COVID-19 means a lot of time at home and a lot of spare time on your hands. It’s a good opportunity to find a new hobby, learn something or play some games with your family. Let’s take a look at some great apps and games to enjoy while staying home.
Solitaire Sometimes all you need is a relaxing game to get your mind off of things. Solitaire is a perfect single-player game, a classic where you stack cards in descending order. If the game becomes too easy, try other versions with various objectives. Remember, with the right strategy, you can always line up the cards for success.
Bingo
Bingo has stood the test of time as the ultimate game of luck. Today, many variations of the game exist, including themes of movies, amusement parks and countries. Cross your fingers as the balls roll down the chute and mark your squares as the numbers are announced. Some apps feature bonus rounds where score multipliers are increased. Either way, it’s a blast for spectators and players alike.
Chess
If you’re stuck at home with a good friend, this is an excellent two-player game that will challenge both of you mentally. With a near infinite number of possible moves on the board, this game tests the limits of your mental capacity. There are many resources to improve, such as playing against the computer and studying common strategies. After a game, sync your phone to a computer for basic feedback about your mistake and blunders.
Scrabble
If you’re a wordsmith, this is the perfect game for you. You can find and create words in all directions, with blocks with bonus points that will boost your score by hundreds. Grab a dictionary if needed and form longer words that will score an impressive amount of points. Alternatively, mix vertical and horizontal words to block off your opponent’s options and leave them scrambling for a way out.
Checkers
Often called a simplified version of chess, checkers is just as addicting and just as fun for the whole crew. Outsmart your opponent with hard to see jumps and clear all of their pieces off the board for a clean win. If you play via an app, you’ll have the luxury of the ability to undo moves and visualize a few steps ahead. You can also play against the computer to truly hone your skills.
Billard games
Billiards is another classic game that can be played in-person or online. Contrary to popular belief, it takes a surprising amount of skill to aim the balls in the right direction and identify the best angles. Billiards has many variations that will keep you on your toes for hours on end. Because the initial break is random and unpredictable, rest assured that every game will be a new challenge.
Guess the Logo
Guessing logos from popular brands is a great way to prove your knowledge to your friends and declare yourself as the most “in” person out there. While the game starts off easy, logos become more and more obscure until only the most savvy shoppers will recognize them. The most entertaining part of this game is thinking hard about where you’ve seen these symbols before, and making a leap of faith to trust your intuition. Logos rotate in and out depending on the season and their current popularity.
Word Search
There’s nothing like a good old word search to keep your mind sharp and your vocabulary strong. Word searches can vary in difficulty, with more obscure words and words in all directions that will bend your train of thought. As always, crossing off each word as you find it brings about a satisfaction like none other.
Candy Crush
Candy Crush is the hottest game on the market right now, and it’s only getting bigger with expansion packs and ways to interact with your friends. Download this app on your mobile device and enjoy crushing candies as you clear your path to victory.
Words with Friends
This is another game for your inner wordsmith. Much like Scrabble, the objective is to find high scoring words and place them strategically on the board. However, there are a variety of power-ups that can give you a boost to get ahead of the game.
Uno
Known as the card game of luck and patience, Uno is a perfect game for medium-sized gatherings and parties. When you draw a new card, you never know whether it will propel you into a winning position or stack your hand with unwanted cards. This uncertainty makes the game very popular among young adults.
Puzzle games
The puzzle genre is one of the most addicting genres of games. These puzzles tend to be slower paced than other games, but in high demand of brainpower and intuition. As you solve some of the easy puzzles, new levels are unlocked, which tend to be complex and increasingly interesting.
This pandemic will hopefully be over shortly, but in the meantime, you’ll have to take care of your health with activities at home. These apps and games are some of the most entertaining ones out there, and they can provide endless hours of amusement for you and your family.
