Writing
Posts from the Old Light devlog, newest first.
33 posts
2026
Free space browser games worth playing in 2026Space browser games worth your time in 2026: OGame, Astro Empires, Neptune's Pride, Pardus, Xterium and newer free picks, compared by price model and pace.How to play Old Light: a beginner's guideHow to play Old Light, the slow, free browser strategy game: your first build order, the five-day shield, probes, and claiming a second system.Messaging first, alliances nextOld Light now has private messages, and alliances are next. Why sending is something you earn, and how to add alliances without flattening the galaxy.Empires now fly their own colours on the mapOld Light empires now show their own banner colour across their territory, the same in-game and on the public galaxy map. A look at the new empire borders.Browser strategy game backendHow Old Light runs a real-time galaxy for thousands of players: no tick loop, combat as a pure function, deterministic NPCs, and designing every path for scale.Best browser strategy games of 2026, still alive and active16 strategy games still alive in 2026, from OGame and Travian to Old Light, with launch years, server models and what each store sells.I built a strategy game you only have to check twice a dayA slow, async browser strategy game you check twice a day. Short-session, play-while-offline strategy for busy adults, and where Old Light fits in.Games like Grepolis, Ikariam and Forge of EmpiresGames like Grepolis, Ikariam and Forge of Empires, how Grepolis and Ikariam differ, and a slower browser alternative where money buys no power.Games like Hades' StarGames like Hades' Star in 2026: what changed with Dark Nebula, plus Pixel Starships, EVE Echoes and other space strategy games with a shared galaxy.Games like Stellaris, from deep PC 4X to free browser picksFree and mobile games like Stellaris, and simpler ones for a first space 4X, set beside the deep PC alternatives with platforms and prices for each.Games like Travian and OGame in 2026, and one without pay-to-winGames like Travian and OGame in 2026: eleven strategy games compared by setting, launch year and premium currency.Pay-to-win killed the browser MMO. I'm trying to bring it back.The browser strategy games I grew up on were hollowed out by pay-for-power. What that did to the genre, and why money can't buy a stronger empire in Old Light.Old Light is live: a slow strategy game across a shared galaxyOld Light is a slow, real-time multiplayer 4X you can play in twenty minutes a day. One shared galaxy, one empire each, no download and no pay-to-win.