Relaxing browser games: calm board, card and logic games

What makes a game calming rather than just easy

Calm is not the same as simple. A game relaxes you when it gives your attention something small and orderly to hold, and does not punish you for holding it loosely. In practice that means turns instead of reflexes, puzzles that can be solved by reasoning instead of a coin flip, and mistakes that cost a heart or a star rather than an hour of progress.

Most of the games below were built around exactly that. The logic puzzles are checked by a solver before you ever see them, so there is always a next step you can work out, and the card deals are played through in advance so every one can be won.

Board game classics against a patient opponent

Flipside is reversi, the game also sold as Othello, with chunky discs on green felt: trap a line of the other colour between two of yours and it turns over. The ladder starts on a small 6×6 board against a computer that still makes mistakes, moves to the full 8×8, and later adds grey pebbles that no one can take. The opponent gets sharper as you climb but never becomes flawless, so every level can be won.

Five Stones is gomoku: place stones on the crossings and be first to five in a row. Boards grow from 9×9 to 13×13, and some have knots in the wood that no line can pass through. Four Up is connect four on a 3D rack, starting on a small six by five and moving to the classic seven by six, with pegged and wider racks further up. All three also have a Two players mode for two people sharing one phone, tablet or laptop.

FlipsideReversi on a 3D board — trap a line, flip it your colourPlay now

Five StonesGomoku on a 3D board — get five in a row before they doPlay now

Four UpConnect four on a 3D rack — drop, stack, line up fourPlay now

Logic grids with one answer and no guessing

Grid Zen is sudoku on soft 3D tiles. Every puzzle has exactly one answer, and before it reaches you a solver that uses only human techniques has to finish it, so you never need to guess. You get three hearts, notes for the harder puzzles and one free hint per level. Pixel Riddle is the same idea for pictures: a nonogram, where the numbers beside each row and column give the runs of filled cells, and solving them reveals a pixel picture that turns to full colour at the end.

Flag Field is minesweeper made fair. Your first dig and everything around it is always clear, and every field is checked so it can be finished by logic alone, which removes the one thing that makes classic minesweeper stressful: the forced guess at the end. A par time decides your stars, not whether you win.

Grid ZenSudoku on soft 3D tiles — one answer, no guessing, three heartsPlay now

Pixel RiddleNonograms on 3D blocks — paint by numbers, reveal the picturePlay now

Flag FieldMinesweeper on a 3D lawn — dig safe, flag the bombs, never guessPlay now

Three card tables for when you want something familiar

Solitaire Blast is straight Klondike with unlimited free undo, free hints and a deal of the day. Open Cells is FreeCell: all fifty-two cards face up, four free cells, and every deal checked to be winnable, so it is a puzzle you think through rather than a gamble. Three Peaks is TriPeaks, the brightest of the three: play any card one higher or one lower than the open card and chase a streak that climbs a musical scale. Its deals are winnable too.

Open CellsFreeCell solitaire — four free cells, every deal can be wonPlay now

Three PeaksTriPeaks solitaire — one up or one down, clear the three peaksPlay now

Solitaire BlastKlondike with a deal of the dayPlay now

Sorting and searching at your own pace

UnTile is a pixel art picture that ant crews carry away tile by tile. There is no timer; the only pressure is the order of your taps, since a crew whose colour is still buried just stands and waits. Gem Sort is the ball sort puzzle done with gems, with unlimited free undo and levels checked by a solver so there are no dead boards. Letter Sweep is a themed word search on letter tiles with no penalty for a wrong drag; stars only reflect how quickly you find every word.

UnTileSend ants, clear the pixel artPlay now

Gem SortSort the sparklePlay now

Letter SweepWord search on 3D letter tiles — drag across, find every wordPlay now

Picking one by mood

Want an opponent without the pressure of a real person: Flipside, Five Stones or Four Up. Want a quiet puzzle with a guaranteed way through: Grid Zen, or Pixel Riddle if you like a picture at the end. Want the tension of minesweeper without the unfair guess: Flag Field. Want cards: Solitaire Blast for the familiar, Open Cells for a thinking game, Three Peaks for a quick streak. Want to switch off completely: Gem Sort or UnTile. All of them are free, need nothing installed, and remember your level on the device you play on.

Frequently asked questions

Guides & tips

• Why every Windows PC shipped with Solitaire
• Sort puzzle strategy: never get stuck again
• Colony Flow tactics: how to send ant crews without jamming every stand
• Klondike solitaire strategy: how to win more games

Play it here

• Grid Zen — Sudoku on soft 3D tiles — one answer, no guessing, three hearts
• Flipside — Reversi on a 3D board — trap a line, flip it your colour
• Five Stones — Gomoku on a 3D board — get five in a row before they do
• Four Up — Connect four on a 3D rack — drop, stack, line up four
• Pixel Riddle — Nonograms on 3D blocks — paint by numbers, reveal the picture
• Flag Field — Minesweeper on a 3D lawn — dig safe, flag the bombs, never guess
• Open Cells — FreeCell solitaire — four free cells, every deal can be won
• Three Peaks — TriPeaks solitaire — one up or one down, clear the three peaks
• Solitaire Blast — Klondike with a deal of the day
• UnTile — Send ants, clear the pixel art
• Gem Sort — Sort the sparkle
• Letter Sweep — Word search on 3D letter tiles — drag across, find every word