Bananagrams.app
The best places to play online Bananagrams games are on the websites dedicated to that purpose. Unlike the case with Hasbro and Scrabble GO, Bananagrams' publisher doesn’t offer an official online version. Fortunately, a few fan sites offer everything that Bananagrams fans need. Banangrams.app is one such website.
It is in beta right now, but it’s worth playing and testing. This online Bananagrams site allows for single or multiplayer games. Up to eight players can join a single game.
Single-Player Mode
To enjoy the single-player mode, just click the Single Player button and enter a name. This can be your real name or a username. A new screen with a grid pattern will load and the game will start immediately. You get a random set of 21 starting tiles. Begin placing the letter tiles wherever you want to start spelling your words.
The single-player game uses 75 letter tiles instead of the usual 144. Once you’ve used your 21 starting tiles, a computer voice will shout “Peel” and the game will give you another tile. This process repeats until you use every tile.
Multiplayer Mode
Multiplayer is essentially the same process. The only difference for starting a multiplayer online Bananagrams game is you need to click the Multiplayer button. Then, add your name and send the link for the game’s room to the other players.
For two or more players, you play using the full set of 144 tiles. The number of starting tiles adjusts according to how many people are playing, just like in the official game.
PlayBananagrams
PlayBananagrams follows the same pattern as Bananagrams.app. Create a game, add your name and send the link to other players so they can join. You can also play by yourself if you want. Up to eight players can play in one room.
Two features set PlayBanangrams apart from the first site.
It has public game rooms.
It has a chat function.
Free Rooms to Join
The public rooms are the same as any room you might create. Eight people can join, and there are no rule changes. These rooms are permanent and hosted by the website itself. This means you can come and go at any time.
A Handy Chat Function
The chat function is particularly useful. Most everyone has multiple ways to communicate with their friends, like via text or instant messenger. But, when you are playing online Bananagrams, it’s better to have a built-in communication function.
This can become critical when you have as many as eight different people playing something. PlayBananagrams’ chat sits next to the game screen at all times. Every player can stay in constant contact with each other without looking away from their letters.
Play Bananagrams Online Over Zoom
If the above websites don’t quite cut it for you, or if you dislike the text-only communication methods, there is another option to consider: video calls.
Playing Bananagrams online over Zoom (or any other video conferencing app) is easier than you might think. You just need to adapt the standard rules following the publisher’s recommendations. The only possible issue is that everyone must have their own copy of the game. Aside from that, the rules are not complicated.
Everyone plays with 50 letters tiles each. The letter tiles need to be facedown at the start of the game. They serve as each person’s Bunch.
Before starting the game, everyone separates their 21 starting letters from the pile of 50.
Once all of the tiles are set, one of the players can shout “Split” to begin the game.
From there, the game follows the regular Bananagrams game rules.
The first player to use all 50 letter tiles wins the game.
There’s More to Play Via Zoom
Finding games that everyone can quickly learn and play while on a video call is not always easy. Bananagrams is fun, but everyone still needs to own the game themselves. Fortunately, there are alternatives out there that don’t require you to buy anything. One such choice is the ever-classic hangman game. You can play hangman over Zoom, and it takes almost no time to set up and play. Try it out the next time you have a virtual get-together.
Zac Pricener has been a content creator for the past eight years. He’s a bit of an all-around nerd, and he has a bad habit of working movie and TV show references into conversations whenever possible.
