Play here
Play our free slots
6 free slots that run in your browser. You never need an account, and the score is purely a number.
- Star Voyage Comets, saucers and a ringed planet drift past. Three rockets launch a run of ten rounds. Play now
- Clover Meadow Clovers, ladybirds and toadstools in the long grass. Three rainbows set off a run of ten rounds. Play now
- Gem Cavern Cut gemstones across five reels and four rows; the wild stands in wherever a line falls short. Play now
- Pharaoh's Sun A pharaoh, a sun disc and temple cats. Three scarabs set off a run of ten rounds. Play now
- Sweet Shop Five reels and four rows of doughnuts, cupcakes and lollipops. Play now
- Royal Court Card ranks from ten up to ace, topped by a shield and a crown. Nine lines and no extras. Play now
In the workshop: Coral Tide Alpine Dawn
The comparison
Seven free game sites, tested and ranked
Arcade games, puzzles, word games and chess, all in the browser. We tried every site ourselves and noted what it offers, whether a paid plan exists and the kind of player it fits, so that choosing one takes a minute.
7 sites tested All of them free to play
A few of the links here may be affiliate links, which has no effect on the order. How we are funded
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Rank 1
Our top pick
Poki
Web games that start the moment you tap them, filed under roughly 40 categories.
- Browser on phone and desktop
- Action, 2 player, skill, puzzle, sports
- Free
- Nothing to install, and a game is running within seconds
- Clear categories, with a section for two players
- Short games and longer ones in fair balance
Read our verdict
Speed is the whole idea at Poki: choose a game and it is already running. Its category pages make short work of finding something for a five-minute pause, or for a longer sitting with a friend sharing the device.
9.3 / 10Our rating
Visit Poki -
Rank 2
Widest range
CrazyGames
A large, tidy library of browser games that grows by the day.
- Browser, plus iOS and Android apps
- Action, .io, racing, puzzle, card
- Premium is optional
- Fresh games arrive daily
- Multiplayer games and leaderboards
- Has apps for iPhone and Android
Read our verdict
No other site here gathers as broad a spread of modern browser games, from quick arcade rounds to full multiplayer titles. Browsing by category is simple, and the mobile apps carry the same games over to your phone. Choose it when you would rather have a single site for everything.
9.2 / 10Our rating
Visit CrazyGames -
Rank 3
Best ad-free chess
Lichess
Open-source chess that is free from top to bottom: no adverts, no registration.
- Browser and mobile app
- Chess, puzzles, tournaments, analysis
- Free, without ads
- No adverts and no paid tier at all
- You can play without an account
- More than five million games are played daily
Read our verdict
Volunteers run Lichess and donations fund it, which is why nothing is locked away: online games, puzzles, tournaments and computer analysis are open to everyone. If chess is all you want, with nothing else on the screen, start here.
9.0 / 10Our rating
Visit Lichess -
Rank 4
Best for puzzles and words
Arkadium
More than 200 classic puzzle, word and card games, with no download and no sign-up.
- Browser, any device
- Mahjong, crosswords, solitaire, sudoku, jigsaws
- Arkadium Plus is optional
- Play without registering
- Crosswords, solitaire and mahjong are its strong suit
- Runs on phone, tablet and desktop
Read our verdict
For anyone who would take a quiet puzzle over a frantic arcade game, Arkadium is where to begin. Its library keeps to well-known classics and does them properly; subscriber-only games open up with the optional Arkadium Plus membership.
8.8 / 10Our rating
Visit Arkadium -
Rank 5
Best for chess lessons
Chess.com
The biggest chess community anywhere, with lessons, puzzles and practice bots.
- Browser, plus iOS and Android apps
- Play, lessons, puzzles, bots, live events
- Free account
- More than 250 million members to face
- Lessons and practice bots for every level
- Polished apps for iPhone and Android
Read our verdict
Chess.com is for people who mean to get better as well as play. Between the lessons, the puzzles and the bots there is a clear route up from beginner level, and with so many members an opponent is never far away.
8.5 / 10Our rating
Visit Chess.com -
Rank 6
Best for strategy
Armor Games
A veteran site for strategy, tower defence, idle and RPG games, featuring a Game of the Day.
- Browser
- Strategy, tower defence, idle, RPG, puzzle
- Free, with ads
- Each day brings a new Game of the Day
- Strong on deep strategy and tower defence
- Its own studio publishes on Steam too
Read our verdict
Armor Games keeps a faithful audience for the sort of game that can fill a whole evening. Part of its archive is made up of legacy Flash titles, so the newer listings are the ones that run most smoothly.
8.0 / 10Our rating
Visit Armor Games -
Rank 7
Largest catalogue
Y8
Among the biggest catalogues of browser games anywhere, and each game carries a player rating.
- Browser
- Puzzle, arcade, adventure, strategy, racing
- Free
- Thousands of games across every category
- Ratings from players flag the good ones
- Y8 Originals and multiplayer titles
Read our verdict
Sheer quantity is the case for Y8: more than 6,000 games sit in its puzzle section alone. With that many, standards are uneven, so let the player ratings do the sorting.
7.9 / 10Our rating
Visit Y8
No site on the list matches that filter.
At a glance
The seven, side by side
Where the sites differ, in one table. Playing is free on all of them.
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| Site | Strongest at | Typical games | Where it runs | Account | Paid plan | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poki | Playing instantly | Action, 2 player, skill, puzzle | Browser on phone and desktop | Optional | None | 9.3 |
| CrazyGames | Variety across the board | Action, .io, racing, puzzle, card | Browser, iOS, Android | Optional | Premium, optional | 9.2 |
| Lichess | Chess with no adverts | Chess, puzzles, tournaments | Browser, mobile app | Not required | None, funded by donations | 9.0 |
| Arkadium | Puzzles and word games | Mahjong, crosswords, solitaire, sudoku | Browser on any device | Not required | Arkadium Plus, optional | 8.8 |
| Chess.com | Learning chess | Chess, lessons, bots | Browser, iOS, Android | Free account | Membership, optional | 8.5 |
| Armor Games | Strategy and idle games | Strategy, tower defence, idle, RPG | Browser | Optional | None | 8.0 |
| Y8 | Sheer choice | Puzzle, arcade, adventure, strategy | Browser | Optional | None | 7.9 |
Method
How the ratings are worked out
A rating out of 10 is built from five weighted criteria. We test every site by hand, on a phone and on a desktop, and go back over the order once a month.
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The games
30%
The size of the library, the quality of what is in it and the pace at which new games are added.
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Getting started
25%
Loading speed, and whether a game will run with no download and no registration.
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Adverts
20%
How frequently ads break into a game, and how much they get in the way.
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Phones and tablets
15%
How the site behaves on smaller screens, and whether an app is available.
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Value
10%
What the free tier covers, and whether an optional paid plan adds enough to be worth having.
From our own desk
In the mood for a quick round?
Our own free-to-play slots, Star Voyage, Clover Meadow, Gem Cavern among them, run directly in the browser. There is no sign-up and no real money involved.
Questions
What readers ask us
Is playing on these sites genuinely free?
It is. All seven let you play free of charge. Adverts fund most of them, and a few offer an optional paid plan that adds extra games or perks.
Is there anything to install?
Nothing. Each of the seven works inside a web browser. Mobile apps exist for CrazyGames, Lichess and Chess.com, and using them is up to you.
Where should a chess player go?
To Lichess for chess that is entirely free and carries no adverts; to Chess.com for lessons, bots and the biggest community.
Where are the puzzles and word games strongest?
At Arkadium, particularly its crosswords, solitaire and mahjong. For the largest selection of puzzle games, look at Y8.
Does real money come into any of these sites?
No. Only sites played purely for fun make this list: no real money goes in and nothing can be taken out.
How this site is funded. Reading HorizonUKs is free. A number of the links above may be affiliate links, so a commission may reach us when a visitor takes out an optional paid plan. Ratings and running order are decided without regard to that. All game names and trademarks remain the property of their owners. HorizonUKs is independent of every site it lists.