Back to Shetland Pony Isle
Peerie's shelf by the croft window

Eight croft-shelf browser games
for evenings that never quite get dark

When the summer sun barely sets and the wind keeps everyone indoors, Peerie reaches for the games on the croft shelf. Here are eight free browser games, from a peaceful medieval farm village and Greek island cities to modern world war, a Mesoamerican empire and riotous kart battles. Each one loads in an ordinary tab, and nearly all of them keep ticking over like a croft stove while you are out on the hill.

8games on Peerie's shelf
6also come as an official app
Freeto start, every one of them
My Little Farmies key art
Peerie's own favourite

My Little Farmies

Medieval village and farm life · Farm, town & zoo

A medieval farm village that grows through work rather than war. You plant the fields, run the workshops and turn raw harvests into finished wares for the villagers, and every new production chain opens up the next stretch of the settlement. There are no armies here at all, which makes it the gentlest game on the shelf and the closest to life on a croft.

Good for
Builders who would rather craft and harvest than fight anybody.
A usual sitting by the peat fire
A short round of harvesting, or a long afternoon of planning
Where you can play it
Desktop browser
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Keep the first fields planted before adding workshops.
  2. Follow one production chain from field to finished goods.
  3. Expand the village only when the workshops can keep up.
Play My Little Farmies freeOpens mylittlefarmies.upjers.com/en in a new tab

Seven more games along the croft shelf

Rise of Cultures key artFarm, town & zoo

Rise of Cultures

City building across the ages

One small settlement climbs out of the Stone Age towards the great cultures of the ancient world. You plan districts, keep the production chains fed and settle quarrels in turn-based battles, and each era hands you new buildings to fit in.

  • Brief check-ins through the day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Best for, and how to begin

Good for: Planners who enjoy watching a town change across many weeks.

Your first session
  1. Keep production running before decorating.
  2. Leave space for districts to expand.
  3. Find an alliance early for the events.
Play Rise of Cultures freeOpens riseofcultures.com
Grepolis key artStrategy & war

Grepolis

City-states of ancient Greece

A Greek city-state on a mythic Mediterranean island, waiting for you to raise it. Win the favour of the gods, build armies and fleets of warships, and spread from one island to the next as rival players do the same around you.

  • A handful of brief visits daily
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Best for, and how to begin

Good for: Fans of the ancient world who like a naval angle to their strategy.

Your first session
  1. Build up resources before recruiting heavily.
  2. Pick a god whose powers suit your plans.
  3. Learn which neighbours are active before sailing out.
Play Grepolis freeOpens us.grepolis.com
Tribal Wars key artStrategy & war

Tribal Wars

Classic medieval tribe strategy

A single medieval village is the seed of a tribe. You raise buildings and troops, band together with other players and compete for dominance across a world crowded with thousands of rivals, where alliances matter as much as armies.

  • A glance at the village between other things
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Best for, and how to begin

Good for: Competitive strategists in it for the long campaign.

Your first session
  1. Grow every resource building evenly.
  2. Defend the village early on.
  3. Join an active tribe and learn its rules.
Play Tribal Wars freeOpens en.tribalwars.net
Conflict of Nations key artStrategy & war

Conflict of Nations

Present-day grand strategy across a world map

Modern-era grand strategy played out in real time across a world map. You build up forces, forge coalitions with other players and think several moves ahead, because a campaign unfolds over days rather than minutes.

  • Regular check-ins as the map moves
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Best for, and how to begin

Good for: Patient grand strategists who enjoy diplomacy as much as tactics.

Your first session
  1. Study the map around your starting nation.
  2. Talk to neighbours before you build up the army.
  3. Plan your moves around the times you can check in.
Play Conflict of Nations freeOpens conflictnations.com
Tentlan key artStrategy & war

Tentlan

City strategy in Mesoamerica

A city rises in a Mesoamerican world of temples and jungle. You manage resources, form alliances and expand across a living map, and careful plans laid across several visits pay off far better than frantic tapping.

  • A few planning visits a day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Best for, and how to begin

Good for: Strategy readers who like to plan ahead between sessions.

Your first session
  1. Balance resources before expanding.
  2. Look for an alliance that matches your pace.
  3. Plan building queues before you log off.
Play Tentlan freeOpens int.tentlan.com
WildGuns key artStrategy & war

WildGuns

Frontier land-grab strategy

A frontier land grab where you choose one of three competing nations, each with strengths of its own. You raise a camp, gather raw materials and then build, trade and raid across ground that other players want just as badly.

  • Short camp visits through the day
  • Desktop browser
Best for, and how to begin

Good for: Strategists who fancy a western setting for a change.

Your first session
  1. Pick the nation whose strengths suit you.
  2. Keep raw materials flowing into the camp.
  3. Trade before you raid while the camp is small.
Play WildGuns freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/wildguns
Smash Karts key artAction & arcade

Smash Karts

Karts, arcade-style, with weapons

Pure arcade mayhem when the evening needs a jolt. You drive around an arena grabbing weapon crates, then fire rockets or scatter mines in the path of up to seven other drivers in matches that last about three minutes, unlocking new characters and karts as you go.

  • One three-minute match, or ten in a row
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Best for, and how to begin

Good for: Anyone who wants quick, silly action between longer games.

Your first session
  1. Learn the arena layout in your first few matches.
  2. Grab weapon crates before chasing other karts.
  3. Keep moving; standing still makes you a target.
Play Smash Karts freeOpens smashkarts.io

The croft shelf at a glance

Game for a long island eveningStyle of gameSpeed, croft or ferryWho you play alongside, near or farA usual sitting by the peat fireWhere you can play it
My Little FarmiesMedieval village and farm lifeCalm, at your own speedNeighbours in a shared worldA short round of harvesting, or a long afternoon of planningDesktop browser
Rise of CulturesCity building across the agesSteady real timeAlliances for timed eventsBrief check-ins through the dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
GrepolisCity-states of ancient GreeceReal time, island by islandAlliances across a shared seaA handful of brief visits dailyDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Tribal WarsClassic medieval tribe strategySlow and persistentTribes of thousands on one worldA glance at the village between other thingsDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Conflict of NationsPresent-day grand strategy across a world mapReal time, stretched over daysPlayers banding into coalitionsRegular check-ins as the map movesDesktop browser; mobile app also available
TentlanCity strategy in MesoamericaUnhurried, built over many visitsAlliances on a living mapA few planning visits a dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
WildGunsFrontier land-grab strategyReal time on contested groundA contest of three rival nationsShort camp visits through the dayDesktop browser
Smash KartsKarts, arcade-style, with weaponsFast three-minute matchesUp to seven rivals per arenaOne three-minute match, or ten in a rowDesktop browser; mobile app also available

What the eight cost: each is free to play, and each sells optional extras inside the game.

01

No toll at the cattle grid

Not one of the eight charges you to join, and every field, island and arena stays open to players who never spend.

Every studio keeps a shop on the side for speed-ups and trimmings. Plenty of veterans never set foot in it, and a family sharing one computer can normally block purchases from the account settings.

02

Setting out on a fresh game

Tap a button on this page and the studio's official site appears in a fresh tab. Sign up there with your email, and before long a farm, a city-state, a camp or a kart is yours.

Nearly every one starts with a guided opening. Stay with it to the end, as it shows you each menu and how the resources flow before leaving you to it.

03

Short visits and long evenings

Seven of the eight keep working while the tab is closed: fields ripen, fleets sail, coalitions move and building queues finish. Peeking in over breakfast and once more after supper keeps the whole shelf on track.

Spend the short visits gathering, filling queues and chatting to allies. Keep the long, bright evenings for weighty choices: a fresh island to settle, the jump to a new era, the next push of a coalition. Smash Karts is the exception: drop in for a match or two whenever you like.

04

Guarding your login like a peat stack

Your login lives with the studio behind that game, so type it only on the web address that studio gives out. Give every game its own password and switch on any two-step sign-in it offers.

Real studio staff will never want your password. A stranger dangling free premium currency for your login details is fishing for the account itself, so leave the message unanswered and report it.

Why these eight earned a place by the window

  • All eight load in the browser of a plain laptop or desktop, and none of them needs an installer first.
  • Signing up is free at every one, and the whole game stays playable for people who never spend anything.
  • Fields, cities and frontier camps carry on growing behind a closed tab, so even a peek between chores counts.
  • Studios with years behind them keep every one patched, which means friendly, settled crowds on each server.

Not a thing. A computer browser runs every game on the shelf, and six of the eight offer an official mobile app as an extra.

Joining and playing are free at every one of the eight, with the whole game available at no cost; any in-game purchase is left entirely up to you.

No, and nor did Shetland Pony Isle. Separate independent studios build and look after them, and every button here sends you to that game's own official site.

No. Each game belongs to a different studio, so you sign up with them one at a time, and every sign-up is free.

Rise of Cultures, Grepolis, Tribal Wars, Conflict of Nations, Tentlan and Smash Karts have official apps alongside the browser version. My Little Farmies and WildGuns are played in the browser, so a laptop or desktop is the natural home for them.

Smash Karts, with matches of about three minutes. My Little Farmies is the calmest choice, while Conflict of Nations and Tribal Wars reward longer planning.

Yes. Grepolis, Rise of Cultures and Tentlan have alliances, Tribal Wars has tribes, Conflict of Nations has coalitions, WildGuns splits players into three nations and Smash Karts fills each arena with rival drivers.