Can’t stand the thought of looking at another email, or bored beyond belief in class? Maybe you’re just having one of those ‘whatever’ kind of moments where you just need a break. As usual, the Internet has you covered. Try some of these web browser games that don’t require huge time commitment or expert skill.
They’re fun, maybe a little silly, but great and sometimes addictive time wasters.
Here are our faves.
Another great way to bust boredom is to visit the oldest sites on the internet. What will you find down the rabbit-hole?
1. Helicopter
The one thing I’ve learned playing Helicopter is that I seriously suck at avoiding obstacles and apparently have poor hand-to-mouse coordination. All you have to do is hold and release your left mouse button to help your helicopter avoid obstacles, which are just big green blocks.
Yes, I crashed – a lot. But, that just makes me keep playing to bump my feeble high score up a bit.
This game is hosted on Addicting Games, which has myriad other web browser games including gems like Number Sequencer, Night Race 2020, and Bloons Tower Defense 4.
2. Frogger
Yes, that Frogger! Play the classic 8-bit version of the game completely free in your browser. Hop your way past cars, trucks, logs, and more to reach the safety of the other side.
It sounds simple, but getting the timing just right is everything. One wrong hop and splat goes the frog. The fate of this poor little froggaroo is at the tip of your finger as you use your arrow keys to navigate.
3. Age of War
If you want a little more depth in your web browser games, give Age of War a try. Survive and evolve through five ages, starting as a caveman. It’s as simple as sending out soldiers, which you buy with coins you earn by beating your enemies.
The graphics are basic, but they get the job done. After all, it’s just two lines of people beating on each other with all types of weapons, starting with caveman clubs.
4. Google Doodles
If you’ve never clicked any of the Google Doodles (when the Google logo on the Google search page changes to something flashy and bespoke), you might not have any idea about the delights that lurk behind those colorful doodles.
Google keeps an archive of all the unique Doodles, including interactive Google Doodles, which is where all the real fun is. Some are just interactive videos or slideshows, while other are actual games.
Some of the more interesting games include:
Quick, Draw
You have 20 seconds to try to draw a certain word or phrase. Google’s AI then tries to guess what it is. If you’re good or a hair above mediocre, Google guesses right. It’s kind of like Pictionary, but without so much yelling.
Celebrating 50 Years of Kids Coding
This quick coding game was made for kids, but it’s fun for adults too. Use coding blocks to help an adorable little rabbit collect carrots. No, you don’t need to know a thing about programming. Just put the blocks in the right order.
Celebrating Garden Gnomes
Ever wish you could launch a garden gnome to plant your garden for you? Sure you did, and thanks to this game, you can! Just use your spacebar to launch and release the gnome to plant the required distance of flowers. It’s harder than it looks.
5. Pac-Man
Need some nostalgia in your life? Then play Pac-Man right in your browser. All you have to do is search for “pacman” on Google and click the doodle, or use this shortcut to the game. It works just like the original. Eat the dots without being eaten yourself.
Plus, just below the Pac-Man play screen you’ll find several other games, including Minesweeper, Snake, and Solitaire.
6. No One Has to Die
An office building is on fire, but no one has to die (well except for the people who already died when the inferno first started). You have to get the water to the fire without drowning anyone left in the building. However, every turn, the fire spreads.
It’s a more intense web browser game, but fun. You’ll need a little more strategy with this one. Just press the spacebar a lot if you want to play the game over again and skip past the (admittedly entertaining) intro faster. The game changes each time you play based on how you choose to move.
7. Robot Unicorn Attack
It’s pretty and it’s a unicorn attacking things. Those two things alone make Robot Unicorn Attack worth playing. All you need is a Z key to make your unicorn jump from place to place and avoid obstacles. It’s a simple endless runner game that’s great for passing the time. And it has the catchy 90s tune ‘Always’ by Erasure lolloping along in the background!
You get three chances or you end up with a scoreboard and a cut off unicorn head. If that’s not enough to motivate you to try again, I don’t know what is. Be warned that it may give you nightmares of decapitated unicorns galloping around.
Bonus: More Web Browser Games
Some sites are completely dedicated to web browser games, so you can just visit one of them for endless hours of boredom-busting fun. If you want even more choice than what’s listed above, try these sites:
And as an honorable mention, fall down the rabbit hole with The Wiki Game. You start with one Wikipedia page and have to find your way to the goal page. It’s good fun and you might even pick up some valuable trivia knowledge.
If you’ve got more time on your hands and want more depth to your games, try out some of the best games on Steam and itch.io. Or, gather some friends for some free online board games.
