Games Like Forge of Empires: Free Browser Alternatives
Last updated: October 4, 2026
Games like Forge of Empires are city-and-empire strategy games with steady progress through the ages. This page lists browser-playable alternatives and says for each whether it is free, runs in a browser and has player combat. Legend of Gods, a free browser strategy game, is one of them.
What Forge of Empires is
Forge of Empires is InnoGames’ strategy city builder with PvP battles, according to the publisher’s own portfolio page. It starts in the Stone Age and advances through eras of human history to the far future. Wikipedia, citing the game’s launch coverage, describes it as free to play, and it runs in a browser as well as on iOS and Android. By Wikipedia’s account it had passed 130 million registered players and one billion dollars of lifetime revenue by 2023, and it won two 2013 game awards. See Forge of Empires on Wikipedia or the Forge of Empires official site for the details.
People who search for games like Forge of Empires usually want other city-and-empire strategy games they can start free in a browser or on a phone. One wish keeps appearing in the related searches and goes unanswered on the lists we checked: games like Forge of Empires without PvP. So this page says, for every game on it, whether it is free, where it runs and whether it has player combat — and it says so plainly when a page we checked does not tell you.
Games like Forge of Empires
These six games are all live today. Five are the strategy games from other studios that come up most often for this search; the sixth is Legend of Gods, the game this site is about. They are a fair starting point if you want games similar to Forge of Empires, or simply Forge of Empires alternatives with a different setting.
- Elvenar is InnoGames’ fantasy city builder, set in a world of elves and humans. Players build cities, gather resources and search for relics. InnoGames’ site describes its games, Elvenar included, as free to play with optional in-game purchases.
- Grepolis is InnoGames’ strategy MMO set among ancient Greek cities and gods. You build a city, forge alliances and call on the gods. InnoGames lists it as free to play with optional in-game purchases.
- Imperia Online is a persistent, browser-based strategy game, released in 2005 and set in medieval times. Wikipedia characterizes it as militaristic in tone. It is free to play with in-game purchases.
- Goodgame Empire is a free-to-play medieval castle-building strategy game launched in 2011 for the web browser. Players build a castle, attack computer-controlled and player enemies, and can join alliances.
- Clash of Clans is a mobile game rather than a browser game; it is included here because it keeps coming up whenever players trade Forge of Empires alternatives. Supercell’s village builder is free to play with in-app purchases, and players form clans of up to fifty members for Clan Wars.
- Legend of Gods is a free browser-based fantasy strategy MMO: you build a town, train heroes, raise armies, research upgrades, explore a shared world and fight turn-based battles. It runs in a normal browser tab with no download, and it has player-versus-player arena battles as well as exploration against computer-controlled enemies.
How they compare
The table lists what each game’s own or reference page says about price, platform and combat. Where a page we checked does not say, the cell says so. Check a game’s own shop before you commit, because offers change.
| Game | Free to play? | Where it runs | Player combat? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elvenar | Yes, with optional in-game purchases | Browser, plus mobile | Not stated on the page we checked |
| Grepolis | Yes, with optional in-game purchases | Browser, plus mobile | Alliances are named; combat is not stated |
| Imperia Online | Yes, with in-game purchases | Browser, plus iOS and Android | Described as a militaristic strategy game |
| Goodgame Empire | Yes | Browser | Yes: players attack computer-controlled and player enemies, and join alliances |
| Clash of Clans | Yes, with in-app purchases | Mobile (iOS, Android, Windows) | Yes: Clan Wars, between clans of up to fifty members |
| Legend of Gods | Yes; diamonds buy speed and convenience, never exclusive content | Browser, no download | Yes: arena battles against other players, plus exploration against computer-controlled enemies |
Where Legend of Gods fits
Legend of Gods is the closest in shape on this page: a persistent browser town builder with heroes and turn-based battles. It is a different pace of game, too: battles are turn-based, with hero-led armies, and building and recruiting run on queues you check in on. It has player-versus-player arena battles as well as exploration against computer-controlled enemies, so if you want a game with no player combat, read the table’s last column first.
Legend of Gods is free to play. Its premium currency, diamonds, speeds up build and recruit queues and never unlocks exclusive units, buildings or content, and you can also earn diamonds through in-game offers.
The town is where most of the time goes: each of the 15 buildings has ten levels to work toward.
New to the game? Read how to play Legend of Gods, look over the 15 buildings before you plan your first upgrades, or start playing now. If you are comparing city builders more widely, our guide to free city building games covers that field.
Frequently asked questions
Is the forge of empires still popular?
By the usual measures, yes: Forge of Empires is still live, and Wikipedia reports it passed 130 million registered players and a billion dollars of lifetime revenue by 2023. It also won two 2013 game awards, including one for browser strategy games. Popularity is not a promise of fit, though, so compare it with the alternatives on this page.
What is better, Age of Empires or Forge of Empires?
There is no objective answer: they are different kinds of strategy game. Forge of Empires is InnoGames' city builder that advances from the Stone Age through the eras, free to play in a browser and on mobile. Age of Empires is another strategy series players often compare with it. Try both and see which pace suits you.
What is the greatest RTS game of all time?
No measured answer exists, and players have argued the question for decades. This page compares games on facts such as cost, platform and pace instead of ranking them; Forge of Empires itself is a city-and-empire strategy builder rather than a conventional RTS. If a free browser pick appeals, Legend of Gods is one option.
What is the closest free browser game to Forge of Empires?
No browser game copies it exactly. Elvenar, from the same studio, is a fantasy city builder in a world of elves and humans; Imperia Online is a persistent medieval browser strategy game; Goodgame Empire is a free medieval castle builder. Legend of Gods is the closest in shape on this page: a persistent browser town builder with heroes and turn-based battles.
Does Forge of Empires cost money?
It is free to play, by Wikipedia's account of its launch coverage, and runs in a browser as well as on iOS and Android. Legend of Gods is also free: its diamonds buy convenience such as shorter queues and never gate units, buildings or content. As with any free game, check what the shop sells before you commit.