What it is
Shakes & Fidget is a role-playing game from Playa Games, which describes itself as a developer and publisher of mobile and browser games. The official site's title calls it "the free browser game", and the publisher lists desktop, tablet and smartphone as platforms. There is also a Steam listing for those who prefer a launcher.
You create a hero and choose a class from a long list. The official class page shows Warrior, Mage, Scout, Assassin, Battle Mage, Berserk, Demon Hunter, Druid, Bard, Necromancer, Paladin and Plague Doctor. The world, in the game's own words, is full of "monster bunnies and hell brides". That tells you the tone: fantasy clichés are the punchline, not the scenery.
How a session goes
The heart of the game is the tavern, where quests are handed out. A quest is not something you steer with the mouse. You choose it, and your hero spends time on it. The same idea runs through much of the game, and it is why Shakes & Fidget sits so comfortably in a background tab.
The official game manual sorts everything else into menus. Fights holds the arena, the dungeons and pets. Merchants holds the weapon shop and Fidget's magic shop. The Quarter is where the guild and the mailbox live. In the arena you are offered opponents drawn from the hall of fame. Expeditions are a separate journey through two regions where you choose one encounter on each of several clearings.
Later systems open with level. The manual places the blacksmith at level 90 and the arena manager at level 105, and there is a fortress and an underworld to build up. Fights play out on their own, decided by attributes, equipment and class traits: a Warrior blocks with a shield, an Assassin always strikes with two weapons, a Druid takes the form of a bear, tiger or eagle. The real decisions happen before the fight, on the character and equipment screens.
The time it asks for
This is the least demanding stop on the road. Quests and shifts with the city guard — the manual says working for the guard earns some gold — run on the clock rather than on your attention, so the game rewards a habit of short visits: open the tab, collect, pick the next task, leave. A daily login bonus asks you to come back once a day, and the manual notes that it has to be collected actively.
The catch is the one every timer game shares. If you want to keep pace with a guild or climb the hall of fame, the visits become more frequent rather than longer. Decide early whether you are playing at your own pace or at the leaderboard's.
How it is paid for
Shakes & Fidget is free to start. The premium currency is mushrooms, sold in the official web shop. According to the manual, items can be bought for gold or for a combination of gold and mushrooms, and Quicksand Hourglasses finish a running quest instantly — the obvious point where paying replaces waiting. Read that way, the optional purchases mostly buy time and convenience.
Who should take this road
Take it if you are…
- someone who wants an RPG that can sit beside work or study and be checked a few times a day;
- a player who enjoys tuning equipment and class choices more than fast reflexes;
- a fan of parody and broad jokes about fantasy tropes.
Skip it if you are…
- a player who wants to steer every swing — combat here plays out by itself;
- someone who dislikes timers and the pull of one more check;
- looking for a serious, lore-heavy world.
Pack list
Worth carrying
- Runs in a browser tab; the publisher also lists tablets and smartphones.
- Twelve classes on the official class page, each with a distinct trait.
- Short visits are enough to make progress.
- Plenty of late systems — blacksmith, fortress, underworld — for long-term players.
Extra weight
- Timers set the pace, and paid speed-ups sit right beside them.
- Hands-off combat will feel thin to action players.
- The humour is an acquired taste.
Checked on the publisher's site, October 2026
Read on the official site and its help pages in October 2026:
- The official site's page title: "Shakes & Fidget – The free browser game".
- Playa Games lists desktop, tablet and smartphone as platforms.
- The class page lists twelve classes, from Warrior to Plague Doctor.
- The game manual describes the tavern, expeditions, arena, dungeons, guild, fortress and underworld.
- Mushrooms are the premium currency in the official web shop.