A castle lit up at night in the middle of a dark forest

Tide log · 23 October 2026 · nine finds

Nine RPGs you can still play in a browser

LootTide keeps a short list of browser RPGs and MMOs that still work: nine games that opened in an ordinary web browser on 23 October 2026. Each one gets the same six facts: who runs it, since when, how to start, phone play, what the shop sells and how much of your day it asks for.

See the nine gamesRead the tide table

Photo: Johny Goerend / Unsplash

The finds

Nine games, the same six facts for each

Every card has the same six lines in the same order, so two games can be compared side by side. There are no scores: the facts are the review.

Find 01 · Axe and logIdle

Ironwood RPG

Pick a skill, close the tab and come back to a full bag: gathering, crafting and combat that run on while you are away.

Runs it
Gemuki Pty Ltd, Brisbane
Since
2022 (early access); version 1.0 in July 2024
To start
Google, email or guest
Phone
Sign-in fits a phone
Money
Free; Pearls buy fixed perks
Daily
5–15 min a day (est.)
Open the find →

Find 02 · PixelsIdle

Idle Pixel

A one-developer idle MMO with thirteen skills, a player market and a global chat, where the only purchase is a $1 donor coin.

Runs it
Smitty, a solo developer
Since
by December 2021 (earliest archive copy)
To start
Username and password
Phone
No official word
Money
Free; $1 donor coins
Daily
10–20 min a day (est.)
Open the find →

Find 03 · CampfireClassic browser RPG

Tanoth

The classic browser-RPG loop, relaunched in 2024: timed adventures, a work shift, dungeons, an arena and a guild.

Runs it
Gameforge, Karlsruhe
Since
2008; relaunched 25 July 2024
To start
Gameforge account
Phone
Not confirmed
Money
Free; Bloodstones from €4.99
Daily
10–20 min a day (est.)
Open the find →

Find 04 · TempleAt sea

Ikariam

Island towns, trade ships, war fleets and a Pirate Fortress on a Mediterranean map that Gameforge has run since 2008.

Runs it
Gameforge, Karlsruhe
Since
2008
To start
Gameforge account
Phone
App withdrawn; browser untested
Money
Free; Ambrosia for Plus
Daily
10–30 min a day (est.)
Open the find →

Find 05 · Forest pathCity and strategy

Elvenar

A calm fantasy city builder for elves or humans, with no attacks from other players and a story that has reached its 25th chapter.

Runs it
InnoGames, Hamburg
Since
2015
To start
Email sign-up
Phone
Official apps
Money
Free; Diamonds and an event pass
Daily
10–30 min a day (est.)
Open the find →

Find 06 · OrbitCity and strategy

OGame

The grandfather of browser strategy, running since 2002: planets, mines, research, fleets and expeditions into the dark.

Runs it
Gameforge, Karlsruhe
Since
2002
To start
Gameforge account
Phone
Not confirmed
Money
Free; Dark Matter
Daily
10–30 min a day (est.)
Open the find →

Find 07 · StairwayDungeon

Angband

The classic Tolkien roguelike, free in a browser tab on Angband.live: a hundred levels down to Morgoth, and one life.

Runs it
Volunteers led by Nick McConnell
Since
1990; public since 1993
To start
Nickname and password
Phone
Needs a keyboard
Money
Free, nothing for sale
Daily
20–60 min a day (est.)
Open the find →

Find 08 · LibraryText world

Discworld MUD

Terry Pratchett's Discworld as a text world since 1991: typed commands, seven guilds, player newspapers and nothing to buy.

Runs it
Volunteers
Since
1991; open to players since 1992
To start
Character made in the client
Phone
Not recommended
Money
Free, nothing for sale
Daily
45–120 min a day (est.)
Open the find →

Find 09 · RuinsText world

MUME

Middle-earth as a text world since 1991, with a browser client that draws a live map and a war between the free peoples and Sauron's servants.

Runs it
Volunteers, hosted at HEIG-VD in Switzerland
Since
1991
To start
Account made in the client
Phone
No official word; 37 MB client
Money
Free, nothing for sale
Daily
60–120 min a day (est.)
Open the find →

Tide table

How each world wants your time

Some of these keep working while you are away; others only move when you do. Each line draws an ordinary day for one game, with a mark for every visit it rewards.

Ironwood RPGTwo or three short check-ins a day; each action runs on by itself for hours.

5–15 min a dayRuns on for up to 24 h

Idle PixelShort visits every few hours, because offline progress stops after eight.

10–20 min a dayRuns on for 8 h

TanothA morning round of adventures, an evening in the arena and a work shift set before bed.

10–20 min a dayA work shift runs on

IkariamSeveral short visits to restart building queues and send ships; more during wars and events.

10–30 min a dayBuilds and raids go on

ElvenarTwo or three visits to collect and restart production; more during events.

10–30 min a dayProduction waits

OGameSeveral log-ins to queue builds and send expeditions, and one before bed to hide the fleet.

10–30 min a dayRaids go on

AngbandOne sitting whenever you like; nothing moves until you press a key.

20–60 min a dayWaits for you

Discworld MUDOne long evening sitting; nothing decays while you are away.

45–120 min a dayNothing decays

MUMEOne long sitting that ends at an inn, because you rent a room before logging off.

60–120 min a dayRent at an inn

An illustrated day, midnight to midnightA typical visitMinutes are our estimates; see the method.

The full tide table →

The Milky Way arching over a rocky mountain path at night

Kinds of game

Six kinds of game among the nine

The nine games fall into a few kinds, and the kind decides most of what a game asks of you. Each row names a kind, how it plays and the games that belong to it.

  • City and strategyTowns and empires built on long timers: Elvenar, OGame
  • IdleTimers that keep working while the tab is closed: Ironwood RPG, Idle Pixel
  • Text worldTyped commands in a shared world of words: Discworld MUD, MUME
  • DungeonTurn-based dives where death is final: Angband
  • Classic browser RPGA hero sent on timed adventures and arena bouts: Tanoth
  • At seaIsland towns, trade ships and fleets: Ikariam

Photo: Sebastian Knoll / Unsplash

An old lantern glowing on the ground in a dark wood
Photo: Megan Lee / Unsplash

Before you start

Four things to check first

  • Where it really runsMany old browser games now need a launcher or a download. Every find here opened in a desktop browser when we checked on 23 October 2026.
  • What the shop sellsEach tag says what costs money, and names any paid random items exactly, so nobody meets a loot box by surprise.
  • How it pulls you backTimers, daily rewards and offline progress are built to bring you back. The tide table shows how often each game wants you back.
  • Who it is forAge rules come from each game's own terms, quoted on its page. Few browser games carry a PEGI or ESRB label.

Play well →

Picker

Which game suits your evenings

Four answers. The list reorders and each line says why.

Minutes a day
You play on
You would rather
Company

    Logbook

    Notes on how we choose

    The whole logbook →
    1. 23 October 2026Why some old favourites are missing
    2. 23 October 2026Idle does not mean it asks nothing
    3. 23 October 2026Text worlds are older than the web
    01MethodHow each find was checked and what counts as an estimate. 02FAQPhones, accounts, random items and why there are no scores. 03Play wellTimers, spending and the pull to log in again. 04CreditsWho took the photos on this site.