Flash may no longer be present on the internet anymore, but it will forever remain ingrained in the hearts and minds of everyone who spent a lot of time online growing up. From AddictingGames to Kongregate and everything in-between, there used to be no shortage of websites that would allow users to host and play flash games. There were even sites such as CoolMathGames that allowed users to play entertaining flash games at school under the guise of being educational.
It certainly worked, too. Anytime classes got to spend time in the computer lab, or even the library, someone would open up one of these sites and start playing something on the side. There are several recognizable flash games that any millennial, or even older Gen Z members who grew up in the era of Flash are sure to recognize.
10 The Bloons Series Is One Of The Most Popular (And Still Relevant)
The Bloons series released its first game back in 2007. It started as a simple series of games where players would have to creatively solve balloon-popping levels with darts, and over time fans were able to make and submit their own levels into fan-packs as well.
The series also has a Bloons Tower Defense line of games, which is still relevant to this day. The sixth installment in the Tower Defense series can be purchased and played on Steam, since Flash can't be utilized in web browsers anymore.
9 Happy Wheels Is Cartoonly Grotesque, But Still Allowed In Schools
Happy Wheels released in June 2010, and it quickly took the internet by storm. This is mostly thanks to incredibly popular Youtubers at the time, such as PewDiePie, picking up the title and making content to help it gain exposure.
The game itself is simple – players try to solve fanmade levels as one of quite a few characters without being blown to bits. The game is pretty graphic compared to others on this list, though it's all done in a cartoonish style that keeps it from being too bad.
8 The Papa's Series Of Games Sees Players Managing Their Own Restaurants
The Papa's line of games feels almost endless, with the huge variety of games they've released ever since the classic Papa's Pizzeria released in August 2007. Since then, some of the titles they've released include Freezeria, Cheeseria, Pastaria, and Sushiria.
Although each game handles different food, presenting players with different ways to prepare orders, the overall premise is the same. Players are responsible for taking and making orders, ensuring they don't over-or-undercook, and making drinks. New customers, recipes, and ingredients are unlocked over time, and it's a satisfying loop overall.
7 The Fireboy And Watergirl Series Presents Players With Charming Puzzles
The Fireboy And Watergirl series is another example of a Flash series that began as a simple, single project, but exploded in popularity which means sequels were inevitable. It's a charming platformer where characters control both Fireboy and Watergirl, one of which uses the arrow keys while the other uses WASD.
There are a total of six games within the series, with all of them operating more-or-less the same besides presenting players with new puzzles to solve. The entirety of the series was uploaded to a mobile format to preserve it, but fans complain about the controls not translating too well from keyboard to touch screen.
6 The Run Series Of Games Lives On To This Day
There are three total games in the Run series, a set of platformer games where players have to skate from wall to wall in order to avoid falling off. Both the premise and the gameplay itself are rather simple, but the style was charming at the time, and unlike most other games kids had played at the time.
The third installment in the series, Run 3, is by far the most successful out of all of them, and it can actually still be played to this day. The original creator was able to make an HTML5 version of the game, meaning it can be played even in the era of Flash now being obsolete.
5 Poptropica Lets Players Customize Their Character And Explore Various Creative Worlds
Poptropica first released in September 2007, and was developed by Pearson Education's Family Education Network. This makes it the only game on this list that was specifically designed to be educational for young and growing children.
The classic version of the game boasted over thirty different islands for players to explore, each with their own puzzles to solve and secrets to uncover. The game was moved to a newer software known as Haxe, so it's still playable today, but almost all the original islands that players loved are still absent.
4 The Learn To Fly Series Is A Collection Of Simple, Upgrade-Focused Games
The Learn To Fly series is one of the first that truly popularized the 'upgrade' genre of flash games. In this genre, gameplay is usually quite simple, with most of the focus instead being put towards the upgrades that players buy between rounds.
There are four games in total, Learn To Fly 1, 2 and 3, as well as Learn To Fly Idle. An updated version of the first game is still available to play online, while the third game in the series is available to play for free on Steam.
3 The Fancy Pants Adventure Series Is Full Of Creative, Side-Scrolling Adventures
The Fancy Pants Adventure series is a collection of side-scroller Flash games where the player takes control of a simplistic stick figure with spiky hair and baggy orange pants. There were three worlds in total, with the first game not having much of a plot, and the later two being more developed.
The series did incredibly well, as it went on to get a fourth installment titled "Super Fancy Pants Adventure" on Steam for ten dollars. And as recently as 2021, the "Fancy Pants Adventure Classic Pack" which features remastered versions of the first three worlds was listed on Steam, though as of mid-2022 there is still no scheduled release date.
2 Everyone Who Grew Up In The 2000s Has At Least Heard Of Webkinz
Webkinz originally launched in April 2005, and quickly took the world by storm. It was one of the first games to combine the physical and digital worlds, with players purchasing real-world stuffed animals that came with codes that could be redeemed in-game for virtual pets.
Although many schools had this particular game blocked, the students that could access Webkinz during their free time showed off all they could of their paid-for pets and decked-out homes. A desktop version is still playable to this day, though it isn't anywhere near as popular as it used to be.
1 IQ Ball Is A Simple, Short, Mouse-Controlled Puzzle Game
Although it only features a total of 25 levels and never had any direct sequels, IQ Ball was an incredibly popular flash game. The art style is cute and charming, with the main character, a little purple fuzz-ball, resembling a Chuzzle from one of PopCap's big match-three games.
Not much can be found about the maker or the origins of IQ Ball, other than the fact that it's primarily hosted on Cool Math Games. It's remembered and beloved to this day despite its simplicity, so it's saddening that the creator doesn't get any real recognition for it.