If you’ve been on the prowl to play games in the presence of your family, or you’re simply looking for an entertaining interaction to immerse into with your kids, this guide has been specialized just for you. Chromebooks swiftly benefit from Android apps and, in doing so, allow ChromeOS users to enjoy top-notch games painlessly.
Follow along with the curated entries in this guide to learn what games are available. We’ll highlight why you should play each game under its respective subsection. Make sure to read until the end for the best results. In the meantime, though, here’s another one of our listicles covering 30 must-play browser games on ChromeOS.
8 of the best family-friendly games to immerse yourself in on ChromeOS
What entails ahead is a carefully constructed list of top-tier family-friendly games to get yourself into on a Chromebook. Before we proceed, though, it’s worth noting that most of the forthcoming entries have been imparted from the Google Play Store. The feature may not be supported if you’re using a dated Chromebook made before 2018.
Try looking for the Play Store app on your Chromebook to confirm such a case. If you can’t find it, follow these instructions to activate the Google Play Store functionality. The worst-case scenario here is that your Chromebook does not support Android apps. Check out our guide on Chromebooks that are compatible with Google Play for accurate results.
With the initial precautions out of the way, let’s dive into the games without further ado.
1. Brawlhalla
Brawlhalla on ChromeOS
Playing Brawlhalla on your Chromebook can be fun if you are into fighting games. This action-packed, side-scrolling platformer employs addictive gameplay mechanics, a wide roster of characters, and unique visuals to keep the player hooked for months.
What makes the game special is its involvement of simple combos that can otherwise do much damage if you’ve learned how to use them. Brawhalla tends to be one of those games that are easy to pick up but hard to master. Given that there are about 60 playable heroes, or as the title likes to coin them, “Legends,” there’s immense character diversity to get into here.
Even more so, each character has a loadout that you can customize, ranging from weaponry to the overall aesthetic, which usually encompasses several skins. Now, Brawlhalla can be installed on ChromeOS in two different ways—one of them pertains to the Google Play Store, while the other is through the cloud streaming subscription service Nvidia GeForce Now.
We suggest checking out our in-depth guide on how to play Brawlhalla on a Chromebook for a handy tutorial and step-by-step instructions. That way, you can perceive which option of the two is preferable.
2. Bloons TD 6
Bloons TD 6
Another top-end family-friendly game you can enjoy on your Chromebook is one of the best tower defense games on ChromeOS. This particular genre of video games involves the player holding the integrity of their base and protecting it from incoming threats.
The iconic Bloons series has seemingly mastered this category and have produced several noteworthy titles over the years, such as Bloons TD Battles, Bloons TD 5, and even a cross-over game called Bloons Adventure Time TD. What Bloons TD 6 brings to the table, however, is better than any other game of the series so far, pitting monkeys and balloons against each other in a hilarious fashion.
It packs an increasing amount of difficulty for those who like to be challenged while still retaining the originality of what makes the franchise so good to play. In this sixth major iteration of Bloons, you’ll also encounter “boss balloons” that put up a much greater fight than your regular adversaries.
Furthermore, there’s no shortage of the type of monkeys you can unlock and incorporate into your tower-defending ventures. There are about 23 towers to build and upgrade, unique abilities, and tons of unlockable skins to keep your flair in check. Bloons TD 6 is the ultimate family-friendly game you shouldn’t skip out on ChromeOS.
- Download from the Google Play Store.
3. Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley on ChromeOS
Hailed as the best role-playing game on Android in the “Top Paid” category, Stardew Valley knows how to leave an everlasting impression on its players since day one. It’s an exceedingly popular game on the Google Play Store, having garnered more than 1 million downloads from around the globe.
At its core, Stardew Valley is a simulation-based game that revolves around building your own farm and a happy colony where you breed your animals, marry a girl, and even embark on treasure-packing adventures. The title is played from a platforming perspective, relying on click controls from your trackpad or external mouse.
The fact that you can play Stardew Valley without a stable internet connection makes this a viable part of your offline Chromebook journeying. In addition, as far as RPGs go, this title is cut out to be one of the best entries in the genre, gauging from a mobile perspective.
We’d doled out an in-depth write-up on how to play Stardew Valley on a Chromebook. Best check that out for a handy walkthrough. You should know, however, that the game isn’t free to play and costs about $5. With a Play Pass subscription, you can unlock Stardew Valley and many other high-class games just like that.
4. Wordle
Wordle on ChromeOS
Wordle has become an internet phenomenon, a viral word-based game that employs a highly challenging yet straightforward formula. The game aims to guess a 5-letter word, and you get six attempts. The interface is also intuitive, making it progressively easier for us to get closer to the actual word.
If a yellow backdrop highlights the letter you enter, that letter is part of the word, but it’s not in the position you’ve written it to be. On the other hand, if a letter’s background gets colored green, then that letter is both a part of the word and in the correct position. The letters “C” and “A” from the image above are accurately entered.
Before you get into Wordle, you must know that you can only get one word right or wrong per session. After you’re done, you must wait until the next Wordle entry gets loaded up. This is what makes the game so interesting, as it’s not something you can get tired of that quickly, especially if you have a thing for word-based titles.
It’s possible to download Wordle from the Google Play Store as an Android app on your Chromebook or employ a browser-based version instead—whatever floats your boat.
5. Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 7 on ChromeOS
Those looking for a welcome experience with their family around can never go wrong with a game as marvelously designed as Final Fantasy 7, which happens to be one of the spin-off entries in the Final Fantasy franchise. We’re talking about the mobile game that’s readily available to download from the Google Play Store.
The game’s file size is about 1.7 GB, so make sure you’re packing enough storage to ensure the game’s smooth performance. Additionally, having a high-performance Chromebook would undoubtedly help, especially considering how the best-ranking Chromebook manufacturers have started coming out with gaming Chromebooks, such as Acer’s 516 GE.
Final Fantasy 7 takes on the mantle of Cloud Strife, a good-hearted mercenary and part of a rebellious group called Avalanche. As the game begins, players are slowly drawn into the storyline of Cloud and how he and his squad have to fight against an evil tycoon seemingly threatening the planet’s future.
- Purchase Final Fantasy 7 from the Google Play Store.
6. Monopoly Online
Monopoly Online on ChromeOS
Finally, we’ve got ourselves another classic family game that you can either enjoy with random folks online or with, of course, a group of your loved ones. Although for the whole experience, users are recommended to get the actual board game, Monopoly Online is your best bet for those who’d like to pass on that for a more digital solution.
The game’s Android app variant has not yet been fully optimized to work on ChromeOS, and, therefore, lacks fullscreen support. However, if you’ve got a tablet Chromebook that sports a 2-in-1 convertible form factor with a touch-enabled display, you can negate that bother just by changing the screen’s orientation.
Monopoly’s rules are simple, but mastering the game and its concept can be tricky. You roll the dice, buy or trade properties, and force the other players to go bankrupt, creating a “monopoly” where you’re the monopolizer. The game is best enjoyed with friends in couch-sitting fashion, but Monopoly Online also lets you play against random players.
- Play the game at Solitaire Paradise for free.
7. Classic Uno
Classic Uno on ChromeOS
Uno is a name that needs no introduction to anyone who’s ever even remotely associated themselves with a card game. It’s the ultimate family game that one can play in a group that comprises 2 to 10 people. Although multiple forms of Uno exist, the classic iteration is considered the best, just like the original Lays.
Boasting about 1 million downloads on the Google Play Store, Classic Uno has found a place for itself among those who’ve played it. Reviewers who’ve tried the title remark that it’s a fun time-killer with your friends when you don’t have much else to do. Moreover, people who love Uno will find this iteration of the iconic game true to the original card game.
You can try your hand at Uno Online, which happens to be a web-based version, but in case you’d prefer having an offline Uno game, Uno Classic will keep you content with its entertaining offering.
- Download from the Google Play Store.
8. Minecraft
Minecraft on ChromeOS
Wrapping this listicle up is quite possible, the king of all family-friendly games. Minecraft has fixed broken bonds, mended desolate hearts, and done God knows what else because it’s that much of an addictive title by Mojang Games. To drop an exciting piece of statistics here, Minecraft is the best-selling video game in the history of the gaming industry.
It’s played from a first-person perspective, and the game aims to build. However, the sky’s the limit when Minecraft is in the club, and the only limiting factor barring you from conquering the in-game world of the title is your creativity. If you think of it, you can build it, including a full-blown version of the Hogwarts castle from the Harry Potter series.
Now, as for playing it on ChromeOS, one of the ways of getting into Minecraft relates to using the in-built Crostini Linux terminal. If you haven’t enabled the Linux feature on your Chromebook, check out our guide to learn how to configure it for the better. You’ve been missing out up until now if that was the case.
Our write-up on installing and playing Minecraft on ChromeOS should sort things out for you, but be warned, once you get hooked to the title, there might be no going back for you.
Bonus entry: Alto’s Odyssey
Alto’s Odyssey on ChromeOS
To top things off here, Alto’s Odyssey is our favorite and one gem of a game to play on a Chromebook, given how relaxing and entertaining it is in an equal measure. It’s simply one of the best adventure games to enjoy on ChromeOS that takes us on a panoramic journey of sceneries with easy-to-learn controls and an amazing accompanying soundtrack.
As far as family-friendly games are concerned, you should undoubtedly try out Alto’s Odyssey. It even has a “Zen” mode that, according to the developer, Noodle Cake, “distills Odyssey down to its purest elements.” In the wake of that, you can enjoy a distraction-free environment exempt from scores, coins, and power-ups that otherwise elevate the gameplay experience in the regular mode.
Lastly, we recommend our readers play this game with a headset since that’s how you can unlock the full potential of the masterpiece at hand here. It’s one of those games where passersby in your family will stop for a second as soon as they glance at the screen, subsequently asking you, “Hey, what are you playing?”
- Download from the Google Play Store.
Conclusion
ChromeOS has made significant headway in gaming over the past couple of years. The operating system kicked things off with the Google Play Store in 2016, and fast-forward to today, the people up high are working toward bringing Steam—the world’s most popular PC gaming storefront—to the forefront of Chromebooks.
In this guide, we’ve looked at some genuinely high-quality, family-friendly games you can dive into on your trusty Chromebook without breaking a sweat. The write-up has gathered picks from the Play Store for convenience, so you don’t have to look for workable options.
Let us know in the comments below if you found the listicle helpful. Chrome Ready wishes you happy gaming!
