Your Chromebook is capable of so much more than its reputation would have you believe. While it’s true that the Chromebook needs an internet connection for some of its best features, you can use it to game even when you’re offline.
It’s not a laptop computer when it comes to processing power, but a Chromebook can easily keep up with some of the most popular games of the year. Take full advantage of that good Chromebook you bought with these picks for the best Chromebook games to play right now.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is the iconic indie farming simulator chock full of nostalgic imagery and relaxing tasks to complete. While you might get stressed about mining enough ore before you fall asleep at 2 a.m., Stardew Valley is clearly designed for low-pressure gaming. That said, once you start your farm, you’ll probably be checking your Chromebook incessantly to advance the game, which downloads right onto your Chromebook so you can play offline.
Among Us
When you have an internet connection, Among Us is easily one of the best picks for gaming on your Chromebook. Try to figure out who the impostor is (or evade the crewmembers who suspect you as the impostor) as you work to repair your escape vehicle — a ruined spaceship — with your teammates. It’s collaborative, engaging, and super fast-paced.
Terraria
Terraria is a fascinating and inventive game that marries the creativity and buildable nature of games like Minecraft with the puzzles and nostalgia of dungeon crawlers and platformers. In a world where everything is destroyable — and many of those components join together to create various weapons — you’ll quickly find yourself bopping your head to the techno beat and enjoying some immersive gameplay.
Alto’s Odyssey
Alto’s Odyssey shines on a touchscreen Chromebook, especially if you have a two-in-one. Flip your Chromebook into tablet mode and dive into this stunning downhill runner. As you ski down the hill, you’ll come across endless obstacles that might cause your demise, or might rocket you into a long jump past the pretty sunset.
Spelunky
Spelunky changed the game for platformers when it was released almost a decade ago, and it’s still well worth playing on your Chromebook (right in your browser, at that!). This platformer set in a dank dungeon has a slew of randomized levels where you need to loot as much as you can before moving onto the next level. You’ll find yourself playing the original over and over and over, but you’ll have to use your gaming console or PC to play Spelunky 2.
Fallout Shelter
Keep your apocalyptic crew alive in this looping simulation game inspired by the challenges you come across in Fallout. In this (much smaller) game, you’ll assign dwellers to keep your bunker running as new dwellers and enemies present threats to survival. You could play Fallout Shelter forever, but it’ll be a while before your bunker lasts long enough to thrive.
Asphalt 9: Legends
You’ll be seriously impressed with your Chromebook when you see how well it handles Asphalt 9: Legends, a racing game fit with tons of vehicles made by the car manufacturers you drool over in the real world — Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche. Take the wheel in this realistic racing game that shines on touchscreen Chromebooks.
Hearthstone
If you’re looking for a digital card game to always have open on your Chromebook, Hearthstone is perhaps the best one out there. This game is massively popular because of its expansive world built out using beautiful cards and complicated turns. Hearthstone is sort of like Magic: The Gathering, both in the gameplay and in the hordes of obsessive players that know everything about the fantasy world it’s set in. Did we mention it’s free to play?
Oxenfree
Oxenfree mixes the alluring mystery of a time travel platformer with the crushing heartbreak of grief and how it feels to be a teenager. Set on an island with all sorts of odd time-space activity going on, this game logs your decisions to determine what happens next. Or what happened before. Or what’s happening in an alternate reality.
Roblox
After years of Chromebook users struggling to play Roblox on their devices, this game is finally available on the Play Store. Roblox is possibly the most popular user-generated game out there, with kids younger than you designing beautiful worlds to explore for hours. You can interact with other players, too, as well as nearly everything in the game environment.
Injustice 2
Embody your favorite superheroes in Injustice 2, the massive multiplayer fighting game set in the DC universe. Play as one of tens of classic characters including Batman, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Wonder Woman, or choose from the selection of new characters like Black Canary, Doctor Fate, or Poison Ivy. Don’t forget to pick up the costumes littered all around this game to customize your character.
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact is one of the best mobile games you can play right now. With an expansive open world, consistent updates, and enjoyable combat-filled gameplay, it's definitely worth downloading on your Chromebook. That being said, not all Chromebooks are able to run this game, so make sure you take a look at the list of devices that are able to run Android apps.
Are Chromebooks Good for Gaming?
While Chromebooks are one of the best options for getting a computer at an affordable price, they're really not great for gaming natively. When it comes to Chromebooks vs laptops, there aren't many games that run on ChromeOS itself. That said, you can utilize game streaming to play your favorite games. Services like Xbox Game Streaming, Nvidia GeForce Now and Shadow are all great ways to play PC games on a Chromebook. But, really, you're better off just getting one of the best gaming laptops.
Zoë Hannah is a freelance video games, mental health, and e-commerce journalist. You can find her reviews, essays, and reporting in publications like WIRED, IGN, Insider, and more. When she's not writing, you can find her curled up with a spooky video game or an immersive novel. Find her on Twitter @zoehhannah or browse her clips at zoehhannah.com.
