Back to Snowcap Chalet
Tuffet's snowed-in shelf

Eight free games for nights
when the pistes are closed

When the wind shuts the lifts and the village lights blur behind the snow, Tuffet pulls out a second shelf: eight free browser games to keep the chalet busy. Two are quick fights you can join in moments, one is a fantasy quest board, one hands you a football club, and the other three ask you to raise a frontier camp, a medieval village or a castle and hold it against everyone else.

8games on the chalet shelf
4with an official app too
Freeto join, all eight
TankTrouble key art
Best by the fire

TankTrouble

Top-down tank arena · Action & arcade

The shelf favourite for a crowded chalet sofa. Two players share one keyboard, each steering a little tank through a tight maze where every shell ricochets off the walls, so a careless shot can bounce straight back at you. Head online once the sofa empties, climbing rank after rank and filling a garage with cosmetic parts.

Good for
Friends who want an instant duel with plenty of laughs.
Typical session
A handful of rounds or a whole evening
Where it runs
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Learn how shells bounce before you fire.
  2. Try a round against a friend on one keyboard.
  3. Move online once the controls feel natural.
Play TankTrouble freeOpens tanktrouble.com in a new tab

Seven more games waiting on the chalet shelf

Warmerise: Red vs Blue key artAction & arcade

Warmerise: Red vs Blue

Sci-fi team shooter

Red against blue in a futuristic arena, and no registration is needed to join a match. Sign up and your weapons unlock and improve as your kill count climbs, while a ThreeWheeler on the ground or a JetShip in the air carries you to the front.

  • One match or a quick run of them
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits, and your first runs

Good for: Anyone who wants a fight without a waiting room.

Your first session
  1. Jump into a match to learn the maps.
  2. Make an account once you want weapon unlocks.
  3. Try a vehicle when a lane opens up.
Open Warmerise: Red vs Blue for freeOpens warmerise.com
Tanoth key artRole-play & adventure

Tanoth

Fantasy quest-board RPG

A fantasy adventure organised around a quest board: accept a job and it finishes over real time while you get on with supper. Each level-up raises your attributes, ruin crawls turn up legendary gear, guilds band together against bosses and duels settle the rankings.

  • A short check to collect and choose the next job
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits, and your first runs

Good for: Anyone after a light RPG to dip into once a day.

Your first session
  1. Take the shorter jobs while you learn.
  2. Spend attribute points with one build in mind.
  3. Look for a guild once boss fights appear.
Play Tanoth freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/tanoth
Trophy Manager key artSport & management

Trophy Manager

Football club manager

A football club with the fine detail left in. Matches can be followed live or replayed, and you give in-game instructions as they unfold. You manage the budget on the transfer market, set a training programme for each player and can even apply for a national-team job every two years.

  • A visit around each fixture
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits, and your first runs

Good for: Managers who enjoy tweaking tactics in depth.

Your first session
  1. Read your squad before you change the tactics.
  2. Give each player a training plan.
  3. Follow a fixture live to watch your orders take effect.
Play Trophy Manager freeOpens trophymanager.com/uk
WildGuns key artStrategy & war

WildGuns

Wild West frontier strategy

A land grab on the frontier. Three rival nations are on offer, each strong in its own way; pick one, raise a camp, gather raw materials and build it up, then trade with or raid the players eyeing the same ground.

  • Short visits to keep the camp growing
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits, and your first runs

Good for: Strategists who fancy a western setting.

Your first session
  1. Compare the three nations before picking one.
  2. Keep materials coming in from the start.
  3. Decide early whether to trade or raid.
Play WildGuns freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/wildguns
Tribal Wars 2 key artStrategy & war

Tribal Wars 2

Medieval village conquest

The sequel to a classic village-conquest game. You build a medieval village, recruit troops and take ground from the neighbours, while your tribe plans its attacks together across a world that keeps running for months.

  • Regular check-ins through the day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits, and your first runs

Good for: Competitive players ready to commit to a long world.

Your first session
  1. Grow resource buildings before the barracks.
  2. Join a tribe early on.
  3. Watch the neighbours before you send troops.
Play Tribal Wars 2 freeOpens tribalwars2.com
Goodgame Empire key artStrategy & war

Goodgame Empire

Medieval castle strategy

A medieval castle to build up and defend. You train an army, forge alliances with other lords and fight for a share of a kingdom that carries on moving while you are away from the screen.

  • A few quick looks through the day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits, and your first runs

Good for: Players who like traditional castle strategy.

Your first session
  1. Strengthen the walls before you attack.
  2. Keep the army training around the clock.
  3. Find an alliance for protection.
Play Goodgame Empire freeOpens empire.goodgamestudios.com
Heroes of History key artStrategy & war

Heroes of History

Empire builder with heroes

An empire that walks forward through the ages, led by named heroes. You lay out the city, push along the research line and send squads of heroes into battles on a tactical grid, so the building side and the fighting side feed each other.

  • A few visits a day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits, and your first runs

Good for: Builders who want battles to go with their city.

Your first session
  1. Plan the city layout before it fills up.
  2. Follow the research line one step at a time.
  3. Build a squad around a few heroes you like.
Play Heroes of History freeOpens heroesgame.com

The whole chalet shelf side by side

Game on Tuffet’s shelfType of gamePace of playWith other players?Length of a typical sittingWhere it opens
TankTroubleTop-down tank arenaFast, round after roundFriends on one keyboard or rivals onlineA handful of rounds or a whole eveningDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Warmerise: Red vs BlueSci-fi team shooterFast and immediateRed and blue teams onlineOne match or a quick run of themDesktop browser
TanothFantasy quest-board RPGSlow, timed jobsGuilds and ranking duelsA short check to collect and choose the next jobDesktop browser
Trophy ManagerFootball club managerMatch by matchLeagues of other managersA visit around each fixtureDesktop browser
WildGunsWild West frontier strategySteady real timeRival nations on shared groundShort visits to keep the camp growingDesktop browser
Tribal Wars 2Medieval village conquestSlow, over monthsTribes coordinating attacksRegular check-ins through the dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Goodgame EmpireMedieval castle strategySteady real timeAlliances across a living kingdomA few quick looks through the dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Heroes of HistoryEmpire builder with heroesSteady real timePlayed alongside other empiresA few visits a dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available

What the eight cost: nothing to play, with optional in-game purchases.

01

Nothing to pay at the door

Joining costs nothing at any of the eight, and months of play need not cost a thing either; the duels, the quests, the club and the kingdoms come whole.

Each studio keeps an optional shop of shortcuts and cosmetic extras. Many veteran players never visit it, and several of the games offer spending limits in the account settings.

02

Your first snowed-in evening

A button here opens that studio's official site in a fresh tab. Warmerise drops you into a match straight away; the rest want a quick free sign-up, normally with an email address.

Most start with a tutorial. See it through, because it introduces the menus and the in-game economy a piece at a time.

03

Quick looks and long nights

The strategy games and Tanoth keep going while the tab is closed: jobs finish, troops march and camps fill up. A look before breakfast and another after dinner keeps everything moving.

Spend the quick looks on collecting, queueing up work and checking in with your tribe or alliance. Save the long nights for the weighty moves: a fresh era, a transfer bid or a march on a neighbour.

04

Keeping game logins locked up

Your login for each game is held by its own studio, so type it in only on the web address that studio publishes. A separate password per game, plus two-step sign-in wherever it is offered, helps a great deal.

Real studio staff will never want your password. Any message offering free premium currency for your login is trying to take the account, so ignore it and report it.

Why these eight made the chalet shelf

  • Every game here starts in a normal browser on a desktop or laptop, so a snowed-in evening begins without installing a thing.
  • Every game is free to join, and all eight can be played for weeks on end without spending anything.
  • The slower ones carry on while the tab is shut, which means a glance after dinner still nudges your camp, club or village forward.
  • They are run by studios with years behind them, which means busy player communities and regular updates.

No. All eight run in a computer browser, and Heroes of History, Tribal Wars 2, TankTrouble and Goodgame Empire have an official mobile app on top, should you prefer one.

Yes, to join and to play. No sign-up fee applies anywhere on the shelf and spending is never required; in-game purchases are there only for those who choose them.

No. Independent studios build and operate them; the buttons here simply take you to each studio's own official site.

No. Eight games means eight separate studios, and so eight separate free registrations. Warmerise is the exception for a quick match, which you can join without signing up.

Heroes of History, Tribal Wars 2, TankTrouble and Goodgame Empire come with official apps besides the browser version. Tanoth, WildGuns, Warmerise and Trophy Manager come as browser games without an app, so a computer is the best fit.

TankTrouble or Warmerise, which put you in a fight within moments, or Tanoth for a quick check of the quest board. Tribal Wars 2, Goodgame Empire and WildGuns reward longer planning.

Yes, in different ways. TankTrouble can be played by two on one keyboard, Warmerise splits players into red and blue teams, and the strategy games are built around tribes, alliances and rival nations. Trophy Manager pits you against other managers.