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When the harvest is hung to dry

Eight games on the barn desk
while the bundles dry in the rafters

Once the last bundles are hung head-down from the rafters, Violette pulls a stool up to the old desk at the back of the drying barn. Its bookmarks hold eight free browser games: a second farm on screen, a zoo, a football club, two empires among the stars, a medieval village, a frontier camp and a moonlit feud between vampires and werewolves. Every one opens in a plain browser tab, with nothing to install beforehand.

8games bookmarked in the barn
5with an optional phone app as well
3played in a browser tab alone
My Free Farm 2 key art
Violette's barn-desk pick

My Free Farm 2

Crop fields, herds and workshop sheds · Farm, town & zoo

A farm built from planted fields, livestock and sheds where raw produce is turned into goods to sell on. Growth timers and standing orders keep you planning a step ahead, and the patch of country you work keeps widening as the seasons pass. It is the closest thing on the desk to Violette's own day out in the rows.

Good for
Players who enjoy tuning a production loop until it hums.
Typical session
A few short visits a day, timed to the harvest
Where it runs
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Plant fields you can harvest before you log off for the night.
  2. Link one processing shed to a crop you already grow.
  3. Fill standing orders early, before expanding the land.
Head over to My Free Farm 2, freeOpens myfreefarm2.upjers.com/en in a new tab

Seven more hung up beside it

Zoo 2: Animal Park key artFarm, town & zoo

Zoo 2: Animal Park

Animal park to grow and tend

Breed animals, give each species a proper home and keep the crowds fed while the park spreads outward pen by pen. Care rounds, decorating and a steady flow of unlocks set a calm rhythm that suits a slow evening in the barn.

  • A quarter of an hour, twice a day or so
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & your first evening with it

Good for: Players who like looking after something living over many visits.

Your first session
  1. Settle the first animals well before adding new enclosures.
  2. Put food stands close to the paths.
  3. Decorate a little each visit so the park stays pleasant.
Head over to Zoo 2: Animal Park, freeOpens zoo2animalpark.upjers.com/en
Online Soccer Manager key artSport & management

Online Soccer Manager

Licensed-club football bench

Take over a real licensed club, settle on a shape and a match plan for each opponent, then deal in the transfer market and send scouts after young players. The leagues are full of other human managers, and a fresh season can be under way within minutes.

  • A quick look before each match
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & your first evening with it

Good for: Football fans who want to start a season tonight.

Your first session
  1. Start with a club whose players you can already name.
  2. Set tactics for the next opponent rather than one plan for all.
  3. Scout before spending on the transfer market.
Play Online Soccer Manager freeOpens en.onlinesoccermanager.com
Tribal Wars 2 key artStrategy & war

Tribal Wars 2

Village-taking medieval war

Raise a medieval village, train an army and win land from the villages around you in a world that keeps running for months. Tribes plan their attacks together across the whole map, so the allies you find in the first weeks matter a great deal later on.

  • Daily check-ins, with the odd long night of attacks
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & your first evening with it

Good for: Competitive players willing to see one long world through.

Your first session
  1. Raise your resource buildings first; the barracks can wait.
  2. Join an active tribe in your first week.
  3. Keep watch on the villages closest to yours.
Play Tribal Wars 2 freeOpens tribalwars2.com
WildGuns key artStrategy & war

WildGuns

Wild West territory strategy

Side with one of three rival frontier nations, each strong in its own way, and put up a camp on open country. From there you gather raw materials, put up buildings, trade and stage raids over land that other players want every bit as badly as you do.

  • Short visits to keep the camp busy
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & your first evening with it

Good for: Strategy players who want a western setting.

Your first session
  1. Read what each nation is good at before you choose.
  2. Keep materials flowing before you raid anyone.
  3. Trade surplus rather than letting it sit.
Play WildGuns freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/wildguns
OGame key artSpace & sci-fi

OGame

Veteran galaxy empire

Mines, research trees and fleets that need real hours to reach their target. Ships can be caught while they travel, so old hands scout before every move and keep their fleets safe when they log off. Each decision has weight, which is exactly why its fans keep returning.

  • Brief visits timed around flight arrivals
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & your first evening with it

Good for: Patient strategists who like real consequences.

Your first session
  1. Put the mines first, ahead of everything else.
  2. Look at a target closely before a fleet leaves.
  3. Never leave a fleet sitting idle when you log off.
Play OGame freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/ogame
Nemexia key artSpace & sci-fi

Nemexia

Colony strategy in set rounds

Played in rounds on several servers. You grow a colony's mines and production, research new technology, build fleets and send raids at enemy planets to haul off resources, an alliance backing you, knowing every round ends and a new one begins on level ground.

  • Short daily visits through a round
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & your first evening with it

Good for: Players who want a round with a clear finish.

Your first session
  1. Balance mines and production from day one.
  2. Find an alliance before the first raids.
  3. Plan for the end of the round, not just tomorrow.
Play Nemexia freeOpens nemexia.2axion.com
BiteFight key artRole-play & adventure

BiteFight

Fangs-and-fur gothic role-play

Pick a side in the long night war of vampires against werewolves. Timed hunting trips make you stronger, you take on players from the opposing side face to face, and a lasting ranking records how high your creature has climbed.

  • A hunt or two before bed
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & your first evening with it

Good for: Players after a darker, simpler role-play game.

Your first session
  1. Pick your side; it shapes the whole game.
  2. Send out timed hunts whenever you log in.
  3. Pick fights with players near your level.
Play BiteFight freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/bitefight

All eight laid out on the barn desk

Game on Violette’s listGame typeHow quick it movesPlaying alongside other people onlineLength of a usual eveningDevices it runs on
My Free Farm 2Crop fields, herds and workshop shedsGentle, set by the crop timersNeighbouring farmers on each serverA few short visits a day, timed to the harvestDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Zoo 2: Animal ParkAnimal park to grow and tendLeisurely, pen after penFellow park keepers sharing a serverA quarter of an hour, twice a day or soDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Online Soccer ManagerLicensed-club football benchPaced by the fixture listLeagues of real managersA quick look before each matchDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Tribal Wars 2Village-taking medieval warA slow burn lasting monthsTribes timing attacks as oneDaily check-ins, with the odd long night of attacksDesktop browser; mobile app also available
WildGunsWild West territory strategySteady, camp before conflictThree nations fighting over landShort visits to keep the camp busyDesktop browser
OGameVeteran galaxy empirePatient, counted in flight hoursAlliances spread across the galaxyBrief visits timed around flight arrivalsDesktop browser; mobile app also available
NemexiaColony strategy in set roundsRounds that run to an endAllied raiders sharing targetsShort daily visits through a roundDesktop browser
BiteFightFangs-and-fur gothic role-playBrief timed outingsOpponents from the other side to duelA hunt or two before bedDesktop browser

What all 8 cost: free to play, with optional in-game purchases.

01

Free from the first row

Each game here can be joined for nothing and played for months: fields, enclosures, matches, villages, camps, fleets, colonies and hunts all come in the free version.

Next to the free game, each studio runs an optional store: premium currency, sped-up timers, outfits and other trimmings. Plenty of long-time players have never once opened it, and on a shared household machine the account settings can usually lock spending away.

02

The first evening at the desk

The buttons here each open a game's own official website in a new browser tab. A brief sign-up usually follows there, and a minute or two later your farm, zoo, club, village, camp, empire or creature of the night is waiting.

Almost all of them start with a guided introduction. Follow it to the end; you will learn the menus far faster than by wandering about alone.

03

Games that keep growing while you are out in the rows

All eight keep moving while your back is turned: crops come ready, fixtures get played, armies march on and fleets stay in the air. A look with the morning coffee and another after supper is usually plenty.

The space empires reward care here, because a fleet in flight can be caught by others. Time your long trips for when you know you will be back.

04

Barring the barn door on your logins

Your logins live with the studios that run each game, so only ever type one in at that studio's genuine address. Use a different password per title, the way Violette keeps a separate key for each barn, and where a studio lets you bolt on a code from your phone, bolt it on.

Nobody genuine from a game studio will ever want your password. When a stranger in chat offers free premium currency for your login details, your account is the real target, so walk away.

Why these eight made the barn desk

  • Each of them starts in an ordinary computer browser, so an evening in the barn begins without any setup.
  • Joining is free, and the heart of every game is there for players who would rather leave the store alone.
  • The moods range widely: a farm, a zoo, a football bench, a medieval village, a frontier camp, two star empires and a gothic feud.
  • Every studio keeps its servers busy, so tribes, alliances and leagues are run by real people at the other end.

No. Every game on the barn desk loads in a desktop browser as it is. My Free Farm 2, Zoo 2: Animal Park, Online Soccer Manager, Tribal Wars 2 and OGame also offer an optional mobile app; WildGuns, Nemexia and BiteFight are played in a computer browser.

No. Every one is free to join, and the core game can be played without paying; extras are only ever your own choice.

No. Outside studios build and host all eight, and every button here simply takes you to the official site.

No. Several separate studios make them, so you register with each game on its own site.

My Free Farm 2 or Zoo 2: Animal Park, both built on calm care rounds. OGame and Tribal Wars 2 ask the most patience and planning.

All eight do. Crops grow, fixtures are played, armies march and fleets travel with the tab closed, so drop back in at sensible times.

Yes. Tribal Wars 2 has tribes, OGame and Nemexia have alliances, Online Soccer Manager has leagues of human managers, and WildGuns and BiteFight put you up against other players.