Cure your boredom with these free fun things to do online

If you're bored and looking for something to do on the internet, you're in luck—there's no shortage of fun things to do online! But because there are so many things to do on the internet, it might seem overwhelming to find something that suits your mood or taste. Whether you're in the mood for a game, making friends, watching a live stream, learning something new, or just want to explore and see where you wind up, we have you covered. This wikiHow guide will show you 32 surefire ways to have fun on the internet, no matter how old you are.

Things You Should Know

  • There are plenty of ways to play games online in your web browser without having to pay or download software.
  • Explore your creative side with online activities like making pixel art, playing with virtual instruments, or starting a blog.
  • Watch or listen to live streams and recordings, both audio and video. You can watch storm chasers, listen to podcasts, view wild animals cams, and so much more.
1

Play free games in your web browser.

  1. Whether you want to play alone or with a friend, there's no shortage of free online games. The best thing about these games is that you don't have to download anything to play them, which is great if you're using a school computer!
    • Flash By Night is home to 45 free games you can play alone in your web browser.
    • Addicting Games specializes in, well, addictive games! You'll find all kinds of single- and multi-player games, including puzzle games, adventure, sports games, and more.
    • If you have a Facebook account, Facebook Games is home to plenty of free online games, including Words with Friends, Farmville, and Uno.
    • If you like the board game Risk, try Warzone, a browser-based world domination game with both single- and multi-player options.
    • Play games in Google! Just search Google for Pacman, Quick Draw, Soccer, Champion Island, Cricket, Hip Hop, Rockmore, or Garden Gnomes to play games instantly right on the Google search page.
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2

Stream movies and TV shows.

  1. With so many streaming services available, there's no shortage of things to watch online. While options like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max have subscription fees, you can also watch TV for free at Pluto TV, Tubi, and Crackle.
    • Did you know you can stream movies and your favorite TV show episodes with friends online? Not only will the movie or show stay in sync for everyone, you can also chat while you watch! Check out our guide for watching Netflix with friends, which also includes other platforms like Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, and more.
3

Explore the Internet Archive.

  1. Want to see what the internet used to look like? Or maybe you want to find some free books, movies, software, or music? Play arcade games in your browser? The Internet Archive is a completely free archive that has endless activities for you to explore. You can head over to https://www.archive.org to check it out, or head right over to these especially cool areas of the site:
    • Wayback Machine: Enter any URL and explore old versions of the website. If you've ever wondered what Amazon.com and Apple.com looked like in 2001 or want to see Apple.com from 1998, you're in for a treat!
    • Internet Arcade: Play games like Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Pacman, Galaga, and thousands more in a browser-based emulator.
    • Open Library: Read free library books online without a library card.
    • Computer Magazines: Check out old magazines about computers from a long time ago to see how wild technology used to be.
    • Zines: Explore underground fanzines devoted to topics like music, politics, fanfiction, feminism, and more.
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7

Listen to a new podcast.

  1. With thousands of podcasts to choose from, you'll never be bored again. People create podcasts for all sorts of topics, so you're bound to find something that interests you. Whether you want to hear video game reviews, political commentary, strange news, from gaming to political commentary.
    • You can listen to podcasts on your computer using Google Podcasts, Spotify, or using the Podcasts app on your Mac.
    • Take your podcasts on the go using the Podcasts app for iPhone and iPad, Google Podcasts for Android, Spotify, or Pocket Casts.
    • Want to start your own podcast? Check out Anchor, a free podcasting platform that's great for beginners and experts alike.
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9

Find the best sites on the web using Stumbleupon & Mix.

10

Challenge your friends to a music guessing game.

  1. Is music your thing? Show off your music-guessing skills alone or with friends by playing any of these free name-that-tune-style games.
    • Songl.io lets you chat with your friends while you try to guess artists and song titles in 20 seconds or less.
    • Heardle is a music-guessing game based on Wordle, which means there's only one new song to guess each day.
    • If you have an iPhone or Android, you can install the Songpop app for endless amounts of song-guessing fun. Bring your friends or make new ones in the app!
13

Watch live animal cams.

  1. Wildlife cams are a great way to pass the time. Many animal-focused cams also have built-in chats for viewers, which means you can join the conversation and possibly even make friends. You might get lucky and see a panda bear cuddle session or catch an eagle hatching from an egg!
    • Mangolinkcam is a central database of worldwide wildlife cams, including marine animals, African wildlife, birds, and even insects.
    • Earthcam is home to many live streaming cameras at worldwide zoos, sanctuaries, and wildlife preserves.
    • Kitten Rescue Cam isn't exactly wildlife, but what could be better than watching a live stream of kittens?
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15

Become bilingual.

  1. Learning a new language can be fun when you don't have to sit in a classroom. Plus, not only will learning a new language help you in the job market, you'll also be able to use your new skills to make friends all across the world!
    • Duolingo is a fun way to learn a new language for free! You can learn Spanish, French, Japanese, Arabic, Navajo, and dozens of other languages on your computer or by installing the mobile app on your Android, iPhone, or iPad.
    • Babbel is a subscription-based language learning program with simple lessons designed to teach you a new language in just 10 minutes a day. While Babbel isn't free, you'll also get access to online classes, original podcasts, games, videos, and more.[2]
    • If game-style quizzes and lessons aren't your thing, check out Lingopie, a unique language service that encourages you to learn a new language by watching TV programming from around the world.
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18

Discover new music you'll love.

  1. Your new favorite artist or band is still out there. If you use a service like Spotify or Pandora, you can explore their recommended playlists or dive into a random genre you've never heard. You can also discover new independent artists on Bandcamp or SoundCloud.
    • Sites like Gnoosic and Musicroamer will recommend artists you might like based on your current favorites.
    • Want to explore new genres like glitter trance, soviet synthpop, and Indonesian shoegaze? Visit Everynoise to hear types of music you may not have heard of and discover new artists in the process.
19

Track sharks and other tagged animals as they migrate.

  1. OCEARCH Tracker offers a way to track the locations of tagged sharks as they swim around in the ocean. Head over to https://www.ocearch.org/tracker/ in your browser and click the name of any shark in the right column to see its details. Right now, Freya, an 11-ft long white shark who weighs 883 pounds, is off the coast of Newfoundland after spending the summer in the Bahamas!
    • Reef Tracks lets you follow the locations of sea life around the Great Barrier Reef, including turtles, sharks, and manta rays.
    • You can also check out https://www.movebank.org/cms/webapp to view data from all sorts tagged animals in the wild, including migratory birds, feral pigs, turtles, and vipers.
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20

Browse live streams on social media.

  1. Want to see what other people are doing right now? Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok all have live streaming platforms that you can easily browse. Check out somebody's live stream and join the conversation!
    • To browse live streams on Facebook, click Watch on the left side of the page, then click Live. Or, on a phone or tablet, just tap the menu and select Live Videos.[3]
    • To see live streams on YouTube, just head over to the Explore page and click or tap Live.[4]
    • On TikTok, just scroll through your feed until you find a Live video, which will be clearly marked.
    • On Instagram, just check the story carousel at the top of your feed to see which friends of yours are live right now!
21

Use MapCrunch to travel the world without leaving your chair.

24

Watch storm chasers stream live.

25

Make a beat in Pattern Sketch.

  1. Play with a virtual drum machine in your web browser. Pattern Sketch lets you create your own beats visually using virtual drum machine kits like the Roland TR-808 and TR-909, as well as a variety of other drum sounds. Crafting a beat is as easy as clicking the grid where you want to hear certain drum sounds. You can even save your beats as a WAV, OGG, or MP3 and share it with your friends.
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26

Find a Discord server to join.

  1. Chat with people who share common interests on a Discord server. On Discord, you can use a text-based chat as well as voice chat to talk about your favorite topics. If you haven't installed Discord yet, it's easy—just go to https://discord.com/download and click the Download button.
    • Once you're signed in, you can click the compass icon and choose Explore Public Servers to browse servers by category.[5]
    • You can also browse public Discord servers at https://discord.com/servers in your browser, and find lesser-known servers at https://disboard.org/search.
27

Install Steam and play a new game.

28

Explore Reddit topics and join the conversation.

30

Read or create a blog.

  1. Sign up for an account on a blogging site and start logging your thoughts. Blogging is a great way to meet like-minded people online. Whether you just want to check out some existing blogs or create your own, the best place to start is by creating an account on a community blogging platform. Sites like Tumblr, Wordpress.com, Blogger, and Medium make it easy to create your own account and start following interesting blogs right away. You can also write your own blog posts and have a better shot at other users finding you on platforms like these.
    • Run an internet search for blogs you may be interested in. For example, if you like gardening, search for “gardening blogs.” Take some time to explore the blogs and see if you find one that interests you.

Warnings

  • Don't give your address, credit card information, or similar info to a website or payment service unless you can verify that they are legitimate.
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  • Be cautious with strangers. While you may be very comfortable communicating with strangers online, the internet is full of potentially dangerous individuals looking to take advantage of people.
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  • Children should tell their parents or the authorities if someone on the internet asks them for pictures of themselves or wants to meet in person.
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  • Never invite anyone you met on the internet to your home.
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  • If you're using a dating or social media website to meet a romantic partner, make sure the person has been verified by the dating website or by someone you know.
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  • Don't provide any personal information, such as your address, phone number, full name, or passwords to anyone on the internet.
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About This Article

Luigi Oppido
Co-authored by:
Computer & Tech Specialist
This article was co-authored by Luigi Oppido and by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years. This article has been viewed 1,856,863 times.
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Co-authors: 118
Updated: January 20, 2023
Views: 1,856,863
Categories: Internet
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