How to Run ESL Games Virtually for Online Classes

My first attempt at running an ESL online game over Zoom was a spectacular failure. I shared my screen, opened Kahoot, and told my twelve students to join on their phones. Three couldn't find the code. Two had audio lag so bad they answered every question five seconds late. One student's camera froze on a look of pure confusion, which -- honestly -- matched the vibe perfectly.

That was 2021. I've gotten a lot better since then.

The Core Problem With Virtual ESL Games

In a physical classroom, you can glance around and see who's lost. Online, you're flying blind. Students mute themselves. Cameras go dark. The energy that makes games fun in person evaporates when everyone's a tiny rectangle on a screen.

The fix isn't finding better games. It's rethinking how you set them up.

Tools That Actually Work Over Video Calls

Blooket is probably the best fit for online ESL classes because students play at their own pace on their own screen. You don't need to share yours. Just drop the join code in the chat and let them go. The game modes -- especially Tower Defense -- keep students engaged even when you can't see them physically.

Quizizz works similarly. Self-paced, code-based entry, no account needed for students. The advantage over Blooket for online classes is the teacher dashboard -- you can see exactly who's playing, their accuracy, and how far they've gotten, all in real time.

Wordwall is great for shorter warm-up games. I'll share my screen and run a spin-the-wheel vocabulary game, then have students type their answers in the Zoom chat. Low-tech, but it works. For device-agnostic options, Wordwall is hard to beat.

The Setup That Saves You Headaches

After two years of online teaching, here's my pre-game checklist:

• Post the game code in chat AND say it out loud. Some students can't see the chat on mobile.
• Give a one-minute countdown before starting so everyone's actually in.
• Don't share your screen for self-paced games. Let students play on their full screen while keeping Zoom in a small window.
• Use breakout rooms for team games. Split students into groups of 3-4, assign a team captain, and have them compete.
• Always have a backup activity. Tech fails. It just does. Keep a discussion question or quick writing prompt ready.

What About Speaking Games?

This is where virtual gets tricky. Board games and role-plays need real-time interaction, and Zoom lag kills the flow. What's worked best for me is Padlet as a visual anchor. I'll post a scenario card on a shared Padlet board, put students in breakout rooms of three, and give them five minutes to discuss. Then we regroup and share highlights.

It's not as smooth as in-person. Nothing is. But it keeps speaking practice alive in an online format.

Making It Feel Less Like a Webinar

The secret to good virtual ESL games isn't the platform -- it's pacing. Keep games under 10 minutes. Switch activities every 12-15 minutes max. And for the love of everything, let students turn their cameras off during gameplay. The pressure of being watched while playing a game on a tiny phone screen kills participation faster than anything.

If you want to generate custom game content tailored to your current unit, ChalkLab can create question sets in seconds that you can import into Blooket or Quizizz. That way you're not stuck using generic vocabulary lists that don't match what you've been teaching.