Back to the depot
The bunkhouse shelf

Eight lamplit browser games
for nights the road is closed

When a blizzard shuts the crossing and the trucks sit idling at the depot, Burl's crew turns to the games on this shelf, all eight free to join and all running in an ordinary browser tab: a horse farm, a hero-led empire, a freight market among the stars, a classic levelling quest, a dark fantasy dungeon crawl, a medieval village war, a dieselpunk front and a soccer club. Each one opens on its own studio's official site.

8games on the bunkhouse shelf
4with an official mobile app as well
Freeto join every single one
Prosperous Universe key art
The haulers' pick

Prosperous Universe

Player-run space freight economy · Space & sci-fi

Burl's haulers swear by this one, because it is their own job set among the stars. Every commodity in its economy is produced by somebody actually playing: you build production chains, ship cargo between bases, sign contracts and trade on an exchange where other players decide every price. A good load plan matters more than fast fingers.

Good for
Planners who enjoy a working economy and a ledger that balances.
One bunkhouse sitting
Long evenings at the desk
Machines it runs on
Desktop browser
Cost
Free to play; optional in-game purchases.
Your first session
  1. Set up one small production chain and learn it properly.
  2. Watch the exchange for a while before naming your own prices.
  3. Take modest contracts while the first base grows.
Play Prosperous Universe freeOpens prosperousuniverse.com in a new tab

Seven more on the bunkhouse shelf

Horse Farm key artFarm, town & zoo

Horse Farm

Horse keeping on a working farm

A softer shift for anyone who misses the barn back home. Your horses need grooming, feeding and training, the farm around them needs running, and crops plus stable upgrades pay for each new arrival. Its goals stay soft, and nothing nags at you between visits.

  • Short visits to the stable through the day
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & how to start

Good for: Players who want a calm sim centred on animals.

Your first session
  1. Care for the horses already in the stable before adding another.
  2. Plant crops early so the farm pays its way.
  3. Put stable upgrades ahead of decoration.
Play Horse Farm freeOpens horsefarm.upjers.com/en
Heroes of History key artStrategy & war

Heroes of History

Empire building with named heroes

One civilisation walks forward through the ages while you recruit named heroes to command its armies. Laying out the city, pushing the research line and fighting hero-led battles where ability timing decides the field gives building and fighting equal shares.

  • Brief check-ins plus the odd longer battle
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & how to start

Good for: City builders who also want battles to plan.

Your first session
  1. Keep the research line moving from the first day.
  2. Learn when each hero's ability lands best.
  3. Plan the city so it has room to grow into the next era.
Play Heroes of History freeOpens heroesgame.com
Fallen Sword key artRole-play & adventure

Fallen Sword

Classic levelling adventure

Monster hunting leads from snowy peaks down to volcanic plains in this classic levelling quest, which the crew finds oddly comforting after a cold shift. Learn blacksmithing or alchemy, cross swords with other players and bid for gear and buffs at the auction house.

  • A couple of hunts at a time
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & how to start

Good for: Players happy with a simple levelling loop that hides plenty of depth.

Your first session
  1. Stay in zones suited to your level.
  2. Choose a crafting profession early on.
  3. Check auction prices before you sell.
Play Fallen Sword freeOpens fallensword.com
Drakensang Online key artAction & arcade

Drakensang Online

Real-time dark fantasy action

The loudest game on the shelf. A dark fantasy world, real-time combat and a character class to build exactly as you like, with cooperative dungeons where a group clears what one hero alone could not. It suits a night when the bunkhouse wants noise.

  • A dungeon or two in one sitting
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & how to start

Good for: Players who like action and quick reactions in their role-play.

Your first session
  1. Pick the class that matches how you like to fight.
  2. Settle on a build before spreading points thin.
  3. Join a group for the harder dungeons.
Play Drakensang Online freeOpens drakensang.com
KingsAge key artStrategy & war

KingsAge

Wood, clay and iron village conquest

A medieval village runs on wood, clay and iron, and grows into an army of spearmen, swordsmen and cavalry. The careful way is the right way here: scout a target before you commit, then send noblemen to annex whole villages outright rather than simply raiding them.

  • Short visits to queue builds and troops
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & how to start

Good for: Strategists who enjoy scouting first and annexing later.

Your first session
  1. Balance wood, clay and iron from the start.
  2. Always scout before sending troops.
  3. Save for noblemen once the army can protect them.
Play KingsAge freeOpens gameforge.com/en-US/play/kingsage
Iron Order 1919 key artStrategy & war

Iron Order 1919

Alternate-history dieselpunk front

Here the Great War never ends; it rolls on into a dieselpunk alternate history. Real-time matches ask you to grow a province economy, research, trade and now and then betray an ally, while infantry march beside walking iron Titans that reshape every front.

  • A match that runs for several days
  • Desktop browser; mobile app also available
Who it suits & how to start

Good for: Players drawn to a First World War front with walking machines on it.

Your first session
  1. Build up the provinces before any army moves.
  2. Talk to neighbours before picking enemies.
  3. Expect today's ally to be tomorrow's rival.
Play Iron Order 1919 freeOpens ironorder1919.com
Trophy Manager key artSport & management

Trophy Manager

Soccer club management

A soccer manager for anyone who wants a hand on every detail. Matches can be followed live or replayed, with detailed in-game instructions; you work the transfer market inside a budget, set an individual training plan per player, and every second year you may apply for a national team job.

  • A few minutes ahead of every match
  • Desktop browser
Who it suits & how to start

Good for: Managers who want fine control over tactics.

Your first session
  1. Set training for each player, not the whole squad at once.
  2. Keep transfers inside the budget.
  3. Give your match instructions before kick-off.
Play Trophy Manager freeOpens trophymanager.com/uk

All eight lined up on the depot counter

Title on the bunkhouse shelfShelf sectionPace, by Burl’s reckoningWho else is on itOne bunkhouse sittingMachines it runs on
Prosperous UniversePlayer-run space freight economyUnhurried, planning firstEvery trader and hauler is a real playerLong evenings at the deskDesktop browser
Horse FarmHorse keeping on a working farmGentle, goal by goalRelaxed, at your own paceShort visits to the stable through the dayDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Heroes of HistoryEmpire building with named heroesMeasured, age after ageOther empires to measure up againstBrief check-ins plus the odd longer battleDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Fallen SwordClassic levelling adventureSteady grindDuels and a busy buff marketA couple of hunts at a timeDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Drakensang OnlineReal-time dark fantasy actionFast, hands on the keysCo-op dungeons with other playersA dungeon or two in one sittingDesktop browser
KingsAgeWood, clay and iron village conquestPatient, scout before you strikeNeighbouring players on the same mapShort visits to queue builds and troopsDesktop browser
Iron Order 1919Alternate-history dieselpunk frontLive matches lasting daysCoalitions made and brokenA match that runs for several daysDesktop browser; mobile app also available
Trophy ManagerSoccer club managementFixture after fixtureLeagues full of other managersA few minutes ahead of every matchDesktop browser

What all 8 charge: Free to play; optional in-game purchases.

01

Free to join, free to stay

Registration is free at every game on the shelf, and months of play can pass without spending a cent; stables, cities, cargo routes and front lines all come complete.

Every studio keeps an optional store of speed-ups and cosmetics. Many veteran players never touch it, and parents can usually switch spending off in the studio account.

02

Straight to the studio's own site

Every button sends a new tab to the official home of whichever studio made that game. Register on that site using your email and the farm, empire, trading base or club is yours.

A tutorial greets every new player. Finish it rather than skipping, since it unfolds each menu and the way that world earns and spends, a little at a time.

03

Coffee breaks and blizzard nights

Shut the tab and most of the eight carry on regardless: horses rest, research completes, cargo arrives and fixtures get played. One visit at breakfast and one after supper is enough to keep things moving.

Use short visits for collecting, lining up the next job and replying to your group. Save a blizzard night for weightier decisions like a new production chain, a long dungeon or an annexation.

04

Keep each login with its studio

Your login for each game lives with the studio that runs it, so enter it only at that studio's official address. Pick a fresh password per game, and switch on whatever extra sign-in protection that studio provides.

A real support desk has no need for your password. Whoever trades free premium currency for sign-in details is really after the account, so ignore and report them.

Why these eight made the bunkhouse shelf

  • Each one starts in an ordinary computer browser, and nobody has to sit through a setup program while the wind howls.
  • Joining is free at all eight, and crew members who never spend a cent still get the whole game.
  • Stables, cities, cargo routes and provinces keep moving between visits, so a short look during a coffee break still gets something done.
  • Every one has years of updates behind it, which means lively player communities and plenty of help for a newcomer.

No. All eight run in a desktop or laptop browser, and Horse Farm, Heroes of History, Fallen Sword and Iron Order 1919 come with an official mobile app too, for anyone who would rather play from a phone.

No. All eight register you free of charge and leave the full game open; spending inside any game is your own choice.

No. Burl just stacks them on the shelf. Separate independent studios make and run them, and every button leads to the right studio's official site.

No. Eight different studios run them, so expect eight separate free registrations.

Horse Farm, Heroes of History, Fallen Sword and Iron Order 1919 have official apps alongside the browser version. Prosperous Universe, Drakensang Online, KingsAge and Trophy Manager are listed for a desktop browser, so save those for a computer.

Horse Farm or a quick round of KingsAge build orders. Prosperous Universe and Iron Order 1919 reward a longer sitting.

Yes. Drakensang Online has co-op dungeons, Fallen Sword lets you duel and trade at auction, Iron Order 1919 has coalitions, Trophy Manager has leagues, and the Prosperous Universe market is made entirely of people.