Back to the hay wagon
The hayloft shelf

Eight hayloft browser games
for days the wagon stays under the barn roof

When autumn rain turns the hollow to mud and the hay wagon waits under the barn roof, Burdock climbs to the hayloft and opens one of these eight free games in a plain browser tab. There is a medieval farm village, an island trading empire, a Wild West frontier, a modern tank base, a soccer club, a player-run space market, pirate seas and a fantasy quest board, and every button hands you over to the studio that runs that game.

8games on the hayloft shelf
2with a hayloft-to-pocket phone app
Freesign-up for each of the eight
My Little Farmies key art
Burdock's own favourite

My Little Farmies

Medieval village farming and crafts · Farm, town & zoo

Burdock's pick, because it is the hollow with a medieval twist. Sow the fields, keep the workshops busy and turn each raw harvest into wares that keep your villagers content, and the settlement grows through production chains rather than fighting. Nobody raids your barns here, so a rainy hour stays as calm as a slow hayride.

Good for
Players who prefer a full granary to a battlefield.
A usual sitting
A few short harvest rounds a day
Plays on
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Keep the first fields planted before building anything new.
  2. Learn one workshop chain from field to finished ware.
  3. Expand the village only when the stores can feed it.
Play My Little Farmies freeOpens mylittlefarmies.upjers.com/en in a new tab

Seven more stacked beside the hay bales

Ikariam key artStrategy & war

Ikariam

Ancient island trading empire

Every island in this ancient sea yields just one luxury good, so nobody gets far without trading. Your ships ply routes between your own towns while you push research forward and, when talk fails, lay siege to a rival port.

  • Short visits to load ships and queue research
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & how to begin

Good for: Players who like an economy steering the warfare.

Your first session
  1. Find out which luxury good your island yields.
  2. Set up a cargo route before the second town is founded.
  3. Keep research moving every single day.
Play Ikariam freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/ikariam
War Commander key artStrategy & war

War Commander

Modern tank and infantry base raids

A modern-war base builder where you steer the raid yourself. Tanks and infantry squads take your orders in real time instead of fighting on autopilot, and between attacks you rebuild the walls and turret lines that keep the next raider out of your yard.

  • A raid or two, then repairs
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & how to begin

Good for: Players who want to drive the fight themselves.

Your first session
  1. Lay out walls and turrets before you raid anyone.
  2. Practise moving squads one at a time.
  3. Watch for event blueprints that add new units.
Play War Commander freeOpens kixeye.com/game/warcommander/home
The West key artRole-play & adventure

The West

Wild West frontier role-play

Life on the frontier means taking jobs, fighting duels and growing one character for the long haul. Settle on a class, earn skill points working the territory, dress your cowboy in better gear, then join a fort whose members battle side by side for ground.

  • Queue a job, come back later
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & how to begin

Good for: Role-players happy to grow a character over months.

Your first session
  1. Choose the class that matches your temperament.
  2. Take jobs that build the skills you need.
  3. Join a fort once your character can hold a line.
Play The West freeOpens the-west.net
Online Soccer Manager key artSport & management

Online Soccer Manager

Licensed-club soccer management

Real licensed clubs are yours to run in a soccer manager that takes minutes to begin. Choose a formation, give orders for every fixture, haggle in the transfer market, scout young talent and line up against other human managers in your league.

  • A short visit before kick-off
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & how to begin

Good for: Managers who want a season running by suppertime.

Your first session
  1. Choose a club whose budget suits your style.
  2. Fix the tactics before kick-off.
  3. Scout young players before splashing on stars.
Play Online Soccer Manager freeOpens en.onlinesoccermanager.com
Prosperous Universe key artSpace & sci-fi

Prosperous Universe

Space trade built by players

Every commodity in this space economy comes from a real person's factory. You run production chains, ship cargo, fill contracts and haggle on an exchange whose every price is posted by someone else at a keyboard. A farm planner will feel at home.

  • Long sittings at a desk
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & how to begin

Good for: Planners who enjoy supply chains and a balanced ledger.

Your first session
  1. Begin with a single modest production chain.
  2. Watch exchange prices before posting your own.
  3. Accept small contracts while your base finds its feet.
Play Prosperous Universe freeOpens prosperousuniverse.com
Seafight key artAction & arcade

Seafight

Pirate ship battles

Captain a pirate ship on the high seas: trade broadsides with other vessels, upgrade the hull and cannons, and hunt for buried treasure as you climb through a world full of buccaneers. It is the noisiest game in the hayloft.

  • A voyage or two at a time
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & how to begin

Good for: Players who want pirate adventure with a fight in it.

Your first session
  1. Upgrade the ship before sailing into deep water.
  2. Pick fights you can win while learning.
  3. Follow treasure hunts for steady progress.
Play Seafight freeOpens seafight.com
Tanoth key artRole-play & adventure

Tanoth

Fantasy quest-board adventures

Board quests run on in real time while you see to other things. Raise attributes at every level, fit legendary gear found in ruin crawls, duel for a place in the rankings and band into a guild to topple bosses.

  • Pick a quest, check back later
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & how to begin

Good for: Players after a light role-play to dip into daily.

Your first session
  1. Spend attribute points with a plan in mind.
  2. Run ruin crawls for better gear.
  3. Join a guild before the first boss fight.
Play Tanoth freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/tanoth

All eight laid out on the hayloft boards

Game on the hayloft shelfKind of gameSpeed of playCompany along the wayTypical sessionWhere it runs
My Little FarmiesMedieval village farming and craftsEasy, harvest by harvestNeighbourly, never a battleA few short harvest rounds a dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
IkariamAncient island trading empirePatient, voyage by voyageRival ports and trading partnersShort visits to load ships and queue researchDesktop browser
War CommanderModern tank and infantry base raidsBursts of hands-on fightingRaids against other playersA raid or two, then repairsDesktop browser
The WestWild West frontier role-playSlow and steady growthForts that fight togetherQueue a job, come back laterDesktop browser
Online Soccer ManagerLicensed-club soccer managementOne fixture, then the nextLeague tables crowded with rival managersA short visit before kick-offDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Prosperous UniverseSpace trade built by playersUnhurried and plannedA market made of real playersLong sittings at a deskDesktop browser
SeafightPirate ship battlesQuick broadsides at seaA whole ocean of buccaneersA voyage or two at a timeDesktop browser
TanothFantasy quest-board adventuresLight, a few quests a dayGuild raids on bossesPick a quest, check back laterDesktop browser

What all 8 cost to begin: Free to play; optional in-game purchases.

01

No toll at the barn door

Every game on this shelf opens free of charge, and a whole season can go by without a cent leaving your pocket; villages, ports, forts and clubs all come complete.

Each studio runs an optional store of speed-ups and extras. Lots of veteran players ignore it completely, and most studio accounts let parents switch spending off.

02

Each button goes to the studio itself

Each button opens a new tab on the home site of whichever studio runs that game. Register there with your email, and the village, island, cowboy or club is yours.

Every game greets newcomers with a tutorial. Sit through it, because it explains one menu at a time and shows how that world earns and spends.

03

Between chores and on rainy days

Most of the eight keep going after you close the tab: crops ripen, ships arrive, quests finish and fixtures get played. Checking in at breakfast and again at bedtime keeps everything moving.

Use quick visits to collect, queue the next task and answer your group. Keep a long rainy afternoon for the big moves, such as a new workshop chain, a port siege or a fort battle.

04

Keep every login with its own studio

Keep each game's login where it belongs, with its own studio, and type it nowhere but that studio's real address. Give every game its own fresh password, and switch on whatever second sign-in step the studio offers.

A genuine help desk will not ask what your password is. Whoever dangles free premium currency to get hold of a login wants the account itself, so leave them on the doorstep and report them.

How these eight earned a spot in the hayloft

  • Every one opens in a normal computer browser, so a rainy afternoon never starts with a setup program.
  • All eight let you register without paying, and riders who keep their wallets shut still play the full game.
  • Fields, ports, forts and squads keep working while you are away, so a ten-minute look between chores still counts.
  • Each has years of updates and a busy player community behind it, which means plenty of help for anyone new.

No. The whole hayloft shelf runs in a computer browser. My Little Farmies and Online Soccer Manager also have official mobile apps for anyone who would rather play on a phone.

No. Burdock checked: every sign-up on the shelf is free, and nothing is locked behind a fee; spending inside any of them is entirely your choice.

No. Burdock only keeps them on the hayloft shelf. Eight separate independent studios look after these games, and each hayloft button drops you at the right studio's official door.

No. Eight different studios run them, so each one needs its own free registration.

My Little Farmies and Online Soccer Manager have official apps beside the browser version. Ikariam, War Commander, The West, Prosperous Universe, Seafight and Tanoth are listed for a desktop browser, so keep those for a computer.

A harvest round in My Little Farmies, a match-day check in Online Soccer Manager or a quick quest in Tanoth. Prosperous Universe and Ikariam reward a longer sitting.

Yes. Forts in The West, guilds in Tanoth, leagues in Online Soccer Manager, trade partners and rivals in Ikariam, and a Prosperous Universe exchange where every buyer and seller is a person.