Windows may be the most popular operating system for gaming, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only option. While the Chrome operating system doesn’t have as many games, you don’t have to pass up playing games on your computer.
Whether you prefer free games or games you can purchase, plenty of them work well on Chrome. Keep reading to learn our recommendations for games on the Chromebook.
Further reading
Sonic the Hedgehog Classic (Free)
The hit game that kicked off the Sonic Series is now available on Chromebooks via the Google Play Store! With Sonic the Hedgehog Classic, you’ll be able to race at speeds across the seven classic zones as Sonic the Headhog and run or sprint through loop-de-loops as you defeat enemies. The game is optimized for touch-screen Chromebooks, but you also can use Xbox Controllers if need be. It’s extremely lightweight and is quite fun to play.
Pac-Man (Free)
Pac-Man is one of the most famous videogames of all time, and it’s now available on Chromebooks through the Google Play Store too. In this game, you earn high scores and guide Pac-Man through a maze and eat all the Pac-dots and fruits while avoiding enemy ghosts. There’s a lot of old-school action to the game, but you’ll also be able to enjoy new daily Pac-missions as well as tournaments and token rewards. Best of all, you don’t need a Chromebook with a touch screen to enjoy. The game uses the up, down, left and right arrow keys.
Asphalt 9: Legends (Free)
Windows 10 PCs gamers can enjoy racing game series like Forza, but if you own a Chromebook and really want a real racing game, you can play Asphalt 9: Legends instead. The game runs really smooth on Chrome OS, with occasional frame drops, but it’s still a great experience. You can play with touch controls if your device supports it, or just use the keyboard if your device doesn’t have a touch screen. Many hit hypercars are in this game, including models from Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, and W Motors. You’re free to pick the dream car you need and race across spectacular locations against rival speed machines around the world.
Agar.io (free)
Agar.io is a sleeper hit, a web-based game that has swiftly grown in popularity due to its easy handling (being featured on House of Cards helped too). All you need is the right site and login information.
The game itself is surprisingly mesmerizing. You begin life as a simple blob on a world made from graph paper, then go around snacking on other players until you grow and become more powerful. As you grow, you learn how to use the few tricks your blob comes with, where to hide, and so on. It’s pretty addictive, and always lots of fun to see other players around the world running from you — or gobbling you up.
There’s an Agar.io extension for Chrome and a ton of mod downloads (some of them dubious) if you want to go the more complex route, but simply visiting the site is enough to get started.
Arcane Legends (free)
There are a lot of great free-to-play, RPG-focused Chromebook games out there, and most can be handled by any computer. But Arcane Legends is one of the most dependable – and fun to play. The game allows you to create a character, do some hacking or slashing, cast some magic, tame some cute pets — the usual RPG fare.
This WoW-lite approach is particularly balanced in Arcane Legends, which is why it’s hard to find a bad word said against it. One thing worth noting is that diving into the deeper elements of the game, like guilds, will take a time commitment. It’s not exactly for casual players.
Tagpro (free)
Though its graphics are inspired by the ancient Minesweeper, Tagpro is actually a surprisingly complex game of capture the flag, which is great if you want a short, competitive experience that’s all about strategy and great teamwork.
The super-simple graphics mean that you don’t have to worry about popping open a quick window to play, and can instead focus on the combination of bombs, blocks, and power-ups that you have access to, essentially building your own little video game levels to thwart flag stealers. Get a couple teams together, with everyone trying to steal each others’ flags, and chaos quickly ensues.
DarkOrbit (free)
DarkOrbit is a contentious sci-fi MMO video game, and several years ago (the game’s been around since 2009) it probably wouldn’t have made it on this list. But over time, more features have been added, more wrinkles have been smoothed out, and more gameplay has been made absolutely free.
If you love to micromanage spaceships, hunt other players, and compete to be the best pilot in the universe — plus have a lot of free time — this is your kind of game. A warning, though: There’s lots of theory-crafting for DarkOrbit, some of it out of date, and a fan base that remains large and experienced after years of playing. You may feel out of your depth when first starting.
Pandemic 2 (free)
Have you ever felt like destroying humankind? Pandemic 2 is perfect for those particular Mondays when your morbid streak is wider than usual. Simply choose a terrifying disease and then work to eradicate all human life on the planet.
The game prides itself on its absence of sexy graphics, instead giving you ultrasimple menus and maps where you carefully track your disease around the world and try to get as many countries infected as possible.
Sure, it is a little stat-heavy at first, but it’s also relatively painless to play and easy to pull up during a boring class or slow workday.
Entanglement ($5)
Entanglement is one of the most lauded Chromebook games in recent times, receiving accolades for both its beautiful, organic design and bewitching gameplay (well, bewitching as long as you like thoughtful puzzlers). The goal for any given map is to create a path by moving tiles around. The longer and more labyrinthine your path, the better your score. It’s easy to learn and surprisingly soothing to play.
Save the Day (free)
If you love old-school arcade games with a lot of challenges to them, try out this new take on the formula. Instead of shooting aliens or thugs, you’re zipping around the screen in a helicopter to avoid the fire while rescuing survivors caught between the flames. The “save ’em up” approach is pretty cool, the game’s cartoony graphics are easy on the eyes, and the challenge level is just right.
Editors’ Recommendations
