Browser games you can play with just a keyboard

The controls, game by game

Most games here use only the space bar. In Stop the dial, press space to stop the needle. In Stack, press space to drop the block. Both are single presses, and neither depends on how long you hold the key.

Three games care about holding. In Cast, hold space to build power and release it to cast. In Dodge, hold space to rise and let go to fall. In Run, tap space for a short jump and hold it for a longer one.

Sort is the only game that uses two keys. The left arrow sends a shape left, for circles, and the right arrow sends it right, for squares. Rest one finger on each and you will not need to look down.

Which games suit a laptop best

Sort is the best fit for a keyboard. Two keys under two fingers can be faster than two thumbs on glass, and there is no screen under your fingers to hide what is coming.

Stop the dial and Stack feel just as good on a key as they do on a screen. A key has a definite press to it, and for games decided by a single moment that is pleasant to have.

Cast, Dodge and Run all work well, though a cheap keyboard may not feel as immediate as a finger on a screen when you hold and release. It is worth trying each before deciding, since keyboards differ more than you might think.

A word about fairness

Every score is measured the same way whichever device it came from. The server replays your inputs, so a keyboard run and a touch run are judged by identical rules. The games are also timed in a way that does not depend on how fast your computer is, so a slow laptop does not get a slower course or a different one.

Getting around without a mouse

The Tab key moves through the buttons and links on any screen, and each one shows clearly where you are. Enter presses the button you are on. Back is always in the same place, at the bottom left of the screen, so it is always the same number of steps away. When a game finishes, the focus moves to the result so that a screen reader can announce it, and you can go again from there without reaching for anything else.

If your device is set to ask for less motion, the site follows that setting. On a slow device the other side of the screen is drawn more simply, so that your side stays smooth, and the site tells you when that happens.

Trying it

The quickest way to find out whether a keyboard suits you is to open a game and press space. You do not need to set anything up or tell the site what you are using: it responds to whichever you press first. If you have one finger on each arrow key already, Sort is the place to start, and it will show you within a round or two whether two keys are better than two thumbs.

A round takes about 30 seconds. If it does not suit you, nothing has been lost, and nothing will be asked of you afterwards.