What are the best browser games? Sometimes, you don’t want to use up memory on your phone, preferring to play games via web browser instead, and there are a surprising number of good games that allow you to do this. Browser games are great for just jumping into some quick matches or killing time between menial tasks.
If you’re looking for something slightly different, you can also take a peek at the best Android games on PC. However, if you want more of a challenge than what these titles can offer, check out our list of the best hard games on Switch and mobile.
Here are the best browser games:
Raid: Shadow Legends
This gacha game needs no introduction. Raid: Shadow Legends is a visually stunning RPG that features hundreds of champions to collect, upgrade, and send into battle in a variety of dungeons. it has much to offer casual and hardcore gamers.
The best part is that Raid: Shadow Legends largely plays itself, allowing you to progress while you’re busy at work. Get started with the help of our Raid: Shadow Legends guide, and check out our Raid: Shadow Legends codes guide and Raid: Shadow Legends tier list for freebies and tips on which champions to use.
Play Raid: Shadow Legends for free.
Hero Wars
If you’re after a good fantasy adventure with a system that’s not reminiscent of the increasingly intimidating mechanics you find in fantasy games, you should give Hero Wars a try.
The general idea is that you build up a team of heroes and then take them through dungeons and face your foes. It’s a game with an enormous selection of heroes to unlock, and when you do unlock them, you’ll find that they all approach battle a little differently. Then, it’s up to you to assemble the right team for each challenge. It’s a very morish experience, and we reckon you’ll have a good time with it.
Forge of Empires
Combining the empire-building of Civilisation with the strategic warfare of Total War, Forge of Empires is everything you need in a cross-platform strategy game.
Starting in the Stone Age with a handful of huts, you get to develop your land from a fledgling village into a full-blown empire. You can battle nearby enemies, and your city will continue to produce goods while you’re offline, so you don’t have to worry about falling short on resources.
Play Forge of Empires for free.
Travian
Originally released in 2004, Travian allows you to build your own empire. Taking place in an ancient world, you have to lead your tribe to a better future. Naturally, this means gathering resources, expanding the land that you own, constructing new buildings, and upgrading the ones you already have.
How you accomplish this comes down to what you want to do. You can decide to be a full-blown Viking by raiding and pillaging, or can opt to be a bit more diplomatic as you take a political approach – I know which one I think sounds like more fun.
Rail Nation
Fancy building your own railroad empire? Rail Nation is the game for you. You can create railroads from six different eras, from the early days of steam to the very peak of modern passenger trains. Suffice to say, if you’re a fan of trains you’ll absolutely love Rail Nation, and it will keep you busy for hours to come.
Slither.io
Snake meets Agar.io in this fiendishly challenging battle royale-like. You start as a tiny snake and must swallow a bunch of colored orbs to grow in size. At this point, it’s a case of speeding around and swallowing up smaller snakes while avoiding bigger ones; and your own tail. If you want to discover other great io games, make sure you check out our guide to the top 25, it features the likes of Bloxd.io.
RuneScape
That’s right. You can still play RuneScape, the classic MMORPG, in certain browsers, so it still warrants a place on this list. If you’ve got absolute hours on your hands, this is the choice for you.
You can do almost anything, from battling enemies to mining to completing quests. There’s a massive world to explore, too, and plenty of fun to be had with your friends.
Catan Universe
If you don’t have the board game, you’re in luck, as you can play Catan from anywhere on a web browser. Catan Universe is a beautiful, digital rendition of the popular game.
The base game is free, though you can purchase various add-ons and game modes to keep the experience feeling fresh hundreds of hours in.
Threes!
Fancy giving your brain a workout? Threes! is probably the most fun method of doing that. You have to match the same two numbers together in this fiendishly challenging puzzler.
There’s a collection aspect to it, as each number combination unlocks a new character to add to your collection. It’s also all about that high score, providing you with ample reason to have just one more go.
Wonderputt
Wonderputt provides a whole new meaning to the term crazy golf, with a wide variety of zany courses to putt your way through. Oh, and did we mention that these courses physically react to you? That’s right, each course changes as you play, increasing the challenge the longer you play.
Wordle
If you like words and puzzles, boy, do we have the browser game for you. Wordle took the world by storm in 2023, and it continues to be a popular choice today. It’s extremely simple, but that’s a huge part of its appeal – some people like to solve their daily Wordle puzzle as part of their morning routine while enjoying a cup of coffee.
You have six attempts to guess the five-letter word of the day. The color of the tiles indicates how right you are, if a tile turns yellow, that means that the letter is in the word but not that place, and if the tile turns green, the letter is both correct and in the correct position. Should the tile be a dismal grey, the letter isn’t correct at all.
Subway Surfers
Subway Surfers is a fun endless runner, and you get to grind along trains and collect coins. Of course, this also means you need to avoid wiping out by being hit by a train. It’s a simple but fun time in a colorful and vibrant world where you can perform tricks, use a jetpack, and unlock new outfits and items.
If you give this game a try, make sure you check out our Subway Surfers characters guide to learn more about your crew.
Antimatter Dimensions
Antimatter Dimensions looks and sounds simple, but it’s a facade that ends up hooking you for hours on end. An incremental game, similar to titles like Cookie Clicker and other idle titles, Antimatter Dimensions’ simplistic design leads to fascinating loops of watching those numbers rise.
Antimatter, for short, nails the gameplay loop that many idle games fail to perfect, allowing you to automate segments of gameplay and endlessly watch the numbers rise into scientific equations. As you progress, you’ll unlock various perks, complete challenges, and receive achievements (even on the Steam version).
There you have it – we hope that you enjoy this selection of online games that can be played within your browser. Of course, if you need a break from browser games, feel free to check out our choices for the best mobile platformers here.