1.Wordle
GamesNewFree
Best for: The daily five-letter word
Six tries to guess the word, with colored tiles telling you what's right. One puzzle a day. Free.
Free browser games you can play without downloading
By the Linkstore editors · Updated · 18 apps
Browser games load in seconds, run on almost anything, and are easy to share: send a link and your friends are in the same room.
Here are the ones worth bookmarking, from a five-minute daily puzzle to something you'll lose an evening to.
The picks at a glance
- 1WordleThe daily five-letter word
- 2
NYT GamesCrosswords and Connections
- 3
SemantleWhen Wordle is too easy
- 4
Little Alchemy 2Relaxed discovery - 5
2048A quick number puzzle - 6
skribbl.ioDraw and guess - 7
Gartic PhoneTelephone, with drawings
- 8
Board Game ArenaReal board games, online
- 9
JackboxGame night on a TV
- 10
LichessFree chess, no ads - 11
Chess.comChess lessons and a huge community - 12
GeoGuessrGeography nerds - 13
TETR.IOCompetitive block stacking
- 14
KrunkerA quick shooter - 15
slither.ioTwo-minute rounds - 16
PokiCasual games that work on phones - 17
CrazyGames.io games and longer ones
- 18
itch.ioIndie games and game jams
A puzzle a day
2.NYT Games
GamesNewFreemium
Best for: Crosswords and Connections
Wordle is free here, and the crossword, Spelling Bee and the rest come with a subscription.
Installable
3.Semantle
GamesNewFree
Best for: When Wordle is too easy
Guess a secret word from how close in meaning each guess is. Much meaner than it sounds.
4.Little Alchemy 2
GamesNewFree
Best for: Relaxed discovery
Start with air, earth, fire and water and keep combining until you've made dinosaurs and the internet.
Installable
5.2048
GamesNewFree
Best for: A quick number puzzle
Slide tiles to merge matching numbers. Easy to learn, hard to finish.
Installable
Play with friends
6.skribbl.io
GamesNewFree
Best for: Draw and guess
One player draws and everyone else guesses in the chat. Make a private room with your own words.
7.Gartic Phone
GamesNewFree
Best for: Telephone, with drawings
Write a phrase, draw someone else's, guess the next drawing, and watch it all fall apart.
8.Board Game Arena
GamesNewFreemium
Best for: Real board games, online
Hundreds of board games adapted for the browser. Start a table and friends join with a link.
Installable
9.Jackbox
GamesNewFreemium
Best for: Game night on a TV
One person hosts, everyone else plays from their phone's browser.
Installable
Compete
10.Lichess
GamesNewFree
Best for: Free chess, no ads
Live and correspondence chess, puzzles and a strong analysis engine. Open source, paid for by donations, no sign-up needed.
Installable
11.Chess.com
GamesNewFreemium
Best for: Chess lessons and a huge community
Games at any time control, lessons for every level and daily puzzles.
Installable
12.GeoGuessr
GamesNewFreemium
Best for: Geography nerds
Dropped into Street View, you read signs, plants and the sun to guess where you are.
Installable
13.TETR.IO
GamesNewFree
Best for: Competitive block stacking
Ranked matches, custom rooms and solo modes in a fast, polished stacker.
14.Krunker
GamesNewFree
Best for: A quick shooter
A first-person shooter that loads in seconds, with user-made maps and ranked play.
Installable
15.slither.io
GamesNewFree
Best for: Two-minute rounds
Grow the longest snake in a crowded arena. Rounds start in seconds.
Thousands more
Big arcades for when you just want something new.
16.Poki
GamesNewFree
Best for: Casual games that work on phones
Thousands of puzzle, racing and multiplayer games that load instantly.
Installable
17.CrazyGames
GamesNewFree
Best for: .io games and longer ones
A big arcade of browser games, with nothing to install.
Installable
18.itch.io
GamesNewFreemium
Best for: Indie games and game jams
Games from independent developers, many free and playable in the browser.
How we picked
We picked from the games on Linkstore, each opened and played by a person before it was listed. Prices and ratings come from the listings. Nobody paid to be in this guide, and sponsored apps get no special place in it.
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