Back to Red Sand Lighthouse
When the fog horn starts to sound

Eight games for a foggy shore
while the lamp turns overhead

When sea fog swallows the red cliffs and the beach empties out, Wickett lights the lamp room and opens a browser tab. His shortlist runs from a prehistoric zoo and two sports clubs to dark dungeons, a ricochet tank maze and a pair of long medieval campaigns. All eight are free to begin, and none asks you to install anything first.

8free browser games
6also come as phone apps
5genres to browse
Vikings: War of Clans key art
Wickett's harbour pick

Vikings: War of Clans

Norse clan war strategy · Strategy & war

A Norse strategy game for anyone who likes to watch a longship crew grow into a fleet. You raise a stronghold, train its troops through rising tiers and level your Jarl along a skill tree. Marches head out to gather from the land or raid rivals, and whole clans battle to hold the Place of Power and the bonuses it brings to the kingdom.

Good for
Patient strategists who want a clan to belong to.
Usual length of play
Short daily visits, with longer evenings during clan fights
Plays on which screens
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Keep the stronghold growing before sending marches far afield.
  2. Spend early Jarl points on skills that fit how you want to play.
  3. Join an active clan so you have allies when the kingdom fights begin.
Play Vikings: War of Clans freeOpens plarium.com/en/game/vikings-war-of-clans in a new tab

Seven more to pass the fog in the lamp room

Dinosaur Park: Primeval Zoo key artFarm, town & zoo

Dinosaur Park: Primeval Zoo

Prehistoric zoo builder

A zoo builder with a prehistoric twist. You hatch dinosaurs from recovered fossils, give each species an enclosure that suits it and keep the whole park ticking over as visitors stream in. Research slowly brings further species into the collection.

  • Fifteen calm minutes
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Best for, and how to start

Good for: Park planners who love a creature collection.

Your first session
  1. Build a suitable enclosure before the first egg hatches.
  2. Keep visitor paths short and tidy as the park spreads.
  3. Put early research towards the next species you want.
Play Dinosaur Park: Primeval Zoo freeOpens dinosaurparkprimevalzoo.upjers.com/en
Online Soccer Manager key artSport & management

Online Soccer Manager

Soccer club manager

A soccer manager you can be running within minutes, built around real licensed clubs. You choose the formation and the tactics for every match, work the transfer market and scout young talent, then measure yourself against other human managers in the league.

  • Ten minutes before each match day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Best for, and how to start

Good for: Armchair managers who want a season under way today.

Your first session
  1. Pick a club whose squad you actually want to manage.
  2. Set a formation that suits the players you already have.
  3. Scout before you spend on the transfer market.
Play Online Soccer Manager freeOpens en.onlinesoccermanager.com
PowerPlay Manager key artSport & management

PowerPlay Manager

Multi-sport club manager

A sports manager that lets one account run clubs in hockey, soccer, handball and basketball. Line-ups and tactics are yours to set against real managers, each player can get a personal practice plan, and the arena and club facilities improve as you invest.

  • Around 15 minutes per club
  • Desktop browser
Best for, and how to start

Good for: Managers who cannot choose just one sport.

Your first session
  1. Start with the sport you know best and add others later.
  2. Give each key player a practice plan early.
  3. Put spare funds into facilities that help every match day.
Play PowerPlay Manager freeOpens ppm.powerplaymanager.com/en
Drakensang Online key artRole-play & adventure

Drakensang Online

Dark fantasy action RPG

An action role-playing game set in a dark fantasy world, with combat that plays out in real time under your own hands. You choose a class, shape its build as you level, then team up with other heroes to clear dungeons together.

  • Half an hour or more
  • Desktop browser
Best for, and how to start

Good for: Players who want to swing the sword themselves.

Your first session
  1. Try the classes before settling on one hero.
  2. Learn your core skills on easier ground first.
  3. Group up for dungeons once you know your role.
Play Drakensang Online freeOpens drakensang.com
Shakes & Fidget key artRole-play & adventure

Shakes & Fidget

Comic fantasy RPG

A comic fantasy role-playing game in which your hero sets off on quests that finish on a timer while you carry on with your day. Nine classes each fight their own way: the Druid becomes a bear, tiger or eagle, and the Berserker lands several blows in one turn.

  • Quick peeks between beach walks
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Best for, and how to start

Good for: Players who want jokes with their character sheet.

Your first session
  1. Compare the nine classes before creating a hero.
  2. Pick quests that end around your next visit.
  3. Look for a guild to share raids and arena tips.
Play Shakes & Fidget freeOpens sfgame.net
TankTrouble key artAction & arcade

TankTrouble

Ricochet tank arena

A top-down tank duel inside tight mazes, where every shot bounces off the walls and can just as easily come back for you. Play a friend on one keyboard or take it online, and earn ranks and cosmetic parts for your garage along the way.

  • A handful of quick rounds
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Best for, and how to start

Good for: Two people sharing one computer on a foggy day.

Your first session
  1. Fire a few test shots to learn how they bounce.
  2. Keep a wall between you and your rival when reloading.
  3. Try a local match with a friend before going online.
Play TankTrouble freeOpens tanktrouble.com
Khan Wars key artStrategy & war

Khan Wars

Medieval nations strategy

A long-running medieval strategy game built on 12 nations, each with its own leaning towards economy, combat or trade. Armies draw on as many as 28 unit types, and guilds band together to lay siege to citadels and keep hold of territory.

  • Daily visits for the long haul
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Best for, and how to start

Good for: Players who like to pick a side and stay loyal.

Your first session
  1. Read the nation bonuses before you choose.
  2. Grow the economy before recruiting a large army.
  3. Find a guild early, since sieges are a team effort.
Play Khan Wars freeOpens khanwars.com

All eight side by side, like boats along the wharf

Title in the logKind of game, as loggedHow fast the tide runsWith other peopleUsual length of playPlays on which screens
Vikings: War of ClansNorse clan war strategyA slow campaign that builds over weeksClans competing on one shared kingdom mapShort daily visits, with longer evenings during clan fightsDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Dinosaur Park: Primeval ZooPrehistoric zoo builderUnhurried, one enclosure at a timeA calm park of your ownFifteen calm minutesDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Online Soccer ManagerSoccer club managerQuick to start, steady across a seasonLeagues full of other human managersTen minutes before each match dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
PowerPlay ManagerMulti-sport club managerThoughtful, one match day at a timeLeagues against real managersAround 15 minutes per clubDesktop browser
Drakensang OnlineDark fantasy action RPGFast, hands-on combatCo-op dungeons with other heroesHalf an hour or moreDesktop browser
Shakes & FidgetComic fantasy RPGLaid-back quests on a clockGuilds plus arena duelsQuick peeks between beach walksDesktop browser; mobile app also available
TankTroubleRicochet tank arenaSnappy rounds in tight mazesOne shared keyboard, or onlineA handful of quick roundsDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Khan WarsMedieval nations strategyA long, committed campaignGuilds besieging citadels togetherDaily visits for the long haulDesktop browser; mobile app also available

All eight are free to play; each offers optional in-game purchases.

01

Free to start, free to keep going

Every game on this list can be started at no cost and played for a long time without spending; the clubs, parks, dungeons and campaigns all come with the free version.

Studios do sell optional extras, such as cosmetic items, premium currency or a faster way through a wait. Plenty of players never visit the shop, and parents sharing a computer can usually lock purchases from the studio account page.

02

Your first foggy afternoon

Each button on this page opens the official website of that game in a fresh tab. Most ask for a quick registration before your club, park, hero or stronghold appears.

Nearly every one starts with a short guided opening. Follow it through; it teaches the controls and resources quicker than any wander on your own.

03

Quick scraps or long campaigns

TankTrouble and Drakensang Online are the hands-on picks: you are in control from the first second, and they reward a free half hour.

Vikings: War of Clans, Khan Wars and the two sports managers are slower games of planning, where a short visit each day matters more than one long sitting. Dinosaur Park and Shakes & Fidget sit comfortably in between.

04

Keep your logins as safe as a lamp in a storm

Every studio has a separate login, so type your details only on its genuine address. Keep one password per game, never recycled; where a studio offers a second sign-in step by text or app, use it.

A genuine support team never asks for your password. Strangers dangling gift currency for a login are fishing for your account, like gulls round a bait bucket; bin that message.

Why these eight made the keeper's list

  • Every one of them loads in a normal desktop browser tab, so a foggy afternoon can start the moment you sit down.
  • Joining costs nothing, and players who never spend still reach the heart of every game.
  • The list covers very different moods, from a quick tank scrap with a friend to a clan campaign that runs for months.
  • Each studio still maintains its game, so leagues, servers and shared maps stay busy.

No. All eight play in a desktop browser. Dinosaur Park: Primeval Zoo, Online Soccer Manager, Shakes & Fidget, TankTrouble, Khan Wars and Vikings: War of Clans have an optional phone app too; Drakensang Online and PowerPlay Manager are desktop browser games.

No. Each is free to start, and you can enjoy the main game without paying; any purchase is entirely up to you.

No. Independent studios make and run all eight; each button here just opens the official site of its studio.

No. Each studio keeps its own sign-up, so you register game by game. PowerPlay Manager does let a single account run clubs in several sports.

TankTrouble. Two players can share one keyboard and chase each other round the maze, or play online instead.

Dinosaur Park: Primeval Zoo, with its hatching eggs and slowly growing enclosures. TankTrouble and Drakensang Online are the quickest and busiest of the eight.

Yes, two. Online Soccer Manager is built around real licensed clubs, and PowerPlay Manager covers hockey, soccer, handball and basketball from one account.