You Can Now Play These Multiplayer Games on YouTube
When I open YouTube, I’m likely planning to watch a video or two (or 50). I can honestly say I’ve never opened the site or the app to play a game, but, apparently, I’ve had that option available to me for some time. YouTube calls them “Playables,” lightweight games you can play on the company’s website or mobile app for free.
YouTube isn’t the only video streaming company to offer games. Netflix has a large library of titles that its customers can play for free, as well. Those games, however, include well-known games from notable studios, like Hades, Into the Breach, and Monument Valley. For the most part, YouTube’s games are the ones you’d expect to find in the “free” section of your app store, or see advertised in between videos on TikTok. That doesn’t mean they’re not fun to play: Just don’t expect to play some AAA indie games with your YouTube account.
But the reason I’m writing about YouTube Playables isn’t because I want to spread the good word of these free games. It’s because YouTube wants you to start playing these games with other people. The company quietly announced on Monday that it is now testing a multiplayer function for Playables. With it, you’ll be able to play games in real-time with other players on YouTube. This test is currently pretty limited, but it’s also widely available. If you want to try playing games with other people on YouTube, you can—even if it doesn’t work on most games yet.
How to play multiplayer games on YouTube
As of this article, there are only two titles available for multiplayer play: Ludo Club, a dice and board game, and Magic Tiles 3, a “tap-to-the-beat” game.
In order to play either game, you’ll need to sign into your Google Account on YouTube. Either title is available on both the web or YouTube’s mobile app. If you open the link on your phone, it should open in the app. Ludo Club’s multiplayer features seem available on my end at this time, but I don’t see an option to play with other people in Magic Tiles 3 yet. That could be because I can’t get past the first song of the game, which, either way, means I probably shouldn’t be playing with other people online.
