Our favourite free video games to self-isolate with
/Like many people around the world, the studio is self-isolating from the Coronavirus. We’re very fortunate in that we’re able to work from home, so projects have been moving ahead as normal and our day-to-day work life - while certainly different - hasn’t been affected as badly as others.
That said, in this kind of situation it’s easy to get bored and we’re more frequently looking for fun things to do with our spare time when we can’t go outside or meet up with friends or do the things we would usually do.
We know others are in the same boat, so we’ve put together a list of some of the studio’s favourite free games. Some of these are commercial games now released permanently for free, some are experimental indie freebies, others are open source projects we love or beloved flash games from back in the day, and a handful are free-to-play with IAPs or ads (though they’re not essential to enjoying the game).
Have fun and stay safe!
Stones of Solace by Dziff
Stones of Solace by Dziff
Windows, Mac
Recommended by Jem
From the developer: “Stones of Solace is a minimalistic and contemplative ritual, offering you a quiet space for relaxation. Find out what your idol is every day, and take some of your time to craft them a gift.”
Oolite by Giles Williams, Jens Ayton, et al
Oolite by Giles Williams, Jens Ayton, et al
Windows, Mac, Linux
Recommended by Mike
From the developer: “Oolite is inspired by the 8-bit classic Elite, and many aspects of gameplay will be familiar to players of that game. In the tradition of open-world games, there's no overall story: you can be a millionaire trader, a veteran combateer, a feared pirate, a lonely miner, a notorious smuggler, or all of them, or something else entirely, based on your own actions.”
Hordes.io by Hordes.io
Hordes.io by Hordes.io
Web
Recommended by Pete P
From the developer: “Find your clan, survive large scale open world PVP and arenas, hunt down bosses and fight your way to the top in this group oriented MMORPG.”
Butterfly Soup by Brianna Lei
Butterfly Soup by Brianna Lei
Windows, Mac, Linux
Recommended by Joel
From the developer: “A visual novel about gay Asian girls playing baseball and falling in love.”
A Painted Ocean by Neil Thapen
A Painted Ocean by Neil Thapen
Windows
Recommended by Aaron
From the developer: “Command a Napoleonic-era man-of-war. Sail the oceans of the world.”
Old School RuneScape by Jagex
Old School RuneScape by Jagex
Windows, Mac / Android, Apple
Recommended by Dan
From the developer: “Relive the challenging levelling system and risk-it-all PvP of the biggest retro styled MMO. Play with millions of other players in this piece of online gaming heritage where the community controls the development so the game is truly what you want it to be!”
Line Rider by Emergent Studios
Line Rider by Emergent Studios
Web
Recommended by Charlie
From the developer: “Draw a track for the sledder to ride on! The classic and super addictive sandbox game.”
Bernband by Tom van den Boogaart
Bernband by Tom van den Boogaart
Windows, Mac, Linux
Recommended by Sam C
From the developer: “explore the city of the pff, 23 or something unique locations to discover”
Dancing Road: Color Ball Run! by AMANOTES
Beneath a Steel Sky by Revolution Software
Beneath a Steel Sky by Revolution Software
Windows, Mac, Linux
Recommended by Peter W
From the developer: “Featuring Revolution's Software innovative Virtual Theatre system, Beneath a Steel Sky is a gripping science fiction point and click adventure game in the cyberpunk genre.”
Chasing Birds by David Czar
Honourable mentions...
Porklike by Krystian Majewski - Web
It’s a Beautiful Day by yllogique - Web
Freeciv by The Freeciv Project - Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Amiga etc etc
Forget-Me-Not<R by ERYNGI - Windows, macOS, and Linux
Zero-K and the other Spring Engine RTS games - Windows, Linux
Chasing Birds by David Czar - Windows, Mac