Editor’s Picks: Top 5 Flat Night Games

Whether it is as a fresher weeks icebreaker or a summer term unwind gaming is a fantastic and fairly inexpensive way to hang out with your flatmates. Here are some of my top choices for you to check out on your flat night!

Minecraft

There is no need to be ashamed of your Minecraft phase, we all had one. If anything that past decision pays off brilliantly at university. The blocky world has a bevvy of content to explore, with everything from Pillager raids to fight off to underwater ruins to discover with dolphins, and with recent crossplay updates, players across most versions (Windows, Mobile, Switch, Xbox and Playstation) can come together in the same world. Unfortunately, the moddable Java version is not part of this list but if you bought the game long enough ago, you might have access to a free version of the Windows edition for your crossplay needs. Minecraft provides a great opportunity for you and your flat to relive your childhoods together!

Monopoly

Monopoly certainly has its faults. The game can be long and, admittedly, boring. But it has one huge plus, familiarity. When you are still getting to know the people you will be living with for the next year, having something recognisable for everyone to play is a great icebreaker. You might need to clarify whose home rules you will be using and will probably have to cut the game short but Monopoly makes for a decent first flat boardgame. If everyone wants you can find drinking rules online to liven the game up a bit too, just remember to let people go for non-alcoholic options if they want.  

Nintendo Switch – Mario Kart/Smash Bros. Ultimate

If you own a Nintendo Switch, bring it with you to university. Not only because it is a great personal gaming device but because of the plethora of party games available. A quick online search will find you some other options but two of my go tos are Mario Kart and Smash Bros. Ultimate. For many people, these games will be familiar so the barrier to fun is low and even if they are new, the rules are pretty easy to pick up. Further, with the Switch’s joy-cons, every system already comes with two controllers so there is no need to spend money on extras, though admittedly another pair can help. If you need a screen most projectors have an HDMI port if you want to book an on-campus room, however, a cheap TV will work too and could be used for flat film nights as well!

Coup

Coup is an essential boardgame for any flat game night. Simple to learn and fantastic to play, it is all about deceiving your friends and correctly calling their bluffs at the right time to secure victory. In fairness, it might cause some early arguments and bitter hatred amongst your flat but I think the best boardgames always should. Copies of Coup are fairly cheap to pick up and each individual game takes at most about 15 minutes giving it that amazing “just one more” quality. 

Fortnite

Yes, I know. First Minecraft and now this. I get that Fortnite is not cool but it has some great advantages as a game to play with your flat. Like Minecraft it has crossplay, it does not matter what system you have the game on you can play with everybody else. Though on top of this Fortnite is also free, meaning no one has to spend any money to buy a copy if they do not already own it. The game is constantly changing, with official modes being added and swapped out every week; also there is loads of user created content out there too. It can take a while to download but at such a low cost of investment, I really recommend you give the game a chance. At worst, it might at least teach you some dance moves to bust out at Pop!

If you have any great flat night games that you think we have missed tweet @BoarGames on Twitter and we will retweet some of our favourites!