Top Ten Free Game Sites for Money, Fun and Prizes

I admit it; I have been a dedicated patron of a few free online game sites. There are several good sites with free games, why pay if you don't have to? I also have a Pogo membership (for the perks), but spend less time there as I am writing articles here, not just about games, incidentally. I justify it as therapeutic - games can be good for the mind and relieve stress. A fringe benefit I now find is they are a potential place to market my Associated Content here. (Tip: Put your link in your profile, talk to interested parties.)

Like most people, I play online games for the challenge and entertainment value but in some cases for the chance to win money. Sure, I realize the odds are sometimes not much better than winning the lottery, but if I'm playing my favorite online games anyway, like Texas Hold'em, I might as well have my chance to win too. If the online games are free, all the better.
On some game sites you can make online pals or even join a league, but if you're not into that thing, no problem. The online game sites listed here have the option to turn the chat window off, if they even have it.

Safe Free Online Games

Lastly, I have listed sites with safe, free online games. Unless otherwise stated, these are family-friendly game sites that have low spyware risk and are void of mature content. Some online games do not require registrations or downloads, however the ones that do are, by reputation and experience, safe.

Best Sites with Free Games to Win Money, for Fun and Prizes

Pogo.com™ is the #1 game site in terms of player-hours, with over 1 million subscribers. Aside from their premium games, Pogo offers many free games that are both unique and popular and provides players a chance to win money. The wide variety of free single and multiplayer games includes puzzle, word, casino, card, board, sports and arcade games. People also come to Pogo for its community atmosphere. ** Easy, free registration, Games are Java-enabled, Free games are ad supported.

Gamesville.com, run by Lycos Network, is free online gaming heaven for Bingo players, (jackpots up to $4999) though the other free games come in several varieties. Another unique feature of Gamesville is their GV rewards - points you can earn while playing and use towards weekly and monthly free cash drawings. **Easy, free registration, Downloads not required.

MiniClip.com claims to be the largest collection of free online games where you can play sports games, massive multiplayer games, action games, puzzle games, flash games and more. It is updated frequently and serves several different languages. Also impressive about the Web site is the alphabetical list of games they provide on the front page, making them easy to find. **No registration required for free flash-enabled games, Free game trials require downloads.

iWin.com is a nice site with free games including many skill-based games. There are also many free trials and competitions. It is one of the few 100% adware and spyware free gaming sites and it offers some games you won't find elsewhere. **Free registration

SkillJam.com is a leading portal for casual and skill games. They offer around 100 exciting game options, including favorites like Bejeweled 2, Zuma, Extreme Dodgeball, Collapse, Solitaire, and much more! Many games are similar to Gamesville except that here you can challenge friends in game competitions, play or form your own leagues for tokens, or play for cash. **Easy, free registration, Better benefits for paying players.

GameSpy Arcade is claimed to be the arcade for the Internet, where millions of gamers meet to play hundreds of online multiplayer games and free game demos. There is text and voice chat, instant messaging, file transfers, and an integrated connection to the GameSpy Network. It also comes bundled with a selection of free parlor games - like backgammon, poker, spades and more. **Need to have a paid version of most games to fully take advantage of the service, requires a download of their GameSpy program which has potential for some spyware. It is a popular site with free features some gamers, especially teens, enjoy.

MSN Games resembles some of the other game sites listed here but has some special features in that some of the free games can be integrated with Instant Messenger and game favorites include Jeopardy and Chess. There are many free game trials to choose from as well. **Free registration, both online and downloadable games.

Free Online Games for Kids and Preteens

The free games for younger kids have improved over the years, who needs to buy games with all the selections available? It is more difficult to pick the best free game sites for kids as there are so many. I considered factors such as appeal, ease-of-use, privacy policy and low spyware potential. Also included are the sites with as few distracting ads as possible.

UpToTen.com has been building prize-winning early-learning games and activities since 1999 and has received numerous accolades. It is child friendly, though younger kids will need supervision and help. These free games are rated and offer both fun and a learning experience. **No registration required, modest text-ads.

theKidzpage.com has been online since 1998. They have over 900 free jigsaw puzzle games that kids can play online, over 450 free kid's printable coloring pages, more than 1,500 free pieces of children's clipart and enough free online kids games to keep kids busy and entertained for many, many hours. This children's Web site is made up of over 3,500 pages of fun. **No registration required, ad supported.

Disney Game Channel - If you have a preteen that watches any of the famed shows on the Disney Channel they are likely to be bugging you about this site already. It is easy to navigate, has cool games and doesn't have a lot of distracting ads, though there are some. *No registration required.

More Free Games, But at Your Own Risk

Nick.com - If you want to be a hero, let your child play here but beware there are several distracting ads to tempt the kiddies. However, if you have rules established and think your child will (mostly) follow them; this free game site shouldn't get them in too much trouble. And who can resist SpongeBob? **No registration required, modest potential for spyware from advertisers.

GameHouse.com - Lots of popular free games to play on your PC, or online, with free unlimited game trials of many favorites such as Collapse, Da Vinci's Secret, Scrabble and much more. The free games are ad-supported and may need to be downloaded to your PC. Installation is easy but I kept this out of the top ten because of the (mostly benign) spyware potential. It is run by Real.com, a reputable company and is definitely worth a look for fantastic free games.