Kotaku: Browser Games

The 6 Best Games on Web Browsers

Evan Narcisse — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:10:00 EST

Consoles. Handhelds. Who needs them?! More »

I've Played Bastion in Google's Chrome Web Browser and It's Amazing

Evan Narcisse — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:40:00 EST

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First, Supergiant Games' acclaimed action RPG came out for the Xbox 360 as one of the games in Microsoft's annual Summer of Arcade promotion. Then, shortly after that, the narrator-centric release landed on Steam, which let PC owners tour the game's shattered world of Caelondia. Now the hit indie's been made to play in Google's very own browser software— at full resolution and everything—where even more people can experience one of 2011''s best games. More »

Tinkatolli May Be the First Video Game that Gives Your Kids Points for Leaving the Game to Go Outside

Joshua Rivera — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:00:00 EDT

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Most browser-based online games desperately want you to keep playing as much as you can—there's always another level to gain, more of your friends that need persuading to join, items to unlock and buy that will keep you in front of the screen clicking away even longer. More »

Play Angry Birds Online, Right Now, for Free

Mike Fahey — Wed, 11 May 2011 13:40:00 EDT

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Google isn't above killing a little productivity to prove the power of its web browser. The search engine king has released a special free browser-based version of Rovio's avian-flinging sensation Angry Birds on the Chrome Web Store, just to prove it can be done. More »

The URL That's Also A Game

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 19:20:00 EST

URL Hunter is lo-fi gaming at its finest/simplest/most clever. Control the letter 'O' in your browser's address bar and try to kill as many 'a's as possible in 30 seconds. An impressive little experiment. More »

The PS3 Game You Can Play On Your Computer Browser

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 08:30:00 EST

Imageepoch, the Japanese role-playing game developer known for the Arc Rise Fantasia series and the salacious Criminal Girls, is working on its first PS3 game. But, it's not only a PS3 game. More »

Google's 'Game Developer Advocate' Leaves

Owen Good — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:30:00 EDT

After a little over four months on the job, Google's "game developer advocate" is no longer with the company. The development follows his discussion at GDC-Europe of Google's revenue plans for games sold over its Chrome Web Store More »

Google's Chrome Web Store Brings Games To Your Web Browser

Mike Fahey — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:20:00 EDT

At the Google I/O conference today, Google revealed the Chrome Web Store, a browser-based application store where users will be able to download and install games like LEGO Star Wars and Plants Vs. Zombies directly to their web browsers. More »

Bringing FarmVille To Your Browser Bar

Mike Fahey — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:40:00 EDT

From the FarmVille toolbar to a virtual pet that runs on your browser bar, Conduit's Ltd. is helping gamers connect with games without having to change their web page. More »

What A Day To Launch Legends Of Zork

Mike Fahey — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:40:00 EDT

I suppose April 1st is as good a day as ever to revisit the ruins of the Great Underground Empire, as Jolt Online Gaming launches their free-to-play browser-based adventure game, Legends of Zork. More »

The Top 5 Indie Games of '08

Maggie Greene — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:30:00 EST

Gamasutra's been rounding up the top titles of the year in a variety of categories; up recently were the top five 'indie' games (plus ten honorable mentions). More »

Sunday Timewaster: Robo-Evolution

Maggie Greene — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST

From SKT comes a bizarrely addictive little game called Robo-Evolution. It's very short, but there's a certain je ne sais quoi about evolving a panko-breaded shrimp (or an egg, or lips) into a scuttling little robot. There are various powerups you need to collect so you can leap over the walls and complete the game; some powerups simply give you stats, while others will also add to your appearance. More »

Sunday Timewaster: the irRegular Game of Life

Maggie Greene — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST

The irRegular Game of Life is a weird but fun little game (by irRegular Games) based on mathematician John Horton Conway's 'Game of Life' theory. In this iteration, you are given puzzles to solve and must set the little cells into motion to meet the goals of each level. It's surprisingly hypnotic at times — after getting past the initial introductory levels, you watch the cells shuffle back and forth, creating a variety of patterns and interacting with each other. There's also a sandbox mode and some other features; the regular puzzle mode was plenty fun for me. More »

Sunday Timewaster: HDOS Databank request 01

Maggie Greene — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 15:30:00 EDT

This is a fun little remake (more or less) of the puzzle mode of Tetris Attack; you have a limited number of moves to swap blocks and clear the whole board. While the early levels are pretty easy, some of the later stages get pretty complicated — all in all, not a bad little browser-based timewaster to kill some time on a Sunday. More »

Sunday Timewaster: Meat Boy

Maggie Greene — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 18:30:00 EDT

Edmund McMillen (of Aether, Gish, and the game that shall not be named) is back with Meat Boy, a challenging little game that involves the titular blob of meat trying to rescue Bandaid Girl in a variety of levels. It took me a while to actually look at the game, since the designer woke me up a few nights in a row via IM asking me to take a look at it — I hold a grudge when it comes to my sleep being interrupted — but I've spent some time with it and it's worth a looksee if you're in the mood for a challenge on a Sunday afternoon. Controls are simple, the game is difficult, but you can skip two levels per group — so if you really get stuck, don't despair. More »

Sunday Timewaster: Marshmallow

Maggie Greene — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:30:00 EDT

This wonderfully adorable (and kind of weird) game is pretty straight forward — guide the marshmallow around a variety of objects just waiting to take a bite out of your head and send you hurtling towards the ground so you can land with a 'splat.' It's cute. It's not terribly taxing. The soundtrack is ... well, something (soothing? Weird? Vaguely Katamari-esque? All of the above?), but the game is really cute and a nice way to waste a couple of minutes or more .... More »

Saturday Timewaster: Hoshi Saga 3

Maggie Greene — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:30:00 EDT

Hoshi Saga 3 is a fun little puzzle game — the object is to discover the star(s) in each level through experimentation. The mechanics of each level are different, and while some are familiar, some will require a little more fiddling to get the right answer. Some levels are quite easy, though others may have you scratching your head — overall, a nice, relaxing little collection to spend some time with. More »

Sunday Timewaster: Bounce Shot

Maggie Greene — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:30:00 EDT

IndieGames succinctly describes this as 'a cross between Breakout and Space Invaders,' which is pretty accurate — but it's a fun game with a retro feel. I was in the mood for some candy-colored, easy to pick up fun this weekend, and this definitely hit the spot. Boss battles every 10 levels, power ups, and trying not to get hit with your own bullets (so watch out for that trigger finger) — add in some cute alien enemies, and you've got the recipe for how I wasted a good chunk of my Sunday morning. More »

Saturday Timewaster: Aether

Maggie Greene — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EDT

We're having a slow weekend here at Kotaku: Owen is off, and I'm holed up in bed trying to stave off the flu; Aether made a nice respite from my headache and general feelings of 'blah.' It's a weird little game — a little abstract and fuzzy around the edges, you control a little guy and his pet who can fly through the air with the greatest of ease, using said pet's tongue as a grappling hook/trapeze .... I actually quite enjoyed zipping through space from planet to planet, trying to solve puzzles and bring the color back to unhappy people (the core of an unhappy planet seen above). It's not the most intuitive game ever — it did take me some time to figure out how to successfully get off the ground and into the atmosphere - and I broke out the mouse because the trackpad wasn't cutting it. Still, it's pretty and soothing (and short) — good for a bit of time on a Saturday afternoon. More »

Holiday Timewaster: Hexiom Connect

Maggie Greene — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Hexiom Connect is a pretty intuitive browser-based puzzle game; you have to rearrange hexagons on the board so that all the colored lines are connected. There are 40 levels (and even a colorblind option, so if you can't tell the difference between red and green, never fear), so I've spent quite a chunk of time this morning clicking, clicking, clicking the minutes away. More »

Acclaim Launches MyDivaDoll, We Feel Pretty

Mike Fahey — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Times like this I wish they had just flat-out refused to sell former Activision CEO Howard Marks the Acclaim name back in 2005. Acclaim Games has just launched MyDivaDoll, a web-based online game described in the announcement email as "The Game of Attitude, Fashion, & Interior Design". Create your own diva, buy here clothes, decorate her house, and try not to feel violated with the knowledge that anyone can then click on her, strip her down to her underwear and just...stare. The game also features community voting for best doll and best condo, various mini-games, and a flirting game that I don't think I even want to understand. More »

365 Days of Free Games

Maggie Greene — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:40:00 EDT

Bored this summer? GamesRadar has an appallingly expansive (10 pages!) listing of a wide, wide variety of games available for free, with just about every genre under the sun represented (including the classic 'Victorian slap-fighting game'). Many have videos and most have screenshots, so you can just scroll down and see what catches your eye. Organized into thematic groupings ('King of Pain,' 'Polychromatic,' 'Suburban Drama'), there's plenty of options to please any palette and more than enough games to keep just about anyone busy for a long, long time. More »

Saturday Timewaster: Pandemic 2

Maggie Greene — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EDT

Ever wanted to decimate the world's population or see if you could develop a super-bug that would leave the globe in utter pandemonium? If the answer is yes, browser-based Pandemic 2 is your game; even if the answer is 'uh, no,' it's an interesting way to while away some time. Watch as your customized disease of choice is let loose on the world, then use your 'evolution points' to mutate the perfect delivery method for a global pandemic — the goal is to have a trail of devastation (and bodies) left in your wake. There are two different modes, 'realistic' and 'relaxed,' so if you're not sure you're ready for a realistic onslaught, you can try your hand with the easier mode. More »

The Witcher: DuelMail Becomes The Witcher: Versus

Mike Fahey — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:20:00 EDT

Remember The Witcher: DuelMail, the free-to-play browser fighting game based on the hit PC RPG that ate up a whole lot of productivity when it went into open beta back in March? Well the beta is over, and the game has a new, more sensible name - The Witcher: Versus. More than 48,000 people participated in the beta, offering feedback that brought about changes in the release version of the game. Updated features include multi-channel chat, a new player tutorial, enhanced graphics, and a more demanding character development system so you can fully customize your character's skills. More »

Fallen Empire: Legions In InstantAction

Mike Fahey — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:00:00 EDT

InstantAction.com draws closer and closer to the wide release of the Tribes-channeling Fallen Empire: Legions, a first-person shooter with jet packs for the innovative web-based gaming community. It's not a bad little game, if a bit simplistic in its current form. The only thing missing from it right now are large groups of people to play it, but that should be rectified once it finally emerges from private beta testing. Looking good so far! More »

InstantAction.com's Rokkitball Trailer

Mike Fahey — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:30:00 EDT

Here's the exclusive trailer for Rokkitball, the latest game to grace the lineup at GarageGames' InstantAction.com web-based multiplayer gaming portal. It looks like guns and soccer. Or guns and basketball. We'll just stick with guns and ball for now, until we get our hands on the game. It should be showing up at InstantAction later tonight, or possibly early tomorrow. Be sure and friend MikeFahey if you are signed up over there, as currently I have none and it makes me sad. More »

InstantAction.com Readies Rokkitball

Mike Fahey — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:00:00 EDT

GarageGames' labor of love, browser based action game portal InstantAction.com ads another title to their arsenal tomorrow with the introduction of Rokkitball. Rokkitball is a futuristic, team-based game that weaves together action and strategy to form a very compelling concept in browser-based gaming.

Rokkitball brings a new level of multiplayer gaming to InstantAction, combining the frantic pace of a shooter with the team strategy of a real-world sport," said Alex Swanson, Rokkitball Producer and Designer. "We plan to provide an on-going flow of new content to players through InstantAction, with several additional stadiums and enhanced team customization options already in the works."

While we won't know much more until we actually get to play the game, there will be a live chat with developer Alex Swanson tomorrow at 3PM Pacific, the same time the game goes live, where he will be discussing the creation of Rokkitball and all that entails. For now, check out our exclusive screens from the new title, and head over to InstantAction.com for more web-based multiplayer goodness. More »

The Witcher: Duel Mail Open Beta Battles Begin

Mike Fahey — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:20:00 EDT

While my character rose to great (hypothetical) heights of power during the closed beta, the open beta for CD Projekt Red and one2tribe's The Witcher: Duel Mail now begins in earnest, with players all over the globe invited to show them just how slow their game can run with all of you trying to beat up my pretty little level 1 sorceress at once. Her name is Kotaku, and she enjoys long walks on the beach, candlelit dinners, ponies, and kicking your sorry ass. Teehee! More »

IGA And ID Team For Free, Web-Based Quake Live

Mike Fahey — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:55:04 EST

In-game advertising specialists IGA and id Software have partnered to bring you the next iteration of the classic Quake franchise, Quake Live, and it's definitely not your normal web-based, free-to-play game. Quake Live will deliver a full community experience, including stat tracking, friends lists, matchmaking, and sponsored tournaments, all within your standard web browser. Integrated with IGA's proprietary SDK, it is the first title in the company's "freemium category", offering premium gaming experiences for free thanks to integrated advertising.

"id Software is among the proverbial godfathers of modern gaming and we are thrilled to be working with them on their first title in our 'freemium' category," said Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide. "This partnership is only the latest testament to the increasing acceptance of in-game as an effective, measurable advertising medium and a strategic revenue opportunity for publishers and developers."

Ubisoft Reveals Web-Based Might And Magic

Mike Fahey — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:20:49 EST

Heroes of Might and Magic is hitting the web, and it is going to be huge! Ubisoft has just unveiled Heroes of Might and Magic Kingdoms, an all-new game that takes the series' trademark fantasy simulation battles and puts them in your web browser. That's right, in your web browser. There is no download at all. You'll simply log into the website, create an account, and you'll be playing Might and Magic against thousands of players around the world.

"This is a new type of game for Ubisoft, one that allows you to jump into a rich and complex universe just with your Web browser," said Serge Hascoët, Chief Creative Officer. "Heroes of Might and Magic Kingdoms will open a wide door to the Might and Magic universe, allowing players to immerse themselves within it unlike ever before."

Best of all? The game will be completely free to play. Worst of all? Since it plays in a browser window you can totally get away with playing it at work. More »