Games to Play When Bored: 15 Free Browser Games
The best game to play when you're bored is one you can start right now: no download, no account, no 20-minute tutorial. Every game below is free and opens in a browser tab on a Chromebook, a PC, a Mac or a phone. They're sorted by the time you have, because a one-minute break and a free afternoon need different games.
Quick picks
| You have… | Play this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | Tap Burst | races last 5 to 30 seconds |
| 5 minutes | Block Drop | one game fits a short break, and it's calm |
| A brain that needs waking up | Matchstick Puzzle | 200 move-one-match brain teasers |
| Half an hour | Tiny Knight | a full adventure with five giant bosses |
| A friend next to you | Dot Box Duel | dots and boxes, two players on one screen |
| Nerves of steel | Silent Maze | a horror maze in total darkness |
If you have one minute
1. Tap Burst. Tap as fast as you can to pump up your balloon before the clock runs out. Races last 5 to 30 seconds, there are 18 animal rivals across three worlds, and there's a test of your own tap speed.
2. Stop the Clock. Tap to start a stopwatch and tap again to stop the hand inside the zone. Levels are 30 seconds long, there are 60 of them in six worlds, and a PERFECT stop feels great.
3. Microwave Master. Customers order a dish with a cook time, and you start and stop the microwave on the exact second. One kitchen day takes about a minute.
4. Capybara Stack. A calm capybara sits in a hot spring while you drop oranges, towels and snacks on its head. Tap at the right moment, build up to the goal line and keep it steady. Levels take a minute.
If you have five minutes
5. Block Drop. Drag blocks onto an 8 × 8 board and fill rows or columns to clear them. Play Classic for a high score or the Adventure, with 60 levels. It plays with just a mouse or a trackpad.
6. Matchstick Puzzle. Each level is a wrong sum or shape made of matches: move, add or remove matches to make it right. 200 levels, from easy one-move sums to three-move puzzles. Want to warm up first? Try our matchstick puzzles with answers.
7. Trap Castle. A platformer where nothing is what it seems: floors collapse, doors run away and chests bite. Rooms take a minute or two, and every death shows you the trick.
8. Skipstone. A 3D parkour obby: jump across obstacle courses with checkpoints, gems and par times. Courses take 30 seconds to 2 minutes, and there's a new Daily Run every day. New to obbies? Read what an obby is.
9. Robin Hood: Sherwood Archer. Draw the bow, follow the dotted line and hit targets, apples and guards, with the wind pushing your arrows. Levels last a minute or two.
If you have half an hour or more
10. Tiny Knight. The biggest adventure here: a knight with a cooking pot for a helmet, 15 stages in five kingdoms, and a giant boss at the end of each one, with a trap above every arena.
11. Bounce Ball. Roll, jump and transform a brave little ball across 60 levels and five worlds, with five giant boss battles.
12. Silent Maze. The maze is pitch dark. Ring your bell and an echo lights up the walls for a moment, but the creatures hear every ring. 60 levels across three areas, with lockers to hide in.
13. Drift Avenue. A 3D drifting game in an open city: slide through corners, chain drifts for a multiplier up to x5, and race rivals in 18 career events. Or just drive around in Free Ride. New to drifting? Read how to drift.
If a friend is next to you
14. Dot Box Duel. Dots and boxes, the notebook game: draw lines, close boxes and chain whole rows. Pass & Play lets two people play on one device. Learn the winning trick in our Dots and Boxes strategy guide.
15. Pétanque. The French boules game: roll, lob or shoot your boules closer to the jack than your rival's, first to 7 points. Play a friend on the same screen, or beat 24 rivals on four courts. Here are the rules of pétanque.
Also good for two on one screen: Stopwatch Duel, where both stopwatches start on GO and the one who stops closer to the target wins.
How we picked them
- They start in seconds. A browser tab, no download, no sign-up.
- They fit the time you have. Each game is listed with how long a round, a level or a run takes.
- They play with what you've got. Keyboard, mouse, trackpad or touch: every game here works on a laptop, and most on a phone too.
- They save on their own. Progress stays in your browser.
Questions
What can I play when I'm bored with no download?
Browser games. Every game on this page opens in a tab: Tap Burst or Stop the Clock for a minute, Block Drop or Matchstick Puzzle for five, Tiny Knight or Bounce Ball for longer.
What are good games to play when bored at school?
On a break, short games work best: Block Drop, Matchstick Puzzle, Capybara Stack or Stop the Clock. They're quiet, they play with a trackpad or keyboard, and a round fits a few minutes. See also our best Chromebook games.
What are games two people can play when bored?
Dot Box Duel, Pétanque and Stopwatch Duel all let two people play on one screen.
Are these games really free?
Yes. Every game on this list is free to play in the browser.
