Checked 23 October 2026 · 6 games · free to start
Read the label before you start a war. PlayWharf lists 6 free strategy games, from a Generals.io match of a few minutes to a Planets.nu empire that runs for months. All 6 opened in an ordinary browser on 23 October 2026, and each gets the same label: how long one game lasts, how often it wants you back, what it sells and who can message you.
The games
Each container carries the same plate: one game's length, how often you need to look in and how many players share a map. The stickers under the plate come from each game's shop, terms and chat settings as they stood on 23 October 2026.
Quick matchesAgainst the computer
Real-time land grab, from 1v1 to battle royale. A single-player scenario ran with no sign-up at all.
Open the game page →Quick matches
Capture the other generals on a grid. 1v1, 2v2 and free-for-all; a username is enough.
Open the game page →Quick matchesTurns over daysAgainst the computer
Free chess with no adverts or shop. Play the computer with no account.
Open the game page →Turns over daysAgainst the computer
Seven players, secret orders, no dice. A game against six AI players needs no account.
Open the game page →Turns over daysAgainst the computer
A civilisation from 4000 BC. Single-player with no account, or one turn a day in LongTurn.
Open the game page →Turns over daysAgainst the computer
A space empire for 11 players, with turns on set days and games that run for months. Needs an email account.
Open the game page →Game picker
Answer 4 questions about your time and your device. The list reorders from a few-minute Territorial.io match to the once-a-day turns of webDiplomacy, and each line says why.
The stickers
An amber sticker is something to know before you start; a green one is good news. Each comes from the game's own shop, terms or chat settings, checked on 23 October 2026.
Only Planets.nu asks for an email address before the first game; the other 5 let you try first.
Monthly plans paid with real money, in Territorial.io, Generals.io and Planets.nu. Prices run from $2 to $20 a month, and each game page says what the plan adds.
In Planets.nu the paid plan changes play: Premium lifts starbase tech past level 7 and adds races.
Adverts appear in Territorial.io, Generals.io and webDiplomacy. The paid plans of Territorial.io and Generals.io remove them.
A chat room open to everyone sits on the first screen of Territorial.io and Generals.io.
Players write to you inside a game or by private message in Lichess, webDiplomacy, Freeciv-web and Planets.nu. Each game page lists the mute, block and report tools.
Turns in webDiplomacy and Freeciv-web resolve on a timer of about 24 hours, so expect one visit a day.
On Planets.nu the server hosts turns on set weekdays, from once a week to every day.
A real game with no account is possible in Territorial.io, Lichess, webDiplomacy and Freeciv-web.
In Generals.io a username is enough; no email is asked for.
No shop, membership or premium currency in Lichess, webDiplomacy and Freeciv-web, which live on donations.
We saw no adverts in Lichess and Freeciv-web on 23 October 2026.
An official phone app exists for Territorial.io, Lichess and Planets.nu. webDiplomacy and Generals.io run in a phone browser instead.
Before the first turn
Dock notes
