Games for 3 Players: Shared Keyboard, Board and Online
Updated
Three people can share one screen in games that list a third set of controls: a third key, the mouse, or taking turns. Every game below says in its own data that three can play, and each section says whether the game is for one device or online. Most are for one keyboard or one screen, and two describe online matches.
Three players on one keyboard
Each seat gets its own keys. In Egg Challenge you can play with 1, 2 or 3 players, and everyone has a single button: W, J and the up arrow. In single-player mode you pick a time limit, and in the 2 and 3 player modes the winner is the first to throw 10 eggs into the basket. Chicken Egg Challenge lists keys for 1, 2 and 3 players in its instructions and is another race to fill a basket with 10 eggs.
Shooters give each player a whole cluster of keys. In Zombie Parade Defense 2 the players share one goal, to keep the zombies away from the building for 10 waves with weapons, turret towers, mines and a shield, and the game says it can be played up to the third player. Zombie Parade Defense 3 recommends two or three players, since its zombies come in stronger waves. Gun Mayhem Redux is a battle against friends or the AI: you can set up a custom game with up to 4 players, and its instructions list controls for players one to three, with 21 weapons and 10 maps.
Two key sets and the mouse
Five fish games hand the third seat to the mouse. In all of them you grow by eating smaller fish and stay away from bigger ones. Eat other fish is the only one whose description says it is designed for 3-player play. Fish Eat Fish 2 offers single, 2 and 3 player modes, Fish Eat Getting Big says up to three players, and Hungry Fish Saga says local multiplayer with up to three. Mad fish 2 offers 1 to 3 players and lists keyboard and mouse click or tap as its controls.
The seats are not the same in every game, so agree on them before the first round:
| Game | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eat other fish | Arrow keys | W A S D | Mouse |
| Fish Eat Fish 2 | W A S D | Arrow keys | Mouse and left click |
| Fish Eat Getting Big | W A S D | Arrow keys | Mouse and left click |
| Hungry Fish Saga | WASD | Arrow keys | Drag the left mouse button |
| Egg Challenge | W | J | Up arrow |
Turns on one screen
Board and card games need no extra keys. Game of Goose says you can play alone or with up to 4 players on the same screen: on your turn you toss the dice and choose which pawn to move. In Chinese Checkers Master you can set from 0 to 6 human players, it also has computer players, and you play with the mouse. Santa Matching Game has a Battle Mode for up to 4 players who take turns flipping cards to find matching pairs of holiday symbols, with left-click or tap and player names typed at setup.
Online with three or more
Only two picks here describe online play. Splash Rivals is an online multiplayer paint shooter where two teams of four cover the arena in their colour, and you can team up with friends or create private matches for up to eight players. Nugget Royale says it is online multiplayer, with 80 chicken players on an unstable disk, and can also be played locally with up to 4 players on one computer. Both use WASD to move.
NEW
Which one to start with
- A quick round: Egg Challenge, where each player has one button and the first to 10 eggs wins.
- A longer co-op run: Zombie Parade Defense 2 or 3, where everyone defends against 10 waves.
- A game with no shared keys: Game of Goose or Chinese Checkers Master, played in turns with the mouse.
- Friends in different places: Splash Rivals or Nugget Royale, the two online picks.
Tips for three players
- Settle who takes which seat before you start. The mouse seat suits the player who is happy to aim or drag, and the key seats suit everyone else.
- Games with one button per player, such as Egg Challenge, press the fewest keys at once. If key presses go missing when everyone is pressing, 2 player games on one keyboard explains the keyboard limit.
- Turn-based boards like Game of Goose and Santa Matching Game need no shared keys: everyone looks at one screen and waits for a turn. Santa Matching Game is the one here that lists tap controls, so check a game's instructions before you try it on a touch screen.
- A fourth player? See 4 player games and party games online. Online rooms for friends in other places are covered in multiplayer games online.
Frequently asked questions
Can three people play on one device?
Yes, in games that list a third set of controls. The fish games and Egg Challenge give the third seat the mouse or a key of its own, and board games such as Game of Goose put everyone on one screen. Santa Matching Game lists left-click or tap, so it is the one to try for turns on a touch screen.
Can three friends play online on different computers?
Only Splash Rivals and Nugget Royale describe online play. Splash Rivals offers private matches for up to eight players, and Nugget Royale is online multiplayer that can also be played locally. The other picks share one keyboard or one screen.
Do I need to download anything or register?
No. You play free, right in the browser, with no install and no registration.
Where can I find more games for a group?
The multiplayer games category has more, and 2 player games has games that work for two.
Pick a game by how your group sits, and settle the keys first.
