While super-long video games are a great value for the money, some people just don’t have much time to dedicate to games. Thankfully, tiny games can be big on fun, and that’s the creed of most games available on Facebook.
There’s a lot to be said for Facebook games, and they’re perfect for those who aren’t big fans of regular video games. Next time you need something to do for just a moment, here are ten games that will help you quickly pass the time.
A word of warning: Most Facebook games are free-to-play, which means they feature in-app purchases for items such as extra lives or custom accessories. These microtransactions can suck your wallet dry, so be careful.
Trivia Crack lives up to its name: it’s hugely popular with over ten million players, and it’s all about showing off your knowledge. You’ll always have someone to play with in this colorful trivia title, which pits you against friends or a random opponent to compete in a battle to see who’s the smartest.
Test your knowledge in six categories: Entertainment, Art, Sports, History, Science and Geography; you’ll have to nail all six to beat your opponent. If you’re a fan of games like Trivial Pursuit, this is a great introduction to online gaming, and it’s great in short bursts as your turn is over after one incorrect answer. If you give it a try and aren’t pleased, we’ve reviewed a similar game, QuizUp.
Pool is fun in real life, and it translates well to the screen. This version is incredibly accessible, packing great physics with a few indicators that help you bank shots – you’ll be improving in no time!
8 Ball makes for a great two-player experience, so going head-to-head with a friend will double your fun. As you play, you’ll earn coins from winning matches and daily roulette spins, which in turn unlock better cues and customized tables. The rules are simple to pick up, so give 8 Ball a try even if you’re new to it – you can run through a game in just ten minutes!
This game (pronounced Chain Reaction) is a unique title with one simple control: click to set off a mini-explosion. You’ll see little orbs bouncing around the screen, and with one well-timed click you’ll set one off, which will hopefully set another one off, and so on, until all the blasts disappear.
The game starts off easy, with you only needing to hit one or two balls to move on, but it quickly becomes a tricky case of timing to get enough to pass. There’s little technical skill required, the sound effects are fun, and you can restart instantly when you fail – therefore it’s up to you how long the game lasts. If you’d prefer to try a minimalistic game, this is the one for you!
Chances are you’ve heard of this game even if you don’t play video games. The wildly popular Words With Friends is a perfect game for people who like Scrabble, as it’s essentially a Web-enabled version that lets you play with your buddies or someone from around the world, and it’s still kicking years after its explosive release.
There’s not much to say about this one, since it’s so close to its board game counterpart. Since it’s turn-based, you can keep a few games going and spend just a few minutes total playing. If you like word games, give Words a shot.
Fans of the board game Boggle should try Scramble With Friends, another good choice as it’s quite similar to its offline version.
Solitaire is a classic time-passing game, so why not soup it up by raising the stakes? In Solitaire Knockout, you’ll challenge another player to play with the same deck and earn points for progressing through the game before he does. Every time you move a card to its foundation pile, you earn a point, or two if you’re the first to do so.
If you’ve played Microsoft Solitaire through its long history and are ready to show the world how skilled you’ve become, this game will be a blast – since it’s all about being first, you’ll be sure to speed through this one in a few minutes. It’s a perfect way to spice up Solitaire and any casual player would be smart to give it a try.
More action-oriented than the other titles on this list, Supercar Showdown has you driving a racecar from a top-down perspective. Using either your keyboard or mouse, you’ll have to steer around tight curves while hitting boosts to beat your opponents to the finish.
It’s an approachable title and a great racing game to start with if you’re new to the genre. Races only last a few minutes, and you’ll constantly be earning new unlockables to customize your cars with, which makes playing the game fun over time.
Similar to Words With Friends, Yahtzee With Buddies gives you the classic dice game experience with none of the hassle of losing dice or manually keeping score. You won’t find many thrills here; find an opponent, roll the dice, and decide how you want to score your roll.
The game runs tournaments if you’d like to go into the big leagues, and you’ll earn achievements as you complete certain tasks in-game. As long as your opponent is active, you should be able to easily polish off a game in ten minutes. Have fun with it; just don’t waste money on paying for extra rolls! Oddly, there’s no music; perhaps filling the void with awesome video game soundtracks will suffice.
A classic mobile game that made its way to browsers, Cut the Rope is a physics-based puzzle game that tasks you with delivering a piece of candy to a little green monster. It starts off simple enough, but you’ll soon be floating the candy in bubbles, dodging spikes, and avoiding all sorts of obstructions.
The touch screen controls translate well to a mouse, and the gameplay is accessible, yet challenging. Only the best of players will be able to nab the three stars on each stage, but they’re not necessary to finish the bite-sized levels. Each level is quick, so you can get in and out in a few minutes. Take your puzzles beyond match-three games and check this modern classic out!
Soccer Stars is a slow-mo game of soccer, and almost feels like a robotic version of air hockey. Each player controls five pieces and must work to both defend their goal and score on their opponent; the catch being that you must take turns and can only move one man per turn.
It’s an interesting blend of strategy and action, as you’ll need to “shoot” your players each turn, similar to shooting the cue ball. It takes a bit of practice, but the short games ensure you aren’t sitting around for an entire soccer match. Like 8 Ball Pool and Supercar Showdown, this is a Miniclip game, so it features tournaments and unlocks.
Now you have nine great games to burn a few minutes with. You can play a full round in any of these games in under ten minutes, but most of them are worth coming back to due to unlocks or playing multiple matches at once. Even if you aren’t fond of a few, try them all and see which genres you prefer. Who knows, you might just be able to find time for some more video games!
Sick of Facebook games and want your friends to stop annoying you? Learn how to completely block Facebook invitations. If you don’t want your games to nag you with in-app purchases, check out some free games that are truly free.
What are your favorite Facebook games to kill a few minutes with? Will you be trying any of the titles on this list? Put the game on pause for a minute and let us know what you’ve been playing!
Image Credit: woman checking time by Jacob Lund via Shutterstock
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