Episode 29: 4 Free Online History games
Why History Games Work for Homeschoolers
History can feel like a blur of names and dates — until kids get to experience it. Free online history games turn timelines, civilizations, and famous events into something interactive, so the facts actually stick. They’re a low-prep way to add fun to a lesson or fill a rainy afternoon with real learning.
How to Use Online History Games in Your Homeschool
- Reinforce a unit — play a game tied to the era you’re studying.
- Spark interest — start a new topic with a game to get kids curious before the reading.
- Review painlessly — swap a worksheet for a quick game to check what stuck.
Are these games free? Yes — every game featured in this episode is free to play. You’ll find the picks below.
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And visit our sponsor FundaFunda Academy to see the web-based unit studies and full semester classes they offer. They also have options for summer learning! Many of their classes incorporate games like the ones discussed in this episode.
1. Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail is a free online version of the original game. The graphics are very dated – but that adds to the fun!
2. Mission US
Mission US has 5 episodes covering different time periods in US history – Revolutionary War, what it was like to be a slave just before the Civil War, life on the plains for native Americans just after the Civil War, life as an immigrant in the early 1900s and finally, living through the Great Depression.
In each episode, you play the role of a teen who is trying to survive during that time. You make choices as you play and these affect the outcome of the game. This means you can replay the game and get different conclusions each time.
There are also educator guides for each episode.
3. Race to Ratify
Race to Ratify is a new game from iCivics.
This game takes you back to 1787 and you move around talking to characters from the past to learn about the ratification debate and how the Federalists and Anti-Federalists viewed various issues. As you talk to people you earn Argument tokens which you then use to create content for pamphlets.
You have to decide if you are Federalists or Anti-Federalist and you lose points if you print stories that don’t support your position.
This game requires quite a bit of reading and students have to think about what they are reading so it is good for high schoolers, or advanced middle schoolers.
4. Death in Rome
Death in Rome is a fun mystery game set in ancient Rome.
Click around the screen and ask the experts or the witnesses about items you find at the scene. After you have all the evidence, you can make your guess at what happened. If you aren’t correct, you can try again.
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