Back to Deer Park Manor
Evening projects from the lodge

Eight games to tend
once the park gates close

When the deer settle under the oaks and dusk comes down by five, Hartley lights the lodge lamp and opens a browser tab. These eight games cost nothing to join and need no download: a zoo and a farm to look after, three old civilisations to build up, two star systems to fight over and a jigsaw for the quietest nights.

8games on this page
0files to download
5studios behind them
My Free Zoo key art
The keeper's own pick

My Free Zoo

Zoo building sim · Farm, town & zoo

You begin with bare ground and a couple of paths, then fence off enclosures, bring in animals and keep the visitors cheerful as the park spreads outward. Feeding rounds, breeding new arrivals and dressing the grounds with planting and benches give it the unhurried rhythm of a real estate keeper walking his rounds at dawn.

Good for
Animal lovers who like an unhurried, traditional zoo builder.
Typical session
10 to 15 minutes
Where it runs
Desktop browser
Cost
No charge to begin; in-game purchases are there only for those who want them.
Your first session
  1. Feed and clean each enclosure before building the next one.
  2. Plant paths and decorations near the entrance first, where visitors gather.
  3. Pair animals for breeding early, as it takes a while to pay off.
Play My Free Zoo freeOpens myfreezoo.upjers.com/en in a new tab

Seven more for the lodge bookshelf

My Free Farm 2 key artFarm, town & zoo

My Free Farm 2

Farming sim

Crop fields, livestock pens and a row of processing sheds turn raw harvests into goods you sell or send to standing orders. Sowing, feeding and production all run on clocks, so the craft lies in timing, and the farm widens as your land grows.

  • A few spells of 5 to 15 minutes each day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Good for & first steps

Good for: Sim players who like tuning a production chain until it hums.

Your first session
  1. Sow quick crops first so the early fields keep turning over.
  2. Match sheds to the orders you see most often.
  3. Line up long timers before you log off for the night.
Play My Free Farm 2 freeOpens myfreefarm2.upjers.com/en
Forge of Empires key artStrategy & war

Forge of Empires

A city built up across the ages

A cluster of huts grows into a town and then a city as you research from one historical age into the next. Each era brings new buildings and troops, with turn-based battles on a hex map, trading with neighbours and guild events in between.

  • Dropping in briefly a few times daily
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Good for & first steps

Good for: Planners who enjoy slow, long-term growth and seeing a city change across the ages.

Your first session
  1. Balance houses, workshops and goods so no resource runs dry.
  2. Keep research points moving so you are never stuck between ages.
  3. Join an active guild early; members help polish each other's buildings.
Play Forge of Empires freeOpens forgeofempires.com
Grepolis key artStrategy & war

Grepolis

Ancient Greek city-states

Raise a Greek city-state on its own island, earn the favour of the gods and build both an army and a navy. Expansion goes island by island across a mythic Mediterranean, and mythological units sit alongside spearmen and warships in your plans.

  • Two or three short calls a day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Good for & first steps

Good for: Players drawn to the ancient world who enjoy steady strategic growth.

Your first session
  1. Work through the opening tasks; they explain the city buildings in order.
  2. Build up your harbour early, since every island is reached by sea.
  3. Look for an active alliance nearby before you plan any expansion.
Play Grepolis freeOpens us.grepolis.com
Anocris key artStrategy & war

Anocris

Ancient Egyptian city-building

Found a city on the banks of the Nile, grow its economy and prepare your forces before you reach any further. Progress is gradual by design, rewarding a ruler who plans the next few buildings ahead rather than rushing outward.

  • 10 minutes or so, now and then
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Good for & first steps

Good for: Methodical builders who like an economy to come first.

Your first session
  1. Put the economy first and let resources build up steadily.
  2. Plan your next couple of buildings before spending anything.
  3. Expand only once your city can supply its forces.
Play Anocris freeOpens int59.anocris.com
OGame key artSpace & sci-fi

OGame

Space strategy

From one planet you build mines, power plants and shipyards, climb a research tree and spread to new worlds. Fleets take real hours to cross space and are exposed in transit, so scouting, timing and a good alliance count as much as size.

  • A few short check-ins spread through the day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Good for & first steps

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

Your first session
  1. Build up metal, crystal and power before any warships.
  2. Scout a target before you send a fleet anywhere.
  3. Keep your fleet moving when you are away so it is not caught at home.
Play OGame freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/ogame
DarkOrbit key artSpace & sci-fi

DarkOrbit

Space combat MMO

Take the controls of a ship in a long-running sci-fi MMO, mining and fighting your way across the galaxy. Upgrades make the ship tougher over time, and joining a company brings you into the large battles that fill its maps.

  • 20 minutes or longer
  • Desktop browser
Good for & first steps

Good for: Sci-fi fans who want to fly and fight rather than only plan.

Your first session
  1. Stay in the safer starting maps until your ship has a few upgrades.
  2. Spend early earnings on the ship before anything cosmetic.
  3. Join a company once you are ready for group battles.
Play DarkOrbit freeOpens darkorbit.com
Jigsaw Planet key artPuzzle & casual

Jigsaw Planet

Online jigsaw puzzles

A free library of online jigsaws that plays without any sign-up at all. Choose the piece count and the cut before you start, drag and turn pieces against a gentle timer, or upload a photo of your own to make a fresh puzzle.

  • Five minutes to a whole evening
  • Desktop browser
Good for & first steps

Good for: Anyone after a calm puzzle with no commitment at the end of the day.

Your first session
  1. Pick a lower piece count for your first go.
  2. Sort out the edge pieces before anything else.
  3. Try uploading a favourite autumn photograph as a puzzle.
Play Jigsaw Planet freeOpens jigsawplanet.com

All eight side by side on the lodge table

GameGenrePacePlaying with othersTypical sessionWhere it runs
My Free ZooZoo building simRelaxedFriends and visiting neighbours10 to 15 minutesDesktop browser
My Free Farm 2Farming simRelaxed with timersNeighbours and farming clubsA few spells of 5 to 15 minutes each dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Forge of EmpiresA city built up across the agesSteady real timeGuilds, plus a hand from the neighboursDropping in briefly a few times dailyDesktop browser; mobile app also available
GrepolisAncient Greek city-statesSteady real timeAlliances across the islandsTwo or three short calls a dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
AnocrisAncient Egyptian city-buildingSlow and methodicalOther rulers along the river10 minutes or so, now and thenDesktop browser; mobile app also available
OGameSpace strategySlow and real timeAlliances across a whole universeA few short check-ins spread through the dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
DarkOrbitSpace combat MMOFast when fightingCompanies and large battles20 minutes or longerDesktop browser
Jigsaw PlanetOnline jigsaw puzzlesAs slow as you likeCommunity puzzle libraryFive minutes to a whole eveningDesktop browser

Cost, all 8: No charge to begin; in-game purchases are there only for those who want them.

01

Free to play, as the estate sees it

Every game here lets you join without charge and keep going for months; the heart of keeping animals, farming, ruling a city, flying a ship or finishing a puzzle is open to all.

The studios also sell extras such as premium currency, decorations and speed-ups. Plenty of long-standing players never buy any, and account settings at each studio can cap spending on a shared family computer.

02

Stepping through the gate

The button under each title opens that game's official site in a fresh tab. Most ask for a quick registration with your email; Jigsaw Planet lets you start a puzzle without one.

The building and strategy games open with a guided tutorial. Follow it to the end, as it brings in resources, menus and timers in the order you will need them.

03

Keeping to the rhythm of the day

Most of these games carry on while you are away: buildings finish, crops ripen, animals grow and fleets arrive. A visit with breakfast and another after supper is usually plenty.

Use short visits to collect what is ready and set new jobs going. Keep longer evenings for bigger choices, such as laying out a new zoo section, rerouting a farm chain or a long battle in DarkOrbit.

04

Guarding your login like the estate key

Each account belongs to its own studio, so only type your details on that studio's official web address. Give every game a password of its own, and switch on two-step login wherever it is offered.

A genuine help desk never needs your password. Anyone promising free gems in return for your login is after the account itself, so delete the message without replying.

Why Hartley shelved these eight beside the fire

  • Each one opens in the web browser your computer already has, with no setup file to fetch first.
  • Joining is free, and a player who never spends still reaches the heart of every game; the shops are optional.
  • Animals keep eating, crops ripen and fleets keep flying after the tab is shut, so a short look-in still moves things on.
  • All of them have run for years under established studios, with steady updates and settled communities of players.

No. A current desktop browser runs all eight; the mobile apps listed for some of them are an optional extra.

Five of them, My Free Farm 2, Forge of Empires, Grepolis, Anocris and OGame, list a mobile app as well as the desktop browser. My Free Zoo, DarkOrbit and Jigsaw Planet are listed for the desktop browser.

Yes. Joining costs nothing and each game can be played properly without paying; the in-game shops are optional.

No. Separate studios build and run all eight; our buttons simply take you to their official pages.

No. They come from different studios, so each needs its own registration, and Jigsaw Planet can be played without one.

Jigsaw Planet and My Free Zoo are the gentlest. My Free Farm 2 suits planners, Forge of Empires, Grepolis and Anocris suit city builders, OGame suits patient strategists and DarkOrbit suits pilots who want action.

Yes. The zoo and farm have neighbours and clubs, Forge of Empires has guilds, Grepolis and OGame are built around alliances, DarkOrbit has companies and Jigsaw Planet has a community puzzle library.