Free online games: Playing Guide

From time to time, do you like to “switch off” from work or study while playing on the computer? So I bet you are always looking for interesting video games to try in your moments of pause … I guessed it? Well, because you’ve come to the right place at the right time.

In today’s article, I want to point out a series of Internet sites and online services that contain online games to play alone or in multiplayer mode with your friends. There are action titles, sports, card games, puzzle games and much more. You are spoiled for choice!

If you are looking for online games to spend a few minutes of entertainment, which can be used without installing any additional software on your PC, I suggest you take a spin on Kongregate . It is one of the most complete and content-rich Internet sites for Flash games currently available on the Net.

To “browse” the huge Kongregate catalog (made up of over 77,000 titles), connect to its home page and use the left sidebar to select the genre of games you are interested in trying (eg Action , Shooter , etc.). ). Then click on the title of the video game you want to try and you will be asked to create a free account on the site.

At this point, fill out the form that is proposed to you and click on the Sign Up button to complete the registration, or connect the service to your Facebook account by first clicking on the Sign Up with Facebook button and then on Play Game . Next, type in the username and password you want to use on Kongregate and click Finish to start playing.

Most of the titles offered by the site are in Flash format, so just use any of the major web browsers available on Windows, Mac and Linux to play (having Flash Player installed on your computer). Some games, however, require the installation of an additional free plugin called Unity Web Player : if necessary, download and install it following the on-screen instructions.

If you want to find online games through which you can enjoy multiplayer with your friends, there is no better site than Facebook . By connecting to the App Center of the social network founded by Mark Zuckerberg, you will have access to a vast catalog of free titles to play in the company of your friends or other users of the service.

In the left sidebar, you find all genres of games available on Facebook: Action , Arcade , Card , Sports , etc. All you have to do is choose the one you prefer, click on the thumbnail of the game you want to start and wait for it to load.

Most of the games on the social network are in Flash format, while others require the presence in the system of the Unity Web Player plugin that I told you about before. If you want to search for games in the Facebook App Center, click on the Search applications link located at the top left and use the search bar that appears.

If you are not satisfied with online Flash games and want a more advanced gaming experience, I recommend that you sign up for Steam . It is a very important digital game store for Windows, Mac and Linux on which many online and free-to-play multiplayer titles are available (i.e. free to download and play but with paid elements inside them).

To download Steam on your computer, connect to the service’s website and click first on the Install Steam button and then on Install Steam now . When the download is complete, double-click on it to open the file you just downloaded ( SteamInstall.msi ) and, in the window that opens, click on the Next button . Then accept the conditions of use of the program, putting the check mark next to the item I accept the license agreement AND I am 13 years of age or older , and click on Next twice in a row. Then put the check mark next to the Italian flag and click in sequence on Next, Install , Yes and Finish to complete the setup.

Once Steam is started, you will need to create your free account on the platform by clicking on the Create a new account / Accept button and filling out the form that is proposed to you. When the operation is completed, go to the GAMES menu of Steam and choose the Free-to-play item or the Mass Multiplayer item from the latter to view the list of online titles available for download or purchase.