Sections of this topic
Are you stuck at home? Don’t overdo it, there are plenty of opportunities left for you to have fun with your loved ones and friends. Even virtually. It is very easy to start a card game online and there are many options whether you are looking for a traditional game or even a more elaborate game.
We’ve come up with a few easy ways for you to play cards with anyone from the comfort of your own home. And whatever game you want to play, your skill level, or how many people are playing it. Several options are available to you.
Playing Cards Online: What Are the Options?
- Play cards on a virtual table
- Play cards on dedicated websites
- Play cards on messaging apps
- Download a card game app
- Try out a collectible card game
1. Play cards on a virtual table
- For: A fun experience
- Cons: Expensive
If you like the feeling of being gathered around a table with your playmates, but can’t do it physically, luckily there are other options in the form of virtual tables. Tables that will allow you to play many games that require a deck of cards or other tools.
One of these options is playcards.io, a 2D virtual table that gives you and your friends access to and interact with the same board together, drawing game cards, moving decks of cards, or even revealing new packages. If you already know the rules of the game, this table is very easy to use.
Another variant is Tabletop Simulator, a Steam game that emulates a real table game for you. This program will invite you to play many games such as poker, chess, dominoes, and all the card games you know the rules of. . You can even buy additional board games in expansion if you wish. The only downside is that this option is a bit expensive, with each player needing to own a copy of the game to play together.
2. Play cards on dedicated websites
- For: a multitude of games
- Cons: few multiplayer games
If you just want to play a basic card game online, as you normally would with a cardboard set, you can easily accomplish this as there are many websites offering this service.
The site we usually use is called cardgames.io. It offers many card games such as Rummy, Pyramids or Queen of Spades, as well as some other popular games such as Minesweeper and Chess. It is a simple website that can run on virtually any device. Alas, there is no multiplayer option here, you will only be able to choose between a single-player game or against the computer.
If you prefer to play with a friend on the Internet, the next option will be perfect for you.
3. Play cards on messaging apps
- For: greater proximity
- Cons: you need a deck of cards
If you already have a deck of cards and want to play with it, it may be easier to simply make a video call from your smartphone or through a messaging app. And to call other people to be able to play with them face to face.
Of course, this does not work for all games: if you have to keep your cards secret, at one point or another it will be difficult to show a combination to a particular person without revealing it to all the other participants in the process. It will also be impossible to shuffle the deck of cards in the same way for two people in two different places.
But for battle games, for example, or other cooperative games, it might be possible to play together over the Internet. And this in a much more personal way!
For this, you will need a webcam unless you have a device with a built-in webcam.
4. Download a card game app
- For: a lot of choices
- Cons: no app that stands out
It’s very easy to type “card games” or something more specific into the App Store or Play Store search bar and find plenty of options that will let you run classic or more specialized card games.
The results change quite frequently, so it’s hard for us to recommend an app that will remain popular indefinitely. But check the rankings of each app as well as the number of downloads before you jump in, it should tell you which ones are the most reliable.
If you like niche games, like the ones we’ll cover next, there are plenty of options as well. Some popular board games that are played with cards are also available as an app, like Star Realms or 7 Wonders: Duel and Exploding Kittens, although you usually have to pay to be able to access them.
5. Try a collectible card game
- Pros: many interesting options
- Cons: they can be a bit complicated
Collectible card games can also be extremely fun and challenging games that you can play on your computer, game console, smartphone, or tablet.
Games like The Elder Scrolls: Legends, Hearthstone, Pokemon TCG, Gwent, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links and many others are very popular titles that are played with specific cards.
Some of these games can be quite complex compared to a standard card game, and if you’ve only played rummy before, some of them can quickly become a headache. But if you spend a little time trying to figure out the rules, it could be very rewarding in the end.
