Gaming is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world at the moment. People from all walks of life choose to boot up their computer or console, and spend the evening playing a game with friends or strangers.

With so many people enjoying the hobby, and so many multiplayer games that connect us to people we’d never even bump into otherwise, making friends has never been easier. So, how can you make some great gaming friends to talk to and stomp some noobs with?

How To Make Gaming Friends

The most popular ways to make gaming friends are:

• Discord Groups
• Reddit and Social Media
• Playing Multiplayer Games
• Don’t Rage or Disrupt Games
• Get Good at Your Game

Discord Groups

There are plenty of Discord groups out there full of people looking to play games with others. Some of these groups are general gaming groups, while others are groups for specific games. If there’s a game you love playing, do a quick Google search for a Discord server dedicated to that game.

In general, people are rather friendly on Discord, especially in servers like these, because they want people to play with as well.

Reddit And Other Social Media Platforms

Reddit has a vast array of subreddits dedicated to gaming, specific games, and many gaming niches. For example, there are subreddits for PC gaming, gaming girls, etc. I use Reddit every single day (probably too much), and I see countless posts on many subreddits asking for people to play with.

Find a Subreddit for the game you like playing, and read the rules. There may be a daily or weekly Mod post, where you can look for friends to play with by reading the comments or posting your own comment. If there’s not a daily or weekly post, and it’s not against the rules, feel free to make your own post asking if anyone wants to play!

Generally, these posts always get very nice people offering to play and become friends. Just be careful and don’t give out any of your personal details, of course. These are still strangers.

Play Multiplayer Games And Be Chatty

It’s a lot easier to make gaming friends if you play multiplayer games because you already have a game in common. The thing is, you have to talk! You don’t always have to use a mic, if you’re very anxious, you can type! In my experience, people don’t mind if you type while they talk, although it can be a little awkward sometimes.

I have plenty of gaming friends that I’ve never heard say a word. Just crack little jokes during the game, or even ask how everyone is doing and start a conversation. You may or may not get responses every time, especially during competitive games, but there are plenty of people that love just chatting.

If you find someone that was friendly and talkative, add them and ask them to play some more!

DO NOT RAGE

No one likes to hear other people rage, especially at other players. If you’re being really rude to another player, this is going to turn a lot of people off from wanting to game with you. Now, getting frustrated and saying something about the game in general is acceptable to an extent, but constantly yelling into your mic and overall bringing the vibe down is a big no no.

If you have a hard time controlling yourself when it comes to yelling and raging, try breathing techniques when something bad happens, or even turn push to talk on so no one hears.

I’m not going to lie, I lose my cool very often (Especially with Valorant…), but I almost never let these frustrations out on my team. This isn’t a hard set rule, letting out an “awe man I definitely hit that shot” can actually start some fun rapport, but it all depends on how you say it and how often you say it.

You also never want to rage at a specific teammate, because this will really discourage people from wanting to game with you, whether they were your target or not.

Get Good

People like playing with really good people, especially in competitive games. In almost every multiplayer game, whether they be an MMO, FPS, MOBA, etc, getting good will get you friend requests. This is because people like winning (duh), and they also like learning.

I’m not a great Valorant player, but anytime I’m at the top of the scoreboard, I get a friend request from someone wanting to play more with me. I’ll get these requests even if I didn’t say a word all game, but just played well.

So, no matter what you’re playing, get good at it and there will be people that will want to play with you. Don’t be afraid to send out your own friend requests, either!

Now, you don’t have to be good to make gaming friends. I actually make a lot of friends just being my goofy self during games (even competitive ones). For example, in Valorant, sometimes I’ll find myself dancing around with someone crouching repeatedly and spamming voice lines.

Sometimes this leads to playing a few games with them afterwards or even becoming regular duos. People play games for fun, so don’t be afraid to have fun!

Is Gaming A Good Way To Make Friends?

Gaming is an excellent way to make friends because it is an extremely popular form of entertainment with people from all around the world and from all different backgrounds. Gaming also gives you the chance to interact and talk with strangers in very fun and unique ways without even leaving your home.

I’ve made countless friends gaming, and about five really close friends. When I say close, I mean we still talk daily, years later, even when we don’t play games together anymore. We tell each other about our lives, and will probably meet in person someday.

Games give us such a unique opportunity to connect with people and show off our personalities beyond just chatting. If you game constantly, like I do, you will also be hanging out with these gaming friends very often. So it’s no wonder we build such strong connections.

Now, sometimes gaming friends are just gaming friends and that’s okay too. You don’t want to try to force a super strong bond onto anyone that isn’t open to it. You have to let it come naturally, and let the dice fall where they may.

Best Place To Start A Gaming Group

Discord is the best way to start a gaming group because there are so many broad and niche communities on the platform, there’s almost certainly something that will fit exactly what you’re looking for. There are even Discord servers dedicated to making friends and starting gaming groups together.

Discord is so great for starting a gaming group because of how popular it is. You can either join an active Discord server dedicated to the game you’re playing, or you can start your own and invite players as you find and talk to them.

There have been many times where I have played a game, chatted with someone during the game, they added me afterwards to play some more, and then invited me to their personal Discord server with about 10 or so people in it. This is a great way to get a gaming group full of people you have personally vetted and know are cool.

Now, if you don’t want to go through that much trouble, there are Discord servers for just about everything. There are servers dedicated to finding teams for Valorant, League, Final Fantasy, etc. There are even servers for single player games. If you do some Googling, you’ll definitely find a server that peaks your interest.

As always, be safe online. These groups are full of strangers, and sometimes creeps. Make sure your Discord name and picture do not reveal your identity, and be careful about who you choose to engage with. Trust your gut, and have fun!