Since last year, I’ve read and heard a lot about HTML5 games; oftentimes comparing it with Flash. I don’t have the technical knowledge to weigh in on which of the two is better. What I care about is whether a game is fun to play or not.
With all these talks of HTML5 games, I decided to find the best HTML5 games currently available in the net…for free. Here they are!
A game that needs no introduction.
Cut the Rope is a multi-level physics puzzler created by ZeptoLab. It was originally developed for mobile devices back in 2010. It was later ported to HTML5 as one of the showcase games for Windows8.
Your mission in the game is to find a way to feed the candy to the green monster Om Nom. The candy is tied into a string. You have to cut the string in the correct order and at the right time to deliver it into Om Nom’s mouth.
For more information about the development of Cut the Rope, check out the game’s Behind the Scene.
Entanglement is a pipe-puzzler game. The challenge is to ‘entangle’ the tiles to build the longest path. The longer it is, the more points you receive.
Lux Ahoy is a turned-based cannon shooter. As of this writing, there are only three levels for you to play. I, personally, love the graphics of the game plus the grandeur of the background music.
This is one of the most interesting HTML5 games that I’ve come across. It’s an interactive fiction game with wonderful illustrations.
The Grain of Truth takes you to a fantasy world filled with mysterious creatures and endless grasslands. You play as a young traveler on a quest to find the Wiseman, a person who is said to be as old as Time and has knowledge of all the stories.
Convergence is a “game about relationships.” It’s a puzzle game that highlights the difficulty in finding the perfect match we’ve all been looking for. “It is also a game about timing, about avoiding obstacles and about reaching a single goal, together.”
BQ is a game demo, built by Little Workshop and Mozzila, to showcase the power and possibilities of browser gaming with HTML5 & Javascript.
Technical background aside, it’s a ‘retro’ multiplayer adventure game. Fight monsters, collect coins and gather weapons!
Gravity Maze is a fun physics puzzler created by Geenzo. The mission is really simple – transport the balls out of the box. You have no direct control over the balls. Instead, you can turn the box around to move the balls out of the maze.
Atari Arcade games
I already featured the items 9 to 16 before. These games are HTML5 re-imagination of classic Atari games, labeled “Built for Touch in Internet Explorer“.
This is an enjoyable 8-bit survival game. You play as a knight or gladiator trapped inside an arena. The trapdoors open and monsters appear. Let the game begin! Survive as long as you can.
This game was created using Construct 2, an HTML5 game maker. According to its developer, Super Ubi Land is still under heavy development.
A green space explorer has crashed on our world. Help him collect the pieces of his spaceships so he can go back home. That’s kinda cute.
This is the funniest HTML5 game I have ever played. It’s a 2D adventure game about a man who’s really, really afraid of unicorns. My Irrational Fear of Unicorns was also created using Construct 2.
Happy Tree Friends. If you’ve heard of the group, you know what this game is going for. Basically, it’s a launching game plus some blood & gore.
Giggles is trapped on an island. She has built some kind of a slingshot contraption to launch herself back to real land. Hmm. Good luck, Giggles.
Arrrrrr! Time for an HTML5 TD game. Davy Jones has sent his crew to steal your most valuable treasure – your beautiful daisies. Defend your treasure at all costs!
Pirates + Awesome music + TD + Pirates + Pirates + Pirates = PIRATES!!!!
Arena5 is an HTML5 shooting survival game created by Kevin Roast. It’s a fast-paced game and you’ll easily find yourself blasted away in just a matter of seconds.
You might also want to try Roast’s other HTML5 game Asteroids.
Tankworld stands out among other HTML5 games because of setting – a cool 3D environment. In gameplay, it’ s an amazing tank shooting game. You can build your own map, share it with other players or play maps created by other players.
Word Squared is massively-multiplayer word game. It’s like a really big crossword board. It has expanded so much that you’ll a minimap to browse through the board.
SpacePi won the top price of the HTML5 & JavaScript Game Development Competition in just 13KB. It’s a space defense game with amazing collision effects.
After seeing & playing Browser Quest, I expected to find a full-blown HTML5 MMO. Illyriad is the real deal!
Illyriad is a free-to-play, HTML5 massively-multiplayer real-time strategy game, set in a vast fantasy world of mountain ranges, lakes, forests, oceans, islands, rivers, deserts, jungles, marshes and the northern wastes with countries and factions – each with their own agendas.
After launching the Atari Arcade, Microsoft unveils a re-imagination of a successful iPad game. Contre Jour (translates to “against daylight”) is set in a world of darkness. Guide the creature named Petit across the terrain and into safety by morphing the land, using tentacles and more.
It’s Efren “The Magician” Reyes and Daniel Craig rolled into a single game. An evil organization, CHALK, has infiltrated a world pool tournament. Sink as many balls as you can before the bomb timer runs out.
Play as a stickman riding a bike across different terrains. Canvas Rider is notable because the maps that you get to ride on created or drawn by other players. You can also draw and submit your own map.
Biolab Disaster is one of the first HTML5 games that I played. It’s a platform/shooting game that showcases Impact.JS, a powerful HTML5 game engine.
Not on the list?
If you know an awesome HTML5 game or two, mention it on the comment section.
