Multiplayer games for English learners
Games covered so far: Apex Legends , Player Unknown Battlegrounds , Fortnite , League of Legends , Call of Duty , Black Ops 4 , Overwatch, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege , Minecraft , Raft , Overcooked , Grand Theft Auto 5 , Ring of Elysium, Far Cry 5 , DayZ, Post Scriptum , War Thunder
You can learn a lot of English from a multiplayer video game – if you choose the right one.
Video gamers have the choice of dozens of games, but not all of them are useful for learning English. The best games allow you to play with other players either as a duo (two players) or as a squad (three players or more).
Here are some of the most popular multi-player video games and what we think of them for learning English. We will eventually cover all of them on our YouTube channel but it will take some time. Meanwhile,you can learn much more about the games on the Internet, especially through“Wikis” produced by the players themselves. We have included links after each game.
Apex Legends
Electronics Arts surprised the gaming world in early February, 2019, by suddenly releasing Apex Legends, a battle royal game. The quality was remarkably good and it looked like it could be the next BIG game, perhaps even replacing Fortnite in popularity. It is a team game where communication is extremely important. Spoken communication is best, but the game has a very good ping system, so you can play effectively without speaking. (Very good for learning English if your teammates speak English to you). A new map introduced in October, 2019, has been well received by gamers.
Fortnite
Fortnite is one of the most popular video games. It, too, is a Battle Royale, quite similar to PUBG, except it is faster, less realistic and for many people, a lot more fun. The speed of the game means there is a bit less time for communication than PUBG, but not too much. (Good for English learners)
Fortnite from start to finish
If you are new to Fortnite or you want to play the game in English, be sure to see our “Fortnite from start to finish”. Twelve short videos will introduce you to each stage of the game and you will hear what the players talk about at each stage.
Player Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG)
PUBG is what is known as a Battle Royale game in which up to 100 players can take part at the same time, parachuting from a plane onto a large map. The last player or last team to survive is the winner. If you play as a team, there is a lot of opportunity for communication decided where to go, collecting and sharing loot (weapons, medical supplies, etc.), as well as searching for and battling the enemy. The game is slow enough – up to 30 minutes to complete– that the communication is quite normal and there is even plenty of time for friendly talk. (Very good for English learners)
League of Legends (LOL)
League of Legends has been hugely popular for about 10 years now. It is a team game, but it is so fast, that the communication in the game itself is not very natural.If you know the game well, you can probably understand at least some of it, but if you don’t, you’ll like have problems. Instead, you might want to watch YouTube tutorials to help you improve your gameplay. The game is quite complex,so there are hundreds of them. (Not so good for gameplay communication, but great for tutorials)
Call of Duty, Black Ops 4
If you play PUBG and Fortnite, you will be very comfortable with Black Ops 4, especially the Blackout mode, with is a Battle Royale game. There is also a multi-player mode and a zombies mode for those who like to feel afraid. Like PUBG and Fortnite, you can lots of English language practice. (Very good for English learners)
Overwatch
Overwatch is a team-based shooting game. Each team has six players who take the roles of heroes, each with different skills. It is a very colorful game and it is so fast that the language is quite unnatural with players shouting out short sentences and phrases. This might make it easier for you to play, but you won’t learn a lot of English. The many video tutorials, however, are very useful for English learners. (Fun, but not so good for language learning.)
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
Much of the language you learn from PUBG, Fortnite, and Call of Duty can be put to use here because this is another shooting game, a first-person shooter to be exact. The big difference is that most of the action takes place within a small space – inside or around buildings. There is very little small talk (ordinary conversation) as players concentrating on finding and eliminating their enemies. Parts of it can be played solo, but for the most part this is a team game and communication is important. (Quite good for practicing English if you find the right team.)
Minecraft
Minecraft is a building game popular with children and many adults. Players gather and use resources to build (or craft) just about anything they like. They can play alone, but they can also join together with other players so there is a lot of opportunity for conversation. Minecraft has won many awards since it encourages creativity. The short video clip is a good example of this. (Good for practicing English with a much different vocabulary from shooting games)
Raft
This is a survival game that begins on an small empty raft in the ocean. You and your teammates have to collect items from the ocean to expand your raft, craft items necessary to allow you to get water, food and equipment. Interestingly Raft began as a project by Swedish students. (Very good for English learning and, once again, you’ll learn a new set of vocabulary)
Overcooked
This is a very different kind of game with a completely new set of vocabulary that should be useful in real life. It is a cooking simulation game where, as part of a team, you control a chef and you rush to complete food orders within a certain time. You can be quiet in this game and succeed. (Good for learning vocabulary related to cooking and for giving and receiving short instructions)
Grand Theft Auto 5
The Grand Theft Auto series has been around for over 20 years. In the latest version, players still move freely around an urban area, chasing or shooting each other on foot or in vehicles. The multiplayer mode, however, makes it much more interesting and fun for English learners. (Fun to play and the multiplayer mode gives you a chance to practice your English.)
Ring of Elysium
This game is very similar to PUBG except you don’t jump out of an airplane. Besides vehicles, you can move around on a BMX bike, a zipline or even fly with a hang glider. Like PUBG, there is plenty of time to communicate with your team mates – in English, of course. (Very good for English learners)
Far Cry 5
Most shooting game fans will know the Far Cry series of first-person shooters. This is the latest version. Once again it is set in an open world, meaning you can freely explore the game’s location (Montana) For English learners, it does have a multiplayer option, so you can practice your language skills as you chase down your enemies. Unlike most other games, there are lots of animals in Far Cry 5, some friendly, some unfriendly. (OK for English learners if you play the multiplayer option.)
DayZ
DayZ is a survival game set in an area of Russia where most of the people have been infected by a strange disease. When they see you, they will try to kill you. Your job is to stay alive, avoiding the zombie-like population, finding food and supplies and equipment, killing unfriendly players and working together with those who are friendly. The game develops slowly so there is plenty of time to communicate with your friends. (Very good for practicing English if you make friends with other players). There are some problems, however. Gamers report frequent problems with the game’s servers and games are not short. Plan on hours instead of minutes. Actually, for English learners, DayZ is probably better to watch than to play. There are many excellent videos, many of them like short movies.
Post Scriptum
If you are an experienced war gamer and can communicate reasonably well in English, this might be a game you will enjoy. It is a realistic World War 2 game which puts you into some of the war’s most famous battles. You play as part of a unit and communication is extremely important. From watching gameplay on YouTube, it sounds like this is a favorite game of many former soldiers. (Very good for English, but you need good gaming skills)
War Thunder
This is a war game developed by a Russian company. In addition t ground soldiers, the game has over 1000 playable tanks, aircraft and ships. Most maps are based on actual battles from a number of different 20th century wars, especially World War 2. The opposing teams can have up to 16 players and, once again, communication is important. (Good for practicing English, but not for beginners.)