Back to Marionette Pier
Meringue's dressing-room shelf

Eight browser games kept backstage
for when the sea fret empties the boardwalk

When a grey sea fret rolls in and the deckchairs stay folded, Meringue hangs the control cross on its hook and picks from the eight free browser games kept on the dressing-room shelf, each carrying on quietly between performances. The shelf holds two medieval realms, two football clubs, a dark fantasy quest, an animal park, a horse farm and a colony among the stars, and every one runs in an ordinary browser tab.

8games on the bill
5with a studio phone app too
Freeto join, every act on the bill
Zoo 2: Animal Park key art
Meringue's own menagerie

Zoo 2: Animal Park

Zoo keeping and park building · Farm, town & zoo

The bear and seal in the revue hang on strings, but every animal here wants its dinner. You breed and house the animals, keep visitors fed and watered and open fresh enclosures one at a time as the grounds spread. Daily care jobs, decorating and a steady run of unlocks give it the easy rhythm of a summer season that never quite ends.

Good for
Players who enjoy returning daily to watch a park grow.
Typical session
A few minutes of care, longer when building
Where it runs
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Finish the opening care jobs before laying out a second enclosure.
  2. Place food and drink stalls beside the busiest paths.
  3. Expand one enclosure at once so the chores stay small.
Play Zoo 2: Animal Park freeOpens zoo2animalpark.upjers.com/en in a new tab

Seven more acts waiting in the wings

Horse Farm key artFarm, town & zoo

Horse Farm

Stable and paddock sim

A farm built around its horses. You groom, feed and train each one, plant crops in the fields and put the harvest towards stable upgrades that make room for new arrivals. The goals are gentle rather than pressing, much like a donkey ride along the sands.

  • Short visits for grooming and feeding
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Whose show it is & the first scene

Good for: Anyone after a soft, animal-first sim.

Your first session
  1. Groom and feed every horse before planting new fields.
  2. Put early harvests into the stable first.
  3. Train one horse at a time so progress stays visible.
Play Horse Farm freeOpens horsefarm.upjers.com/en
Khan Wars key artStrategy & war

Khan Wars

Twelve-nation medieval warfare

Twelve medieval nations to pick from, each with its own lean towards economy, combat or trade. You recruit from as many as 28 unit types, grow your lands and, sooner or later, team up with a guild to lay siege to citadels and keep a grip on territory against rival players.

  • Several short drop-ins every day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Whose show it is & the first scene

Good for: Players who like choosing a side and staying loyal to it.

Your first session
  1. Read the nation bonuses before you commit to one.
  2. Keep your economy growing ahead of your army.
  3. Sign up with a busy guild ahead of the first siege.
Play Khan Wars freeOpens khanwars.com
Tribal Wars key artStrategy & war

Tribal Wars

Medieval tribal strategy

A long-standing medieval strategy game that starts with a single village. You grow it, raise troops, then band together with other players into a tribe that competes for the upper hand across a world shared by thousands.

  • Quick visits to line up buildings and troops
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Whose show it is & the first scene

Good for: Competitive planners who think in months, not minutes.

Your first session
  1. Build up the village economy before training a big force.
  2. Watch neighbours early to see who is active.
  3. Join a tribe while the world is still young.
Play Tribal Wars freeOpens en.tribalwars.net
Hattrick key artSport & management

Hattrick

Season-long football club sim

A football club grown season by season. Each week you pick one skill for the whole squad to train, buy and sell on a single market where every manager bids, and set tactics plus individual orders before you follow the match in the live viewer.

  • Brief daily visits, longer around fixtures
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Whose show it is & the first scene

Good for: Football fans who enjoy thinking a season ahead.

Your first session
  1. Pick a single training focus and give it weeks.
  2. Check age and form before every bid.
  3. Set match orders well ahead of kick-off.
Play Hattrick freeOpens hattrick.org/en
Trophy Manager key artSport & management

Trophy Manager

Football management with live matches

A football manager for people who like fine control. You give detailed instructions for live or replayed matches, run the transfer budget, set personal training programmes for each player and, every two years, can apply to manage a national side.

  • Sittings around each fixture
  • Desktop browser
Whose show it is & the first scene

Good for: Managers who want to tweak tactics down to single players.

Your first session
  1. Set a training programme for each key player early.
  2. Keep a slice of the budget back for the transfer market.
  3. Watch a replay before changing your instructions.
Play Trophy Manager freeOpens trophymanager.com/uk
Drakensang Online key artRole-play & adventure

Drakensang Online

Real-time dungeon-crawling role-play

A dark fantasy world fought through in real time. You choose a class, develop its build level by level and band together with other players to clear cooperative dungeons, a long way from the painted castle on the theatre backdrop.

  • Half an hour or more per run
  • Desktop browser
Whose show it is & the first scene

Good for: Players who want quick, hands-on action rather than menus.

Your first session
  1. Test every class for a little while, then commit.
  2. Upgrade your gear steadily instead of saving everything.
  3. Join a group for your first cooperative dungeon.
Play Drakensang Online freeOpens drakensang.com
Nemexia key artSpace & sci-fi

Nemexia

Round-based colony and fleet strategy

Rounds of space empire building, spread over several servers. You build mines and production on your colony, research and construct fleets, then send raids at rival planets for their resources, an alliance covering your back, until the round closes.

  • Daily visits to queue research and fleets
  • Desktop browser
Whose show it is & the first scene

Good for: Players who like a defined season with an end in sight.

Your first session
  1. Get mines and production going before you build ships.
  2. Pick research that supports your first fleet.
  3. Join an alliance before raiding anyone.
Play Nemexia freeOpens nemexia.2axion.com

The whole bill on one theatre programme

Title on the billType of playTempo of the pieceFellow players in the castLength of a performanceVenues it plays
Zoo 2: Animal ParkZoo keeping and park buildingUnhurried, built up over many visitsNeighbouring parks run by other playersA few minutes of care, longer when buildingDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Horse FarmStable and paddock simEasy-going, goals without deadlinesA shared online farm worldShort visits for grooming and feedingDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Khan WarsTwelve-nation medieval warfareReal time, plans that span hoursGuilds besieging citadelsSeveral short drop-ins every dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Tribal WarsMedieval tribal strategyReal time, slow and steadyTribes on a crowded shared world mapQuick visits to line up buildings and troopsDesktop browser; mobile app also available
HattrickSeason-long football club simWeekly training, regular fixturesLeagues of rival managers, all humanBrief daily visits, longer around fixturesDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Trophy ManagerFootball management with live matchesSteady, match by matchLeagues and national-team jobsSittings around each fixtureDesktop browser
Drakensang OnlineReal-time dungeon-crawling role-playFast, real-time fightingCo-op dungeons with othersHalf an hour or more per runDesktop browser
NemexiaRound-based colony and fleet strategyRound-based, with a clear finishAlliances raiding one anotherDaily visits to queue research and fleetsDesktop browser

Ticket price for all 8: free to play, with optional in-game purchases.

01

Nothing at the box office

Signing up costs nothing for all eight, and you can play for months with your purse shut; the villages, squads, stables and colonies all come complete.

Each studio runs an optional shop of speed-ups and trimmings off to one side. Many long-time players never open it, and households sharing one laptop can often cap spending from the settings page.

02

Your first night on stage

Each button leads to the studio's own site, which opens beside this one in a fresh tab. Register there with your email, and soon a village, a club, a park or a colony is waiting with your name on it.

Every game has a guided opening for beginners. Follow it to the end: it shows you the menus and the money side one scene at a time, the way Meringue rehearses a new act.

03

Short turns and long matinées

Shutting the tab pauses none of the eight: troops march, foals grow, fleets fly and fixtures are played. A look over breakfast and another after tea keeps everything in order.

Use the short turns for collecting, queueing builds and swapping a message with allies or league rivals. Save a properly rainy afternoon for the big decisions, like a new enclosure, a guild siege or a transfer bid.

04

Guarding the stage-door key

Your login belongs to the studio behind each game, so key it in only at that studio's real address. Every game deserves its own password, just as each puppet gets its own strings, and if a game offers a second check at login, switch it on.

Genuine staff never ask for passwords. Whoever dangles bonus premium currency in exchange for your sign-in wants the whole account; Meringue would snip that string, so block and report them.

Why each of the eight earned a spot on the bill

  • Every game here starts in the ordinary browser on a desktop or laptop, and no long download stands in front of the first move.
  • None of them charges at the door, and a careful player can go a long way in any of the eight with the shop left closed.
  • Villages, squads, stables and colonies keep moving while the tab sleeps, so a look between two houses still gets things done.
  • Each studio has run its game for years, so the regulars you meet know the ropes and tend to welcome newcomers.

No. A computer browser is enough for each of the eight, and Zoo 2: Animal Park, Horse Farm, Khan Wars, Tribal Wars and Hattrick have a phone app from their studio too.

No. Registration costs nothing in every case, the whole game is open without paying, and any extra bought inside it is your call alone.

No, and Marionette Pier did not either. Each game comes from an independent studio that still runs it, and every button here leads to that studio's official website.

No. Each act on this bill belongs to a different studio, so Meringue keeps eight separate free logins on her dressing-room mirror.

Zoo 2: Animal Park, Horse Farm, Khan Wars, Tribal Wars and Hattrick can be played from a studio phone app or the browser, while Trophy Manager, Drakensang Online and Nemexia are browser titles best enjoyed on a laptop or desktop.

Horse Farm and Zoo 2: Animal Park suit a short look, since a little care keeps them ticking over. Drakensang Online and Trophy Manager reward longer sittings.

Yes. Khan Wars has guilds, Tribal Wars has tribes, Nemexia has alliances, Hattrick and Trophy Manager have leagues of other managers, and Drakensang Online has cooperative dungeons.