About Recess

Recess is a shelf of familiar board games for two phones. One player opens a table, a friend joins with a code, a link or a QR code, and you play together, side by side or in different cities.

Why it is called Recess

Recess is the short break between lessons, when classmates run out to play. Its Vietnamese name, Ra Chơi, means the same thing. That is the moment the app is made for: a few free minutes, a friend close by, and a game you both already know. There is no account to make and nothing to set up.

The games

The shelf holds board games that families have played for generations, next to quick number games. Each one has its own page with the rules, tips to win, the mistakes new players make, and a little of where the game comes from.

• Chinese Chess
• Go
• Mandarin Squares
• Five in a Row
• Plane Battle
• Chess
• Number Hunt
• Dominoes
• Sudoku
• Number Pairs
• Sea Battle
• Tic-Tac-Toe

Ways to play

• With a friend far away. Open a table and send the code or the link. Your friend can join from a browser, with nothing to install.
• With a friend next to you. With the app on both phones, you find each other's table over Bluetooth or the same Wi-Fi, with no internet.
• On your own. Every game but Sudoku has a robot to play, at the level you pick. Sudoku you solve on your own, or race a friend.
• Anywhere. Play in a browser at joinrecess.app/play, or in the app for iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac.

Safe for younger players

• No account and no sign-up. Recess never asks for a name, an email or a phone number.
• You play online with people who have your table's code, or with people on the same Wi-Fi.
• Chat has a word filter. You can block or report another player from the table.
• The App Store rates Recess 4+, and Google Play rates it Everyone. Younger children should play with an adult nearby.

How Recess is paid for

Recess is free to play. This website shows ads, in spaces of their own that never cover the board or a button. The apps for iPhone and Android can show an ad too, and offer optional purchases: Recess Plus and packs of stars. You never have to buy anything to play the games on this site. The Mac app has no ads.

Who makes Recess

Recess is made and published by Tech Tips VN. We build the games and their robots ourselves, and we write the guides on this site. Each guide is checked against how the game really plays in Recess, so the tips work at your next table. Recess speaks English and Vietnamese.

Get in touch

A question, an idea for a new game, or a problem to report? See Contact, or write to hello@joinrecess.app. Our privacy policy explains what Recess keeps and what it sends.