Back to Coral Quay Cabana
Marisol's record crate

Eight free games in the crate
for the long break between DJ sets

When the noon set ends and the cabana empties for a siesta, Marisol pushes her turquoise sunglasses up, hangs the white headphones on the booth and opens a battered laptop on the record crate. Filed between the vinyl are eight free games she keeps for that lull: medieval empires and nations, a kingdom of villages, a modern base, a galaxy of planets, a civilisation led by heroes and one squad shooter. Seven of them open in a browser tab; the eighth is a free download for a Windows PC.

8games in the crate
5also on an official phone app
Freeto open, sleeve after sleeve
Travian Kingdoms key art
Top of the crate

Travian Kingdoms

Village and kingdom MMO · Strategy & war

A quay lives and dies by its trade routes, which is why this sleeve sits at the front of the crate. Some players wear a crown, ruling and defending a stretch of land, or serves as a governor tending villages under a king's protection. Found new villages, keep the carts rolling between them and help your alliance stand firm through a round measured in months.

Good for
Planners who enjoy a defined role in a bigger team.
Typical session
Two or three quick looks a day
Where it runs
Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Pick your role, crown or governorship, before the round gets busy.
  2. Settle your second village before you think about raiding.
  3. Join an alliance in the first week of the round.
Play Travian Kingdoms freeOpens kingdoms.com in a new tab

Seven more filed between the records

Imperia Online key artStrategy & war

Imperia Online

Live-clock castle empire

One modest village, then an empire that grows by the minute. Farms, barracks and a university rise in real time, and when the walls are ready you wheel catapults and trebuchets up to a rival lord's gate. Defeat can leave you bowing as another player's vassal, so no siege is ever casual.

  • Several check-ins across the day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who will love it, & how to get going

Good for: Strategists who want conquest to have consequences.

Your first session
  1. Build up the economy before the barracks.
  2. Put your university to work early on research.
  3. Scout a neighbour before sending the siege engines.
Play Imperia Online freeOpens imperiaonline.org
Khan Wars key artStrategy & war

Khan Wars

Pick-a-people medieval strategy

A dozen medieval peoples to pick from, some born traders, some built for battle, some masters of the harvest, and 28 kinds of soldier to raise between them. Choose one, lean into what it does best, then march with a guild to storm citadels and keep the land you take.

  • Short daily visits, longer ones for sieges
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who will love it, & how to get going

Good for: Players who enjoy choosing a side and sticking with it.

Your first session
  1. Compare what each people is good at before you commit.
  2. Recruit a mix of units rather than one type.
  3. Find a guild before the first citadel siege.
Play Khan Wars freeOpens khanwars.com
Total Battle key artStrategy & war

Total Battle

City and army tactics

Half city planner, half field commander, all on one crowded map that keeps moving while you sleep. Expand the walls, drill your troops, then weigh up the neighbours; the contest has layers, and it favours anyone who plans a few turns past the obvious.

  • Lots of quick look-ins
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who will love it, & how to get going

Good for: Competitive strategists who like a crowded map.

Your first session
  1. Keep the city growing even while the army trains.
  2. Study the map before picking your first fight.
  3. Make friends with nearby players early.
Play Total Battle freeOpens totalbattle.com
Base Attack Force key artStrategy & war

Base Attack Force

Present-day base defence

Present-day warfare that opens straight in a browser tab. Lay out a base, keep the resource yards busy and hold the perimeter, then team up with an alliance to push a lead further. Ideal if tanks and jets appeal more than swords and siege towers.

  • Short visits to build and defend
  • Desktop browser
Who will love it, & how to get going

Good for: Players who like contemporary military strategy.

Your first session
  1. Shore up the defences before spending on attack.
  2. Keep resource buildings working at all times.
  3. Join an alliance once the base can hold.
Play Base Attack Force freeOpens baseattackforce.com
Astro Empires key artSpace & sci-fi

Astro Empires

Galactic strategy

From the quay Marisol watches the stars come out over the sea stacks; this is her excuse to visit them. You plant bases on planets and moons across one shared galaxy, build fleets and fight other players in coordinated guild wars.

  • A look or two a day
  • Desktop browser
Who will love it, & how to get going

Good for: Anyone who dreams of claiming a corner of a vast shared galaxy.

Your first session
  1. Pick a home system with room to expand.
  2. Build fleets steadily rather than all at once.
  3. Talk to a guild before a neighbour finds you.
Play Astro Empires freeOpens astroempires.com
Heroes of History key artRole-play & adventure

Heroes of History

Ages-spanning city builder

Your city starts in an early age and keeps stepping forward through history, and a roster of named heroes marches at the head of its forces. Plan the streets, keep research moving, then win fights where firing a hero's ability at the right moment counts for more than sheer numbers.

  • Short visits, longer ones for battles
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who will love it, & how to get going

Good for: City planners who fancy some battle in the mix.

Your first session
  1. Plan the city layout before it gets crowded.
  2. Keep research moving towards the next age.
  3. Learn each hero's abilities before a big battle.
Play Heroes of History freeOpens heroesgame.com
Enlisted key artAction & arcade

Enlisted

Squad-based war shooter

The loud one in the crate, saved for nights when the cabana is shut. You lead a small squad of soldiers through historically themed Second World War campaigns and larger team battles. It is a free download for a Windows PC rather than a browser game, and it also runs on PlayStation and Xbox.

  • One or two matches a sitting
  • Free PC download (Windows); also on PlayStation 4/5 and Xbox One/Series X/S
Who will love it, & how to get going

Good for: Players who enjoy team-based military action.

Your first session
  1. Download the free launcher from the official site.
  2. Play the early battles close to your squad.
  3. Try several squad types before settling on one.
Play Enlisted freeOpens enlisted.net

All eight sleeves laid out on the counter

Game in Marisol’s crateKind of game, roughlyTempo, like a set listOther players on the beachA typical sit-downWhere it plays, off the quay
Travian KingdomsVillage and kingdom MMORounds that run for monthsCrowned kings and their governorsTwo or three quick looks a dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Imperia OnlineLive-clock castle empireBuilding in live timeBeaten rivals turned vassalsSeveral check-ins across the dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Khan WarsPick-a-people medieval strategySlow and steady expansionGuilds storming citadels togetherShort daily visits, longer ones for siegesDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Total BattleCity and army tacticsA map that never sleepsA crowd of rival commandersLots of quick look-insDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Base Attack ForcePresent-day base defenceA base that grows over daysAllied commandersShort visits to build and defendDesktop browser
Astro EmpiresGalactic strategySlow-building empiresGuild wars across the galaxyA look or two a dayDesktop browser
Heroes of HistoryAges-spanning city builderEra by era, battle by battleFellow builders across the agesShort visits, longer ones for battlesDesktop browser; mobile app also available
EnlistedSquad-based war shooterQuick, loud squad fightsSquads against squads of real peopleOne or two matches a sittingFree PC download (Windows); also on PlayStation 4/5 and Xbox One/Series X/S

The price of all eight, at a glance: free to play, though optional in-game purchases exist in each.

01

No cover charge on the crate

Every game in the crate is free to start, and many players spend whole seasons without paying a penny. Villages, empires, fleets and squads all arrive complete.

Each studio does run a small shop, mostly for speed-ups and cosmetic extras. It is easy to ignore, and parents sharing a laptop with younger players will usually find a spending lock in the settings.

02

Starting one up

Tap a button and the maker's own website opens in a fresh tab. Sign up there using an email address, and before long a village, a nation, a base, a fleet or a squad carries your name.

Each of the eight greets newcomers with a guided opening. See it right through, because it reveals the screens bit by bit, the same patient way Marisol walks a new helper round the decks one fader at a time.

03

A siesta glance or a whole evening

The strategy titles keep ticking with the laptop lid down: walls finish rising, armies arrive and research wraps up. A look at lunchtime and another after dinner keeps everything on track.

Use short breaks for collecting, queueing orders and checking messages from your alliance or guild. Save a free evening for the weighty choices, such as a new village, a declaration of war or a squad battle in Enlisted.

04

Keep your login to yourself

Each game keeps its sign-in on its maker's servers, so type those details only at the web address the maker prints for itself. Pick a fresh password for every title and accept the second sign-in step whenever one is offered; that way the villages and fleets stay in your keeping.

Genuine studio staff never need your password. Anyone dangling free gold or gems in return for it is trying to steal the account; do not reply, and report the message to the studio concerned.

Why these eight earned a sleeve in the crate

  • Seven run in the same browser Marisol already uses for her playlists, and the eighth is a free Windows download with nothing to pay up front.
  • Starting costs nothing in any of them, and none locks its main campaign behind the studio shop.
  • Villages, fleets, armies and research keep ticking over while the laptop is shut, so a five-minute look between sets still moves things on.
  • Each has a large, long-standing community, so a newcomer with a question rarely waits long for an answer.

For seven of the eight, no: they run in an ordinary desktop browser tab. Enlisted is the exception, a free download for a Windows PC that is also available on PlayStation and Xbox.

No. Registering and playing the whole game are free in every one, and whether you ever spend in a studio shop is left to you.

No, and nor did Coral Quay Cabana. Marisol only files the links between her records; the games belong to eight separate studios, and every button leads to the official site of whoever built it.

No. Eight different studios run these games, so each one you try needs its own free sign-up.

Travian Kingdoms, Imperia Online, Khan Wars, Total Battle and Heroes of History also have official mobile apps from their studios. Base Attack Force and Astro Empires are listed here as desktop browser games, and Enlisted is played on a Windows PC or a console.

Base Attack Force, Astro Empires or Khan Wars, where a quick visit queues up the next few hours of building. Travian Kingdoms and Imperia Online reward longer, steadier planning, and Enlisted needs a proper sitting.

Yes. Travian Kingdoms and Khan Wars are built around alliances and guilds, Astro Empires has galaxy-wide guild wars, Total Battle shares one busy map, and Enlisted puts you in teams of live players.