Browser games have one big advantage for families: there is nothing to install. The shared tablet does not fill up with apps, nobody needs an app store account and the game can be closed at any moment. A browser on its own does not make a game suitable for a child, though.
Six questions before the first game
1. Can the child write to strangers? Free chat is the biggest risk. Through a text box, anyone can reach a child with anything. Games that only allow ready-made messages are safer.
2. Can the child buy things? Watch out for virtual currencies, packs with random contents and buttons that look like part of the game but lead to a payment.
3. What ads are there and where do they lead? An ad that fills the screen in the middle of a game, or that looks like a Play button, can easily take a child to another site.
4. Does the site ask for an account or personal details? A child does not need to give a name, email address, age or photo to play.
5. Does the game put pressure on the child? Daily streaks, countdowns to rewards and notifications are all ways of pulling a child back. A good children’s game either does without them or has them switched off by default.
6. Can the child wander off to other sites? Links to other games and websites should not be in plain view on a children’s site.
How HoyHop handles this
We built HoyHop so that children can use it too. In October 2026, when this article was written, that meant the following:
- No account needed. You can play as a guest, and we do not ask for a name, email address or age to play.
- No chat. There is no free text in the games. In online rooms, players can only send ready-made messages such as Good game! or Wait a moment, plus reactions shown as icons. Player names are suggested by a generator, for example Happy Cat.
- No purchases or ads. Nothing on HoyHop costs money, and there are no ads.
- No pressure. In games with a daily challenge, the streak is off by default. The games send no notifications and do not start the next game on their own.
- Kids mode for rooms. Whoever opens an online room can choose kids mode. The host then has to let in every player personally, and the room locks when the game starts.
The details of what data the site handles are on the For parents page.
Which game for which age
Ages are only a guide. What matters is whether the child can read and count, and how long they can stay with one thing.
Hide and Seek, from three with a parent. The youngest children can manage the first levels, with five animals in a small picture. A tap in the wrong place is not a mistake and there is no time limit. No reading is needed, only knowing the animal. How to play Hide and Seek explains it.
Ludo, from four or five. A child needs to count the dots on the die and move a piece that many squares. The game shows which pieces can move and marks their target square with a ring, so the child can see where a piece will end up. You can play against the computer or with a parent on one device.
Crazy Eights, from six. A child needs to recognise a card’s suit and rank. No reading is required. Cards that can be played are raised, so the child can see at once what is possible.
Block Fit, from six. There is no time limit, so a child can think over every move. It trains spatial thinking: will this shape fit here?
Daily Word, from eight. It takes reading and vocabulary. The answers are common nouns chosen so that children know them too, such as apple or garden. For a school child it is good spelling practice.
Solitaire, from eight. It takes patience and an understanding of sequences. The Hint button, which shows the next useful move, helps.
How much screen time
In April 2019 the World Health Organization published guidelines for children under five. For babies under one year it does not recommend screen time at all. For one-year-olds it does not recommend sedentary screen time, such as watching videos or playing computer games. For children aged two to four it recommends no more than one hour a day and adds that less is better.
For older children these guidelines give no figure. In most families a simple rule works: play in short sessions and stop at a natural break.
Playing sensibly
- Play together. Especially at the start, it is worth sitting with your child. You will see what they understand and what they enjoy.
- Stop at the end of a game or level. In Hide and Seek that is a finished level, in Ludo the end of a game. The game saves, so you can carry on next time.
- Sound is off by default. It is switched on with the Sound button in the top bar. If you do not want to disturb others, leave it off.
- Let your child lose. Playing against the computer, a child will sometimes lose. It is a good chance to talk about that in games you sometimes win and sometimes lose.
When a child wants to play with friends
Crazy Eights and Ludo can also be played with friends far away using a room code. Kids mode is the right choice for children, because the host has to let every player in. Children should only send the code to people they know, for example in a family group chat. How to play online with friends using a room code explains how it all works.