Is Coup a Good Game to Play Online

How and where to play online Coup (since the mobile apps are gone!)

Coup is a card/board game that appeared in the early 2000s and grew into an international sensation over the next ten years. Now, there are multiple editions and expansion packs available, enhancing the original game experience ten-fold. Now, it is among the most popular card games in Canada and beyond.

Unfortunately, its creators at Indie Boards & Cards (IBC) have not taken the plunge into mobile gaming. You won’t find any Coup apps on Google Play or the Apple Store. At least – not anymore. The apps that existed last year have been removed; I can only assume for copyright infringement.

While I consider the lack of branded mobile apps to be a serious oversight on IBC’s part, I’m happy to report there are still options.

Is Coup a Good Game to Play Online?

If you’re looking for real people to play against – whether it be random people from around the globe, or your personal family and friends – online Coup is a great option. As I said, there’s no officially branded mobile apps available online, but there are some websites out there that have built platforms to mimic game play.

What you’ll be missing: An online game cannot quite compare to the social aspect of playing in person, seated across a table from one another. There’s no getting around that. Looking one another in the eye, reading the colloquial ‘poker face’, this cannot be perfectly mirrored over an internet connection without setting up an elaborate video conference. That’s actually not a bad idea if all of your friends have adequate equipment.

What you’ll appreciate: Getting a group of people together in the same room to play Coup isn’t the simple task it once was. If you genuinely love the game, you’ll appreciate the ability to play anytime, with anyone you wish. When you play Coup online, you can still communicate with the other players via text chat – a good way to pass the time while others are making their moves. Plus, online play records all actions so you never miss out on any information.

How to Play Coup Online

So far, I have found two great Coup games online. One is a simple, text-based game (no picture cards) called Treason Coup. The other is a graphic-rich game available on Board Game Arena. These two sites are very different, but both worthy of consideration. They’re also both built in HTML5 for universal OS optimization. That means you can play in any computer or mobile browser, no download required.

Treason Coup

Treason Coup is a text-based game. It takes place on a white background with crisp, distinguishable fonts for unmistakable recognition on any screen size. Players can compete against others or create a private table and invite up to 5 friends for 6-handed play. If you need more players to fill the seats, you can always assign bots (computer players). Each player’s coins and cards (unknown and revealed) are displayed on the left. Game play is displayed on the right. I feel this version is best for experienced players who don’t need explanations of Coup cards and their influence, although a How To link is provided for quick reference.

See our complete Review of Treason Coup

Board Game Arena Coup

Board Game Arena’s (BGA) version is able to use original card graphics through a partnership with IBC; a point I’ve naturally assumed by the fact that IBC links to the BGA website for all of its game rules. This is a plus for those of you who prefer a more graphically rich game, but don’t expect anything fancy. It’s more comparable to NES/SNES than PS4/Xbox, if you get my drift. The overall experience does surpass that of Treason Coup, though, plus there are dozens of other card and board games to choose from. However, if you have a slow connection speed, you may suffer frequent disconnects from the BGA platform.

See our complete Review of Board Game Arena