When you're away from home or travelling for work, sometimes you lot only demand a quick gaming break. But touchpads often aren't ideal, not everyone has a Switch – or is able to carry one around for one reason or another. So if you lot discover yourself on a plane, the railroad train or somewhere else where just a keyboard volition suffice, here'due south some games that play just fine.
This story has been updated since its original publication.
Hyperbolic Ignition
A punishing pinnacle-down infinite shooter when you battle hordes all effectually you lot every bit yous drift through infinite and infinite debris to discover your manner home.
Super Meat Boy
I of the all-time classic platformers, Super Meat Boy is one of those games that anybody should play at least once. The fact that information technology plays nicely on a keyboard is an extra bonus – people generally accept plenty of time and patience when waiting for a flight or travelling, and patience is something y'all need plenty of for Super Meat Male child's later levels.
One Finger Death Punch
Ane of the highest rated games on Steam besides happens to be something you can play with the left and right directional keys. At that place's a sequel out now, but the original is available for the price of a smoothie, so you lot might as well start with that.
Dragon's Lair
1 of the classics from the '80s that still holds up today considering of the FMV style, Dragon's Lair is that class of game that believes in achievement through punishment. The art of Dragon's Lair is learning the right pathway past rote, watching Dirk the Daring get burnt, zapped, tortured, maimed and eaten as he tries to save Daphne from the Time Warp. Information technology'due south available through GOG and Steam, but the whole trilogy is cheaper through GOG.
Subspace: Continuum
A multiplayer online space shooter, Subspace Continuum is a re-release of a game from 1997. You mostly fly around, picking up ability ups as you go and upgrading your ship. The controls are keyboard merely, and all you demand to know is your guns, bombs, afterburner and what direction you want to shoot and fly.
There'south a ton of modes and special events, and the whole game is gratis on Steam. If you're looking for something to knock around with a few friends, information technology'south a smashing retro shooter. Definitely an underrated classic.
Fly Commander 1 & 2
If you were fortunate enough back in the twenty-four hours, you lot might have had a simple two-push button joystick to play Wing Commander. But nigh people ground out the Kilrathi with the keyboard, so you're not missing out annihilation by reliving that feel today. GOG has the first and second games, plus the Special Operations and Undercover Missions expansions for only under $9, which is banger value if you're looking for something cheap to play on the route.
LIMBO
PlayDead'southward original indie won't keep you lot going for a full long-booty flight from Commonwealth of australia to Europe (or the United states of america). Simply if you want something stunning that will capture your mind and you're not going to play this on the Switch, information technology works just fine on a laptop with the keyboard. It's from 2010, so PC requirements aren't a problem.
Ignition
Sometimes y'all just want a silly arcade racer to eat upwards the time, and Ignition fits the nib. It's from that era of belatedly '90s arcade games that yous don't see much of today: whimsical and fun without being supremely challenging. You can get the game through GOG.
Shovel Knight
While non all platformers lend themselves well to a keyboard-merely setup, there are enough that do. Retro-inspired games that don't lean on advanced aiming mechanics tend to take the best of it, and amid those Shovel Knight is one of the best games you can become.
If y'all're picking up Shovel Knight now, you'll be able to get all of the DLC with Treasure Trove. That's the original game, plus Specter of Torment, Plague of Shadows and Shovel of Hope. Plenty of levels to nail through on the aeroplane or railroad train.
BallisticNG
Available for but $US5, BallisticNG is an ongoing beloved-letter from fans to the original WipEout games. Most people will instinctively want a controller for this sort of game, but it's perfectly playable on keyboard – and with not bad results as well:
Once you've got the controls down, there's plenty of content to piece of work your fashion through. 17 tracks, six different modes, a full singleplayer entrada and a low-poly mode that runs perfectly on integrated graphics.
Epistory – Typing Chronicles
Epistory stars a daughter and a giant pull a fast one on, who journey together trying to boxing a abuse throughout the land. It's an gamble game controlled entirely by typing the words on screen, wrapped around a colourful newspaper earth.
Released final year past Fishing Cactus, whose since moved on to Shift Quantum, the action/adventure has a 96% user rating from nearly 700 reviews on Steam. Mikey also played it on release, and you lot tin can read more almost what that's like here.
Hazard of Rain
A great action roguelike with permadeath, Take a chance of Rain is an amazing mix of "explosions and stupidity", to quote one Kotaku reader. Grab random power-ups, blow everything up in your path, and effort to finish the level without getting slaughtered.
It's a great game that's available for cheap, and will as well run on a potato. It'southward also designed with the keyboard in mind – the game just has partial controller support to this day – which is a lifesaver for those with a laptop glued to their knees. Not literally, patently.
Swords of Ditto
A cutesy superlative-downward RPG, Swords of Ditto is designed to be a short-run cyclical RPG where you lot are given four days to face up off against the evil wizard Mormo. The game is built to support controllers, merely works with a keyboard just fine (provided you can ignore all the Xbox/PlayStation button prompts).
Ditto is built to be replayable as well, with the sword retaining its level and ability from each hero that carried information technology earlier, a Rogue Legacy-esque trick that helps if you don't have a keen deal of time to invest in each play session.
One Must Autumn: 2097
True story: Epic'south classic robot brawler was the first affair I installed when I bought my offset proper laptop. (My actual first laptop was a Chromebook, which couldn't run DOSBox.) I've made sure there'southward a re-create on every laptop I've ever owned since, because information technology's the perfect travel companion.
It's the best fighting game released on PC, period. If you wish to argue, continue and then below.
Remembering The PC'southward All-time Fighting Game
I'one thousand going on a flight to Japan over the weekend, and as a result I'll exist needing something to occupy me should the in-air entertainment be a bore. Fortunately, there's been 1 game happily residing on my laptop e'er since I purchased it, and that 1 game is what I'm paying tribute to.
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Endless Sky
A 2nd space trader that'due south reminiscent of the classic Solar Winds shareware game – but on a substantially larger calibration. It'south basically your standard rags-to-riches infinite trader story, with the player kicking off with a crappy shuttle before working their manner up to owning a fleet of freighters or warships, while working your mode through the web of mysteries and pirates that envelop the thousands upon thousands of planets and stars in the galaxy.
Super Hexagon
If you're later on modern games that only use keyboard controls, indie platformers are unremarkably the identify to go. Super Hexagon has been around for years, and then you tin selection it up – at full price – for a measly $US2.99.
Information technology'southward a game about handling pressure level, maintaining your grace while under the pump. Exist warned: it'south pretty addictive.
Crypt of the Necrodancer
A roguelike game where you motion – and attack – to the beat of the music, Crypt of the NecroDancer is just actually, actually clever. The core mechanic means the player and enemies become to move with every beat, but if you skip a beat out, then different penalties start to come into play.
The footage above is a adept indication of how a regular NecroDancer run tin go. Make sure you spotter through to around 6 minutes 35 seconds in the run when the player meets the shopkeeper for the first fourth dimension. It's bright.
Cook, Serve, Delicious/Melt, Serve, Delicious 2
Image: Kotaku
If you lot're the kind of person who gets super stressed by timers and deadlines, Melt, Serve, Delicious! is probably best avoided. Just if you're the kind who relaxes through a lot of fast paced repetition – like typing or lots of rapid button presses – then the chef's life is for you.
Both CSD games are on Steam, and the get-go is on mobiles. Neither requires any mouse input. The game is really about blueprint recognition and remembering what buttons equate to what ingredients every time an guild comes in. Everything is conspicuously explained, but the quicker your retentiveness, the easier you lot'll deal with orders.
PAC-Human being Championship Edition DX+
I hateful, it'south Pac-Man. Just if y'all're going to play any PAC-Human being, Championship Edition DX+ is every bit solid every bit they get. In that location'southward a free demo on Steam equally well, if yous don't want to invest in the full thing.
Exhaustion Paradise
Modern racers are better with a controller, but you lot don't play Burnout Paradise to hit every apex perfectly. Paradise will run on integrated graphics reasonably well with the settings down, and there'southward plenty of billboards to nail and races to bugger upwardly to last you many, many train trips or flights.
Typing of the Dead: Overkill
It goes without saying that a game reliant on typing words to impale zombies doesn't really need a mouse.
Even still, everyone really should play Typing of the Dead. The only thing that could make it better would exist, well, more than Typing of the Dead.
Terminal Velocity
Sure, you could play this with a mouse. But you tin can also play the ancient shoot-em-up merely fine with a keyboard, the fashion most people did back in 1995.
Final Reality'due south archetype is on phones every bit well, just it's all-time played when your thumbs aren't blocking one-half the screen.
FlatOut two
If you're at a LAN in Australia, and your mouse is buggered, never fear. Because as presently equally the sun starts to drop, you tin bet the house that someone in the room will somewhen burn up the time honoured classic, FlatOut ii.
I've actually only ever see 1 person play this with a controller at LANs. I'thou sure it'southward probably better, but when you lot're trying to t-bone a ute with a school bus, that'due south non really the indicate.
Downwell
Like Super Hexagon, there's a ton of platformers over the terminal few years that can be played rather competently with just a keyboard. If yous're the kind of person who enjoys Spelunky, Nuclear Throne or activeness roguelikes in general, this should be in your Steam library. You can play information technology on phones besides, so information technology only depends on what experience you similar. Personally, I'd rather not exist stressed while sitting on the loo.
Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
The story of Binding of Isaac's ARG is mayhap the best when it comes to ARGs, 2d possibly only to Trials. And while yous don't have to play the game to relish the amount of particular behind McMillen's mysteries.
But Isaac a ferociously tight activeness RPG. And the more than you play, the more enjoyment you'll go out of this insane tale.
Raptor: Telephone call of the Shadows (1994 Edition)
If y'all're stuck to keyboard controls, retro games are more often than not your best bet. They were designed with the keyboard in heed, merely non all of them play that well in 2017.
Example in bespeak: the contempo remake of Raptor: Call of the Shadows. Another championship published by Apogee back in the day, it's the original version of the elevation-down shooter that plays best. Good Old Games only sells the updated version, but yous can purchase the original for bugger all on Steam.
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