Games to Play With Long Distance Friends: How Video Games Keep Friendships Close
The best games to play with long distance friends are online co-op video games with voice chat that everyone can run on their own device, such as a shared farm in Stardew Valley, a party round of Among Us or a cross-platform co-op adventure, because they give you a regular place to meet and something to do together while you talk. Research backs the idea: a University of Florida study found that playing online games with friends and relatives, "whether local or geographically distant, leads to increased social connectedness and social capital." Below is what the research says about gaming and distance, what makes a game work across cities and time zones, the best picks online and on phone, and how to turn it into a habit.
Do video games help long distance friendships?
Yes, the evidence suggests that playing together online helps friends stay connected, especially when the main reason you play is to be social. That matters more than ever: the World Health Organization's Commission on Social Connection reported in 2025 that "1 in 6 people worldwide is affected by loneliness," and that "Strong social connections can lead to better health and longer life."
Three studies point the same way:
- Distance does not break the effect. In the University of Florida study, Assistant Professor Yu-Hao Lee surveyed 1,101 adults aged 60 to 89 and compared playing alone with playing with local ties, distant ties and online-only ties. He found that playing with friends and relatives, near or far, was linked to more social connectedness and social capital "that can facilitate emotional and informational support."
- Social play goes with less loneliness. A survey published in Frontiers in Psychology during the COVID-19 social distancing period found "a negative association between perceived loneliness and increased social forms of video gaming." The authors, Steve Nebel and Manuel Ninaus, note that "Playing social video games may offer a way to continue to socialize while adhering to social distancing measures."
- Visiting friends counts. A study of 1,053 Animal Crossing: New Horizons players in Frontiers in Virtual Reality found that "increased visits to another island were associated with lower levels of loneliness." In other words, the part of the game where you go see a friend was the part linked to feeling less alone.
Players say the same thing about their own lives. In the ESA 2026 Essential Facts report, 49% of U.S. players 18+ say games help them stay connected to friends and family, and 62% of players who play with others play video games online with friends they know in person.
Why does the reason you play matter?
The reason you play matters because the research links social play, not just more play, to feeling less lonely. Nebel and Ninaus found that "gamers with a higher social motive for gaming perceived less loneliness," while players who mainly used games to escape showed the opposite pattern.
For long distance friends, that is good news and a useful rule. Treat the game as the place you meet, not as a way to disappear:
- Keep voice chat on and talk about your week while you play.
- Pick games where you share goals, not games where everyone plays alone in the same lobby.
- Make the session about the people. If the game gets frustrating, switch games, not friends.
What makes a good game to play with long distance friends?
A good game for long distance friends works on everyone's device, has voice chat, and fits a session that both of you can make. Distance adds a few extra filters to the usual co-op checklist:
- Cross-platform or easy hosting. Friends in different cities rarely own the same hardware. Look for games that connect phones, PCs and other devices, or that one friend can host and stream to the others.
- Built-in voice chat. It keeps the conversation inside the game, so nobody juggles apps.
- Drop-in sessions. Games you can pick up for 30 minutes on a weeknight are easier to schedule across time zones than games that need a four-hour block.
- A shared world that persists. A farm, a base or a story campaign gives you a reason to come back next week and something to talk about in between.
- Room for laughs. Races, pranks and silly physics give you the inside jokes that usually come from hanging out in person.
What games can you play with long distance friends online?
The best games to play with long distance friends online mix a shared goal with plenty of time to talk. Here are reliable picks by style, with details from official pages:
- A shared farm or world. Stardew Valley lets you "Invite 1-7 players to join you in the valley online!" and work together to build a farm. It is slow and cozy, so it leaves lots of room for real conversation.
- A party game for the whole group. Among Us is a game of teamwork and betrayal for 4 to 15 players, with "cross-platform play between Android, iOS, PC, and console." It is the closest thing to a living-room game night when your friends are spread across a map.
- Couch co-op games played over the internet. If you and a friend used to share a couch, Steam Remote Play Together lets you "Share your local co-op games online with friends." One player runs the game, and up to four players, or more with fast connections, can join through a stream.
- Cross-platform co-op adventures. Co-op games that put phone, PC and VR players in the same match remove the "I don't have that console" problem entirely.
What games can you play with long distance friends on phone?
On phone, the best games to play with long distance friends are cross-platform games that let you join from anywhere, plus streaming that brings PC games to your phone. Phones are the device most friends always have with them, which makes them perfect for a quick session across cities.
- Among Us runs on phones and PCs, so a friend on a laptop and a friend on a phone can share the same round.
- Steam Remote Play Together on mobile. Valve says that "With a host PC running the game, additional players can even join while on the go." To join, you "accept your friend's invite via the Steam Chat mobile app," and the game opens in the Steam Link app.
- Cross-platform co-op games that include mobile let you play on your phone while your friend plays on a PC or in a VR headset.
Wear earbuds with a mic, use Wi-Fi when you can and keep a charger nearby.
How do you plan game nights across time zones?
You plan game nights across time zones by fixing one recurring slot that works for everyone, writing it in each person's local time and keeping a short backup option for busy weeks. A simple system:
- Find the overlap. List each friend's open evenings in their own time zone and look for the window where they meet. Weekend mornings for one friend are often weekend evenings for another.
- Lock a recurring slot. "Every Sunday at 8 p.m. my time, 5 p.m. yours" beats a new negotiation every week.
- Post the time in everyone's local time in your group chat, so nobody does math at midnight.
- Keep a short plan B. On weeks when the long session will not work, play a 20-minute round instead of skipping.
- Use asynchronous moments. Between sessions, share screenshots, plan the next goal or leave notes about what you built.
How do you keep the conversation going while you play?
You keep the conversation going by making voice chat the default and choosing a game rhythm that leaves room to talk. Long distance friendships run on small talk as much as big news, and co-op games are good at creating those gaps: walking to the next area, waiting for a round to start, farming in a quiet corner.
A few ideas that work:
- Start with five minutes of catch-up before anyone launches the game.
- Alternate intense and calm games. A hectic round is fun, but a cozy session is where the real conversations happen.
- Celebrate milestones together. Finishing a campaign or beating a boss is a perfect excuse for a video call afterward.
- Invite the wider group now and then. A bigger session reminds everyone the friendship is bigger than one game.
Where does Coins Catcher: Co-op Lands fit?
Coins Catcher: Co-op Lands was built for friends who cannot share a couch: it is an online co-op 3D platformer for up to 8 players, with voice chat for everyone, and PC (Steam), mobile and VR players play together in the same match. One friend can join from a phone, another from a gaming PC and another from a VR headset. It is not on PlayStation, Xbox or Switch.
You are 10 cm (about 4 inches) tall. The group meets in The Ale, a sacred forest with giant mushrooms and glowing butterflies, which works as a cozy place to gather and talk before a run. From there, magic portals lead into giant dioramas of seven real historical eras, from Italy 1956 to Alexandria 300 BC, each with 8 signs of real historical curiosities. Everyone collects themed coins and spends them in the game on talents such as jump height, run speed and ability power, and on unlocking the next eras. Each era has enemies and a giant beast to defeat, from a wolf in Italy to a giant spider in Alexandria, and when the group gathers 100 coins the era's tower opens and a race to the top begins; the first one up takes the Magic Gem that opens the next era. Fire, ice, oil and bubble spells add friendly chaos.
The game is made by Alehundred (Alejandro Friant, a solo developer) in Unreal Engine 5 and has been in Early Access on Steam, open to suggestions from the community.
FAQ
What games can you play with long distance friends online?
Good picks are online co-op games with voice chat, such as Stardew Valley for a shared farm for up to eight players, Among Us for party rounds of 4 to 15 players, couch co-op games streamed with Steam Remote Play Together, and cross-platform co-op games that connect phones, PCs and VR.
What games can you play with long distance friends on phone?
Cross-platform games that run on phones, like Among Us, let you join friends who play on PC. Steam Remote Play Together also lets a friend host a PC game that you join from your phone through the Steam Chat and Steam Link apps.
Do video games help long distance friendships?
Research suggests they can. A University of Florida study linked playing online games with friends and relatives, near or far, to more social connectedness, and a Frontiers in Psychology survey linked social forms of gaming to less loneliness.
How often should long distance friends play together?
A fixed weekly slot works best for most groups, because a recurring time removes the scheduling back-and-forth. On busy weeks, a short 20-minute round keeps the habit alive.
Do you need the same console to play with long distance friends?
No. Cross-platform games put players on different devices in the same match, and streaming tools such as Steam Remote Play Together let friends join a host's game without the same hardware.
Sources
- Lee YH; University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. Older Adults and Digital Gameplay: How it Supports Social Capital, Social Connectedness, and Civic Participation. UF CJC Research and Insights, 2019.
- Nebel S, Ninaus M. Does Playing Apart Really Bring Us Together? Investigating the Link Between Perceived Loneliness and the Use of Video Games During a Period of Social Distancing. Frontiers in Psychology, 2022.
- Lewis JE, Trojovsky M, Jameson MM. New Social Horizons: Anxiety, Isolation, and Animal Crossing During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 2021.
- World Health Organization. Social connection linked to improved health and reduced risk of early death. WHO News, 2025.
- Entertainment Software Association. 2026 Essential Facts About the U.S. Video Game Industry. ESA, 2026.
- Valve Corporation. Steam Remote Play. Steam, 2026.
- ConcernedApe. Stardew Valley on Steam. Steam store page, 2026.
- Innersloth. Among Us on Steam. Steam store page, 2026.