Math isn’t a subject that comes easy to many of us, and certainly not for me, personally. The most effective way for me to learn as a kid was by playing math games online. As the years went on, my classmates and I started caring less about the math and more about the games — but that’s fine because we picked up the math along the way.
Now my math skills are at the very least competent (most of the time), and I have fond memories of goofing off in the computer lab at school playing math games online — games that were entertaining-enough time-killers that I’d actually recommend them to adults looking for a fun, educational nostalgia trip.
If you’re looking to boost those math skills, here are some places online where you can find fun, free math games for both kids and adults.
1. Cool Math Games (Ages 12+)
A staple from my childhood, Cool Math Games offers a seemingly endless amount of games that can be both extremely math-heavy (“Calculate This!”, “Plus 10”) and extremely math light (“Retro Ping Pong,” “Run 3”) making it useful for a legitimate mathematical experience or goofing off. Games are organized by play style involving numbers, logic, strategy, and more.
You often have to sit through ads before your game starts, and there are typically ads on the screen surrounding your game view, meaning you’ll need a little patience and probably parental guidance for younger kids, but it’s still a decent educational tool at best and a harmlessly fun time-waster at worst. I definitely did not use it to procrastinate by playing Roblox (a game that makes you move a rectangular block over a set of tiles to get it through an exit point) when I was supposed to be writing this article. Nope, definitely not.
Cool Math Games is part of the Cool Math Network, created in 1997, which also includes the sites Coolmath.com (math lessons for users 13+), and Coolmath4Kids (designed for users 12 and under). According to Celebrity Net Worth, the site creator is known as “Coolmath Karen,” and she’s a retired community college math teacher. Pretty cool.
2. Math Playground (Ages 5–12)
Math Playground has a collection of math games sorted by math type: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and so on. Pick a game or a grade level ranging from first to sixth, and start playing. There’s also a designated “story math” page for users looking for a practice with word problems — it helps users create models for word problems in order to understand the different pieces of the equation and how to solve them. There are plenty of games on the site that are free to play, as well as “premium” games that require a paid subscription, the cheapest of which will cost you $5.99/month for a 12-month plan — probably not worth it when you can find free games elsewhere. It’s also worth noting that the site will only let you play games in full-screen mode if you’re a subscriber. Math Playground was created in 2002 by educator Colleen King, “for students in my classes who needed a fun way to practice math facts.”
3. MathGames.com (Ages 3–12)
MathGames.com’s homepage is filled with a variety of math games and lessons utilizing a bunch of different mathematical concepts, from addition to fractions to graphing and even money. Pick a game — like “Cat Wars,” which asks the player to solve math problems in order for their “cat” to win a tug-of-war over a string of smoked sausage links. Before the game starts, it will ask you to choose a grade level and a mathematical subject to focus on before continuing. You can also see games and lessons directly designated by grade level by clicking “grades” at the top of the screen. Not all games are free, however. The ones marked with a star require a paid subscription, the cheapest of which costs $7.50/month for a 12-month plan. The site is owned by TeachMe, a company that, according to its homepage, “works with teachers in schools and parents in homes to create powerful learning tools that combine practice and play in an authentic way.”
4. College Math Games (Ages 18+)
Yes, there are math games for college students and up! There isn’t as much to sort through on College Math Games like the other sites, but you can still play free games that deal with a bunch of college-level mathematical concepts, like calculus, functions, tangents, and a bunch of other stuff I honestly don’t remember how to do anymore and can’t believe I was ever able to understand. College Math Games was created in 2014. Some games deal in more mildly adult themes, like “Shooting Gallery” and “Venn Sniper.”
5. MathGameTime (Ages 3–12)
MathGameTime, created by SOFA Entertainment president Josh Solt — who, according to EdTech Digest, created the site with a group of teachers and a child therapist — sorts math games by grade (pre-k–7th) and mathematical subject. Just pick a grade or a subject and you’re presented with a slew of games to choose from. The site also has a “worksheets” page, sorted by grade level and subject, if users are looking for some extra practice. From basic addition and subtraction to algebra (a word that frightens me to this day), there’s a good chance MathGameTime has a free game that suits what you’re looking for. Perhaps “Alien Addition,” which requires you to solve simple addition problems in order to prevent an army of UFOs from destroying your spaceship. Ah! Save the galaxy … with math!
Math may still give some of us migraines, but it’s good to know there are places online for everyone to go for help. Maybe math really is just fun and games, after all.
