Back to Kitewind Skyfields
When the kites are reeled in

Eight free games for the cabin
once the evening wind drops

When the wind falls still over the terraces and the last mail balloon has landed, Tobin hangs up his flying cap and opens a browser tab in the cottage at the top of the ridge. Tobin's eight free picks stretch from a calm elven city and a Mesoamerican kingdom to a vampire feud, a medieval village war, a frontier land-grab, a sprawling empire and two clubs to manage. All eight load in a browser tab, and not one charges anything to begin.

8free games on Tobin's list
0downloads before you start
3with a phone app as an extra
Elvenar key art
Tobin's windless-evening pick

Elvenar

Fantasy city-builder · Farm, town & zoo

A fantasy city-builder about growing an elegant city, street by graceful street. Pick a faction, then study magic and technology to unlock new buildings, and trade goods with neighbours across a wide and good-looking world. It is the gentlest of the eight, and Tobin's favourite for the hour after the kites come down.

Good for
Builders who like a pretty city and no hurry.
Typical session
Fifteen minutes or a long, slow evening
Where it runs
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Pick the faction whose look you like best.
  2. Keep the workshops busy before you expand the city.
  3. Set up trades with neighbours early on.
Play Elvenar freeOpens en.elvenar.com in a new tab

Seven more to try before the morning breeze

Tentlan key artStrategy & war

Tentlan

Mesoamerican city strategy

Strategy in a Mesoamerican world: you build up a city, keep its resources in balance and stretch your borders across a living map. Alliances matter a great deal, and the game rewards a plan drawn up over several visits far more than a burst of quick clicks.

  • A short visit or two each day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Good for & first steps

Good for: Planners who enjoy a long, steady build.

Your first session
  1. Lay a solid resource base before anything else.
  2. Look for an alliance once the city is settled.
  3. Plan your growth a few visits ahead.
Play Tentlan freeOpens int.tentlan.com
Total Battle key artStrategy & war

Total Battle

Tactical empire builder

Tactical empire building where city development and army command share the same busy, living map. You grow your capital, raise troops and lead them across the map against other players, and the competition stacks up in layers the longer you stay.

  • Several short look-ins a day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Good for & first steps

Good for: Competitive strategists who like a lot going on.

Your first session
  1. Upgrade the city core before marching far.
  2. Learn which troops counter which.
  3. Find friendly neighbours for backing on the map.
Play Total Battle freeOpens totalbattle.com
KingsAge key artStrategy & war

KingsAge

Medieval village conquest

Classic medieval village conquest fed by wood, clay and iron. Your barracks turn out spearmen, swordsmen and cavalry, every target is scouted before you commit, and in time noblemen go out to annex whole villages outright so your realm spreads across the map.

  • A daily check, longer around attacks
  • Desktop browser
Good for & first steps

Good for: Fans of old-school village strategy.

Your first session
  1. Balance wood, clay and iron from the first day.
  2. Scout before every attack.
  3. Save up for noblemen to take villages.
Play KingsAge freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/kingsage
WildGuns key artStrategy & war

WildGuns

Frontier land-grab strategy

A frontier land-grab that starts by siding with one of three rival nations, every one strong in its own way. Then you raise a camp, gather raw materials, then build, trade and raid across contested ground. It is the dustiest stop on Tobin's list, a long way from the green terraces.

  • Short visits between other things
  • Desktop browser
Good for & first steps

Good for: strategy fans who fancy the Wild West.

Your first session
  1. Read up on the three nations before choosing.
  2. Get the camp gathering materials early.
  3. Trade surplus before you raid.
Play WildGuns freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/wildguns
BiteFight key artRole-play & adventure

BiteFight

Gothic horror role-play

Gothic horror role-play that signs you up for one side of a never-ending war between vampires and werewolves. You build your strength on timed hunts, challenge players from the opposing side and climb a ladder that never resets. Darker and simpler than the rest.

  • A few minutes between hunts
  • Desktop browser
Good for & first steps

Good for: Players after a moody, low-fuss role-play game.

Your first session
  1. Choose vampire or werewolf with care.
  2. Send your character on short hunts first.
  3. Pick duels you can actually win.
Play BiteFight freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/bitefight
Sokker key artSport & management

Sokker

Youth-academy football manager

A football manager built around a youth academy, with every match shown in full 3D. Tactics are drawn in their own editor, the ground gets steady investment, and the club plays a pair of league matches every week, and a strong enough club is invited into international competition.

  • Drop in daily; stay longer when there’s a match
  • Desktop browser
Good for & first steps

Good for: Managers who enjoy raising their own players.

Your first session
  1. Look over the academy before signing anyone.
  2. Set a simple tactic and adjust it after each match.
  3. Improve the ground once the squad settles.
Play Sokker freeOpens sokker.org/en
PowerPlay Manager key artSport & management

PowerPlay Manager

Multi-sport club manager

One account runs a whole stable of sports clubs: hockey, football, handball and basketball. You choose line-ups and tactics against human managers, draw up practice plans for each player and upgrade the arena, so one login keeps several clubs ticking over.

  • A short daily check-in
  • Desktop browser
Good for & first steps

Good for: Managers who want more than one sport on the go.

Your first session
  1. Pick the sport you already follow and begin there.
  2. Give each player a practice plan.
  3. Put early earnings into the arena.
Play PowerPlay Manager freeOpens ppm.powerplaymanager.com/en

All eight side by side, like kites along a ridge

Game worth a flightKind of game, in a wordHow quick the playMultiplayerOne sessionWhere Tobin plays it
ElvenarFantasy city-builderCalm and unhurriedTrade with neighbours across a shared worldFifteen minutes or a long, slow eveningDesktop browser; mobile app also available
TentlanMesoamerican city strategyPatient, spread over many visitsAlliances on a living mapA short visit or two each dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Total BattleTactical empire builderBusy, with layered goalsA crowded live map of rival playersSeveral short look-ins a dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
KingsAgeMedieval village conquestMeasured, then suddenNeighbouring lords on a shared mapA daily check, longer around attacksDesktop browser
WildGunsFrontier land-grab strategySteady building, sharp raidsThree nations fighting over the same landShort visits between other thingsDesktop browser
BiteFightGothic horror role-playShort timed outingsDuels with players of the other sideA few minutes between huntsDesktop browser
SokkerYouth-academy football managerTwo match days a weekLeagues of human managersDrop in daily; stay longer when there’s a matchDesktop browser
PowerPlay ManagerMulti-sport club managerRegular, schedule-ledHuman managers in every leagueA short daily check-inDesktop browser

Price, all 8: free to start, with optional in-game purchases.

01

Free to begin, free to keep going

All eight cost nothing to open and stay enjoyable for months on the free version; cities, camps, clubs and villages all come with it.

Studios make their money from optional extras: premium currency, fancier looks and timer boosts. Many players go years without buying any, and a household on one computer can normally turn spending off in each studio's account settings.

02

Your first windless evening in each one

Every button on Tobin's list opens that game's official home in a fresh tab. You will usually be asked for a quick free registration before your city, kingdom, camp or club appears.

Almost all eight begin with a tutorial, and it pays to sit through to the last step; you learn the screens and the resources much quicker that way than by guessing.

03

Which ones keep turning while the kites sleep

Elvenar and Tentlan keep building and researching after you close the tab, so a peek with breakfast and one more before bed covers most days. BiteFight hunts run on timers too.

Total Battle, KingsAge and WildGuns pit you against other people on shared maps, so plans keep moving overnight. Both sports managers schedule matches on fixed days, which fits neatly around a working week.

04

Guard your sign-ins like a kite in a gale

Every studio runs a separate login, so enter your details on that studio's genuine address and nowhere else. Tobin gives each game its own password and turns on the extra sign-in code wherever a studio offers one.

Genuine support staff never need your password. Offers of free premium currency that want your login first are a trap to take over the account; delete them.

Why these eight made it into the cottage

  • Any desktop browser opens them, so your first city, camp, club or village is a single click from here.
  • Signing up costs nothing, and every one keeps its main path open to people who never spend.
  • Some grow quietly over weeks while others come to a head in a single evening, so there is something for a drowsy evening and something for a fidgety one.
  • Their studios still run them, so the maps and leagues stay busy with real people to deal with, duel or join forces with.

No. All eight start in a desktop browser. Elvenar, Tentlan and Total Battle have a mobile app as well, if you prefer one; KingsAge, WildGuns, BiteFight, Sokker and PowerPlay Manager are played in the browser.

No. Opening any of them is free, and the full main game stays open without spending; extras are up to you.

No. Tobin only flies kites; eight separate studios make and maintain these games, and every link here points at the maker's official site.

No. The brass key only works on the sky islands, while each of the eight belongs to a different studio with its own sign-up.

Elvenar and Tentlan keep growing, and Total Battle, KingsAge and WildGuns carry on with other players on the map. Sokker and PowerPlay Manager play their matches on set days.

Elvenar, with its calm city and no rush. KingsAge, WildGuns and Total Battle are the fiercest on the list.

Yes. Tentlan has alliances, Total Battle, KingsAge and WildGuns put you on shared maps with other players, and Sokker and PowerPlay Manager have leagues full of human managers.