There was a time when every other website seemed to host flash games that you could play in your browser, potentially even getting around school or workplace blockers to procrastinate on actual work. 

These days, most games require a download to play on PC, but there are some sites that still offer this in-browser gaming experience. Itch.io is one of those sites, and it’s filled with absolutely amazing games by indie developers. 

Browsing through all of the titles on there can seem like a daunting task, however, so I’ve trawled through the web-based games and found some that really stand out for one reason or another, and without a single download in sight. 

Shleep

After starting out with an unexpected bit of home footage, Shleep throws you into a world where your only objective is to count sheep, but it’s not a straightforward process. Throughout a run of Shleep, you’ll end up having to fight off wolves and make money by shearing your sheep, allowing you to buy upgrades like guard dogs and a longer fence for those sheep to jump over. 

When you think of counting sheep to fall asleep, it’s usually a calm experience of one sheep at a time. Shleep offers up the opposite of that, feeling chaotic and challenging. Far from a single sheep, you end up with a stampede of sheep who blend to form one continuously moving mass of wool. 

Sprout Valley

Sprout Valley is an impossibly cute farm sim developed by Vadzim Liakhovich and while it’s available on Steam and other platforms (such as Nintendo Switch), you can also play the demo directly in your browser through Itch.io. 

Nico is a cat who longs for a simpler life and throws all of his life savings into purchasing a house from a particularly pushy penguin. This house is on an island that, realistically speaking, Nico never has to leave again thanks to the order book and ability to sell items through the mailbox. However, he can also venture to new islands and make new friends before heading home to his little slice of paradise. 

Syntaxia

Syntaxia is a game that will soon be available through Steam, with a release date set for sometime in 2026. There isn’t a demo to download on the platform, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dive in and see what it’s all about if you know where to look. In this case, it’s Itch.io.

If you enjoy writing and the power of words, then Syntaxia will immediately grab your attention. The main mechanic of the game is changing your surroundings by changing the words of a novel, enabling you to reach new areas or discover new items. It’s part point-and-click, part word game, and incredibly fun to play through. 

Wordward Draw

Sticking with the theme of word-based games, Wordward Draw challenges you to uncover 105 ‘picture’ words by changing a single thing about a word that you already have. This can be either a single letter or mixing up the current letters to create a new word.

It sounds incredibly simple, right? But it’s harder than it looks. You’re not told what those picture words are, and instead have to stumble across them as you create new words. How exactly do you get from ‘bear’ to ‘tree’ by changing one letter at a time? Wordward Draw really forces you to think outside the box and ten steps ahead. 

George and the Printer

I’m not sure about you, maybe you’re luckier with technology than I am, but every time I turn my printer on, I do so knowing that I’m about to have a fight trying to get it to function as it should. It has ink, it has paper, there isn’t a single issue, and yet… It just doesn’t work. Maybe that’s why I love George and the Printer so much, because printer issues make up the entirety of the plot. 

George and the Printer is a short point-and-click game in which you play as George, who is having an intense battle with his uncooperative printer at work. But George is not having ‘normal’ printer issues, oh no. His printer is throwing out perfectly folded paper airplanes, eventually escalating to bombs when even the repairman has no idea what to do. 

Time is Solid Here

Time is Solid Here is a short psyhcological horror game in which you clean and enter paintings before going on to help the dead move on from their afterlife, trapped inside the paintings. With such heavy themes, including mentions of abusive relationships and mental health issues, the game is difficult to play through yet still worthy of your time. 

Filled with mazes and point-and-click style puzzles, Time is Solid Here is the type of game that, while short, will absolutely absorb all of your attention as you figure out the truth behind what’s really going on within. As a horror game, there are some jump scares along the way, but it also manages to be life-affirming in a really weird way. 

Pikwip

Pikwip is either a delightful co-operative climb up a mountain with a trusted friend, or an anger-inducing and brain-fuddling solo rage game. If you’re lucky enough to have someone nearby who’s willing to share a keyboard, you’ll be fine. If not, then I hope you can successfully control your fingers better than I can under pressure. 

In Pikwip, you have two characters to control. One is controlled using the WASD keys, the other using the arrow keys. Both must be controlled in conjunction to navigate a snowy mountainside and make your way higher up the sheer cliffs. That’s easier said than done, and things can get a little tense. However, it’s also completely satisfying when you manage to get it right, so there’s that. 

Little Chef

If you’re a fan of cooking in cozy games, especially in those that don’t just hand you the recipes and rather expect you to figure them out for yourself, then Little Chef is the perfect browser game to procrastinate with. 

In Little Chef, you have a pot, some ingredients, and a recipe book filled with blanked out meals. All you’re given is the name of the meal, and it’s up to you to figure out what ingredients you need to get those end results. If you enjoy cooking in real life, then this will come easily to you, but some of the, can be particularly puzzling. 

Type Help

Type Help is a text-based detective story that, since its initial release on Itch.io, has gone on to become a fully fledged visual novel detective tale, The Incident at Galley House. It’s easy to see how Type Help became so popular, and also easy to get completely distracted by the story that unravels before your eyes as you investigate events. 

In Type Help, you’re an agent tasked with discovering what happened to the previous owner of a computer. You type your way through files, get to know characters through transcripts, and eventually unravel the mysterious goings on at Galley House. 

Island of Mine

Island of Mine, like Syntaxia, will soon be available to download through Steam, but it doesn’t have a demo to play through the platform. However, if you want to get a solid idea of what to expect when it comes to Steam, you can play through the demo on Itch.io. 

Island of Mine is a combination of farm sim, tile expansion, and some elements of roguelikes. You start with a single tile of land and purchase new ones to expand, set up your farm, gather resources, and unlock new perks as you level up. There are dungeons to explore, friends to meet, and endless possibilities.