Endless Runner Games: Types, Tips and Free Ones to Play
An endless runner is a game where your character runs forward on their own, and your only job is to keep them alive: jump over gaps, slide under obstacles, dodge enemies and grab coins. There's no finish line. The run goes on, usually getting faster, until you make a mistake, and your score is how far you got.
The controls are tiny, often one or two buttons, so anyone can start in a second. That's what makes endless runners perfect for a short break, a phone in one hand or a browser tab between two other things.
How an endless runner works
- Auto-run. The game moves you forward. You never press "go".
- A few actions. Jump, slide, switch lanes or attack: rarely more than three.
- Speed goes up. The longer you survive, the faster it gets.
- The world is built as you go. Obstacles are put together on the fly, so no two runs are exactly the same.
- Score = distance, plus coins, combos or missions.
- One more go. A run lasts seconds to a few minutes, and restarting is instant.
The four main types
| Type | How you play | Classic example |
|---|---|---|
| One-button runner | the character runs sideways; you only jump | Canabalt, the Chrome dinosaur game |
| Lane runner | the camera is behind you; you swipe left, right, up and down across three lanes | Temple Run, Subway Surfers |
| Flying runner | hold to fly up, let go to fall | Jetpack Joyride |
| Action runner | jumping plus attacks, enemies and bosses | Tiny Knight Run |
A very short history
- 2009: Canabalt. A free browser game by Adam Saltsman. A man runs across rooftops and you press one key to jump. It's widely seen as the game that made the genre popular.
- 2011: Jetpack Joyride and Temple Run. One took the idea into the air; the other moved the camera behind the runner and added swipes. Temple Run became one of the most downloaded phone games of its time.
- 2012: Subway Surfers. The lane runner with trains, hoverboards and a grumpy inspector. In 2018 it became the first game to pass a billion downloads on Google Play.
- 2014: the Chrome dinosaur. Google Chrome added a tiny T-rex runner to its "No internet" page, and it became one of the most played games in the world.
Today endless runners are everywhere, and the browser is where the genre started.
Tips that work in every endless runner
- Look ahead, not at your character. Your eyes should be on the next obstacle, about a third of the screen in front.
- Jump late, not early. Most runs end because a jump was pressed too soon and the character landed on the obstacle.
- Ignore coins that cost you a risk. Distance is the score. A coin is never worth a lost run.
- Learn the rhythm. Obstacles come in patterns. After a few runs you'll start to read them before they arrive.
- Short sessions, more focus. Speed goes up and so does your heart rate. Three focused runs beat twenty tired ones.
Play a free endless runner in your browser
Tiny Knight Run is a free endless runner on SalutGames. It runs in a browser tab on a Chromebook, a PC or a phone, with no download and no sign-up.
The tiny knight runs on his own: you jump and you slash. Hold the jump to go higher and tap again in the air to double jump, slash in the air for a spin attack, and land on enemies to stomp them (not the spiky ones). You have three hearts, and a Revive Feather can save a run. Across five kingdoms, a boss chases you: dodge three of its attacks, then slash the lever to drop a trap on it and run on. Along the way there are power-ups, a goat to ride, missions to finish and 12 silly helmets to collect.
Controls: Space, ↑ or W to jump; X, J or → to slash. On a phone, tap the left half of the screen to jump and the right half to slash. A run lasts two to five minutes.
More games with the same feel
These aren't classic endless runners, but they share the "keep going as far as you can" idea, and they're free in the browser too:
- MadDrive: a 2D physics driving game. Its Mad Run mode is about how far you get with the Mega Crusher on your tail.
- One Tap Hero: the hero runs around a round arena on their own, and one button makes them jump over a boss's attacks.
- Skipstone: a 3D parkour obby whose Endless Climb mode asks how high you can get above a rising sea.
You'll find more in our quick games and arcade games.
Questions
What was the first endless runner?
There were auto-scrolling games long before, but Canabalt (2009) is usually credited with starting the endless runner genre as we know it.
Why are endless runners so addictive?
Each run is short, restarting is instant, and you can always see how close you were to your best. That loop makes "one more go" very easy.
Do endless runners really never end?
Most do keep going until you lose. Some, like Tiny Knight Run, add stages, bosses or missions so a run also feels like progress.
Can I play an endless runner on a Chromebook?
Yes. Tiny Knight Run plays in a Chrome tab with the keyboard, and on a touchscreen with taps.
