A free AirConsole alternative: phones as controllers, nothing to subscribe to
The same shape of play, a big screen and everyone's phone, without the monthly fee.
The short version
AirConsole is the site that made “the TV is the console, your phone is the pad” a thing, and it is still the biggest library of that kind of game anywhere. It also moved most of that library behind the Hero subscription, paid monthly or yearly, which is why you are reading this page.
Join Me Games is the same shape of play with no subscription: open the site on any screen, share a code or a QR code, and every phone in the room is a controller. Free, with ads, and a Party Pass if you want them gone. The trade is breadth: AirConsole has more than 150 games on PC, and we have 20 made for a table of friends, with more on the way. Where the two are alike, and where they are not, is below.
Side by side
| Join Me Games | AirConsole | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free with ads; optional Party Pass | A free weekly selection; the Hero subscription, paid monthly or yearly, for the library |
| Playing free | Every game, for the whole room, however many are in it. The newest games ask the host for a free sign-in. | The free selection, two players at most; its Hero page lists unlimited players and no ad breaks as what the subscription adds |
| Library | 20 games across arcade, puzzle, word & party, drawing, trivia, writing & bluffing and card games, each made for a table of friends; more on the way | More than 150 games on PC, fewer on its TV apps |
| Where the big screen runs | Any browser; a TV is optional | A browser, or its apps for some smart TVs and cars; a screen is required |
| How players join | A link, a QR code, or a short code, in the browser | A code on the screen, in the browser or the controller app |
| Without a TV | Every phone shows the game; in the race games, the other boards in miniature | Not designed for it |
| Accounts | None for players; hosting a game still in beta takes a free sign-in | None to play the free selection; an account to subscribe |
| Solo and short-handed | Every game plays solo or with bots | Varies by game |
| Remote play | Everyone joins from anywhere; share the TV page on a call | Share the screen on a call |
What a subscription means
Hero is a rolling subscription, monthly or yearly; the current price is on airconsole.com and we will not repeat it here where it would go stale. For a household that plays every week it is fair value for a library that size. It is not fair for a group that plays a few times a year and needs a working subscription and a logged-in account on the night.
Here, nothing expires and there is nothing to renew. The site works the same for a group that last played at Christmas. If you want no ads for your room, a Party Pass does that and it is yours to start and stop; nobody else in the room needs one.
When AirConsole is still the right pick
- You want breadth. Racing, fighting, quiz shows, party classics, licensed titles: a library that size is worth paying for if the group plays every week and tires of games.
- Your TV has the app. On a smart TV or in a car with AirConsole built in, it is the path of least resistance.
- You already subscribe. Then the question is different, and the answer is to play both.
When Join Me Games is the right pick
- You do not want another subscription. Most people who search for this are here.
- There are more than two of you. A full room plays free here, every game. Nobody in it needs a plan for the third player to join.
- The group wants more than arcade games. The same room plays arcade, puzzle, word & party, drawing, trivia, writing & bluffing and card games games, one after another, without anyone rejoining.
- There is no TV, or no TV app. Every phone shows the game, and in the race games the other players’ boards in miniature, so it works at a restaurant table or on a train. When there is a screen, any browser on it will do.
- Half the group is remote. Everyone joins the same room from wherever they are; the host shares the TV page on the call if the group wants one screen. How that works.
- You are two, or one. Every game plays solo or with bots, which most party libraries do not.
Questions
- Is there a free alternative to AirConsole?
- Join Me Games is free with no subscription: every game, every day, supported by ads, with an optional Party Pass that removes them. AirConsole itself has a free weekly selection of games; the rest of its library needs Hero.
- Does AirConsole still work without paying?
- Yes, for a free weekly selection of games, two players at most, with ad breaks. Most of the library sits behind the Hero subscription, and its Hero page lists unlimited players and no ad breaks among what the subscription adds. That is what sends people looking for an alternative.
- Do I need a smart TV app?
- No. Join Me Games runs in any browser. A TV with a browser opens the site directly and is asked whether it is the TV; a laptop on an HDMI lead or a cast Chrome tab does the same job. And a TV is optional, because every phone shows the game: in the race games, the other players' boards in miniature too.
- Are the games the same kind as AirConsole’s?
- Close. Both are games you play with your thumbs on a phone that acts as the controller. AirConsole has far more of them; we have 20, across arcade, puzzle, word & party, drawing, trivia, writing & bluffing and card games, each built to be played with a table of friends, with strategy & adventure games on the way.
- Can we play remotely?
- Yes. Everyone joins the same room from wherever they are, and the host can share the TV page on a call if the group wants one screen. There is a page on playing remotely with the details.
Try it
Open the games, press Play, and share the code. For the wider field, including AirConsole itself, every free alternative compared.
AirConsole is a trademark of its owner; Join Me Games is not affiliated with it. Its plans are as described on airconsole.com on 5 October 2026 and may change; prices are on their site.