The Best Free Online Games on the Net

The internet provides limitless opportunities for killing time and/or playing games. Many people even pay money to play games online, despite the many free games available. Sure, there are many great games out there that cost money to play, but did you know there are also quite a few that are totally free? Well now you do!

This list isn't meant to be exhaustive or to claim these as being the best available, they are simply 5 free online games that are worth playing. Anybody who has spent any time looking for ways to kill time knows there are many games on the web that are definitely not worth spending time on.

So here are five of the best free online games on the web.

1. Tribal Wars - Tribal wars has been around for several years and has amassed a large following of dedicated players who have turned it into a profession. This is not to say there is no room for the new comers, however, as worlds are added almost weekly, providing vast new spaces for learning and expansion.

As a beginner in Tribal Wars you start with one town that needs to be developed (improve the town hall, build the wall, the smithy etc). Eventually you will be able to take over neighboring towns and increase your power. There is virtually no limit to how big a player can become, which is what really makes it interesting, as well as the necessity of cooperation, alliances, and politics. Tribal Wars is free to play, but once you get to a certain size (approx 50 villages, for most people), paying for the "premium" account becomes more and more necessary as it provides a number of benefits and short cuts that prevent it from being cumbersome.

2. Dark Sword - Dark Sword is the only game on this list that is not browser-based and requires a download. As a result, it cannot be played on any computer that you have not downloaded the software to.

3. Evony - Similar to Tribal Wars, Evony is about developing your starting city, and then capturing other cities. The difference, is that Evony limits players to 10 cities but also allows players to build new cities in empty spaces. Evony is also more complex with more types of military units, more types of city structures, and the ability to pillage and conquer surrounding wilderness squares for resource benefits. Evony is completely free to play and remains enjoyable without requiring any sort of "upgrade" or payment.

4. Pardus - Set in a huge two dimensional space world, Pardus (pardus.at) hosts a complex economy that goes way beyond anything that any other MMORPG has created. A large number of commodities and resources are harvested or created in various parts of the Pardus Universe with varying degrees of difficulty or investment. Also, the military and political systems offer interesting ladders of advancement and conquest. Multiple races with different skills offer players multiple ways to advance within their alliance and faction. Play is 100% free and completey satisfying: there is little reason to pay to upgrade your account.

5. Dark Orbit - Dark Orbit, like Pardus, is a two dimensional space game, but is more of an arcade game than a complex Role Play Game. The universe of Dark Orbit is far from simple, however, teaming with hostile space craft, aliens, and other player factions. An array of ships can be custom outfitted with an extensive list of weapons, armour, engines, and other nifty sorts of equipment, making each ship unique.