Back to Prairie Bushel
Once the combines are parked

Eight games for the long
evenings after the harvest

When the last hopper car has rolled out and the elevator doors are shut for the night, Merle pulls a chair up to the kitchen computer. His eight free browser games run from a plain old farm of his own to a dinosaur park, island traders, a hockey club, medieval kingdoms and two galaxies. Each opens in a browser tab, and each can be started without paying anything.

8games on this page
0things to install first
2with a phone app on the side
My Free Farm key art
Merle's own pick

My Free Farm

Classic farming sim · Farm, town & zoo

A long-running, no-frills farm game in which you sow fields, raise animals and sell every harvest. Merle laughs that it is the only farm where the weather never turns, but the plain look hides a deep economy: the players who do well are the ones who plan their planting cycles as carefully as a real seeding season.

Good for
Anyone who would trade fancy graphics for a deeper farm ledger.
Typical session
Quick look-ins between chores
Where it runs
Desktop browser
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Sow a crop you can harvest the same evening to learn the rhythm.
  2. Add animals only once your fields cover their feed.
  3. Plan the next planting before you sell the current one.
Play My Free Farm freeOpens myfreefarm.com in a new tab

Seven more for nights when the elevators are shut

Dinosaur Park: Primeval Zoo key artFarm, town & zoo

Dinosaur Park: Primeval Zoo

Prehistoric zoo builder

Picture a zoo where the animals come out of fossils: you hatch dinosaurs, raise enclosures that suit each species and keep a growing park running while visitors stream through the gates. Research unlocks further species, so the park keeps changing the longer you look after it.

  • 15 to 30 minutes
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
What it suits & your first evening

Good for: Anyone who likes building a park more than fighting over one.

Your first session
  1. Hatch your first fossil and build an enclosure that fits it.
  2. Keep visitors happy before spending on rare species.
  3. Put research into new species once the park pays its way.
Play Dinosaur Park: Primeval Zoo freeOpens dinosaurparkprimevalzoo.upjers.com/en
Ikariam key artStrategy & war

Ikariam

Island trading strategy

An ancient Mediterranean strategy game where each island offers a single luxury good, which leaves every town needing its neighbours, much as a prairie farm needs the elevator. You run cargo routes between your own ports, research new ideas and besiege rival harbours, but trade usually decides who grows.

  • A few short check-ins a day
  • Desktop browser
What it suits & your first evening

Good for: Players who like economics to steer the warfare.

Your first session
  1. Learn which luxury your island yields before building anything grand.
  2. Get cargo moving between your own ports before you expand.
  3. Look for friendly neighbours before planning a siege.
Play Ikariam freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/ikariam
PowerPlay Manager key artSport & management

PowerPlay Manager

Multi-sport club manager

A sports manager that runs hockey, football, handball and basketball from a single account. You set line-ups and tactics against other human managers, draw up individual practice plans and upgrade the club's arena, which suits anyone who follows a rink all winter.

  • Short visits before each match day
  • Desktop browser
What it suits & your first evening

Good for: Managers who want more than one sport on their desk.

Your first session
  1. Pick one sport to learn the screens before adding another.
  2. Give young players a practice plan that suits their position.
  3. Spend on the arena once results start bringing in fans.
Play PowerPlay Manager freeOpens ppm.powerplaymanager.com/en
Throne: Kingdom at War key artStrategy & war

Throne: Kingdom at War

Medieval kingdom of sieges

A medieval strategy game where you raise production buildings, train several classes of troops and march on rival Lords. Once you belong to an Order, gathered materials become hero gear, and timed sieges settle who sits on the throne.

  • Daily visits, longer on siege days
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
What it suits & your first evening

Good for: Planners who enjoy scheduled, coordinated sieges.

Your first session
  1. Grow production before training a large army.
  2. Find an Order early; its veterans will shelter a young kingdom.
  3. Save resources for hero gear ahead of the next siege.
Play Throne: Kingdom at War freeOpens plarium.com/en/game/throne-kingdom-at-war
Hyperiums Reborn key artSpace & sci-fi

Hyperiums Reborn

Political space empire

A redesigned version of a space strategy veteran that has run since 2001. You grow planets, balance the economy against defence and take part in the diplomacy between alliances, across rounds that last for months at a time.

  • Short visits spread through a round
  • Desktop browser
What it suits & your first evening

Good for: Players who enjoy slow, political empire building.

Your first session
  1. Join near the start of a round so you begin level.
  2. Balance trade and defence on your first planets.
  3. Talk to an alliance before choosing any side.
Play Hyperiums Reborn freeOpens reborn.hyperiums.com
Astro Empires key artSpace & sci-fi

Astro Empires

Galactic strategy on one map

Your bases sit on planets and moons scattered over one map that every player shares. You expand an empire, build fleets and fight other commanders with a guild at your side, planning the larger wars together like a harvest crew planning a field.

  • Several brief check-ins a day
  • Desktop browser
What it suits & your first evening

Good for: Players who like a vast common map to divide up.

Your first session
  1. Settle your first bases close together.
  2. Build a small defensive fleet before reaching outward.
  3. Find a guild that plays during your evening hours.
Play Astro Empires freeOpens astroempires.com
Tanoth key artRole-play & adventure

Tanoth

Fantasy quest-board adventure

A fantasy adventure game built around jobs from a quest board that finish over real time. You raise attributes on each level-up, gather legendary gear from ruin crawls, duel for ranking and team up in guilds to face bosses.

  • Five-minute visits
  • Desktop browser
What it suits & your first evening

Good for: Players who want a light story game to check once or twice a day.

Your first session
  1. Take a quest before bed and collect the reward over breakfast.
  2. Put level-up points where your gear is weakest.
  3. Join a guild once the bosses start to bite back.
Play Tanoth freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/tanoth

All eight lined up like cars on the siding

Game on Merle’s listWhat kind of game Merle calls itHow quick the turns comeNeighbours you play besideA sitting after supperOpens in
My Free FarmClassic farming simPatient, crop by cropNeighbours trading on the same serverQuick look-ins between choresDesktop browser
Dinosaur Park: Primeval ZooPrehistoric zoo builderRelaxed and steadyA busy community around the park15 to 30 minutesDesktop browser; mobile app also available
IkariamIsland trading strategySlow and deliberateRival ports on shared islandsA few short check-ins a dayDesktop browser
PowerPlay ManagerMulti-sport club managerA match day at a timeLeagues of human managersShort visits before each match dayDesktop browser
Throne: Kingdom at WarMedieval kingdom of siegesTimed and organisedOrders that march togetherDaily visits, longer on siege daysDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Hyperiums RebornPolitical space empireRounds that last monthsAlliance diplomacyShort visits spread through a roundDesktop browser
Astro EmpiresGalactic strategy on one mapSteady, with guild warsGuilds fighting coordinated warsSeveral brief check-ins a dayDesktop browser
TanothFantasy quest-board adventureLight daily dipsGuilds for boss fightsFive-minute visitsDesktop browser

All 8 cost nothing to play; each offers optional in-game purchases.

01

Free through the farm gate

You can start every one of these without paying and carry on the same way; the farm, the park, the islands, the club, the kingdoms, the star maps and the quests all belong to the free version.

Their studios do offer paid extras, like premium currency, cosmetic items and timer skips. Lots of players never touch them, and where a family shares the farmhouse computer, purchases can often be turned off on the studio side.

02

Your first evening in a new game

Each button leads to the official home of its game in a separate tab. Expect a short sign-up there before your farm, park, island, club, castle, planet or hero turns up.

Almost every one opens with a guided first evening. Follow it through, because it shows you the menus and resources far faster than wandering around alone.

03

Games that keep working while you sleep

Crops ripen in My Free Farm, eggs hatch in Dinosaur Park, cargo sails in Ikariam and Tanoth quests run down overnight. Throne marches, Astro Empires fleets and Hyperiums planets keep moving too, so one visit with the morning coffee and one after the evening chores usually covers it.

PowerPlay Manager plays its matches on a schedule, so set your line-up before each match day. Hyperiums rounds last months, which makes the start of a new round the friendliest time to join.

04

Guard your sign-ins like the barn key

Treat each sign-in like the key to a different granary: type it only on that studio's own address, never via a link that turned up in a message. Give each its own password, and say yes to two-step login wherever a studio offers the choice.

No real helpdesk will ever ask for your password. When a stranger dangles free premium currency for your login details, it is the account they are after, so leave it unanswered.

Why Merle chose these eight

  • Every one starts in a desktop browser tab, so Merle can play between the weather report and bedtime without installing a thing.
  • Joining costs nothing, and each one can be played right through without ever opening the studio shop.
  • Most reward planning a season ahead, the way a farmer plans a crop, more than quick reflexes.
  • Each studio still keeps its servers running, so the fields, islands and star maps stay busy with real players.

No. Each of the eight opens in a desktop browser tab. Two have a phone app as an extra, Dinosaur Park: Primeval Zoo and Throne: Kingdom at War; My Free Farm, Ikariam, PowerPlay Manager, Hyperiums Reborn, Astro Empires and Tanoth are played in a desktop browser.

Not a cent to start. The full game of each is free, and anything in the studio shops is optional.

No. Merle only farms. Each game is the work of its own independent studio, and every button on this page goes to that studio's official site.

No. Eight separate studios mean eight separate registrations, one for each game.

My Free Farm, Dinosaur Park, Ikariam, Tanoth, Throne, Astro Empires and Hyperiums all carry on while you are away. PowerPlay Manager plays its matches on a schedule, so set the line-up beforehand.

My Free Farm or Dinosaur Park, if you would rather build than fight. Tanoth suits a few minutes a day, and Hyperiums is easiest to join when a fresh round begins.

Yes. Ikariam and Astro Empires put you on a map with other players, Throne is built around Orders, Tanoth and Astro Empires have guilds, Hyperiums runs on alliance diplomacy and PowerPlay Manager leagues are full of human managers.