Free classic games

What makes a game a classic

A classic game is one you already half know before you start. The rules have been around for years, sometimes for centuries, and they have stayed the same because they work. You may have played them on an old computer, with a pack of cards at the kitchen table or on a wooden board at your grandparents' house.

The classic games on Kiloo cover that whole range. There are arcade games like Snake and Invaders, puzzles like Sudoku and Minesweeper, card games from Solitaire to Hearts, board games such as Chess and Backgammon, and dice games like Yatzy. Each one keeps the rules you expect and adds the things a screen does well: undo, hints, a clear view of legal moves and a best score or time saved in your browser.

Classic games to start with

For a quick round, Snake is the simplest: steer, eat the dots and grow until you run out of room. Asteroids has you shoot rocks that split into smaller, faster pieces, and Block Drop asks you to pack falling shapes into a ten-wide well and clear rows before the stack reaches the top. Brick Blast is the paddle and ball, with capsules for lasers and multiball.

If you want something quiet, Solitaire is the Klondike you know, with draw one or draw three and unlimited undo. FreeCell shows every card face up from the start, and Spider Solitaire lets you pick one, two or four suits. Sudoku has four difficulties and hints that explain why a digit fits. Minesweeper offers the classic Beginner, Intermediate and Expert boards, and your first click is always safe. Mahjong Garden has eight layouts, and every deal can be cleared.

For a game against an opponent, Chess has every rule, a real engine at three levels and forty mate puzzles. Checkers plays English or International rules, Reversi turns lines of stones over, and Nine Morris is about closing mills of three. Yatzy gives you three rolls a turn and fifteen boxes to fill, Ludo is the race to bring every token home, and Crazy Eights, Hearts and Go Fish put you at a card table with computer rivals at Easy, Normal or Sharp.

Playing with a mouse, a keyboard or a finger

Card and board games mostly need a click or a tap: drag a card or tap it to send it to the best legal spot, or tap a piece and then the square you want. Many also work from the keyboard, with arrow keys and Enter to move a cursor. Common shortcuts are U to undo and H for a hint. In the arcade games, the arrow keys or WASD steer and Space fires or restarts. P pauses and M mutes almost everywhere.

Several of these games are good for two people on one device. Chess, Checkers, Reversi, Backgammon, Mancala, Nine Morris and Dots and Boxes all let two players share one screen, and Yatzy, Ludo, Dominoes and Go Fish support pass and play. Go Fish also has a memory helper that shows what each player recently asked for, which helps younger players keep up.

Frequently asked questions