Back to Kelp Moorings
When the fog shuts the floatplane run

Eight games for the float home desk
while rain drums on the cedar roof

Some nights the cloud sits so low on the cove that no floatplane leaves the dock, and Skookum lights the lamp in the float home office instead. On his desk are eight free browser games: an airline plotted across real airports, a hockey and basketball bench, a zoo, a factory economy, a tank garage and two empires that rise over centuries. Every one of them loads straight into a browser tab, and no installer ever comes aboard.

8games bookmarked on the dock desk
6also offered as a phone app
2kept to a browser tab alone
Airlines Manager: Tycoon key art
Skookum's flight-desk pick

Airlines Manager: Tycoon

Airline company tycoon · Business & tycoon

You found a carrier among real airports on a live world map and decide which routes are worth flying. Each aircraft has to suit the demand on its route, the fleet is paid for with bank loans, and research projects plus cabin services shape what every seat can fetch. It rewards anyone who enjoys watching a network grow from one modest hop.

Good for
Planners who like a number behind every route they open.
Length of a usual sitting
Short check-ins, plus longer evenings redrawing the network
Where it will run
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Open a few short routes from your home airport before trying long hauls.
  2. Match each aircraft to the demand on its route instead of buying the biggest jet.
  3. Keep the bank loans small until the first routes pay their way.
Play Airlines Manager: Tycoon freeOpens airlines-manager.com in a new tab

Seven more tied up along the boardwalk

PowerPlay Manager key artSport & management

PowerPlay Manager

Hockey and multi-sport manager

Hockey sits beside football, handball and basketball here, all run from a single account. Line-ups and tactics are set against other human managers, you write practice plans for individual players and spend on the arena as the club grows.

  • A few minutes before each fixture
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & where to begin

Good for: Hockey fans who would also like a second or third sport on the go.

Your first session
  1. Start with the sport you know best before adding another.
  2. Give every key player a practice plan rather than training the whole roster the same way.
  3. Upgrade the arena in small steps the budget can carry.
Play PowerPlay Manager freeOpens ppm.powerplaymanager.com/en
BuzzerBeater key artSport & management

BuzzerBeater

Basketball front-office sim

Here you are the general manager rather than a player. You order the depth chart, pick a formation for attack and another for defence, and build the roster through the draft, trades and training; every game then unfolds in a live match viewer.

  • Brief visits, longer on game days
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & where to begin

Good for: Hoops fans who want the general manager's desk instead of a spot on the court.

Your first session
  1. Read your depth chart before the first game and fix any gaps.
  2. Pick one offensive and one defensive formation and give them time to work.
  3. Train with the coming season in mind, not only the next game.
Play BuzzerBeater freeOpens buzzerbeater.com
Khan Wars key artStrategy & war

Khan Wars

Twelve-nation medieval war game

Twelve medieval nations are on offer, and each one has its own bent, whether that is economy, combat or trade. Up to 28 unit types fill the barracks, build up your lands and team up in a guild to storm citadels and keep land on a map shared with other players.

  • Short daily visits with the odd long siege night
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & where to begin

Good for: Players happy to pledge to one banner for the long haul.

Your first session
  1. Read each nation's bonus before you commit to one.
  2. Build your economy first so the army has something to stand on.
  3. Look for an active guild before the first citadel siege.
Play Khan Wars freeOpens khanwars.com
Rise of Cultures key artFarm, town & zoo

Rise of Cultures

City-builder across the ages

One settlement carries you through great ancient cultures, from Classic Greece and Egypt to the Chinese and Roman empires. Districts are planned by you, production chains need constant feeding, and tactical battles decide each step from one era to the next.

  • A cocoa's worth, 15 to 30 minutes
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & where to begin

Good for: Builders who enjoy seeing a town change shape over centuries.

Your first session
  1. Lay out districts with room to grow before squeezing in extras.
  2. Keep every production chain supplied so nothing stalls.
  3. Prepare troops before the battle that unlocks the next era.
Play Rise of Cultures freeOpens riseofcultures.com
Zoo 2: Animal Park key artFarm, town & zoo

Zoo 2: Animal Park

Zoo park builder

A zoo of your own, grown one enclosure at a time. Animals are bred and given homes, the crowds need food and a good day out, and new space unlocks as the park expands, with care rounds and decorating giving it a slow, peaceful rhythm.

  • 10 to 20 minutes, a few times a day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & where to begin

Good for: Players who like tending a living park over many short visits.

Your first session
  1. Look after the first animals well before building more enclosures.
  2. Keep food stands near the paths so visitors stay content.
  3. Decorate as you go; a tidy park is a pleasure to come back to.
Play Zoo 2: Animal Park freeOpens zoo2animalpark.upjers.com/en
Kapilands key artBusiness & tycoon

Kapilands

Production and market economy

A deep economy game built on production chains, factories and a market run by real players. You buy raw materials, manufacture goods and set prices against rival firms, so careful sums matter far more than graphics.

  • Short visits to check prices and production
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & where to begin

Good for: Players who enjoy a spreadsheet more than a cutscene.

Your first session
  1. Begin with one simple product and learn its chain end to end.
  2. Watch the market for a while before setting your own prices.
  3. Reinvest steadily instead of building every factory at once.
Play Kapilands freeOpens kapilands.com
Tanki Online key artAction & arcade

Tanki Online

Hull-and-turret tank arena

A browser tank battler where you build a machine in the garage by pairing interchangeable hulls and turrets, then upgrade it with what each fight earns. Ranks unlock stronger gear across deathmatch and capture modes.

  • Three or so battles
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & where to begin

Good for: Players who want quick tank combat the moment the tab loads.

Your first session
  1. Try several hull and turret pairs before upgrading one.
  2. Stay close to teammates in capture modes while you learn the maps.
  3. Spend battle earnings on the parts you actually use.
Play Tanki Online freeOpens tankionline.com/en

All eight tied up side by side at the dock

Game on the noticeboardGenre on the noticeboardHow fast it runsCrew you play besideLength of a usual sittingWhere it will run
Airlines Manager: TycoonAirline company tycoonMeasured, decision by decisionOther airlines competing on the same mapShort check-ins, plus longer evenings redrawing the networkDesktop browser; mobile app also available
PowerPlay ManagerHockey and multi-sport managerFixtures on a set scheduleHuman rivals behind every benchA few minutes before each fixtureDesktop browser
BuzzerBeaterBasketball front-office simGames on a weekly calendarHuman leagues plus national cupsBrief visits, longer on game daysDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Khan WarsTwelve-nation medieval war gameLong, steady campaignGuild sieges on shared citadelsShort daily visits with the odd long siege nightDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Rise of CulturesCity-builder across the agesCalm, era by eraNeighbouring builders on every serverA cocoa's worth, 15 to 30 minutesDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Zoo 2: Animal ParkZoo park builderSlow as a low tideOther keepers on the same servers10 to 20 minutes, a few times a dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
KapilandsProduction and market economyPatient and numbers-heavyRival firms run by real peopleShort visits to check prices and productionDesktop browser
Tanki OnlineHull-and-turret tank arenaQuick and thunderousLive squads in team modesThree or so battlesDesktop browser; mobile app also available

What all 8 cost: nothing to start, with optional extras sold inside each game.

01

Free from the first mooring line

Every game here lets you sign up for nothing and keep going for seasons: routes, line-ups, rosters, sieges, eras, enclosures, factories and tank matches all come with the free version.

Each studio also runs an optional shop for extras such as premium currency, faster timers or cosmetics. Plenty of regulars never open it, and on a computer the whole household uses, the account settings can often switch purchases off.

02

Pushing off on the first evening

Each button on this page opens the game's official website in a new tab. Most of them ask for a short registration there, after which your airline, club, nation, settlement, zoo, firm or tank is ready within a minute or two.

Nearly every one begins with a guided introduction. Paddle all the way through; you learn the menus and resources far faster than by drifting around alone.

03

Games that keep moving while you paddle

The airline, the hockey and basketball benches, the empires, the zoo and the factory town keep ticking along while your kayak is out: fixtures get played, buildings finish and markets shift. Checking in over morning coffee and again once the supper dishes dry tends to cover it.

Tanki Online is the exception, since every match is played live and wraps up within minutes. Keep it for a short gap in the evening, and keep longer evenings for the big decisions in the slower games.

04

Locking the float home door on your logins

Logins belong to the studio behind each game, so enter yours only at that studio's real address. Bolt the door with a different password for each title and add two-step verification on any game whose studio supports it.

No real support team ever needs your password. If someone in a chat offers free premium currency for your sign-in, the account is what they want; ignore them.

Why these eight earned a mooring

  • Every one of them loads in an everyday computer browser, so a wet evening can start without any setup at all.
  • Joining costs nothing, and the heart of every game is open to people who leave its store unopened for good.
  • There is a real spread of moods: front-office sport, slow-growing empires, a zoo, two balance-sheet games and loud tank duels.
  • Their studios keep running live servers, so leagues, guilds and markets are full of other real players.

No. All eight run in a desktop browser. BuzzerBeater, Khan Wars, Rise of Cultures, Tanki Online, Zoo 2: Animal Park and Airlines Manager: Tycoon also have an optional mobile app; PowerPlay Manager and Kapilands are played in a computer browser.

No. Each is free to join, and the full core can be played for nothing; buying extras is only ever your own call.

No. Outside studios design and host all eight, and every button on this page just carries you over to the official site.

No. Eight titles means several different studios, and every one wants you to register with it directly.

Airlines Manager: Tycoon, PowerPlay Manager, BuzzerBeater, Khan Wars, Rise of Cultures, Zoo 2: Animal Park and Kapilands all keep moving. Tanki Online stops the moment you leave a battle.

Zoo 2: Animal Park, with its slow care rounds, or Rise of Cultures if you prefer building a town through the ages. Tanki Online is the fastest and noisiest of the eight.

Yes. PowerPlay Manager and BuzzerBeater have leagues of human managers, Khan Wars has guilds, Tanki Online has live team matches, and Kapilands and Airlines Manager: Tycoon pit you against other players' companies.