Every arena on one searchable board

Each card below is a game we kept returning to after the review was technically finished. Scores reflect the arena as it plays today, on a normal evening server, for someone who has never paid a cent. Tap through for the long read, or heart a few to build a shortlist for later.

Editors’ pick01

Tank shooter arena

diep.io

Shoot squares, triangles and pentagons for experience, spend each level on stats like reload or bullet speed, and watch your tank branch into new classes as you climb. Free-for-all and team modes share one excellent idea: a small shooter with a genuine build behind it.

Stat upgrade pointsBranching tank classesTeam and free-for-all

Desktop browser; mobile app also available

Arena readability9

Depth under the hood9

Bounce-back after a loss7

Fair shake for free players9

Launch a tank Full write-up

Pure flow02

Snake growth arena

slither.io

Guide a snake through a glowing arena, swallow pellets to grow longer and coil around anyone smaller. Boosting burns your own length, and a head that touches another snake’s body ends the run, so the best plays are sudden cuts rather than long chases. Beautifully simple, endlessly replayable.

Instant play, no sign-upSpeed-boost trade-offCustom skins

Desktop browser; mobile app also available

Arena readability10

Depth under the hood6

Bounce-back after a loss9

Fair shake for free players8

Start slithering Full write-up

The original03

Cell-eating classic

Agar.io

A single cell in a petri dish full of rivals. Eat pellets, eat smaller players, and avoid anything bigger. Splitting lets you lunge at prey, ejecting mass can feed a partner, and growing large makes you slow — a perfect, ruthless loop that started a whole genre.

Split and eject tacticsSeveral game modesFree-to-play

Desktop browser; mobile app also available

Arena readability8

Depth under the hood8

Bounce-back after a loss7

Fair shake for free players7

Join as a cell Full write-up

Big lobbies04

2D battle royale

ZombsRoyale.io

Up to 100 players parachute onto a cartoon island, scavenge weapons and healing items, and fight to stay inside a shrinking safe zone as gas closes in. Solo, duo and squad modes keep rounds varied, and quick rematches mean a lost match never wastes much of your evening.

100-player matchesSolo, duo, squadCartoon 2D style

Desktop browser; mobile app also available

Arena readability7

Depth under the hood7

Bounce-back after a loss9

Fair shake for free players7

Drop onto the island Full write-up

Base builder05

Survival base builder

MooMoo.io

Chop trees, mine stone, gather food and gold, then build windmills, walls, spikes and traps around your growing village. Each age-up offers a new weapon or structure, and tribes let you defend allies or raid neighbours. The slowest, most strategic arena on our list.

Base buildingAge-up item choicesPlayer tribes

Desktop browser

Arena readability6

Depth under the hood8

Bounce-back after a loss5

Fair shake for free players8

Plant a windmill Full write-up

Lunch-break pick06

Territory grabber

Paper.io 2

Leave your coloured patch, trace a trail across open ground and loop back home to claim everything inside. While you are outside, anyone who crosses your trail ends your run — so every loop is a test of greed versus caution. Simple, bright and very easy to start.

Territory captureRound-based matchesUnlockable skins

Desktop browser; mobile app also available

Arena readability9

Depth under the hood5

Bounce-back after a loss9

Fair shake for free players6

Claim some ground Full write-up