5 casual games to keep your family entertained this Hari Raya

You’ve probably taken a couple of days off to spend some time with your family, and to get some much needed rest during the upcoming Hari Raya celebrations. But the government in Malaysia has announced a nationwide Movement Control Order (MCO 3.0) to combat the increasing COVID-19 numbers, which means that there will be none of the usual visiting allowed during this year’s Hari Raya celebrations.

Since you can’t go out (and dine-in is also now prohibited), what do you do? To help with that conundrum, I’ve compiled a couple of simple, easy-to-play games that—I believe—will help to keep everyone at home entertained. Some of the following games are suitable for those that aren’t super familiar with technology, while a few options are probably a little better for those of you who are rather more familiar.

Let’s go!

1. Jackbox Party Pack

The Jackbox Games series offers a bunch of different party games—and the best part is that it works with a wide range of digital platforms. This includes anything from a Nintendo Switch, all the way to a laptop. As “controllers”, each player needs a smartphone (or a web device like an iPad).

There are a bunch of games, and I can confidently say that these require almost no video gaming expertise—or at least, in the conventional sense. The games are not free of charge, with pricing varying between different minigames. I’d recommend picking up a bundle, such as the Party Pack, although you should note that pricing can vary between platforms.

My colleagues and I had a blast playing this, so if you want to get a taste, watch this:

Find out more here.

2. Overcooked

I simply had to put this one in the list. Overcooked is a cooking game (?) that requires quite a bi of coordination and teamwork, so I’d only advise you to pull this one out if your family/friends are moderately familiar with video games—and if you guys have durable relationships. I’ve personally argued with my fiancée while playing Overcooked quite a number of times, so trust me.

It’s also not free of charge, and you can pick it up on Steam from a relatively affordable price of RM39; it’s also available on consoles such as the PS4 and Nintendo Switch—although you should expect to pay higher prices for those versions. All of that side, it’s a terrific little game.

3. Houseparty

I haven’t personally tried this one out, but Houseparty comes recommended by Rory… or was it Dzamira? Well, one of the team suggested the game, and I have to say—it seems particularly relevant for this year’s Hari Raya celebrations.

And that’s because Houseparty calls it self a “face to face social network” to help you “spend time with people you care about”—without actually needing to be, y’know, within 1m of each other. Or even in the same building. Basically, up to eight people can video chat in the same room, and by clicking on the Dice icon, you’ll be able to play a bunch of simple games.

These include Heads Up! (charades), Trivia, Quick Draw, and something called Chips and Guac. The best part: it’s free! Plus, it’s available on iOS, Android, Mac, PC, and as a Google Chrome extension. To find out more, click here.

4. Kahoot

Or, you can try your hand at Kahoot!, a game that’s supposed to make learning fun. Basically, the app incorporates quiz-based games, and you can even create your own kahoots to learn something new—or to prepare some age-appropriate trivia for your younger family members. It’s available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Norwegian… in case you guys need that many choices.

Oh, and it’s free to play on iOS and Android, as well as web browsers, although there are paid subscriptions with different features and services.

5. Bake ‘n Switch

Hey look, it’s me! The video above basically follows our attempts to play Bake ‘n Switch for the very first time—and the result were pretty comical, in my opinion. That aside, the game is a Malaysian-made multiplayer co-op game that can—and probably will—test the limits of your relationships (family included).

It’s a similar game to Overcooked, so you should note that a certain amount of video game experience is probably required here to best enjoy the game. Still, Zac clearly doesn’t have much video game expertise, and he looked like he was enjoying himself…

As for pricing, Bake ‘N Switch retails for USD 29.99 (~RM121.70) on the Nintendo eShop—and you can only purchase it at the eShop, no physical copies available. You can also play the game on Steam for RM32, and is supposed to be coming to PlayStation 4 (although I can’t seem to find it on the store at the moment).

To find out more, click here.