25 Best Browser Games You Need to Try in 2023

It’s all fun and games until someone, well, takes away the fun and games. Yes, even the best browser games can be a time-suck sometimes.

But while putting this list together, a couple of quotes made us think about the benefits of browser games (and games in general). Even ones that seem pointless.

And this one:

Pretty compelling quotes. So spending time playing games can’t be all bad, right?

In this list of best browser games you’ll find fun for everyone, from classic reboots to fresh new titles. While not all of these are free browser games, most of them have a free version for gamers to play from their web browser.

Scroll down to find out!

Prodigy Math is a hyper-engaging, fantasy-inspired MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) with millions of players. It’s dedicated to helping improve children’s math skills and confidence.

As a young wizard, you traverse the worlds of Prodigy competing epic quests and battling bosses! To win, you must answer sets of questions that adapt to your math level. With every battle your wizard moves closer and closer toward unlocking endless magic and mystery.

If you're a parent, here's everything you need to know about Prodigy.

Remember playing Snake on the indestructible Nokia phone? In this version you’re not just a neon snake — you’re competing with other neon snakes for supremacy. This exciting gameplay makes it a real treat for kids who love some competition!

Beam across the field to eat the cubes that appear when another snake dies and grow longer. But don’t run into other snakes or else you’ll turn into cubes and have to respawn in your original size.

If you want to gain speed, slither alongside other neon snakes. This causes electrical impulses that give you speed which you can use to force other snakes to slither into you!

Play Powerline.io

In January 2001, developer Jagex released RuneScape, a point-and-click MMORPG set in the vast, medieval fantasy realm of Gielinor. Take part in over 200 quests while you explore a world filled with diverse races and guilds all seeking power.

You can choose the types of skills you want to train in: Combat, Artisan, Gathering, Support and Elite. As you level up, your skills will become more advanced which will ultimately help you complete your quests.

Play RuneScape

Simply use your arrow keys to steer and you’re off to the races! NoBrakes.io is a multiplayer racing game where you reach checkpoints to gain a competitive advantage with power-ups that boost your speed or slow others down.

Sounds simple, right? Yes, until you realize this race isn’t a conventional one. If you’re near the front of a line, for example, checkpoints can pop up behind you. So you need to be ready for anything!

You can play this multiplayer browser game on your PC or as a mobile game in the Apple or Android app stores. 

Play NoBrakes.io

This browser game invites you to explore a digital world from your — you guessed it — browser. Step into the shoes of a young warrior in search of friends, adventure and treasure.

Whether you defeat enemies alone or as a party is up to you. But don’t forget to collect the loot when you do! It will take you far in BrowserQuest.

Play BrowserQuest

Entrepreneur and developer Chris Benjaminsen created this real-time, multiplayer platform game. But the players are the ones who can build levels for others to try and complete.

Although you don’t compete directly with other players, they’re in-game creations can still indirectly affect you.

Since “everybody edits,” this unique browser game gives players two choices: 1) play the game or 2) play with the game.

Play Everybody Edits

AdventureQuest is a single-player RPG wherein you create a character, pick a class, and fight against hordes of monsters. Depending on your personality, you can choose to be a ninja, wizard, fighter, rogue, or paladin (to name just a few).

The AdventureQuest world is filled with magical powers, hundreds of items and over 700 monsters. Take part in dozens of quests! The more you win, the stronger your character gets and the more you progress.

Play AdventureQuest

Children and grown-ups alike love this online battle simulator. It’s like playing the Pokémon video games without having to put in the work. No waiting to rest or level up — you just jump straight into battle.

You can build a custom team if you have a preference for the Pokémon you want to use, or you can join a random one and battle with whatever you get. Instead of the goal to “catch ‘em all,” now you can beat ‘em all!

Play Pokémon Showdown

In November 1999, game designers Adam and Donna Powell released arguably one of the best browser games: Neopets. Neopets is a virtual pet website where players can own virtual pets and care for them using neocash.

20 years later, Neopets still exists and is active thanks to its beloved events, dailies, pet customization and community.

Play neopets

Remember playing pictionary or Draw Something? Similar to those games, you can sum up Gartic.io in three words: draw, guess, win. In this online drawing game, up to 10 people can play.

At the start of every round one person will randomly draw a word and draw it, while everyone else has to try and guess the word correctly.

Play Gartic.io

Jump into Slither.io, the new and improved Snake game, with millions of players around the world! As you probably know, the goal is to become the longest snake of the day. All you have to do to grow is get other slitherers to run into your body.

If you end up breaking the record for biggest snake that day, you get to leave a message on the screen for everyone who’s playing to see!

Play Slither.io

Big Bad Waffle is the game developer behind Isleward, a roguelike MMO that drops you into the city of Strathford. (A “roguelike” is a subgenre of role-playing video game characterized by a dungeon crawl.)

Strathford is where you can form a party of your own, learn how to level up and explore different islands. Together or alone, you’ll find yourself doing dungeon crawls in search of loot.

Play Isleward

Take a trip around the world, visiting faraway places with GeoGuessr. In this geographic browser game, you’re placed in a semi-random location and must discover where you are in the world. But you can only use visible “street view” clues to inform your guesses!

When ready to guess, you place a location marker on a map. Based on the accuracy of your guess, GeoGuessr will give you points on a scale from zero (direct opposite of where you actually are) to 5000 (within 150 meters of your actual location).

Play GeoGuessr

This classic arcade game goes back to 1981. Playing as the frog, your goal is to get from one side of the road and river to another — all while cars, trucks, logs, turtles and other obstructions move horizontally across the screen.

Depending on your settings, a level can start with three, five or seven lives (or, in this case, frogs). Want to progress? Successfully get all the frogs across safely to their homes.

Play Frogger Classic

Spelunky is a roguelike browser game that involves cave exploration and hunting for all the treasure you can find. What’s so amazing about this game is that every time you play, the cave’s layout is different. The longer you survive, the deeper you go and the more treasure you can find.

Play Spelunky

This online drawing game challenges players in a different way! In this game, Google gives you just 20 seconds to draw an object they mention. As you draw, Google’s AI is going to guess what the object is.

And did you know it’s also a science project? At the end of each game, Google will then add your drawings to its open-source dataset, which is used to help developers and researchers improve the capabilities of machine learning.

While there’s no pressure to win, it’s a fun, laidback game that encourages you to think on your feet.

Play Quick, Draw with Google

If you think Flappy Bird was frustrating, you’ve got to try Apple Worm. The goal is to get your worm to eat the apples and reach the portals without getting stuck in the obstacles or falling off the level.

It sounds simple, but the levels get trickier as you progress. Think you can help the worm eat the apple in all 30 levels?

Play Apple Worm

According to game creator Stephen Critoph, “This is The World’s Hardest Game. I guarantee you it is harder than any game you have ever played, or ever will play.”

In this game, you’re a red square that needs to get from point A to point B while collecting yellow circles along the way. With each level you pass (if you can pass them at all) they get harder and harder.

Play World's Hardest Game

Drawing inspiration from Snake and Slither.io, Hexar.io is a free-for-all multiplayer game. Your mission is to conquer and keep as much hexagonal territory as possible. But others are trying to do the same, so don’t trail too far from your territory or else you might lose it.

You should also avoid hitting your opponent’s head because that can result in having to start expanding all over again — and there’s only so much map space. Don’t forget to collect green circles to gain speed!

Play Hexar.io

To close, here’s a classic that can end in triumph or fury. The goal of Helicopter Game is to fly your helicopter as far as possible without crashing into the cavern’s floor, ceiling or obstacles.

No matter how far you’ve flown, if you crash you start again — from the beginning. Do you have the masterful control and patience to fly the farthest?

Play Helicopter Game

21. Line Rider

Line Rider is a sandbox game that encourages you to think creatively and have fun with some basic physics. Available on many browsers like Chrome, this game lets you draw lines that the main character, Bosh, will slide down on his sled once you press play. Think creatively about where you want to place lines, if Bosh has enough momentum he can even slide upwards. Be careful though, if he falls off, you'll have to start again.

Play Line Rider

This browser-based game took the world by storm in 2022. Released as a pet project, Wordle been played by over millions of players across the world – it’s even inspired similar spin-offs too (see one below).

Wordle is a simple game to pick up, but you’ll want to make sure you’re sharp on your vocabulary. You have six attempts to guess the word of the day. It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a quick brain break online.

Many regular players have come up with their own strategies. Some try to identify all the vowels possible, while others try to eliminate common letter combinations first.

Play Wordle

Just like Wordle, this brings the same daily challenge for players to guess correctly. But it comes with a twist, instead of guessing a word, you’ll be guessing a song.

Instead of eliminating letters in your guesses, you’ll get short snippets of a song to help you guess the answer. Now owned by Spotify, Heardle is perfect for a music fan and there’s a wide variety of songs played every week.

Play Heardle

Qwop is an unusual, challenging game that really tests your keyboarding skills.

In this game, your task is to make the athlete on your screen run a 100-meter race at the Olympics. The twist is that can only use the Q and W keys to control their thighs and the O and P keys to control their calves. It’s hilariously difficult to get right, but some gamers have worked it out!

Play QWOP

If you have a kid that loves sandbox games, Prodigy English is perfect for them.

In this new browser-based game, players create their own village by collecting and gathering resources. With these resources, they're able to craft, build and design their perfect space. And as a bonus, kids that play this game will also be practicing their reading and literacy skills – all while having fun.

Prodigy English is continually being updated with new content, like fishing and new pets! Parents can also get involved by making a parent account and following their child's learning progress.

Some of the best browser games that just missed our top 25

While not the best of the best when it comes to online games, we wanted to give a shoutout to some of the near-misses on our list. 

• Agario — A strategy game where you move your "blob" around a playground, then find food-like pellets to eat and grow it. As you grow you can consume other “blobs” and compete with others in a battle for size. 
• Google Dino Run — You’ve probably seen this Easter Egg hidden on Google Chrome’s “no internet” and error pages. You control a running T-rex and dodge the many obstacles that appear in this side-scroller.
• CATAN Universe — Play this popular board game or card game online via your web browser or the mobile app. Play against friends or as a single-player game against AI opponents. 
• TETRIS – This classic puzzle game really makes you think on your feet. Tetris is a great browser game for kids because it encourages them to understand how shapes fit together and is plenty of fun! See if they can make the leaderboard with a high score!
• Worldle – Similar to Geoguessr but with a Wordle-inspired format, this browser game asks players to guess the country based on its shape. While you'll get some help from a compass that tells you how far your guess is from the actual country, this game will really put your world map skills to the test!

Can playing the best browser games be a time-suck? It depends how much time you spend in front of your computer screen playing PC games.

That said, believe it or not, the list of best browser games you just scrolled through can have some surprising benefits. For example:

• Prodigy Math Game can help students have fun while practicing standards-aligned math
• Slither.io and Hexar.io can encourage strategic and creative thinking
• World’s Hardest Game might make you a more patient person (or not 😂)
• Apple Worm can improve your problem-solving skills, understanding of cause and effect, and spatial reasoning

Playing browser games isn’t necessarily time well wasted. In fact, they can be beneficial in more ways than one — and that applies to kids and grown-ups. So what do you say? Let’s play!

Join Prodigy Math for access to free teacher tools that make it easy to engage and motivate students. While students are exploring a world filled with epic quests, exciting pets and new rewards, you can send assignments, collect insights and keep their learning on track.

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