# What are the must-play Freeware/Browser-Based PC games?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-play-freeware-browser-based-pc-games/530841>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [March 1, 2010, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-play-freeware-browser-based-pc-games/530841 "2010-03-01T08:25:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-play-freeware-browser-based-pc-games/530841/1 "2010-03-01T08:25:02Z")

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Inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=553910).

Having immersed myself in the medium\* lately, here’s what I can remember:

2-D Platformer  
Super Mario 63

You may be rolling your eyes but this game…is like the framework of Super Mario World, mixed with the physics and plot of Super Mario 64, the graphics of Yoshi’s Island, and the music of Super Mario Galaxy.

Adventure  
Cave Story

Tower Defense  
Bloons Tower Defense series (with 3 being the pinnacle)

RPGlike  
Sonny

Puzzle  
…there are so many, it’s hard to pick just one. Really, free online games represent the triumph of the Puzzle genre.  
A few: Loops of Zen, Factory Balls series, Shift series

Shoot-em Up  
Frantic 2

Shooter (3rd person)  
Iji

MMORPG  
Kingdom of Loathing

Gimmick  
Upgrade Complete!

\*Have these games even been around in force for 10 years yet?

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**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-play-freeware-browser-based-pc-games/530841/2 "2010-03-01T16:50:43Z")

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Freeware games have been around forever.

Roguelike: Nethack

Interactive Fiction. Hrm. Maybe _Spider and Web_. Or you could go old-school and cite _Colossal Cave Adventure_.

For Tower Defense I kind of like Desktop TD Pro, myself.

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**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-play-freeware-browser-based-pc-games/530841/3 "2010-03-01T17:01:42Z")

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[Fantastic Contraption](http://fantasticcontraption.com/) is a great puzzle game.

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**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-play-freeware-browser-based-pc-games/530841/4 "2010-03-01T17:52:09Z")

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For interaction fiction, I’d have to say Photopia, though, it’s not really a “game” in any sort of traditional IF sense.

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**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-play-freeware-browser-based-pc-games/530841/5 "2010-03-02T16:27:04Z")

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> [@pedescribe](#):
>
> Gimmick  
> Upgrade Complete!

Dolphin Olympics seems to fit in this category more than any others, and is a million times awesomer than Upgrade Complete!

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**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-play-freeware-browser-based-pc-games/530841/6 "2010-03-02T21:39:58Z")

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Really, how about including a link or two? I don’t imagine googling Shift is going to give me a whole lot of enjoyment.

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**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-play-freeware-browser-based-pc-games/530841/7 "2010-03-02T22:22:37Z")

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Here’s a link to Mario 63.

[http://www.sheezyart.com/art/view/1616035/](http://www.sheezyart.com/art/view/1616035/)