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When the saddles are hung up for the night

Eight games on the tack-room computer
between the saddle racks and the oat bins

Once the last wagon is rolled under the shed and the horses are rubbed down, Rawley hangs his brown hat on a saddle peg and sits down at the dusty computer in the tack room. It keeps eight free browser games: two farms, a zoo, a railway empire, a starship out among the stars, a jungle city of stepped temples, a fortress under siege and a realm of castles. Each one opens in a plain tab while the barn cats prowl the oat bins.

8games in the tack room
6also offer an optional phone app
3about fields, gardens and animals
My Free Farm 2 key art
Rawley's after-chores pick

My Free Farm 2

Farm of fields, livestock and processing sheds · Farm, town & zoo

After a day of real hay and cattle, Rawley still wants more farm. Fields get planted, livestock gets raised, and raw produce goes through processing sheds to come out as goods worth selling. Timers run on every crop, orders pile up, and your quarter of the countryside grows a field at a time, the way a good spread takes in the next quarter section once the fences are sound.

Good for
Players who like to tune a production loop until it hums.
Typical session
Short visits between growth timers, longer ones to plan
Where it runs
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Plant the quickest fields first.
  2. Feed a shed with raw produce before adding the next.
  3. Keep one eye on the standing orders.
Take a look at My Free Farm 2, freeOpens myfreefarm2.upjers.com/en in a new tab

Seven more on the shelf above the bridles

Molehill Empire 2 key artFarm, town & zoo

Molehill Empire 2

Garden plot of planting beds

Planting beds that want sowing, watering and picking at the right moment, because the orders will not fill themselves. Fresh crops and ornaments open up as the garden gets bigger, other gardeners swap produce with you, and a neat patch spreads out like the kitchen garden behind the cookhouse.

  • A handful of short watering visits daily
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits, and Rawley’s first tip

Good for: Anyone who enjoys short, frequent tending sessions.

Your first session
  1. Keep the first beds watered before you plant any more.
  2. Fill the easiest orders to grow the plot.
  3. Trade spare crops with other gardeners.
Play Molehill Empire 2 freeOpens molehillempire2.upjers.com/en
My Free Zoo key artFarm, town & zoo

My Free Zoo

Old-school zoo builder

Pens get mapped out, stocked with animals and kept spotless so the crowds go home smiling while the park creeps outward. Feeding rounds, breeding pairs and a lot of decorating make for a long, unhurried climb, and Rawley swears these pens are tidier than the cattle ones outside.

  • Calm visits to feed, breed and decorate
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits, and Rawley’s first tip

Good for: Players after a gentle zoo builder in the classic style.

Your first session
  1. Lay out a few enclosures before buying animals.
  2. Keep every pen fed and clean.
  3. Decorate paths as the park grows.
Play My Free Zoo freeOpens myfreezoo.upjers.com/en
Rail Nation key artBusiness & tycoon

Rail Nation

Railway tycoon race between rival players

Routes to lay, trains to run and towns to grow, all in a race with other players to rule the rails. Rawley picked it because the freight line past the foothills always makes him wonder who keeps the timetable.

  • Regular check-ins to keep trains moving
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits, and Rawley’s first tip

Good for: Fans of tycoon games who like a competitive economy.

Your first session
  1. Link two nearby towns with your first route.
  2. Add trains only where freight is waiting.
  3. Watch what rival lines are hauling.
Play Rail Nation freeOpens rail-nation.com
Tentlan key artStrategy & war

Tentlan

Mesoamerican city on a living map

A city to raise in a Mesoamerican world, resources to manage and alliances to form as you push out across a living map. It rewards slow, careful planning over hurried clicks, the same patience it takes to settle a nervous colt.

  • A handful of planning visits a day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits, and Rawley’s first tip

Good for: Strategists who like to plan a few moves ahead between visits.

Your first session
  1. Balance resources before you build high.
  2. Join an alliance early on.
  3. Scout the map before you expand.
Play Tentlan freeOpens int.tentlan.com
Combat Siege key artStrategy & war

Combat Siege

Fortress defence and siege planning

Defences to raise, sieges to plan and an alliance to coordinate with over repeated sessions. Walls come first and attacks come second, which suits Rawley, who always checks the corral posts before he lets the herd in.

  • Planned sittings with an alliance
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits, and Rawley’s first tip

Good for: Defensive tacticians who enjoy building strong walls.

Your first session
  1. Shore up your walls before you march on anyone.
  2. Plan each siege with your alliance.
  3. Repair after every clash.
Play Combat Siege freeOpens combatsiege.com
Lords & Knights key artStrategy & war

Lords & Knights

Medieval realm of castles in real time

Castles to build, resources to manage and wars to wage across a large real-time map. The realm grows one fortified hilltop at a time, a bit like the line of fence posts marching up every rise of the foothills.

  • Short checks through the day, longer ones for battles
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits, and Rawley’s first tip

Good for: Strategists who enjoy a long medieval campaign.

Your first session
  1. Get resource buildings working first.
  2. Find an active alliance.
  3. Keep troops at home before you march.
Play Lords & Knights freeOpens lordsandknights.com
DarkOrbit key artSpace & sci-fi

DarkOrbit

Long-running space MMO

The odd one on the shelf: take the helm of a ship, dig ore out of asteroids, trade shots with rivals from one sector to the next, and sign on with a company for huge fleet battles. Rawley plays it on clear nights, when the stars over the foothills are thick enough to fly through.

  • Sorties of any length
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits, and Rawley’s first tip

Good for: Fans of sci-fi MMOs who like ship upgrades.

Your first session
  1. Mine before you pick a fight.
  2. Put earnings into ship upgrades.
  3. Join a company for the big battles.
Play DarkOrbit freeOpens darkorbit.com

The tack-room eight at a glance

On the shelfBreed of gameHow fast it ridesOther ridersOne sitting on the porchSaddles up on
My Free Farm 2Farm of fields, livestock and processing shedsSteady, set by growth timersNeighbouring farmers and standing ordersShort visits between growth timers, longer ones to planDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Molehill Empire 2Garden plot of planting bedsGentle, little and oftenFellow gardeners to trade withA handful of short watering visits dailyDesktop browser; mobile app also available
My Free ZooOld-school zoo builderRelaxed, enclosure by enclosureOther park keepers on the same worldCalm visits to feed, breed and decorateDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Rail NationRailway tycoon race between rival playersPlanned, route by routeOther rail barons on one mapRegular check-ins to keep trains movingDesktop browser; mobile app also available
TentlanMesoamerican city on a living mapPatient, across many visitsAlliances spread over the mapA handful of planning visits a dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Combat SiegeFortress defence and siege planningDeliberate, session after sessionAlliances coordinating attacksPlanned sittings with an allianceDesktop browser
Lords & KnightsMedieval realm of castles in real timeOngoing, real-time mapLarge alliances at warShort checks through the day, longer ones for battlesDesktop browser; mobile app also available
DarkOrbitLong-running space MMOFast flights, long upgrade pathCompanies fighting large battlesSorties of any lengthDesktop browser

What the eight cost: nothing to play, though each has optional in-game purchases.

01

Not a cent at the tack-room door

Rawley has not paid for any of the eight, and the free versions still hold months of play: fields, beds, pens, rails, cities, walls, castles and starships are all there without spending.

Every studio keeps its own shop of premium currency, timer skips and cosmetic trinkets. Lots of long-haul players never buy a thing; if the family shares one computer, look in each studio account settings for a spending lock.

02

Your first evening at the tack-room desk

Every button further down opens the official page of that game in a fresh tab; sign up over there and your farm, garden, zoo, railway, city, fortress, realm or ship is waiting a minute later.

Nearly all of them start with a short tutorial. Click through every screen of it; the menus make sense far quicker than they would if you wandered in alone.

03

Worlds that keep working while the lights are off

Shutting the computer does not stop any of the eight. Crops ripen, animals get hungry, trains run their routes, troops train and sieges are fought while the tack room sits dark.

One look before the morning feed and one when the supper dishes are dry tends to cover it. The farms, garden and zoo like regular visits; the strategy games reward knowing when your alliance or company needs you.

04

Keep your logins as tidy as the bridle pegs

Sign in to a game only at the web address its own studio uses, and never reuse one password across two games. Where a studio offers a texted login code, say yes to it.

Real studio staff never want your password. Somebody dangling free premium currency in return is fishing for your account, so leave that one standing outside the gate.

Why these eight earned a peg in the tack room

  • Each one runs in a browser tab on the tack-room computer, so the evening starts the moment Rawley wipes the dust off the keyboard.
  • Not one of the eight charges for registration, and a player who never opens a studio shop can still reach the heart of every game.
  • The shelf stretches from fields, flower beds and animal pens to rail lines, a jungle city, a starship, a siege and a realm of castles.
  • Real people fill every world, so neighbours, alliances, rail rivals and fleet mates are never far away.

No. All eight work in a plain desktop browser tab, nothing else needed. Tentlan, Molehill Empire 2, My Free Farm 2, My Free Zoo, Rail Nation and Lords & Knights also offer an optional phone app; Combat Siege and DarkOrbit have no app listed and run in a browser tab.

No. Registering is free for every game on the shelf, and the core of each one plays fine without spending; extras are entirely up to you.

No. He only keeps the bookmarks in order. Each of the eight belongs to an independent studio that builds and runs it, and every button here simply points you to that game's official site.

No. Different studios stand behind them, so every game on the shelf asks for a registration of its own on its own site.

Molehill Empire 2 and My Free Zoo are the easiest to settle into. My Free Farm 2 and Rail Nation suit players who like running an economy, while Tentlan, Combat Siege and Lords & Knights reward working with an alliance.

Yes. Crops grow, trains run, troops train and battles finish while the computer is off, so look in at sensible times.

Yes. Molehill Empire 2 lets gardeners swap produce, the strategy games share one big map between all their players, and DarkOrbit has companies flying together.