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Caldremere

Caldremere

Play well together

Free UK help, a private self-check, agreeing the end at the start, friends who are always online, tilt, breaks, sleep, spending, chat safety, age labels and family settings.

Why this page

Online co-op and party games are some of the best fun people can have together. They are also built from short rounds, open lobbies and friends who are always online, which makes it easy to keep going long after you meant to stop. A site that recommends them should be honest about that, and about how to keep play fun.

Free, confidential help

Paid random items such as mystery boxes, card packs and prize wheels share features with gambling: you pay before you know what you get, which is what makes them easy to keep buying. If time or money in games feels out of control, for you or someone you care about, these organisations help for free and in confidence:

  • GamCare

    Free, confidential help for anyone whose play or spending feels out of control, and for the people around them. The National Gambling Helpline, 0808 8020 133, and live chat are open around the clock.

    Visit GamCare

  • Gambling Therapy

    Free online support from trained advisers, with peer groups and self-help tools in many languages.

    Visit Gambling Therapy

Blocking and treatment

If gaming or spending ever drifts towards gambling, these UK services can block access, provide treatment and support families:

  • GAMSTOP

    Free UK self-exclusion that blocks every UK-licensed gambling site and app for six months, one year or five years, if play ever drifts that way.

    Visit GAMSTOP

  • Gordon Moody

    A UK charity with residential treatment, online recovery programmes and help for families when gambling has become harmful.

    Visit Gordon Moody

  • NHS gambling support

    NHS guidance on warning signs and self-help, and how to refer yourself to a specialist NHS clinic in England.

    Visit NHS gambling support

Urgent help and young people

Free and confidential, about anything at all:

  • Childline

    Anyone under 19 can talk about anything: call 0800 1111 free, or chat online with a counsellor.

    Visit Childline

  • Samaritans

    A listening ear at any hour, with no judgement: call 116 123 free.

    Visit Samaritans

  • YoungMinds

    Mental health support for young people, and advice for parents and carers who are worried.

    Visit YoungMinds

In an emergency call 999. For urgent medical advice call NHS 111 or visit nhs.uk. You can also text SHOUT to 85258 at any hour.

A private self-check

Over the last three months, how often has each of these been true?

  1. I stay online much longer than I meant to, round after round.
  2. Gaming pushes out sleep, meals, homework, work or time with family.
  3. I get irritable or low when I cannot play.
  4. I spend more on games, packs or extras than I planned, or keep it quiet.
  5. I play to escape how I feel rather than for fun.
  6. I log in because my group is online, even when I do not feel like playing.
  7. Losing a round puts me in a bad mood that lasts.
  8. I have tried to cut down and found it hard.
  9. Someone close to me has said they worry about my gaming.
  10. I check game messages or invites late at night.

This is a prompt to reflect, not a diagnosis. Your answers stay on this page and are never sent.

Agree the end at the start

  • Before anyone queues, agree a number of rounds or a time. The ready check on our home page helps.
  • Every report in the lobby names a good moment to leave.
  • Set play-time limits on your console, computer or phone too: they hold when the group wants one more.
  • Keep some evenings completely game-free.

Friends who are always online

  • You do not have to join every time the group is online.
  • Turn off invites and game notifications at night.
  • Leave between rounds, and say goodbye: nobody should feel guilty for logging off at the agreed time.
  • Play with people you know in real life whenever you can.

Losing and tilt

Short competitive rounds can wind people up quickly. If you notice snapping at friends or wanting one more round to win back the last, take a break. End on a round that was fun, not on one that was not.

Breaks and the body

  • Every twenty minutes, look across the room for twenty seconds.
  • Drink water regularly and stand up to stretch at least once an hour.
  • Keep headphones at a moderate volume and switch on your device’s volume warnings.
  • If hands, wrists, neck or eyes hurt, stop, and see a GP if it keeps happening.

Sleep

Screens off an hour before bed. Late messages and invites keep the brain switched on; turn them off at night. Teenagers usually need eight to ten hours of sleep, adults seven to nine.

Flashing light

A few people can have seizures triggered by flashing lights, sometimes with no previous history. Read each game’s warning, play in a lit room, sit back from the screen and stop at once if you feel unwell. Talk to a doctor first if anyone in the family has epilepsy.

Spending and extras

  • Agree a monthly amount before playing, never during a session.
  • Cosmetic packs and skins change nothing about play.
  • Find out what any in-game currency costs in pounds before using it.
  • Avoid paid random items: not knowing what you will get is what makes them hard to stop buying.
  • UK industry principles say under-18s should not be able to buy paid random items without a parent or carer knowing; use the platform’s spending limits.
  • Keep purchase approval on and remove saved cards from children’s accounts.

Who can talk to you

  • Use private lobbies and set voice and text chat to friends only, or off.
  • Never share passwords, your address, school, phone number or photos.
  • Be wary of anyone who wants to move to another app, offers gifts, asks for pictures or asks you to keep a secret.
  • If an adult’s contact with a child feels wrong, report it to CEOP. Internet Matters has setup guides for every console and app.

Age labels

UK games carry PEGI labels 3, 7, 12, 16 and 18, with notices for in-game purchases and paid random items. PEGI 12, 16 and 18 are legally enforced in UK shops, overseen by the Games Rating Authority. The PEGI label guide explains each symbol. Online play with strangers is never covered by the label.

Family settings

Steam Families, Xbox Family Settings, PlayStation Family Management, Nintendo Switch Parental Controls, Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link all set daily play time, bedtime, purchase approval and who can chat. Our families section says where each lives.

When it becomes a problem

The World Health Organization describes “gaming disorder” when gaming takes priority over other interests and daily life despite the harm it causes, usually for a year or more. The NHS National Centre for Gaming Disorders treats people aged 13 and over in England and Wales, and a GP can help anywhere in the UK.

Helping someone else

Ask what they enjoy and who they play with, and join a round or two. Agree small steps together, such as a last round called out loud or invites off at night, rather than a sudden ban, and plan fun things away from screens.

How this site is built

Caldremere has no accounts, notifications, streaks, countdowns or rewards for coming back. Questions about this page are welcome through hello@caldremere.com.