Pass and play means two or more people play a game on a single phone, tablet or computer by taking turns: you make your move, then pass the device to the next player. It works like a board game on a table, except the screen holds the board, enforces the rules and keeps track of whose turn it is. No second device, account or internet connection is required.
How pass and play works
A typical pass and play game goes like this:
- Pick a game and choose a mode for playing with friends instead of against the computer.
- Enter the players’ names, and choose colors if the game offers them.
- Player one takes a turn by moving a piece, rolling the dice or placing a mark.
- The game updates the board, checks the rules and shows whose turn is next.
- Hand the device over. If the game has a pass screen, it says something like “Pass to Maya” and waits until Maya is ready.
- Repeat until someone wins. The game declares the result, so nobody has to argue about the rules.
The idea isn’t new. Computer games often call it “hot seat” play, because players take turns in the same chair. “Pass and play” is the name you’ll usually see in mobile board game apps, since handing a phone across a table is exactly what happens.
Pass and play compared with other ways to play together
| Pass and play | Online multiplayer | Split-screen or shared controller | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devices needed | One | One per player | One screen, several controllers |
| Internet needed | No | Yes | Usually no |
| Accounts or sign-in | None | Usually | Sometimes |
| Players in the same room | Yes | No | Yes |
| Turn style | Taking turns | Turns or real time | Usually real time |
| Best for | Board games, family time, travel | Playing friends far away | Action and party video games |
Pass and play suits people who are already together: a couple on the couch, kids in the back seat, or friends at a table with one charged phone between them.
Which games work best for pass and play?
Some games are a natural fit for sharing one screen, and some aren’t.
Great fits:
- Turn-based board games with nothing hidden. In Chess, Checkers, Reversi and Tic-Tac-Toe, both players see the whole board, so there is nothing to protect when the device changes hands.
- Dice games. In Ludo, Backgammon, Yacht dice and Snakes and Ladders, the dice already set the rhythm: roll, move, pass.
- Games with a short secret. Hangman needs one player to enter a word privately. A pass screen handles that cleanly by hiding the board while the device changes hands.
Poor fits:
- Real-time games where both players have to act at once.
- Games with hidden hands, such as most card games, where every player would have to look away on every turn.
That’s why our game collection sticks to classic board, dice and pencil-and-paper games. The two-player games page lists every game made for a pair.
What makes a good pass and play app
If you’re comparing pass and play games, these features make the biggest difference at a real table:
- A clear turn indicator. You should always be able to tell whose turn it is at a glance.
- An optional pass screen between turns, which you can switch off when nobody cares about privacy.
- Undo for the inevitable mis-tap.
- Autosave, so a phone call or a dead battery doesn’t wipe out a half-finished game.
- Big, readable boards that work in both portrait and landscape.
- A computer opponent for when your partner leaves, or for practicing alone.
- Offline play, because the moments people pass a phone around (road trips, flights, power outages) are often the moments without Wi-Fi.
Pass and play on Pass and Play Games
Every game on this site is built for pass and play. Here’s what you get:
- Free, with no sign-up and no download. Open a game in your browser and start. You can also install the site as an app.
- Offline after the first visit. Load the site once while online, and the games keep working without a connection. See all offline games.
- 2 or more players on one device. Two-player classics such as Chess and Mancala, plus games for 3 or 4 players such as Ludo and Chinese Checkers.
- An optional “pass the device” screen between turns, and undo.
- Automatic saving. The current game is saved on your device, so you can close the tab and resume later.
- Light and dark mode.
- A computer opponent with Easy, Medium and Hard levels in every game except Snakes and Ladders, which is pure luck, so computer players just roll. In Ludo, Chinese Checkers, Yacht dice and Snakes and Ladders, computer players can fill empty seats.
Tips for smoother pass and play
- Agree on undo before you start. Allowing undo for honest misclicks only keeps the game friendly.
- Use the pass screen for hidden-information turns, such as setting a Hangman word, and turn it off for quick games like Tic-Tac-Toe.
- Use a tablet for three or more players. Lay it flat in the middle of the table so nobody reads the board upside down for long.
- Turn up the brightness outdoors, or switch to dark mode at night so you don’t dazzle everyone.
- Play a quick warm-up game first. A round of Tic-Tac-Toe teaches newcomers how turns and handoffs work before a longer game.
Ready to try it? Start with Ludo for a group or Chess for two. For more ideas, see our list of the best games for 2 players.