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Strategy in a browser tab

Four strategy games
for slow evenings on the river

A long river voyage suits a long campaign: you plot a course, leave it running and check the charts again after supper. All four picks run free in a browser window and hand you a command that lasts for weeks instead of minutes: a Norse stronghold, a present-day country on a globe that never stops moving, a fleet of mines and starships, and a medieval realm with a guild behind it. There is nothing to install, and each account is free.

Vikings: War of Clans key art
01 · Norse clan war strategy

Vikings: War of Clans

You raise a Norse stronghold from a handful of longhouses, train troops through rising tiers and grow your Jarl along a skill tree. Marches head out to gather resources or strike at rivals, and clans compete to hold the Place of Power, whose bonuses reach across the whole kingdom.

Good for
Players who want a long, loyal clan war to belong to.
Typical session
Several short visits a day
Where it runs
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Keep the resource buildings upgrading before you chase troop numbers.
  2. Spend Jarl skill points with one plan in mind rather than spreading them thin.
  3. Join an active clan early; members speed up each other's building with help.
Play Vikings: War of Clans freeOpens plarium.com/en/game/vikings-war-of-clans in a new tab
Conflict of Nations key art
02 · Modern world-map strategy

Conflict of Nations

A modern grand strategy game played on a real world map, where a single round can run for weeks. You take charge of a nation, build up its economy and armed forces, research new units and work with coalition partners, while every order plays out in real time across the map.

Good for
Patient planners who enjoy diplomacy and thinking several moves ahead.
Typical session
A few check-ins a day
Where it runs
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Secure the provinces next to your capital before you push further out.
  2. Balance resource production so your research and recruitment never stall.
  3. Talk to your neighbours in the first days; a coalition is worth more than one extra city.
Play Conflict of Nations freeOpens conflictnations.com in a new tab
OGame key art
03 · Space empire strategy

OGame

The long-running space strategy classic of mines, research trees and fleets that take real hours to arrive. A fleet is exposed while it travels, so experienced players scout before they strike and keep their ships moving when they log off.

Good for
Patient strategists who like decisions with real weight.
Typical session
Short visits spread through the day
Where it runs
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Put the early days into mines and energy; everything else is built on them.
  2. Send a probe to look before you send a fleet to attack.
  3. Learn to keep your fleet in flight overnight so it is not sitting idle at home.
Play OGame freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/ogame in a new tab
Khan Wars key art
04 · Medieval nations strategy

Khan Wars

A long-running medieval strategy game built around twelve nations, each with its own bonus to economy, combat or trade. You recruit from up to 28 unit types, grow your castles and join a guild to besiege citadels and hold territory together.

Good for
Players who like choosing a nation and sticking with it.
Typical session
10 to 30 minutes a few times a day
Where it runs
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Read the nation bonuses carefully before picking; the choice shapes your whole game.
  2. Build the economy first and recruit the units that suit your nation.
  3. Look for a guild that talks often and coordinates its sieges.
Play Khan Wars freeOpens khanwars.com in a new tab

All four games on one bill of fare

Vikings: War of ClansConflict of NationsOGameKhan Wars
GenreNorse clan war strategyModern world-map strategyBuilding an empire among the starsMedieval nations strategy
PaceSteady real timeLive time that runs over daysVery slow real timeSteady real time
Company you keep in the gameClans and kingdom-wide battlesCoalitions of playersAlliances across the galaxyGuilds and citadel sieges
Typical sessionSeveral brief calls a dayA handful of visits dailyBrief stops scattered across the day10 to 30 minutes a few times a day
Where it runsDesktop browser; a mobile app is also offeredDesktop browser; a mobile app is also offeredDesktop browser; a mobile app is also offeredDesktop browser; a mobile app is also offered
CostCosts nothing to begin; buying things in the game is optional.Costs nothing to begin; buying things in the game is optional.Costs nothing to begin; buying things in the game is optional.Costs nothing to begin; buying things in the game is optional.

What free to play means on these four

Every game here lets you sign up at no cost and play for months without paying; construction, research, warfare and teaming up with allies come at no charge.

Each studio runs a store of optional premium currency and timers that finish sooner. Plenty of commanders never buy anything, and on a family computer the account options can cap purchases or turn them off.

Your first night out on the campaign

Tap the button below a game and its official site appears in a second tab. Register there by email and, a few minutes later, a stronghold, country, home planet or kingdom is yours to run.

Every game starts with a guided tutorial. Stay with it until it finishes; it introduces resources, construction queues and alliance menus step by step.

Fitting a campaign into a busy week

None of these games pauses when you leave. Upgrades finish and marches keep going without you, so a look at sunrise and another at sundown keeps pace with rivals.

Use short visits to collect resources, queue the next upgrades and answer your allies. Save longer sittings for big moves, such as a planned attack, a new alliance or a change of strategy.

Keeping your login under lock, like a stateroom

Each login is held by the studio that runs the game, so enter it nowhere but that studio's own address. Keep a separate password for each title, and where a studio offers two-step sign-in, use it.

Genuine help desks do not request passwords. Anyone who trades free gems or gold for a password is trying to steal the account; leave the message unanswered.

Why these four came aboard

  • An everyday desktop browser is all you need; nothing has to be downloaded before the first order goes out.
  • Signing up costs nothing, and players who never open a wallet can still reach everything that matters; spending is a choice.
  • Troops keep marching and starships keep flying after you shut the browser, so even a brief look in counts.
  • Every one of them has been running for many years, kept fresh by its studio and crowded with players to team up with.

No. Any up-to-date desktop browser handles every one of them, and each studio also offers an official mobile app as an extra.

Yes. Accounts are free and the full game is playable; the shop inside each one is entirely optional.

No. Separate independent studios build and operate them; the buttons here only point you to their official websites.

No. Four studios means four separate registrations.

Construction and research carry on and your forces stay on the move, so a pair of brief visits daily is plenty.

Khan Wars and Vikings: War of Clans move at a steadier pace. OGame and Conflict of Nations reward careful timing and patience over days.

Yes. Vikings: War of Clans has clans, Conflict of Nations has coalitions, OGame has alliances and Khan Wars has guilds.