Here are the best places to play games online for free in 2026

Tired of watching TV & movies to satisfy your entertainment needs? Today everyone seems to be flocking to video games for an alternative & immersive entertainment experience. Video games help fill the void we call “recreation time” by taking us through stories, giving us puzzles, and connecting us with our friends. 

Sadly, the sparkly games coming to consoles & computers so often have a price tag. Nothing dissuades you from playing a game like a money barrier. Fortunately, you don’t need to spend money to have a blast playing games on the Internet according to Level It. Here are all the places to find some excellent online games – all free of charge.

Miniclip

Miniclip is always the first online gaming website to come to mind when looking for easy little games to occupy yourself when boredom kicks in. For millennials, Miniclip was as much a staple to the internet experience as YouTube back in the day. Miniclip is what brought us Club Penguin (RIP 😭). 

From Bubble Trouble to Ultimate Golf, Sports games, puzzle games, fighting games – Miniclip covers a lot of the bases. The website also excels at providing you with little multiplayer games – especially 1v1 (one-versus-one) games. 

Addicting Games

Another early online gaming veteran, Addicting Games is teeming with a large variety of free online games. The flash games they offer come in categories like Puzzle, Zombie, Action, and Funny. All you have to do is allow Flash Player and click – nothing complex at all.

You’ve got your classic Nyan Cat, Bowman, and Burger Tycoon. You also have games with a sense of humor like Potty Racers, Interactive Buddy, and Kitten Cannon. The name of the website is rather apt because you will get addicted. 

Itch.io

If you have an itch to play a game with a little more substance, check out Itch.io’s library of indie games. Aspiring video game developers upload their games on here for free. Sometimes they charge a small fee but there are plenty of free ones that are super high quality. 

These games do require a download, but when you have it set up it’s all yours to play to your heart’s content. Some really stunning stuff lives on that site and plus you’ll be supporting video game developers who want to share their passion projects with you. 

Arkadium

Arkadium home of the puzzle games. There’s a huge treasure trove of word searches, jigsaw puzzles, sudokus, and crosswords. If puzzle games like those are your jam, Arkadium is exactly what you’re looking for. Plus it gives you the chance to try out classics you may not have experienced before like Mahjong or Backgammon. 

NewGrounds

The gaming website NewGrounds is definitely underrated and worth a search. Games on NewGrounds have a little extra pizazz & color because they come from different sources. Plus, in between games you can watch creative little animation shorts or movies. We promise they’ll put a smile on your cheeks. 

Warning – you may run into some mild NSFW content on here, so it might not be the best choice if you’re looking for a family friendly game. Also some games can be a bit buggy – a small tradeoff for diverse games. 

Rinmaru Games 

Enjoying dress up games is nothing to be ashamed of! Rinmaru games offer, by our estimate, the best online dress up games you can find on the internet. With diverse & high-quality avatar creators, you won’t feel bashful at all when designing your next OC or D&D character on a dress-up website. (We can’t all be designers & artists!)    

Different artists introduce cool art styles with varying themes – fantasy, seasonal, anime, fandom – Rinmaru has it all for you. Rinmaru also has cute story games which can give your dress up experience a little extra sparkle. Go ahead and test the waters to see what cute characters you can create – no shame. 

Facebook

Believe it or not – one of the easiest ways to play games online is just by hopping onto Facebook gaming. They have a surprisingly expansive collection for you to peruse – and the best part is that you can easily play these games with your friends because they’re probably all on Facebook already. 

Facebook has fun puzzle games like Bejeweled Stars & Sugar Match as well as word games like Words With Friends & Word Blitz, and traditional card games like Cribbage & Solitaire. Even Plants vs. Zombies is on there! You’re set. 

Steam

We know what you’re thinking – you have to pay for Steam games! Well my friend, you’re wrong. Not all games on Steam cost money. In fact there are loads of free-to-play games on Steam. If you’re not opposed to downloading Steam software and game applications on your computer, Steam gives you plenty of online gaming options. 

There are tons of popular MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online games) like Path of Exile, Star Wars: The Old Republic, RuneScape, MapleStory, Dungeons & Dragons Online, Phantasy Star Online 2, and countless others. Literally just search up “free to play” and you’ll be boggled by the options available to you.

Fair warning – many of these MMOs have in-game purchases that give players extra benefits and/or aesthetics. Some games also have limited trials or restrictions for free-to-play users such as Final Fantasy XIV which only lets you play to level 60 if you are a non-subscriber. But these online games are still super fun to enjoy with friends nonetheless.