Best Browser Olympic Games and Sports Events (Free)
Few things in gaming feel as frantic as mashing two keys to win a 100-meter dash. Olympic games have been a video game staple since the early 1980s, and many of the best are free to play in a browser. This list covers Olympic games and multi-sport events you can play today, from Google’s Doodle games to the arcade and computer classics that invented the button-mashing sprint.
Key takeaways
- Google’s Doodle Champion Island Games is the best modern pick, with seven sports in one browser adventure.
- Track & Field, Summer Games, and Decathlon are 1980s track and field games preserved on the Internet Archive.
- QWOP turns the 100-meter dash into one of the hardest games on the web.
- For quick single-sport sessions, Basketball Shootout and Penalty Shootout run right here on Dinogame.
Quick picks
| If you want… | Play |
|---|---|
| A full Olympic-style adventure | Doodle Champion Island Games |
| Four one-minute events | Google’s 2012 Olympic Doodles |
| The original arcade button-masher | Track & Field |
| Swimming, archery, and weightlifting | Hyper Sports |
| Multi-event medal tables for a group | Summer Games and Summer Games II |
| All ten decathlon events | Decathlon or Daley Thompson’s Decathlon |
| A sprint you will probably fail | QWOP |
| A quick basketball or soccer fix | Basketball Shootout or Penalty Shootout |
1. Basketball Shootout and Penalty Shootout (on Dinogame)
Basketball and soccer are both Olympic sports, and our own games give you a fast taste of each. Neither is an official Olympic game, but both are made for a quick competitive round.
How they play: Basketball Shootout is floppy physics basketball with one button per player. You press to jump, hold to swing your arm up, and release to shoot, and the first to five wins. Penalty Shootout is a best-of-five soccer shootout against the CPU, then sudden death, where you take turns shooting and keeping goal. Controls: In Basketball Shootout, W and the Up arrow for two players, or a tap on a phone. In Penalty Shootout, press Space once to lock your aim and again to set power, and dive with the arrow keys in goal. Best for: Two players sharing a device, or anyone who wants a short sports break.
2. Doodle Champion Island Games
Doodle Champion Island Games was Google’s interactive Doodle for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. It is a full 16-bit style adventure, and the biggest Doodle game Google had made at the time.
How it plays: You play Lucky, a calico ninja cat, exploring an island inspired by Japanese folklore. Seven sports champions wait to be beaten: table tennis, skateboarding, archery, rugby, artistic swimming, climbing, and the marathon. You also pick one of four color teams, and your results add to that team’s score. Side quests are hidden around the island. Controls: Arrow keys to move and Space to act. Why it fits: It is a full set of Olympic events wrapped in an adventure. Best for: Anyone, including kids. It is still playable from the Google Doodles archive.
3. Google’s 2012 Olympic Doodles
During the London 2012 Olympics, Google ran four interactive Doodles: Hurdles, Basketball, Slalom Canoe, and Soccer. Each is a short event built around a single skill.
How they play: Hurdles is a sprint where you alternate keys to run and time your jumps. Basketball is a timed shooting contest from spots around the court. Slalom Canoe has you steer through gates on a river, and Soccer puts you in goal against a series of shots. Controls: Keyboard, mostly the arrow keys and Space. Why it fits: They are bite-sized olympics games online that load instantly. Best for: A one-minute break or a quick contest with a friend.
4. Track & Field
Track & Field is Konami’s 1983 arcade game, and it set the template for every track and field game that followed. The Internet Archive runs the Atari 2600 version, which was the official video game of the 1984 Summer Olympics.
How it plays: The 2600 version has six events: the 100-meter dash, long jump, javelin, 110-meter hurdles, hammer throw, and high jump. You run by wiggling the joystick or alternating buttons as fast as you can, then press and release to jump or set an angle. One or two players can compete. Controls: Alternate keys to run, and hold and release to throw or jump. Why it fits: This is the game that made Olympic events a video game genre. Read more on Wikipedia. Best for: Retro fans and competitive pairs.
5. Hyper Sports
Hyper Sports is Konami’s 1984 follow-up to Track & Field. Imagine Software ported it to home computers, and the Internet Archive runs versions including the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum releases.
How it plays: It moves past running into other summer sports, such as swimming, skeet shooting, archery, the triple jump, and weightlifting. Each event mixes speed with timing, so you mash to build power and press at the right moment to score. The home ports trim the arcade event list. Controls: Joystick or keyboard, with rapid presses for power. Why it fits: It covers events most sports games skip. Best for: Players who want more variety than sprints and jumps.
6. Summer Games
Summer Games is Epyx’s 1984 multi-event game, and the first in the publisher’s long “Games” series. The Internet Archive has the Atari 2600 version.
How it plays: Up to eight players pick a country and take turns competing for medals. Events vary by platform but include the pole vault, platform diving, sprints, relays, gymnastics, freestyle swimming, skeet shooting, and rowing. You can play every event in order, pick a few, or practice one. Controls: Joystick inputs mapped to the keyboard. Why it fits: It recreates the opening ceremony, flags, and medal table of a real Olympics. Best for: Groups taking turns at one computer.
7. Summer Games II
Summer Games II is Epyx’s 1985 sequel, with eight new events. The Internet Archive runs the MS-DOS version.
How it plays: The events are the triple jump, rowing, javelin, equestrian, high jump, fencing, cycling, and kayaking. There is no pure sprint, and only rowing and cycling rely on joystick waggling. The rest are about rhythm and timing, such as pressing the right direction at each phase of the triple jump. Controls: Directional inputs and a button, mapped to the keyboard. Why it fits: It adds sports most Olympic games never touch. Best for: Players who prefer timing over button mashing.
8. Decathlon and Daley Thompson’s Decathlon
Two 1983 and 1984 classics cover all ten decathlon events. Activision’s Decathlon was designed by David Crane, and Ocean’s Daley Thompson’s Decathlon was named after the British decathlon champion. The Internet Archive has Commodore 64 versions of both.
How they play: Both games run you through the full decathlon, from the 100 meters and long jump to the pole vault, javelin, and 1,500 meters. Speed comes from waggling or alternating as fast as possible, and points from each event add up to a final total. Daley Thompson’s Decathlon became famous for how hard it was on joysticks. Controls: Rapid alternating inputs plus a button for jumps and throws. Why it fits: No other games here include every decathlon event. Best for: Players with stamina in their fingers.
9. QWOP
QWOP is a 2008 browser game by Bennett Foddy. It is a 100-meter race in which you control your runner’s legs one muscle group at a time, and it runs in HTML5 on Foddy’s own site.
How it plays: Q and W move the thighs, and O and P move the calves. Getting your athlete to walk at all takes practice, and most first attempts end face-down within a few meters. Finishing the full 100 meters feels like winning gold. Controls: The Q, W, O, and P keys. Why it fits: It is a parody of Olympic sprinting and a cult classic. Best for: Anyone who likes a ridiculous challenge.
A short history of Olympic video games
Olympic games took off in arcades in the early 1980s. Track & Field turned sprinting into a test of how fast you could press buttons, and home computer games like Decathlon and Summer Games followed within a year. Epyx’s Games series added flags, anthems, and medal ceremonies, which made them party games for whole families.
Later, official Olympic games moved to consoles. In the browser, Google picked up the tradition with its 2012 Doodles and then with Champion Island in 2021. For more sports beyond the Olympic program, see our guide to the best browser sports games.
How we picked these games
Every game here runs in a standard browser today, either natively, as a Google Doodle, or through the Internet Archive’s emulators. Each one had to feature Olympic sports, ideally several events in one game. We left out official Olympic titles that are only on consoles.
A trampoline game on Dinogame
Trampoline has been an Olympic gymnastics event since the 2000 Games in Sydney, and our own Trampoline Game turns it into a timing challenge. You press at the bottom of each bounce to gain height, then fit tricks such as tucks, pikes, twists and flips into the air time before you land. Routines mode has 10 judged routines scored on height, form and landing, and freestyle mode is a 90-second combo chase.
Two more Olympic sports on Dinogame
Two more of our games cover Olympic events. Curling Game plays a full match on a top-down sheet: you set the aim, weight and curl of each stone, sweep it to carry it farther and straighter, and score with the real rule that only the team with the closest stone scores in an end. Gymnastics Game covers vault, uneven bars and floor, each built around a timing skill, with simplified scoring and a career of 8 meets.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Google Olympics game called?
It is Doodle Champion Island Games, made for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. You play Lucky the cat and compete in seven sports, and it is still playable from the Google Doodles archive.
What is the best track and field game?
Track & Field is the classic, with sprints, jumps, and throws in one game. For the full ten events, try Decathlon or Daley Thompson’s Decathlon.
Can I play Olympic games with friends?
Yes. Summer Games supports up to eight players taking turns, and Track & Field and Basketball Shootout work for two players on one device.
Why is QWOP so hard?
QWOP makes you control each leg muscle group with a separate key, so you have to coordinate four inputs just to take a step. It was designed by Bennett Foddy to make a simple sprint feel nearly impossible.
Medal ceremony
The best Olympic games capture the rush of a race in a few seconds of play. Try Champion Island for a full adventure, Track & Field or Decathlon for retro button mashing, and QWOP for a laugh. When you want a sprint with just one key, the dino game is waiting.
