As the market for video games grows stronger everyday, there are more and more developers using the internet to distribute their games. Some of these gaming companies and individuals have chosen to make free online games, or they have released older games to the public domain. There are also hobbyists who have produced surprisingly good work and many of these are available online.

When it comes to older classics that have been re-released, you may need to download an emulator to play them as many of today's systems are just too advanced. But with so many great titles from the 80s and 90s available, it is well worth it. Some of the titles from that period influenced many of today's smash hits, and are still good playing experiences for the avid gamer.

While there are literally millions of freeware titles out there, you can also find a great deal of shareware titles on the internet. This normally means you get a trial period to play the game, however with many a game, it just means you may need to pay if you want to upgrade the game or download new levels.

If you are looking for quick games that can distract you for a few minutes, there are plenty. Many of these games are familiar or adaptations of familiar ones like Scrabble, Chess, Pool, Cards or Backgammon. They are as popular as the originals and you can normally find dozens of different versions of these sorts of titles.

Of course puzzle games in many forms are extremely popular, and there are many free online games that will get you addicted very quickly as you battle to solve the problems. To this day, despite games coming out with ultra-realistic graphics, and open-ended never ending worlds, a game like Tetris remains one of the most popular.

Other popular puzzles include those you may normally do in your morning newspaper. There are free crosswords and Sudoku boards aplenty, and many of these are hosted by respected newspapers and are updated regularly. This means an almost unlimited number of puzzles and will keep you busy for as long as you want.

One of the most popular types of games according to search engines are hidden-object titles, where you scour a location to find a list of objects. Some of these may even come with a mystery to solve or backstory, and are great ways to test your observational powers.

For adventure lovers, there are many fans who have tried their hand at this genre, including re-making classic old titles. Fans of the old point-and-click adventures can find a number of classics that have been re-released or made free to download, including some of the best games ever made from that period.

Remember that if you have a game on your cell phone or iPad that you really enjoy, to look out for its bigger brother on the PC or Mac. These free online games usually have a few more features than their mobile versions and in most cases play a lot better.

But whatever you enjoy, there is something on the net for you. So get looking for some free online games until you can afford to buy a new title or two, you may even find yourself buying less in the shops too.