17 Best Short Games to Play When Bored (Mobile and PC)

Updated October 6, 2023
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Feeling bored during an office break or taking a short halt from studies? Nothing could be better than indulging yourself in some interesting and interactive short games like unblocked games to keep your mind fresh. With that said, here are the 17 best short games to play in your free time to keep yourself entertained. 

17 Best Short PC and Mobile Games

Some interesting short games include; 

1. Excel Sheep 

excel sheep best short game

Want to fool your boss into believing that you’re busy with office work? Well, we have cracked the deal for you by introducing the game known as Excel Sheep. Upon seeing it, it will appear as a typical spreadsheet, but there’s a hidden secret waiting to be explored. You need to put your creative skills to work and gather all the sheep into the bar graph sheep pen. 

2. Entanglement

entanglement short game

Entanglement is an ideal game to play when you’re feeling stressed, even if you’re not typically a fan of puzzle games. The objective of the game is to construct the longest possible path by manipulating tiles that are randomly generated and need to be turned and placed strategically. What makes it even more enjoyable is the inclusion of soothing background music, which adds to the overall calming experience.

3. Candy Crush Soda 

candy crush soda short game

It’s rare for anyone not to know about Candy Crush. Well, Candy Crush Soda is similar to it, offering a timeless matching gameplay where you need to align three items of the same type. And the best part? You can find a number of interesting levels here, along with some exciting power-ups to fuel the fun. And there are multiple puzzles as well to keep you engaged. 

4. UNO 

uno short game

Uno is a shedding-style card game that requires players to eliminate all their cards before their opponent. It is widely known for its ability to both forge and strain friendships. Besides its straightforward rules, Uno can also be enjoyed using a standard deck of playing cards. So if you don’t have access to the internet, the cards can serve the purpose of killing time.

5. QWOP 

qwop game

If you are in search of an iconic game that serves as a perfect means of entertainment, consider playing QWOP. It’s based on simple gameplay where you have to run 100 meters.

Although it might seem as boring, the manual controlling of the runner’s thighs and calves’ movement adds fun to it. The interface is a bit difficult to start with. However, once you get familiar, you’ll definitely enjoy playing the game. 

6. Gridland 

gridland game

Do you love playing match-three games? Gridland is then a perfect choice for your likes, and the best part is that it comes with a twist. In the game, you will encounter two distinct phases known as day and night. During the former part of the day, you can match similar tiles and earn as many resources as you can for constructing your own village.

As the night phase enters, you need to match the tiles to defeat monsters. The only thing that’s similar in both phases is that you need to find similar coloured tiles and match as many of them as possible to become a champion. 

7. Line Rider

line rider short game

Next up, we have Liner Rider, a 2006 game that became popular within a very short time of its release. It was such a hit that even Nintendo DS and Wii made this game a part of their gaming consoles. But worry not, as you can still play it on your web browser without any additional requirements.

In this game, you need to put your creative skills to work as it requires using a cursor to draw lines that a small figure rides on. You can get as innovative as you can with structure creation.

8. Pac Man

pacman short game

We don’t think Pac-Man needs any type of introduction, considering its popularity amongst millennials. But if you’re unaware, it’s a classical arcade gaming gem which you can enjoy on your PC during boring hours. In this game, you will be controlling a yellow character, and your goal is to intake all the dots that come in your voyage.

However, the journey is not easy as it’s a complex maze that needs to be crossed. And you’d encounter a number of ghosts in the way to predate on you. Avoid contact with them and strategize your moves accordingly to become a master of the game. 

9. Frogger 

frogger

Our next option is also an arcade game that’s several decades old. It comprises a number of sequels that developers introduced throughout the years, and the best part is that each one is worth exploring.

All you need to do is guide Frog, the main character, through the screen and maneuver it on a busy road and a river. The goal is to cross this landscape and reach the final destination by avoiding interaction with any of the obstacles laid down in the way. The game needs to be played with precision and offers a perfect way to kill time when there’s nothing interesting to do. 

10. Color Pipes

color pipes short game

Just like this game’s name, the gameplay is also pretty interesting. It offers an abundance of levels, so you won’t get bored even after playing it for days. All you need to do is connect matching colors by drawing lines between them. And like this, you have to cover the entire board to win.

However, things aren’t going to be as simple as there’s a unique twist. In case two lines cross each other, you can’t play the move. So it’s very important to activate your strategic thinking. 

11. Helicopter

helicopter game

The helicopter is an ideal game for someone who loves aircraft. The gameplay consists of utilizing the mouse to maneuver a helicopter throughout the sky. You just need to beware of incoming obstacles and dodge them to keep going forward.

Clicking the helicopter will rise it up in the sky, and as soon as you release the click, it will descend. And as you settle into the gameplay for some time, the intensity and speed of the helicopter would increase, making it more challenging for you.

12. Mackerelmedia

mackerelmedia fish

Who doesn’t love indulging in quirky and unique experiences? Mackerelmedia is one of the ways to attempt this by navigating an adventurous set within a fictional retro web environment. However, unlike other games, we can’t reveal the exact objective of this game as you need to explore it all by yourself. And it’s better to jump into this game without getting too much prior knowledge to maintain the surprise element. 

13. Sinous 

sinuous

Sinous is not much popular game, but once you play it, you’re likely to get addicted. The landscape is full of red and green dots in this game, and all you need to do is avoid red dots and pick the green ones to keep moving. The longer you last in the game, the higher your chances of becoming a champion

14. Slither.io

slither io

Slither.io is an engaging online game that takes place in a neon-themed landscape with a snake being the main character. The objective is to increase your snake’s length, and you can do so by consuming orbs that are scattered throughout the screen.

But wait! There’s a twist awaiting you. Your snake is not going to be the only one in the picture. And there’d be that of your competitors as well. And when those enemy snakes are longer than yours, there are higher chances of them defeating you by eating your snake. 

15. Wordle

wordle short game to play

Next up, we have a perfect option for word puzzle lovers, Wordle. This guessing game is available free of cost and presents regular challenges where you need to figure out a five letters words, and you just have six tries to attempt it. Therefore, you need to strategically guess the words and input your choices intelligently to win the rounds. 

16. Slime Volleyball 

slime volleyball

Our next option is a classic game called Slime Volleyball, which remained popular over the years for its engaging gameplay. The best part is that you can even enjoy it with your friend or challenge the computer bot to put up a competition against you. There’d be a small slime blob that you need to throw back and forth over a net, just like the original outdoor sport. 

17. Quick, Draw!

quick draw

Quick, Draw! is a unique game that offers dual benefits, i.e., entertainment and training of the neural network. The system will give you a word prompt, and you need to doodle and sketch it on the screen within a limited time. As you draw, the underlying machine learning system attempts to recognize and guess what the object is based on the provided image.

Conclusion

So here you have it: best short games to play when bored. So next time, when you want to kill time, play one of the games from our list to spend fun hours.

FAQs

Are there any in-app purchases or ads in these short games?

Some games may have in-app purchases or ads, but it varies from game to game.

Do these short games require high system requirements?

No, most short games have low system requirements and can be played on a wide range of devices.

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