Back to the counter at Spinning Top Parade
After the shutters come down

Eight games for the hours
after the last top stops spinning

Once the shop door is bolted and the tin train is parked for the night, Cornelius settles his round spectacles and opens the old laptop on his workbench in the back room. His eight bookmarks are as mixed as his shelves: castle sieges, a tank raid you steer yourself, a galaxy of starships, a zoo of his own, a whole factory economy, a Roman arena, a fantasy quest board and a sleepy valley village. Each one opens in a browser tab, and every one is free to start.

8bookmarks on the workbench
0downloads to fetch
4also offer a phone app
My Free Zoo key art
The toymaker's favourite

My Free Zoo

Zoo park builder of the old school · Zoo, farm & town building

A classic zoo builder: you plan enclosures, move in the animals and keep visitors cheerful as the park spreads further across the map. Feeding, breeding and decorating carry a long, unhurried climb. Cornelius admits he likes it because, for once, a grey elephant gets to be the one being looked after, in a sunny enclosure he laid out himself.

Good for
Players who want a calm builder with animals at its heart.
Typical session
A cocoa-length visit
Where it runs
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Lay out a couple of small enclosures before buying animals.
  2. Keep every animal fed before you decorate.
  3. Widen the paths as visitors start to arrive.
Play My Free Zoo free at its studioOpens myfreezoo.upjers.com/en in a new tab

Seven more bookmarks on the workbench laptop

Sunrise Village key artZoo, farm & town building

Sunrise Village

Farm and valley explorer

Overgrown fields, a sleepy village in need of repair and a string of quests that winds deeper into the valley. You clear the land, mend the cottages and get workshops humming while the crops ripen, then decide which overgrown corner gets brought back to life next.

  • Fifteen minutes to half an hour
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & how Cornelius would start

Good for: Players who want a cosy sim with a thread running through it.

Your first session
  1. Clear the nearest patch of land first.
  2. Keep a crop growing while you follow the quests.
  3. Repair the workshops early so goods keep flowing.
Play Sunrise Village free at its studioOpens om.sunrisevillagegame.com
Throne: Kingdom at War key artTin-soldier war & strategy

Throne: Kingdom at War

Medieval siege-and-throne MMO

This medieval kingdom grows from production buildings and drill yards, and its troops march against neighbouring Lords. Inside an Order you plan timed sieges for the throne itself, while the resources you gather are crafted into gear for your hero.

  • Short check-ins, longer on siege days
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & how Cornelius would start

Good for: Strategists who enjoy organised, scheduled campaigns.

Your first session
  1. Get your production buildings running before training troops.
  2. Join an active Order early on.
  3. Gather resources for your hero's first crafted gear.
Play Throne: Kingdom at War free at its studioOpens plarium.com/en/game/throne-kingdom-at-war
War Commander key artTin-soldier war & strategy

War Commander

Modern-war base and raid game

A modern-war base builder with a twist: when you raid, every tank and infantry squad answers to your own orders rather than an automatic battle. Between attacks you rebuild walls and set fresh turret lines for the next raid on your own base.

  • A twenty-to-forty-minute raid night
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & how Cornelius would start

Good for: Players who want to steer every tank in the fight.

Your first session
  1. Lay out walls and turrets around your core buildings.
  2. Try a small raid first to learn the controls.
  3. Rebuild defences straight after each attack.
Play War Commander free at its studioOpens kixeye.com/game/warcommander/home
DarkOrbit key artStarships & sci-fi

DarkOrbit

Starship MMO with years behind it

One starship, a galaxy full of other pilots and years of history behind it. You mine ore, fight and fit upgrades sector by sector, and in time you sign with a company that throws its fleets into battles across the whole star map.

  • An hour, if you have one
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & how Cornelius would start

Good for: Pilots who like a crowded sky and a crew to fly with.

Your first session
  1. Mine and trade in the quieter sectors at first.
  2. Spend early upgrades on your own ship.
  3. Pick a company once you know the map.
Play DarkOrbit free at its studioOpens darkorbit.com
Virtonomics key artTycoon & trade

Virtonomics

Shared-economy business sim

Factories, mines, farms and shop chains strung together into supply lines, all inside an economy shared with other players. A single daily turn settles everyone's decisions at once, so thinking ahead beats quick clicking every time.

  • A short daily planning visit
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & how Cornelius would start

Good for: Thinkers who enjoy a slow, strategic business game.

Your first session
  1. Build one short supply chain before a second.
  2. Check local prices before you open a shop.
  3. Make your decisions before the daily turn comes round.
Play Virtonomics free at its studioOpens virtonomics.com
Gladiatus key artQuests & role-play

Gladiatus

Roman gladiator role-player

A Roman arena game built on expeditions that run down in real time and come home with gear and gold. Arena bouts against other players are settled automatically, and repeat dungeon runs turn up the rarer equipment.

  • Five-minute visits, now and then
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & how Cornelius would start

Good for: Players after short daily check-ins rather than long sittings.

Your first session
  1. Start an expedition just before you step away.
  2. Equip the best gear you find straight away.
  3. Try the arena once your armour has caught up.
Play Gladiatus free at its studioOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/gladiatus
Tanoth key artQuests & role-play

Tanoth

Quest-board fantasy role-player

A fantasy adventure run from a quest board, where each job finishes over real time. You raise attributes as you level, fit legendary gear found in ruined dungeons, challenge others in ranked duels and band together with a guild against bosses.

  • Little visits between chores
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & how Cornelius would start

Good for: Players who like a light adventure to dip into each day.

Your first session
  1. Take a quest that ends before your next visit.
  2. Put early points into one main attribute.
  3. Join a guild once the boss fights open up.
Play Tanoth free at its studioOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/tanoth

All eight bookmarks side by side on one stock card

Game on Cornelius’s listToy-box genreHow fast it windsAlone or with a crowdA sitting, by the shop clockScreens it will run on
My Free ZooZoo park builder of the old schoolRelaxed, little and oftenA park of your own to grow at your own speedA cocoa-length visitDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Sunrise VillageFarm and valley explorerGentle, with a story to followYour valley, your paceFifteen minutes to half an hourDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Throne: Kingdom at WarMedieval siege-and-throne MMOSteady building, timed siegesAllied Lords banded into OrdersShort check-ins, longer on siege daysDesktop browser; mobile app also available
War CommanderModern-war base and raid gameShort, hands-on raidsRival bases to raid and defendA twenty-to-forty-minute raid nightDesktop browser
DarkOrbitStarship MMO with years behind itCalm mining, sudden firefightsCompanies that clash across the mapAn hour, if you have oneDesktop browser
VirtonomicsShared-economy business simA single daily tickMarkets made of real playersA short daily planning visitDesktop browser; mobile app also available
GladiatusRoman gladiator role-playerTimed outingsRival gladiators and a trading marketFive-minute visits, now and thenDesktop browser
TanothQuest-board fantasy role-playerJobs that finish while you waitGuilds that gang up on bossesLittle visits between choresDesktop browser

What all 8 cost: free to start, with optional purchases inside each game.

01

Free from the first wind of the key

Cornelius has not paid for anything in the eight; the free versions alone hold months of building, raiding and questing.

Every studio sells optional extras such as premium currency, cosmetic items or timer skips. He walks straight past them, and on a shared computer most studios let you switch spending off in the account settings.

02

Unwrapping a new game

Our buttons open each game's official page in a new tab, where a short sign-up usually comes first. After that your zoo, village, kingdom or ship is waiting.

Almost all of them begin with a tutorial. Cornelius treats it like the instructions in a new wind-up toy: read to the end before improvising.

03

Which ones tick on overnight like a clock

My Free Zoo, Sunrise Village, Gladiatus and Tanoth carry on without you: animals get hungry, crops ripen, expeditions return and quests finish. A peek while the cocoa warms and another before bed usually does it.

Virtonomics settles everything once a day, and Throne: Kingdom at War gathers pace on siege days. War Commander and DarkOrbit are at their best when you have an hour to spare.

04

Keep your logins in a locked drawer

Every studio has its own login, so only type yours on the genuine address of that game. Cornelius never reuses a password across titles and adds two-step sign-in wherever it is on offer.

Real support staff never ask for a password. Any message that dangles free gems for your password is a trap, and Cornelius sweeps them into the wastepaper basket with the wrapping paper.

How Cornelius chose the eight

  • All eight open straight into a desktop browser tab, so a first enclosure, raid or quest is one click from this workbench.
  • Joining is free in every case, and the full game is there to enjoy without ever opening the in-game shop.
  • The list runs from a gentle zoo and a valley village to tank raids and arena bouts, so there is a pick for a quiet night and a lively one.
  • Every studio still runs its servers, so the galaxies, arenas and kingdoms are busy with real players.

No. All eight open in an ordinary desktop browser tab. Throne: Kingdom at War, My Free Zoo, Virtonomics and Sunrise Village also offer an optional mobile app; War Commander, DarkOrbit, Gladiatus and Tanoth run in a desktop browser tab.

No. Each one is free to begin, and the main game never hides behind a paywall; anything extra is optional.

No. He only wrote the notes. Separate studios build and run all eight, and the buttons here just point to each official page.

No. Eight titles mean eight studios, and each wants its own free sign-up.

Gladiatus and Tanoth, both built around timed jobs that run while you are away. Virtonomics needs only one short planning visit a day.

My Free Zoo or Sunrise Village, both about tending and building rather than fighting. War Commander and DarkOrbit are the most combative of the eight.

Yes. Throne: Kingdom at War has Orders, DarkOrbit has companies, Tanoth has guilds, and Virtonomics and Gladiatus are shared with other players.