Polar Games
Guide

Browser games: what they are and which to play

What browser games are, how they evolved since the Flash days, why they are so handy and a guide to Polar Games titles by style. Polarzinho basically lives in a browser tab.

By Polarzinho ·

Official Trimora cover art

Browser games are games you open right in Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, with nothing to download or install. I basically live in a browser tab, so this is my topic.

Here is what browser games are, how they evolved, why they are handy, how to play safely and a guide to Polar Games titles by style, so you can find yours.

Play Trimora Play Twirldrop Play Ricopop

What are browser games

Games that run inside your browser from a link. They work on computers and often on phones and tablets too, without going through an app store.

  • Nothing to install and no disk space used.
  • They open in seconds from a link.
  • You can play on a work or school computer, or a Chromebook.
  • Inviting friends is easy: just send the link.

From Flash to HTML5

For years, almost every browser game used Flash. Flash support ended at the end of 2020, and games moved to technology built into the browser itself: HTML5, Canvas, WebGL and web audio.

That brought 3D, physics, real-time online play and phone support to browser games. Games like Agar.io, Slither.io and GeoGuessr showed you can be a huge hit without any install.

Polar Games browser games, by style

Every Polar Games title runs in the browser. Sorted by style:

Words and quiz

Stop! (the categories word game, with rooms for friends), Zabum! (general knowledge quiz), Letter River, Lumora and Solitaire Links.

Sports

Barrio Kick (pixel-art street football), Velvet Pool (8-ball pool), Puttide (3D mini golf) and Sunset Rally (table tennis).

Action and strategy

Zombra Survivor (zombie survival), Barricade Z (merge tower defense), Little Ninja Dash (ninja platformer), Tankado and Magnado (.io arenas).

One-tap arcade

Trimora, Twirldrop, Pinloop and Ricopop: quick rounds, perfect for a break.

Trimora with a 3D tower of stacked slabs, a score of 7 and the Undo button

PolarzinhoMy tower started wide and ended the size of a toothpick. Panda architecture.

Trimora, in Portuguese: every slab that hangs over gets trimmed, and the tower gets thinner.
Twirldrop with a ball dropping down a spiral tower of colorful floors, a score of 70 and a best of 53

PolarzinhoBest was 53, I got 70. I celebrated by spinning my chair, just like the tower.

Twirldrop: turn the tower and let the ball drop through the gaps.

Puzzle

Gridspark (blocks), Plop! (fruit merge), Deepforge (mining and merge) and Beep Out! (3D toy-car traffic jam).

Rhythm

Riffvolt: a four-lane rhythm game, with online play for up to four.

How to play browser games safely

  1. Play on well-known sites with a padlock (https) in the address bar.
  2. Do not download files or install anything a game asks for.
  3. Never type passwords for other services inside a game.
  4. With kids, prefer games without open chat with strangers.

FAQ

What is a browser game?

A game that runs inside your browser from a link, with nothing to install.

Do browser games work on phones?

Many do. Several Polar Games titles, like Trimora, Twirldrop and Barrio Kick, are made for both computer and phone.

Are there still Flash games?

Flash support ended at the end of 2020. Today’s browser games use HTML5 and WebGL.

Open a tab and play

For a quick start, try the three arcade games below: Trimora, Twirldrop and Ricopop. A round takes less than a minute.

Play Trimora Play Twirldrop Play Ricopop