Free games for a phone held upright

Fit the phone, not the other way around

Each game in the list below is taller than it is wide, so it fits a phone held upright. The first load is 8 MB or less, which is a gentler start on mobile data than a heavy game.

Most shooting and racing games on this site are wider than they are tall. Their pages say to turn the phone sideways. They are still free in the browser. They are just a poor fit for one hand on a moving bus.

How to play on a commute

You do not install anything, and you do not need an account. Open a game, press Play, and stop when you arrive. The full-screen button on the game page makes the game larger.

If one hand is all you have, a puzzle or a casual game is easier to leave than a race. The game page explains the controls before you press Play.

Where to look next

The list starts with one upright game from Puzzle, Casual, Arcade, Action, Shooting, Racing, Sports and Dress Up & Style. Most shooting and racing games are wider than they are tall. The shooting guide is the place for those. A short break with no rule about which way the phone points is the 5-minute page. The short-session age lists are girls 13–17, women 18–24 and boys 13–17.

The upright row starts with Drop Planets, Fruits Slice Challenge and Stack Rocket.

Questions

Will these games stay upright on a phone?

The games on this page are taller than they are wide, which is the shape we use for a phone held upright. A game page still tells you if that particular game wants the screen the other way.

Do I have to download them for the train?

No. They play in the browser. The first visit fetches the game, and we kept that first load to 8 MB or less on this page. There is no app to install.