Ancient empires worth a whole winter of evenings

All six let you found a city and play a full world free of charge. Each also sells optional conveniences, and we judge in every review how much a free player gives up. Our “free-player standing” score exists for exactly this question, and none of our top three needs a single purchase to be enjoyable.

You might lose resources or troops, and in the war-heavy games a careless absence can cost a whole village. The usual protection is your alliance: tell them you are away, keep your storage low, and spend before you leave. The calmer builders on our list are kinder to a week at the cottage.

Anocris and Ikariam have the gentlest first weeks, because their opening hours are mostly about building, producing and planning rather than defending. Grepolis has a clear tutorial too. Travian and Tribal Wars 2 teach the basics quickly but punish a careless newcomer harder once the neighbours wake up.

In Travian, Grepolis and Tribal Wars 2, playing alone is possible but limiting; alliances share intelligence, defence and long-term goals. Ikariam rewards cooperation through trade as much as war. Tentlan and Anocris let you grow quietly for longer. Our “alliance life” score tells you how much each one leans on the group.

Five of the six have official mobile apps alongside the browser version, so you can queue construction on the bus and plan properly at your desk. Ikariam we list as a desktop-browser game. Each review copies the device line exactly as the publisher supports it today.

Whenever a game changes enough to shift how it plays, and in any case once a year. These are living games: publishers add worlds, modes and balance changes. When we revise a review, the date and the reason go into the text, and readers who notice a change before we do are warmly thanked.