Back to Highland Games Field
Murdo's clan noticeboard

Eight browser games
for clans, captains and empire builders

When the last pipe tune fades over the ridge, Murdo trades his caber for a map and a plan. He has pinned eight free browser games to the noticeboard by the marquee, every one a long campaign of villages, cities, fleets or planets that keeps going while you are away, and none of them needs an installer.

8games on the noticeboard
6with an official app as well
Freeto join, every one
Tribal Wars 2 key art
The clan chief's pick

Tribal Wars 2

Medieval village conquest · Strategy & war

Murdo knows a good clan when he sees one. Tribal Wars 2 hands you a single medieval village, then asks you to recruit troops, take ground from the neighbours and join a tribe that coordinates its moves across a world lasting months. Loyalty to your tribe matters as much as the size of your army.

Good for
Competitive players happy to commit to one long world with a loyal tribe.
Typical session
Short visits through the day, longer when the tribe plans a push
Where it runs
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Grow your resource buildings before raising a large army.
  2. Find an active tribe early and learn how it plans.
  3. Keep an eye on neighbours before you choose a target.
Play Tribal Wars 2 freeOpens tribalwars2.com in a new tab

Seven more campaigns pinned beside it

Travian key artStrategy & war

Travian

Village empire strategy

A long-running campaign of villages, a tribe chosen at the start and an alliance with one big aim: raising a wonder of the world ahead of every rival alliance. Every early choice, from the first field to the first ally, shapes how the later rounds go.

  • Several brief check-ins a day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who should try it, and the opening moves

Good for: Dedicated strategists who enjoy one long goal shared with allies.

Your first session
  1. Read up on the tribes before you pick one.
  2. Keep your fields and storage growing together.
  3. Join an alliance that is talking about the wonder.
Play Travian freeOpens travian.com
Forge of Empires key artFarm, town & zoo

Forge of Empires

City building through the ages

A small settlement grows age by age into a sprawling city. You plan the streets, climb a research tree that opens each new era and settle disputes in tactical battles, one patient step after another as the centuries roll by.

  • A few minutes per visit, several visits a day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who should try it, and the opening moves

Good for: Builders who like watching a town change over many months.

Your first session
  1. Keep production buildings busy before adding decorations.
  2. Follow the research tree towards the next age.
  3. Leave space so the city can grow without rebuilding.
Play Forge of Empires freeOpens forgeofempires.com
Anocris key artFarm, town & zoo

Anocris

Ancient Egyptian city building

A city rises on the banks of the Nile. You grow its economy, prepare your forces and spread outwards through measured, gradual play, with the great river setting the rhythm of every plan and every season of growth.

  • Short, regular visits
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who should try it, and the opening moves

Good for: Methodical builders who prefer planning to rushing.

Your first session
  1. Put the economy first in the opening days.
  2. Expand only when the city can support it.
  3. Prepare defences before your borders grow.
Play Anocris freeOpens int59.anocris.com
Heroes of History key artStrategy & war

Heroes of History

Empire building with hero squads

A civilisation walks forward through the ages while named heroes lead its armies. You lay out the city, push the research line and send hero squads into battle on a tactical grid, where each piece stands decides the fight.

  • A few short sessions a day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who should try it, and the opening moves

Good for: Builders who want a fighting side to their city.

Your first session
  1. Spread research and building so neither falls behind.
  2. Learn what each hero is good at before forming squads.
  3. Practise grid battles on easier fights first.
Play Heroes of History freeOpens heroesgame.com
Ikariam key artBusiness & tycoon

Ikariam

Island trade empire

Each island in this ancient Mediterranean world yields just one luxury resource, so trade is not optional. You run cargo routes between your own towns, research new ideas and, when it comes to it, besiege rival ports.

  • Quick visits to keep trade moving
  • Desktop browser
Who should try it, and the opening moves

Good for: Players who like the economy to drive everything else.

Your first session
  1. Find out which luxury resource your island gives.
  2. Set up cargo routes before your towns run short.
  3. Research steadily rather than in bursts.
Play Ikariam freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/ikariam
Seafight key artRole-play & adventure

Seafight

Pirate naval adventure

Hoist the sails and captain your own ship across a world of buccaneers. You battle on the high seas, hunt for treasure and upgrade the vessel plank by plank as your name grows among the other crews sharing the same waters.

  • A voyage or two per sitting
  • Desktop browser
Who should try it, and the opening moves

Good for: Players who fancy salt spray and a bit of swashbuckling.

Your first session
  1. Learn the controls in calm waters first.
  2. Spend early gains on ship upgrades.
  3. Pick fights you can win before heading out further.
Play Seafight freeOpens seafight.com
OGame key artSpace & sci-fi

OGame

Space empire strategy

Mines, research trees and fleets that take genuine hours to arrive. Ships are exposed while they travel, so seasoned commanders scout before they move, time their launches with care and always keep their fleet safe.

  • Brief check-ins timed around fleet arrivals
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who should try it, and the opening moves

Good for: Patient strategists who like choices with lasting consequences.

Your first session
  1. Build up your mines before anything else.
  2. Scout a target before sending ships.
  3. Never leave a fleet sitting idle at home.
Play OGame freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/ogame

All eight campaigns side by side

Game on Murdo’s noticeboardStyle of playPace of the campaignCompanySession lengthWhere it can be played
Tribal Wars 2Medieval village conquestMonths-long worlds in real timeTribes that plan attacks togetherShort visits through the day, longer when the tribe plans a pushDesktop browser; mobile app also available
TravianVillage empire strategySlow and steady real timeAlliances racing for a wonder of the worldSeveral brief check-ins a dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Forge of EmpiresCity building through the agesSteady, long-term progressA shared world of other city buildersA few minutes per visit, several visits a dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
AnocrisAncient Egyptian city buildingCareful and gradualA shared map of rival citiesShort, regular visitsDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Heroes of HistoryEmpire building with hero squadsSteady progress through the erasPlayed alongside other empire buildersA few short sessions a dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
IkariamIsland trade empireMeasured, trade-drivenRival ports across the islandsQuick visits to keep trade movingDesktop browser
SeafightPirate naval adventureLively battles at seaA world full of other buccaneersA voyage or two per sittingDesktop browser
OGameSpace empire strategyReal flight times measured in hoursA galaxy of rival empiresBrief check-ins timed around fleet arrivalsDesktop browser; mobile app also available

All eight at a glance: free to play, with in-game purchases only if you want them.

01

Free to join

Registration at every game on the board is free, and months of play need no payment; the villages, cities, ships and planets all come in full.

Each studio runs an optional shop for speed-ups and extras. Plenty of veteran players never touch it, and a shared family computer can usually have spending limited in the account settings.

02

Your first move

Each button opens the studio's own website in a fresh tab. Sign up there with your email, and within minutes a village, a city, a ship or a planet is waiting for your orders.

Every game starts newcomers with a tutorial. Sit through every chapter of it, because the early lessons on menus and economy save a lot of fumbling later.

03

Short visits, big decisions

All eight keep running while the tab is closed: buildings finish, cargo sails, fleets travel and troops train. A peek before work and another once the evening settles is usually plenty.

Quick visits suit gathering resources, filling build queues and chatting with your tribe or alliance. Weighty moves, such as a new town, a siege or the jump into another era, deserve an unhurried sitting.

04

Keeping your sign-in safe

Every login sits with the studio behind its game, so type it nowhere except the web address that studio gives out. Use a separate password per game, and turn on any extra sign-in check a studio provides.

Studio staff will never ask for your password. A message promising free premium currency for your login is a trick to take the account, so report it and move on.

Why each of the eight earned a pin on the board

  • Each campaign opens in a plain desktop or laptop browser tab, so the first move needs no installer.
  • Signing up costs nothing on any of them, and a player who never visits the shop still gets the whole game.
  • Villages, cities and fleets carry on working after the tab is shut, which suits a quick look between other plans.
  • These are long-lived worlds kept up by their studios for years, with plenty of settled players ready to talk tactics.

No. All eight open in a desktop or laptop browser tab, and six of them have an official app as well, should you prefer playing on a phone.

Not to join or to play. Every one of the eight lets you register free and play the whole game without spending; any in-game purchase is entirely your choice.

No. Independent studios build and run all eight, and every button on Murdo's noticeboard leads to the official home of that studio's game.

No. Each belongs to its own studio, so a fresh free registration is needed at every one.

Tribal Wars 2, Travian, Forge of Empires, Anocris, Heroes of History and OGame have official apps alongside the browser version. Ikariam and Seafight appear on the noticeboard as browser games only, so plan to play those two at a computer.

Seafight, with its battles on the open sea. The empire games, especially OGame and Travian, reward patient planning over many weeks.

Yes. Tribal Wars 2 has tribes, Travian has alliances, and every one of the eight shares its world with other players, from rival ports to rival empires.