First night · 45-minute plans

Forty-five minutes, one new game, nobody left behind.

Each plan is for a crew where at least one person has never played. It starts with accounts and settings, uses the game's own practice or bot modes, and stops at 45 minutes.

Two girls on a sofa smiling as they play with controllers
Photo: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash

Brawl Stars

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  1. Before
    Everyone installs Brawl Stars and signs in with a Supercell ID. A parent can create the ID for a child with a parent-controlled email and leave no payment method on the phone.
  2. 0–5 min
    Add each other as friends and open a friendly room. The host picks Gem Grab.
  3. 5–15 min
    Friendly Gem Grab, with bots in any empty places. Every Brawler is fully upgraded and nobody can lose Trophies.
  4. 15–35 min
    Queue together in the normal 3v3 rotation. New Brawlers still meet bot matches, so the first games stay gentle.
  5. 35–45 min
    Two quick rounds of Bounty, then stop. Each player names one Brawler to try next time.

Fall Guys

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  1. Before
    Each player needs an Epic account. Under-13s get a Cabined Account: they can play straight away, while chat and purchases stay off until a parent consents.
  2. 0–5 min
    Invite up to three friends into a party. Voice chat is off by default; switch it on only if everyone wants it.
  3. 5–20 min
    Two Squads shows. The team qualifies together, so a strong player can carry a new one through.
  4. 20–35 min
    Explore together: player-made levels, no elimination, skip any level you dislike.
  5. 35–45 min
    One Knockout show where every bean plays for themselves, then stop.

Pokémon UNITE

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  1. Before
    Install on Switch or phone and link a Nintendo Account or Pokémon Trainer Central account. On phones, chat works only with a linked account; a parent creates a child account from their own Trainer Central account.
  2. 0–10 min
    Each new player runs Solo Mode against computer players to learn one Pokémon.
  3. 10–20 min
    The party plays a CPU Match together against computer opponents.
  4. 20–40 min
    Two Standard Battles of exactly ten minutes each. Agree lanes with Set Path before each one.
  5. 40–45 min
    Stop after the second battle and swap Pokémon for next time.

Fortnite

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  1. Before
    Everyone needs an Epic account. Under-13s get a Cabined Account, and under-18s start with voice and text chat off, so a parent sets chat permissions and 'Allow Paid Random Items' in Parental Controls first.
  2. 0–5 min
    Make a party of up to four and check Team Fill: switch it off if you do not want a stranger in the squad.
  3. 5–15 min
    Two Blitz Royale matches, five minutes or less each, to learn movement and aiming.
  4. 15–40 min
    One Zero Build Battle Royale match as a squad. Nobody is outbuilt, and the match runs about twenty minutes.
  5. 40–45 min
    Stop when the match ends, win or lose.

THE FINALS

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  1. Before
    Each player creates an Embark ID at first launch and switches Crossplay on if the party mixes PC, PS5 and Xbox. Voice chat starts on, as push-to-talk on PC.
  2. 0–5 min
    Practice Range: try movement and one gadget each.
  3. 5–30 min
    Cashout (Bots) as a team of three, until you are knocked out or win the final.
  4. 30–45 min
    One Team Deathmatch against players, best of three five-minute rounds, then stop.

Agree the stopping point first. The plans end at 45 minutes on purpose; another round is a new decision.

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