Best free games to play on your phone

Every game on Bhayson Games runs in your phone's web browser. There is nothing to download from an app store and no account to make. Open a game, tap Play, and you are in.

Some games are better with a thumb than others, so here are ten that feel right on a small touch screen. They are grouped by how much time you have, from a one-minute break to a slow evening on the couch.

For a one-minute break

Rooftop RushSkate the night skyline, grind neon rails, don't fall.Play

Rooftop Rush is a one-button runner. Your skater rolls across the rooftops of a night city by themselves, and you only decide when to jump. Tap to jump, keep your finger down to jump higher, and tap again in the air for a second jump. The city speeds up the longer you last, so every run is short and every try feels close.

There is a daily challenge on the title screen, such as sliding on a few rails in one run, and your best score, coins and looks are saved for next time.

Orbit FlipFlip between two glowing rings. Dodge spikes, grab orbs.Play

Orbit Flip is even simpler: tap anywhere to jump a little spark between two glowing rings and miss the pink spikes. The patterns change as you go, and every so often your direction suddenly flips. Gold dots from all your runs add up and unlock new spark colors. The Daily challenge is the same course for everyone that day.

For your commute

LeaplingClimb 999 levels of the Wildroot Tree with one thumb: tap to jump, swipe to dash. Level 999 is almost impossible.Play

Leapling is a platformer you can play with one thumb. In Simple controls he runs by himself, so you only tap to jump and swipe to dash. There are 999 short levels in 10 worlds, and each world adds a new idea, like wind, slippery ice or gravity orbs that make you fall upward. Lantern flowers work as checkpoints, so a mistake only sends you back a little way.

Block BloomDrag glowing blocks, fill lines, watch them bloom.Play

Block Bloom is a calm block puzzle on an 8 by 8 board. Slide a block with your finger and it floats a little above your fingertip, so you can see where it will land. Fill a row or a column to clear it. Your board saves as you play, so if your stop comes, close the page and tap Resume later.

Crumb CrewTap the ant boxes in the right order and let your crew eat the whole pixel picture!Play

In Crumb Crew you tap boxes of ants in the right order so they eat a whole pixel picture. Each move is a single tap, it works in any screen direction, and finished pictures go into your Picnic Album.

For thinking games

Quilt CatsGive every quilt patch one sleepy cat, but cats never share a row or a column, and they never touch!Play

Quilt Cats is a logic puzzle with no timer on the main quilts. Put one sleepy cat in every patch, but two cats can never share a row or a column, and they never touch. Tap to place a cat and hold to mark a square where no cat can go. There are 90 quilts, plus a new Daily Quilt every day.

Letter LoomA cozy word game on a wooden loom: a Daily word to guess, endless rounds, 300 anagram-wheel levels and a 90-second word hunt.Play

Letter Loom puts four word games in one place. The Daily Loom gives everyone the same five-letter word, with six guesses. Twist has 300 levels where you swipe across a wheel of letters, and Word Hunt gives you 90 seconds on a 4 by 4 grid. On a phone you tap the wooden keyboard and swipe across the wheel or the grid.

Solitaire GroveThe coziest solitaire collection: Klondike, Spider, FreeCell and TriPeaks under warm lantern light, with daily challenges.Play

Solitaire Grove has Klondike, Spider, FreeCell and TriPeaks. Tap a card to send it to its best spot, drag to move a run, or double-tap to send a card home. Settings has large card numbers, four-colour suits and a left-handed layout, which all help on a small screen. Each of the four games also has a daily deal, the same for everyone.

For a longer session

Crystal CascadeSwap glowing gems through 270 levels, beat giant bosses, play a weekly tournament and seasonal events all year.Play

Crystal Cascade is a gem-swapping game with 270 levels, bosses and seasonal events. Swipe a gem toward its neighbour to make a line of three or more. If you get stuck, the game helps: after three failed tries on a level you get 3 extra moves. You can also switch the game to Tagalog or Spanish in Settings.

Merge CosmosMerge stardust into moons, stars, black holes and galaxies. A relaxing idle merge game with 36 cosmic wonders to discover.Play

Merge Cosmos is the most relaxed game on this list. Drag two identical objects together to merge them into the next one, from Stardust all the way up to tier 36. There is no way to lose, and your cosmos keeps making Energy for a while after you close it, so it fits short visits through the day.

Tips for playing on a phone

A few site features make phone play nicer:

• Some games are wider than they are tall. When one is, the site suggests turning your phone sideways for a bigger view.
• Add the site to your home screen. On Android, open the menu and tap Install the app. On iPhone, open Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.
• Many single-player games have a Save offline button on their page, so you can play on a plane or with no signal. See how offline play works.
• Your progress is saved on your phone. To keep it if you switch phones, write down your player code from Your profile, or sign in with Google.