Free Turn-Based Games: The Best Tactics Games to Play Online
No reflexes to train, no clock racing past: in a turn-based game, the best idea wins. Here is what makes a good turn-based game, and the best ones you can start for free today.
Turn-based games have an unfair reputation for being slow and dry. They are actually among the tensest games there are: when every decision is final and your opponent is about to answer it, one bad placement can cost you the match. It is also the only genre where you never lose because the other player has faster reflexes.
What is a turn-based game?
In a turn-based game, players act one after the other: while you play, your opponent waits, and the other way round. Chess is the perfect example. In a real-time game, by contrast, everyone acts at once, and speed of execution counts as much as the decision itself.
There are a few big families:
- grid tactics: a handful of units on a tiled board, moving and attacking with a budget of actions (Dofus, XCOM, Final Fantasy Tactics);
- “4X” strategy: explore, expand, exploit, exterminate, at the scale of a civilization (Civilization, Freeciv);
- card and board games: each turn you play cards or place pieces (Dominion, Catan);
- chess and its cousins, where everything is visible and there is no luck at all.
What makes a good turn-based game
Three things separate a memorable turn-based game from one that is merely slow:
- Choices that cost something. A limited budget, such as action points or cards in hand, forces you to give something up every turn.
- Readable information. You should be able to anticipate what your opponent can do: ranges, lines of sight, threats.
- Little luck, or controlled luck. If the dice decide everything, thinking is pointless. The best games keep luck at the margins and give the win to the better plan.
The best free turn-based games to play online
| Game | Genre | Where to play | Against other players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solwaris | Grid-based tactical duel | Browser | Yes, ranked |
| Advance Wars By Web | Tactical war | Browser | Yes |
| Board Game Arena | Board games | Browser | Yes |
| Lichess | Chess | Browser | Yes |
| Freeciv-web | 4X strategy | Browser | Yes |
| Colonist.io | Board game, Catan-style | Browser | Yes |
| Dominion Online | Cards (deck-building) | Browser | Yes |
Solwaris: the tactical duel
Solwaris is a turn-based 1v1 tactics game in 3D that runs straight in your browser. Every turn you get 12 action points and 6 movement points to split between moving and casting spells. Spells need line of sight; they push, pull, trap or steal AP. Luck is limited to critical hits (10%).
You pick one of 6 classes, each with its own passive and eight spells, then face another player in a ranked duel, an AI for practice, or an enemy pair in 2 vs 2. A turn lasts 40 seconds at most, so a match fits in a few minutes.
Advance Wars By Web
A fan site, running since 2004, that brings Nintendo’s Advance Wars series back to life in the browser. You lead a whole army (infantry, tanks, artillery) across tiled maps, 1v1 or with more players. It is free, and games are often played asynchronously: one turn a day, like correspondence chess.
Board Game Arena
A French platform that gathers hundreds of board games you can play online, most of them turn-based. Free, with an optional premium subscription that unlocks more games. Ideal for trying a different mechanic every evening.
Lichess
Chess, entirely free and ad-free, run by a non-profit and built on open-source software. If you are after “pure” turn-based play with no luck whatsoever, it is the reference, along with Chess.com.
Freeciv-web
The browser version of Freeciv, the well-known open-source Civilization clone. You found a civilization, explore, trade and wage war, turn after turn. Free, solo or multiplayer on freecivweb.com.
Colonist.io and Dominion Online
Two board games adapted for the browser: Colonist.io follows the rules of Catan, and Dominion Online is the official adaptation of the Dominion card game, whose base game is free. Quick matches against players from all over the world.
If you are willing to pay: the classics on PC and consoles
Outside the browser, the genre has its monuments. Final Fantasy Tactics came back in September 2025 in a reworked version, The Ivalice Chronicles. XCOM 2 (2016) has an online 1v1 mode, rare in the genre. Into the Breach (2018) squeezes tactics into an 8 by 8 grid. Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3 put turn-based combat at the heart of big RPGs. Wargroove (2019) takes the Advance Wars formula and adds multiplayer. And the latest Fire Emblem, Fortune’s Weave, has just come out on Switch 2.
How to choose your turn-based game
- You have ten minutes: a Solwaris duel, or a quick game of chess on Lichess.
- You want to play with friends: Board Game Arena or Colonist.io.
- You like long campaigns: Freeciv-web, or a tactical RPG on PC.
- You want to climb a ladder: Solwaris (one Elo rating per class) or Lichess.
Looking for browser games of every genre instead? See our pick of the best multiplayer browser games. And if Dofus is what made you love turn-based combat, see which Dofus class suits your play style, and how each one plays out in a duel.
Six classes. One duel. Your strategy.
Pick a hero, take your position and beat another player — or an AI — turn by turn. Nothing to install: it plays right here.
Frequently asked questions
What is a turn-based game?
It is a game where players act one after the other instead of all at once. During your turn the opponent waits, and you have time to think about your move. Chess is the best-known turn-based game.
What is the best free turn-based game?
It depends on the genre. For tactical duels, Solwaris is free to play in a browser. For board games, Board Game Arena has hundreds. For old-school war, Advance Wars By Web is free, and so is Lichess for chess.
What is the difference between tactics and strategy games?
Strategy plays out at a large scale and over time, like a campaign, an economy or a world map. Tactics play out at the scale of one fight, with the placement of a few units, their actions and their range. Many games mix both.
Can you play turn-based games online against other players?
Yes. Solwaris, Advance Wars By Web, Board Game Arena, Lichess and Colonist.io are all played against other people, live or asynchronously depending on the game.
