives them an opportunity to interact. However, I do feel like certain games are able to really emphasize that connection more than others. These games might offer a chance to cooperate in working towards a goal, or give players an opportunity to stretch their creative muscles. Sometimes they focus on the importance of communication. And sometimes they’re just a great way to have fun!
Whatever the reason, they just plain work.
While choosing my top 5, I considered a few different factors, including the price of the game, the ease of creating a private game, the availability of cross-platform play, and the overall popularity of the game. Not every game on this list has everything, but all of them are good fun.
Here are my top 5 picks for great games that help kids connect with friends while traveling.
Note: If you need a voice chat program to allow chatting during games, I suggest using a private Discord server or the chat program, Teamspeak.
1. Minecraft
Price: $6.99 – $29.99 depending on device
Platform: Friends can play together using Minecraft on any platform.
Private Servers: Players can host games on Private Servers
Voice Chat: Does not support voice chat natively.
Game Type: Sand-box Exploration and Creativity
I don’t think that Minecraft’s presence on this list is going to surprise anyone. I’ve been playing video games since the days of the Nintendo Entertainment System, and I’m of the opinion that it is quite possibly the best game ever. (Granted, I have not played them all.)
Minecraft has a strong focus on exploration, discovery, and creativity, all of which are made so much better when they’re done with friends!
Setting up a private Minecraft server for your kid and their friends is super easy, as well, since Microsoft offers access to cross-platform compatible servers, called realms, for a pretty reasonable price. Realms costs $3.99 for a 3-person server or $7.99 for a 10-person server, if you need the space.
If that’s still too much, you can create your own server on a home computer with a little tech know-how, or use one of the many third-party services out there.
Just be aware that there are two versions of Minecraft out there. Java only works on PCs, while Bedrock runs on PCs and all the other devices out there. To play together, everyone needs the same version.
2. Rocket League
Price: Free to play, with cosmetic In app purchases.
Platform: PC and Console, but not Mobile
Private Servers: Players can host games on Private Servers
Voice Chat: Turned off by default, but can be enabled in-game
Game Type: Soccer, but with cars
Rocket League is a cross-platform sports game where the goal is to get the ball into the net by driving rocket-propelled cars around the field. It’s fun, chaotic, and completely free, except for some cosmetic items.
As someone who doesn’t enjoy most sports video games, I love how easy it is to get sucked into a game of Rocket League, and I doubly love that there’s not a focus on violence like you find in many video games.
I also really like that voice chat is an included feature, so you don’t have to use a third-party messenger program to be able to talk with friends!
3. Stardew Valley
(scroll to the bottom for store links)
Price: $14.99 for most platforms
Platform: PC and Console. Mobile version doesn’t have multiplayer.
Private Servers: Players can host games on Private Servers
Voice Chat: Does not support voice chat natively.
Game Type: Farming and town-life game with some monster fighting mechanics.
Stardew Valley is a game all about running a farm that was left to you by your grandfather. It features planting and harvesting crops, taking care of animals, and interacting with the other villagers. And occasionally, fighting monsters!
It’s a much slower style of play than most of the other games on this list, and has a general calming vibe to it, which I love.
You can get it on tons of different devices, but multiplayer compatibility is a bit limited. PC and Mac players can play with each other, and Console gamers can play with other Console gamers, but the console version can’t play with the computer version. The mobile versions don’t have multiplayer at all.
Even so, if your kid and their friends are looking for a calming game and have the right equipment for it, it’s a great choice.
4. Board Game Arena
Price: $3-$5/ month for premium, or free for regular accounts
Platform: Web-based games
Private Servers: Premium accounts can host private games
Voice Chat: Does not support voice chat natively.
Game Type: Digital versions of your favorite board games!
Board game Arena isn’t really a single game so much as it is an entire online board game platform. They have tons of different games available, including fan favorites like Settlers of Catan and Wingspan.
Players can choose to play games live in real-time or over several days, but either way the experience is a good one. For the more premium games, you’ll need a paid account to host private games, but the sheer number of choices means there’s plenty of value for your money.
I personally like Board Game Arena because the low graphics mean that it doesn’t require a strong internet connection to work!
5. Fortnite
Price: Free to play with Cosmetic in-app purchases
Platform: Friends can play together using any platform.
Private Servers: Private games aren’t really possible, except for players with “entitled” accounts.
Voice Chat: Voice chat is supported in-game
Game Type: Battle Royale Shooter
If your kids are into online games at all, you’ve probably already heard about Fortnite. Now, I don’t typically suggest shooting games for kids, but Fortnite’s huge popularity as a place for upper-middle and high school age kids to hang out means the community aspect of the game might be worth it, for some families.
The game itself is a pretty standard Battle Royale style game, where players drop out of the sky onto a map littered with weapons and are pushed into the center of the map. The last player standing wins. Friends can team up in squads of up to 4 players and work together to win, as well. It’s a simple, fun concept that Fortnite often expands on by adding in unusual powers and story-driven elements.
The concept is a bit violent, but the cartoony graphics of the game and over the top weapons and abilities keep it from feeling too dark. Still, I’d consider waiting until your kids are older, for this one.
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And that’s it!
While these 5 are my current top choices, there are literally hundreds of games out there that could work just as well, and it’s quite possible that your kid could disagree with my picks. The big things to remember are:
- to choose games that are appropriate to your kid’s age and maturity level
and
- to practice good internet safety awareness, even in games.
Multiplayer has become a pretty standard feature for many games, so the sky’s the limit here.
Good Luck, and Have Fun!
