Back to Windup Attic
When the workbench lamp goes out

Eight bookmarks on an attic laptop
for a mouse who cannot sleep

Once the tin robots are lined up in their box and the music boxes are shut for the night, Wimble pulls a stool up to an old laptop under the skylight. Her eight bookmarks stretch from a garage-built tank battler and two very different star wars to a farm, an ancient city, a soccer club and a vampire feud. Every one opens in a browser tab, and none of them charges a thing to begin.

8games on this page
0downloads required
2with an optional phone app
Tanki Online key art
Wimble's garage favourite

Tanki Online

Garage-built tank battler · Action & arcade

A tank battler that begins in a garage, which is exactly why Wimble likes it. You pair a hull with a turret, swap either part whenever the mood strikes, and pay for upgrades with what each battle earns. Rank tiers unlock sturdier parts as you climb, and the matches range from free-for-all deathmatch to team capture modes.

Good for
Tinkerers who want to bolt a machine together and roll it straight into a fight.
Typical session
10 to 20 minutes a round
Where it runs
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Try a few hull and turret pairings before saving up for one.
  2. Stay close to teammates in your first capture matches.
  3. Spend early earnings on the part you use most, not on everything at once.
Play Tanki Online freeOpens tankionline.com/en in a new tab

Seven more for the long walk past the rafters

DarkOrbit key artSpace & sci-fi

DarkOrbit

Long-running space MMO

A veteran space MMO where you pilot a single ship through a galaxy shared with other players. You mine, fight and upgrade between sectors, and in time you join a company whose members take part in large battles across the map.

  • Half an hour or longer
  • Desktop browser
Good for & first steps

Good for: Pilots who want a big shared galaxy and a crew to fly with.

Your first session
  1. Mine and trade in safe sectors before flying into contested space.
  2. Put early upgrades into your ship rather than spreading them thin.
  3. Look for an active company once the controls feel natural.
Play DarkOrbit freeOpens darkorbit.com
Planetarion key artSpace & sci-fi

Planetarion

Round-based fleet war

A long-standing space war played in rounds of roughly two months, each with a clear finish. You choose one of five races, build fleets and lean on alliance politics, and because every round ends, a newcomer starts level with everyone else instead of years behind.

  • Short daily check-ins, more at key moments
  • Desktop browser
Good for & first steps

Good for: Planners who like a war with a finish line.

Your first session
  1. Read up on all five races before the round begins.
  2. Join an alliance early and ask how it coordinates.
  3. Plan fleet growth around the length of the round.
Play Planetarion freeOpens planetarion.com
Rise of Cultures key artFarm, town & zoo

Rise of Cultures

City builder through ancient cultures

A city builder in which a single settlement lives through one great ancient culture after another, Greek, Egyptian, Chinese and Roman among them. You plan districts, keep workshops supplied along their production chains and win planned battles against the game to move on to the next era.

  • 15 to 30 minutes
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Good for & first steps

Good for: Builders who enjoy watching a city change its whole look over time.

Your first session
  1. Lay out districts with room to grow before filling every square.
  2. Keep the first production chains running without gaps.
  3. Prepare troops before the battle that opens the next era.
Play Rise of Cultures freeOpens riseofcultures.com
My Free Farm key artFarm, town & zoo

My Free Farm

Classic farming sim

A veteran, plain-looking farm game: you sow, tend livestock and take every crop to market. Behind its plain screens sits a deep economy, and it rewards farmers who map out what to sow several days before the fields fall empty.

  • Short visits a few times a day
  • Desktop browser
Good for & first steps

Good for: Players who care more about depth than decoration.

Your first session
  1. Plant crops that will ripen before your next visit.
  2. Add animals once the fields keep themselves busy.
  3. Watch what sells well before expanding a crop.
Play My Free Farm freeOpens myfreefarm.com
War Commander key artStrategy & war

War Commander

Base builder where your clicks steer every raid

Modern armour and a base to defend, with one difference Wimble admires: during a raid your own clicks move each tank and foot squad, instead of the battle sorting itself out. When the dust settles you patch the walls, shuffle the turrets into a new pattern and pick up blueprints from events that only run for a while.

  • Around half an hour
  • Desktop browser
Good for & first steps

Good for: Strategists who want their own paws on the controls.

Your first session
  1. Set walls and turrets before your base gets noticed.
  2. Practise steering units against easy targets first.
  3. Check the events calendar for useful blueprints.
Play War Commander freeOpens kixeye.com/game/warcommander/home
BiteFight key artRole-play & adventure

BiteFight

Gothic vampire-and-werewolf RPG

Gothic horror in a browser: you pick a side in a long feud between vampires and werewolves. Your character heads out on timed hunts to gain strength, picks fights with real players from the rival camp and works up a ranking that carries on season after season.

  • A few quick visits a day
  • Desktop browser
Good for & first steps

Good for: Night owls who like their adventures dark and uncomplicated.

Your first session
  1. Pick your side carefully, since the feud defines the game.
  2. Fit hunts to the time you have before your next visit.
  3. Grow stronger before challenging other players.
Play BiteFight freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/bitefight
Trophy Manager key artSport & management

Trophy Manager

Soccer club manager

A soccer manager that lets you watch matches live or replay them, with detailed instructions you set for the team. You balance the budget on the transfer market, give each player a training programme, and once every two years the door opens to manage a national team.

  • Short visits, longer on match days
  • Desktop browser
Good for & first steps

Good for: Managers who want fine control of tactics and training.

Your first session
  1. Set training programmes for every player straight away.
  2. Spend carefully on the transfer market in your first season.
  3. Watch a match live to see how your instructions play out.
Play Trophy Manager freeOpens trophymanager.com/uk

All eight laid out on the workbench side by side

Bookmark in Wimble’s listSort of game, in a wordPace of the clockworkWho else is on the serverA sitting, start to stopRuns in
Tanki OnlineGarage-built tank battlerFast, loud team roundsLive battles against other players10 to 20 minutes a roundDesktop browser; mobile app also available
DarkOrbitLong-running space MMOSteady flying, sudden firefightsCompanies that fight large battles togetherHalf an hour or longerDesktop browser
PlanetarionRound-based fleet warSlow, calculated turnsAlliances with plenty of politicsShort daily check-ins, more at key momentsDesktop browser
Rise of CulturesCity builder through ancient culturesUnhurried planningA community of fellow city builders15 to 30 minutesDesktop browser; mobile app also available
My Free FarmClassic farming simGentle, with careful timingPlayed among other farmers onlineShort visits a few times a dayDesktop browser
War CommanderBase builder where your clicks steer every raidBursts of hands-on combatAlliances of commandersAround half an hourDesktop browser
BiteFightGothic vampire-and-werewolf RPGShort timed outingsDirect duels and a standing ladderA few quick visits a dayDesktop browser
Trophy ManagerSoccer club managerWeekly rhythm of matchesLeagues full of rival managersShort visits, longer on match daysDesktop browser

Price tag on each of the eight: free to play, with optional in-game purchases.

01

Not a cent to open the lid

Wimble has never paid a cent to open any of the eight, and months of battles, harvests, seasons and campaigns sit inside the free version.

Each studio runs a shop for extras like premium currency, new looks or shortcuts past a timer. Wimble ignores hers completely, and if the family shares one laptop, spending can usually be locked in that studio's account options.

02

Climbing up for the first evening

Our buttons lead to each game's official home page in a new tab. Most of them want a short registration before your tank, farm, city or club rolls out of the box.

Nearly every one begins with a built-in tutorial. Wimble says to follow it like a wiring diagram, right to the final step, before improvising.

03

Which ones keep going while you sleep

My Free Farm, Rise of Cultures, BiteFight and War Commander carry on without you: crops ripen, buildings finish and hunts come home. A quick look while the kettle warms and another before the lamp goes out is usually plenty.

Tanki Online is the opposite, since each round is live and short. Planetarion and Trophy Manager sit in between, with rounds and seasons that move on a calendar of their own.

04

Keeping your sign-ins locked like a tool chest

Every studio keeps its own login, so type your details on that studio's true address and nowhere else. Wimble keeps a separate password for every game, scribbled nowhere near the workbench, and adds the second sign-in step wherever a studio provides one.

A real help desk will never ask for your password. Messages trading free premium currency for passwords are fishing for the account, so Wimble sweeps them into the dustbin with the bent screws.

How Wimble narrowed her bookmarks to eight

  • Every pick runs inside a desktop browser tab, so the first battle, harvest or match is one click from the bookmark bar.
  • Signing up costs nothing, and the whole core game is there for a player who leaves the shop alone.
  • The list swings from loud tank rounds to slow city planning, so there is a pick for a restless night and one for a drowsy one.
  • Their studios still run and update them, so the maps, leagues and galaxies stay busy with real players.

No. All eight run in a desktop browser tab. Tanki Online and Rise of Cultures also have an optional phone app; DarkOrbit, Planetarion, My Free Farm, War Commander, BiteFight and Trophy Manager are desktop browser games.

No. Starting is free in every case, and the core of each game stays playable without ever opening a wallet; extras are optional.

No. She only bookmarked them on her attic laptop. Outside studios make and look after every title, and each button just opens the official page.

No. Each title belongs to its own studio, so expect a separate registration for each one.

Tanki Online, with its quick rounds, or a fast visit to My Free Farm or BiteFight. Planetarion and Trophy Manager reward regular check-ins over a longer stretch.

My Free Farm or Rise of Cultures, both built around planning rather than fighting. Tanki Online and War Commander are the loudest of the eight.

Yes. Tanki Online has team battles, DarkOrbit has companies, Planetarion and War Commander have alliances, BiteFight has duels and Trophy Manager has leagues of rival managers.