Backgammon boards can be traced back through history over 5,000 years. You can image two men enjoying the spoils of their hunt while moving backgammon stones by the light of a fire. Now, in the 21st century, we can play Backgammon online with someone half way around the world while enjoying a burger and a milkshake!
There are a number of options available for online backgammon players, so some platforms are going to better for some player and not for others. For instance if you just want to play for free, or if you are looking to play for money. Also, depending on what level of play you are looking for some online options will be better than others. In this post we will cover some of the most popular places to play including:
- 247 Backgammon
- GridGammon
- DailyGammon
- GoActionGames
- Backgammon Live
- Backgammon Studio
- VIP Backgammon
- iTavli Backgammon
- Simply BG
- Masters of Backgammon
- First Internet Backgammon Server (FIBS)
- eXtreme Gammon
You should also take into consideration whether you plan to sit down to play an entire backgammon game online in one shot, or if you are going to want to potentially finish a game later or another day. Some of the online platforms below provide offline options, or let you pick up where you left off the net time you log on. Others will actually suspend your account if you leave too many open games.
Maybe you want to play against other backgammon players live. Maybe you are looking for a little bit of socialization with your games. Maybe you just want to play against a backgammon computer to hone your skills.
Whatever your fancy, there is sure to be an option on the list of the twelve top sites to play backgammon online below. Each has a brief description of what each site offers to help guide you in the right direction, but if you are like us you’ll try them all until you find the one that fits.
247 Backgammon is a free online backgammon game where you play against the computer. You are able to choose from difficulty levels of easy, medium, hard, and expert. There are other options as well, such as using the doubling cube and what score you want to play to. The system will keep track of where you left off if you want to walk away from a game and come back to it later as well.
247 Backgammon also has a number of other backgammon variation games, as well as other card and board games. All of the platforms are relatively basic in appearance, but they operate pretty well and the computer AI technology is where it should be.
The bottom line it that it is a great option for beginners to experienced players looking to pick up a quick backgammon game against a computer.
2. GridGammon
GridGammon is for serious backgammon players, and is where both the US and UK Backgammon Federations hold all of their online tournaments. As this is the case, there are always top level players on this platform. GridGammon does not allow playing for money, so all of the USBGF and UKBGF tournaments are free to enter. Once you are accepted by GridGammon, you will have to download and install their free gaming software, which is available for both Windows and Mac.
Registration is by invitation only, and the easiest way to get an invitation is through a United States Backgammon Federation (USBGF) membership or a United Kingdom Backgammon Federation (UKSBGF) membership. So, while the platform is technically free, the easiest way in is via a paid membership with one of the federations, so it lands in a weird middle ground.
The bottom line here is that this is the most legit platform for serious backgammon players.
3. DailyGammon
DailyGammon is a lot like some of the games with friends type apps you might have played on your cell phone like Words with Friends or TriviaCrack. Rather than playing only one live game from start to finish with one opponent, you play one turn at a time in many different open matches. You make your move, then your opponent makes their move whenever they go online next, and so on until you complete the game.
This format allows for backgammon games that can drag on for weeks. If you don’t have the time to sit for a full game, but you would rather play against a person rather than a computer, this platform is a great option. Just plan to start a number of games so you always have some moves waiting for you when you log on.
The DailyGammon platform is free and is based entirely online, so there is nothing to download or install. There is a social aspect, so you can post conversations with other players. There players of all levels as well, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding tournaments that fit your skill level.
GoActionGames is another free play website which provides basic web-based games of varying from action, to puzzles, adventure, and strategy games. Backgammon play on this site is pretty basic, one cool feature is that you can play two player on your computer, so if you don’t have a backgammon board at home and what to play with someone with you in the same room, just hop on here, start a game and share the mouse.
Another cool thing about this site are some of the other classic games like Frogger, Astroids, Space Invaders, and Pacman.
Backgammon Live is another game which is playable online via Facebook or via their app that is worth a mention on our list of online gaming options. Their graphics are pretty solid, and they are always running some kind of promotion or special games. Game play is smooth and and feels a lot more up to date than some other options on this list.
Play online multiplayer games with over 10 million players, play live backgammon tournaments, cool dice and card games, win coins and collect daily bonuses & gifts.
It is important to note that there have been complaints of dice roll glitches where players are getting impossible amounts of back to back doubles. This is definitely irritating problems, and you would think that the developers would want to fix this to retain players. Hopefully this has been cleared up.
Backgammon Studio is more of a training ground that was designed to help you improve your Backgammon skills. It has quite a few features, but the one we found pretty cool is the ability to jump into a game based on different challenges and levels of play. The system tracks your performance, and gives you a skill level score. You also have the ability to go back and identify your errors so your are able to improve for your next game.
We like this option because of it ability to be a situational training ground, and its free so why not check it out.
VIP Backgammon provides both online backgammon games, as well as both iOS and Android apps. On this platform you will have the ability to play with both bots and live backgammon players
While you can play online free, there is also a membership level which opens up access to a number of other features, namely live play with real opponents. As a free user you are only able to access the bot games.
VIP ties in a social aspect to online gaming and allows you to connect with other players on the network through their site/app and on Facebook. You are able to purchase chips and win chips, which can be used to join games or purchase items, gifts, and VIP memberships.
iTavli is another platform that provides both online Backgammon games as well as supports play on mobile devices with iOS and Android. The system has a number of backgammon variations like plakoto, fevga, gul bara, acey ducey, and more. This is definitely a unique feature that a lot of the other online backgammon sites don’t offer.
Unfortunately, while the beach background is kinda cool, the actual backgammon board is very small on the screen and honesty kind of a pain to play on when compared to some of the other higher quality platforms on this list.
SimplyBG is a website where users can play Backgammon online one-on-one against other real players, friends and family. They also offers tournaments on a regular basis. while the overall fit and finish feels a bit dated, they provide one of the more robust options for free backgammon online. Check out their full list of features here.
At SimplyBG there are no time limits for your matches. All games and matches are saved automatically so you can continue a match whenever you’re online. Dice rolls are GUARANTEED random by Random.org
Some additional features are: Player ratings supported using the ELO rating system, support for money play, nackgammon, longgammon and hypergammon.
So, technically this is an app rather than just an online backgammon site, but it is a pretty good app so we wanted to make sure it hit the list. Offering single mode, online mode, tournaments, player rankings and more. It is an all around great place to catch some backgammon game play against both AI computer opponents and real players.
This app is free in the App Store, so if you were looking for a free way to play on your phone or tablet, this might be one to check out.
FIBS has got that “Old School” flavor! When you hit the home page you are immediately reminded of 1990’s dial-up bulletin boards.
That said FIBS is free and anyone can join. This is another one that requires you to download their software client in order to play. Different client programs have different features and interfaces, but they all connect to the same FIBS server.
There are all levels of players on FIBS, and you can definitely expect to find some strong talent, as well as bots. In most cases you will need to play a game to fruition. FIBS is also one of the few sites on out list where you can play for money.
Last, but certainly not least…If you take playing backgammon seriously eXtreme Gammon is the most heavily endorsed online backgammon game system in the world. It uses neural network technology to deliver the strongest and fastest reference tool in the world as well.
You are able to play solo or against real players, and choose your skill level from beginners to world class professionals.
Another cool feature is the eXtreme Gammon tutor mode which analyzes your decisions real time, and lets you know when you’ve made an error in your game play.
eXtreme Gammon is a paid system, but If you are a USBGF Premium or Youth member you can access a 20% discount on your first purchase of eXtreme Gammon. For more information check out the eXtreme GammonWebsite.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while this list is rather robust, there are even more options that exist on the interwebs. We like 247 Backgammon for a quick free AI pick up game. We consider GridGammon and eXtreme Gammon the go to for high level backgammon games online. For apps, we think the $1.99 is worth the upgrade to play on the True Backgammon HD platform.
If you have played backgammon online to your hearts content, and just want some face to face time over a real board. Take a look at some of the awesome ones we found over in our best backgammon boards by type article.
