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LibreOffice: All the best extensions for the free Word alternative

These are the best LibreOffice extensions and templates you can download now to make your life easier.

LibreOffice is a wonderful thing. A completely open-source, and therefore free, fully functional productivity suite. If you need something like the Microsoft Office suite, yet can’t afford a license or subscription, LibreOffice is what you are after. Like Microsoft Office, LibreOffice has a lot of cool new features and apps designed to help make your life easier. There are lots of programs that fall under the LibreOffice umbrella including LibreOffice Calc, LibreOffice Draw, and LibreOffice Impress.

As well as just built-in features, however, LibreOffice also offers access to an extensive library of useful extensions, add-ons, and plugins that offer even more functionality to LibreOffice users. That is what we are here for today. In this article, we are going to walk you through the best extensions for LibreOffice that will help you be more productive and how you manage them using the extension manager. Whether you’re working from home or heading into the office, this guide will help make your life easier.

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Best LibreOffice extensions

These LibreOffice extensions will make your life easier and help you get your work done quicker and more efficiently. Check yourself here, if you’re using OpenOffice and not LibreOffice. Although similar, these are different programs and you should head to openoffice.org for information on how to use OpenOffice.

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The extension manager

The Document Foundation that set up LibreOffice has also set up a library of extensions for the software that you can find over at extensions.libreoffice.org. You can also download the extensions we’ve listed below using the links we’ve provided. You can then manage your LibreOffice extensions inside the LibreOffice apps by heading to the Tools menu and selecting the Extensions Manager.

AltSearch (Alternative Dialog Find & Replace)

LibreOffice Writer does have a decent Find & Replace feature already, but it can prove frustrating at times. The AltSearch extension goes a long way towards remedying this situation by augmenting the native Fin & Replace feature with some added tools. The extension facilitates multiple searches at once and opens up the possibility to search for text in specialized elements of your documents such as bookmarks, notes, tables, footnotes, and endnotes.

Stop Begging

There is no doubt that LibreOffice couldn’t be what it is without support from a dedicated global following built up of developers and financial supporters. To maintain these levels of support, LibreOffice needs to constantly campaign for new supporters and one of the ways it does is by asking every user for support every 90 days. It is not much to have to deal with these requests but if it is too much for you, the Stop Begging extension will stop these requests from ever showing up again. We recommend you only download this extension after you’ve supported the Open Document Foundation and the LibreOffice project somehow.

Calendar Creator Template

It’s not just extensions that you can download to augment your LibreOffice experience. There’s also an extensive library of LibreOffice templates that you can download for free and use on whatever projects you’re working on. This calendar Creator template is one such tool that makes it very easy for you to create weekly, monthly, and yearly calendars on printable sheets. You can also create single day calendars and automatically add events to your printable sheets when you add them to your document.

MultiSave

One of the frustrating aspects of working with LibreOffice is the Open Document Format that Writer saves your documents in. The open-source nature of the file does mean it can be used across multiple formats and programs but that isn’t the case straight off the bat. This is where the MultiSave extension comes in. With the extension installed you can easily save a document in different file formats at the same time including the Open Document Format, Microsoft Office format, and other useful file types like PDF.

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Language Tool

The Language Tool extension for LibreOffice offers grammar and proofreading support to LibreOffice users across a whole host of different languages. These languages include English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Russian. You can see all the different languages the extension supports on its homepage here. Please note, though, that the level of support the extension offers depends on the language.

Daily Planning Template

This Daily Planning Template makes it very easy for you to organize your time more efficiently. It compartmentalizes your day, breaking it up into individual timeslots that you can then allot to certain activities. You can easily add events to your calendar and control regular activities and appointments too.

Transcriber

The Transcriber extension for LibreOffice Writer is a great tool for anybody who has to interview people for the articles they write. Anybody who’s ever had to transcribe an interview will know how slow and frustrating the experience can be as you flip from one app to another or fiddle around with recording equipment. The Transcriber extension puts the playback buttons right there in the Writer app giving you quick access to the basic controls you need to control the audio as you write down everything that’s being said. It even offers keyboard shortcut controls too for quicker control.

Secret Google Docs tips and tricks

This introduction to Google Docs will tell you all the top tips that make it a game-changer in the world of word processing.

Everybody has used a word-processing package at some point in their lives, the most established and well-known being Microsoft Word. However, Google now offers an attractive alternative for creating professional-looking documents in the office or at home. Google Docs is a complete online-based word processing app that can be accessed easily by creating a new document from your Google Drive (drive.google.com ) or going to docs.google.com.

Not only is Google Docs an effective package for creating documents, but it also includes a smorgasbord of features. These valuable features will help you save time and produce more visually pleasing documents.

So here are some handy Google Docs Tips to help you on your way to becoming a pro user.

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Tips to help you use Google Docs

The Google apps are more powerful than ever and give anybody with a Google account access to powerful tools that rival those you’ll find in Microsoft Office. Google Docs work best on the Google Chrome browser but they do also work on other browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge. These are our top tips for Google Docs.

1. Keyboard Shortcuts

As with most applications, Google Docs has a wide range of keyboard shortcuts to help you write and format your work without the use of your mouse. This will help you edit documents more efficiently and also help prevent the type of wrist pain associated with overusing your mouse.

The most common action shortcuts that people should know are copy, paste, and cut (Ctrl + C/V/X). Useful text formatting shortcuts include bold, italicize, and underline (Ctrl + B/I/U), and you can increase and decrease the font size on the fly by holding Ctrl and Shift and pressing the< > keys.

There are also controls for paragraph formatting, image formatting, comments and footnotes, menu navigation, and many more. A full list of shortcuts can be found here and you can pick the ones you frequently use and

2. Voice Typing

Most computers now come with built-in microphones and you can easily pick up a decent one for the price of a coffee or two. So, why not make use of your voice, when creating important documents and relax your precious digits for a while.

Google Docs has a built-in voice typing feature that listens to your voice and can quickly put your ideas into text. It can understand voices in 48 languages and even recognize some regional variants. You can also instruct the use of basic punctuation and use commands to edit and format your document. A list of these commands can be found here.

It’s a helpful tool for people who need a break from typing but also a huge advantage for those people who have disabilities or injuries. You can activate it in the ‘tools’ drop-down menu or by the shortcut CTRL+SHIFT+S (Windows) and CMD+SHIFT+S (Mac).

3. Document Templates

An awesome design feature of Google Docs is the ability to create a document using one of the many pre-designed templates available. These templates offer easy to edit layouts for a wide range of documents including school reports, resumes, and legal documents.

The templates are accessed when creating a new document. When you open Docs you’ll see the opening gallery with templates grouped into different themes. You can also view the templates by going to docs.google.com and clicking on the template gallery.

Over 60 Google Docs templates

4. Custom Templates

Google already provides you with some beautiful templates to choose from, but maybe they are not exactly what you are looking for. So, how about saving a massive amount of time by uploading your own custom templates for the documents you use the most. This can be done by going to docs.google.com, clicking on the template gallery, and then summit template. A window then appears where you can select your own custom template document that you have saved to your Google Drive.

5. Collaboration in real-time

Collaboration is a huge feature within Google’s suite of apps. It allows you to quickly share your documents with friends and colleagues and edit them together in real-time. Once a document has been shared, the collaborators have the option to highlight text in the document and add their own comments for the other users to read. In addition, if you are all logged into the document there is a chat option that enables you to share your ideas with group members instantly.

6. Version History

Ever gone back to a document and realized that you have accidentally deleted a chunk of text by mistake. Well, this life-saving feature lets you get a full list of different versions of your documents dating back to its creation. All you have to do is click file-version history-see version history and a list of versions of past versions of your document will appear. If you are collaborating on a document, it will conveniently show you the person who was editing the document at that time so you can give them a good telling off for their mistakes.

7. Custom Fonts

Google Docs has a range of attractive fonts already built into its drop-down menu, and helpfully lists the fonts you use the most at the top. If you get bored of these fonts or you are simply looking for a new look for a document, you can click ‘more fonts’ at the top of this menu you will be greeted by an extensive list of fonts to customize your font menu with. There are literally hundreds to choose from so it might take some time to get through all of them. However, Google has made it easier to choose a suitable font by showing its use in sentences on the Google Fonts page, so take a look.

8. The Explore Research Tool

Have you ever gotten sick of switching between your word processor and internet browser when researching for an important project? Well, You should take a look at the explore tool in Google Docs, as it helps you get some research without having to leave your document. All you have to do is simply click the explore button located at the bottom right of the document screen. As if by magic, a side screen slides in showing related research, topics, and images for you to review.

If you want to research specific words in your document you can type them into the search or highlight them and right click and go to explore. The search function will display pages from the web, images and will even search your google drive. As you can imagine the search function is second to none with Google being the biggest search engine on the planet.

Productivity tips for lazy people

These productivity tips will help you get more work done when you need to do it.

Getting things done can be such a chore. It is not just the finishing of jobs that is hard neither. Starting them can be bad enough too. Whatever the reason or distraction that is standing in the way of the work that needs doing does not matter. The only thing that counts is that it is there, and the work is not getting done.

Fortunately, however, there are a number of coping techniques and tips that you can utilize to break through these difficult times when distraction reigns supreme. You are not lazy, you just like to occupy your mind with other pursuits when there is work to be done. Well, these tips are here for you to help you regain control of your consciousness and start getting stuff done. These are the top productivity hacks to help you improve productivity in your daily life.

Tips for productivity

These tips aren’t necessarily related to apps or software, they’re simply good practices to have at hand any time you feel distracted or struggle to start a task. The truth is we do a lot of jobs on our computers these days, and they bring with them a whole new world of electronic distractions such as social media and online procrastination. These tips are here to help you fight them.

The 2-minute rule

The two-minute rule is a simple yet brilliant way to increase productivity. It offers a way to instantly deal with the small tasks that end up in your in-tray and forces you into taking action on similar tasks that would eat up a larger amount of time. The two-minute rule states that:

If a job can be done in under two minutes, you should just do it there and then.

If a job is clearly going to take longer than two minutes, then you should start it right there and then.

This rule is brilliant because it instantly activates your brain to the task at hand. It declutters your to-do list by making sure none of those little tasks clog it up when they’re so easy to complete. On top of that, the rule also ensures that those bigger tasks are already underway when you move not the next item. It is always easier to come back to a task you’ve already started than it is to start a new one.

Chew gum

OK, this one sounds a little strange. Let’s all be honest though; you’re not looking for productivity tips here that are going to take a lot of effort. Really, you’re after the easiest tips that will have the biggest results. Well, that’s what we have here. Scientific studies have found that chewing gum can make you more productive. Amazingly, chewing gum can make you work 10% faster, can stop you feeling sleepy, and can even make you more charismatic. Start chewing gum now!

Break lists

This is a cool little tip that will make so much sense once you read through it. It is imperative that we take breaks during the day if we’re to work as effectively as we can. In fact, be should be taking 15-20-minute breaks roughly every 90 minutes. Shutting down one program on your computer and opening another one, say Twitter or Facebook, for example, is not going to have the regenerative effect a proper break will. This is why you should create break lists; write down all the short pleasurable activities you can think of that help make you feel better. Now, this could be something like “check Twitter” but only add activities to your list that help you feel like you’ve had a break. Mine would be something like read from a book or magazine, take a walk, make a coffee, call a friend, etc.

Microsoft To-Do Download

The Pomodoro method

If you really want to take your breaks to the next level, you should look into the Pomodoro technique. Pomodoro works off the idea that your brain can only remain truly active for around 25 minutes. You set a timer for 25 minutes and then every time it rings you take a short five-minute break. This could be when you go make a coffee or check your phone. Then, when you’ve done this work-break cycle four times, you take a longer 15-30-minute break and then start the process all over again. This way you get to go through all the different items on your break list while training your brain to focus for shorter periods.

Pomodoro Timer Donwload

Don’t break the chain

We’re not talking about a Fleetwood Mac song here; we’re actually talking about a Seinfeld hack. Yep, Jerry Seinfeld actually shared one of the productivity tips he used to help him develop as a comic by trying to write better jokes every day. To do the same you need to get yourself a huge calendar poster that covers an entire year. Then every day you work on the task you want to work on you get to put a giant red x in the square for that day. Pretty soon, you’ll have a chain of red x’s and you’ll be a hell of a lot more motivated to work on your task because you won’t want to break the chain!

Do the hardest thing first

The final tip of the day is about what you should work on first. It is no secret that the most productive time of day is first thing in the morning just after we wake up. This means that it is first thing in the morning when we begin working that we should tackle our hardest tasks. This way you will take care of the most challenging and pressing issues when you’re at your best, but it also helps build momentum for the rest of the day. Once that first big task is out the way, everything else will feel smaller and less daunting.

The Best Chrome Extensions to help you focus and avoid distractions

These five Chrome extensions will help you concentrate more and avoid distractions.

Since the beginning of time, humans have been distracted from completing essential tasks, having a detrimental effect on their daily productivity. In this modern world, progressing technologies play an increasing role in making us more efficient workers, but lots more distractions have appeared too. With just one wrong click, your attention wanders away from a productive session, and precious minutes are wasted as you get lost in the endless web of mind-numbing links that is the internet.

As well as this being a massive problem in the traditional workplace, the most challenging place to keep tabs on your productivity is while remote working. More and more people are making use of workspaces to get away from the physical distractions at home. But the biggest distractions of all reside in the tools you use to meet the deadline set by your employers.

Smartphones and the internet have long been touted as the biggest distractions in our daily lives, and Google Chrome is one of the most popular browsers used in any life situation. So, let’s take a look at some of the best Chrome extensions out there to help you remain focused on the task and put an end to your procrastination.

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Leechblock NG

One of the most common types of productivity apps in the Google Chrome store is site-blocking extensions. They allow you to pick out addictive sites that distract you from your daily goals and block you from accessing them when you are trying to focus on your work. This helps you to avoid temptation, boost your willpower, and make use of your time more effectively.

Leechblock is one such Chrome extension that will help you take back control of your attention span and get on with the task at hand.

Block Site – Website Blocker for Chrome

With over 25,000 reviews and a 4.5-star rating, this Chrome add-on seems to be popular with the most accomplished procrastinators.

Block Site is another distraction-blocking Chrome extension, and with a few simple clicks, your productivity levels will be through the roof. You will also be amused by the delightful images displayed when your concentration wanes, and you try to click on one of the sites in your blocked list.

Apart from the ease of blocking distracting sites, Block Site also has an abundance of other impressive features. There is Work Mode, a Pomodoro technique timer to help you set blocking times, and a scheduling feature to help you manage your time effectively. Other features include password protection, uninstall prevention, and an adult content blocker to boot.

A great download, but be careful, you may end up addicted to blocking sites that much that you will have no fun sites left. Block Site is also available on Apple and Android devices and Mozilla Firefox. It is a free app but does contain some in-app purchases

Rescue Time for Chrome

We have just covered an app that helps you block out sites that you think will negatively affect your productivity, but what if you are unaware of some other distracting sites that are interrupting your workflow. Well, this is where Rescue Time comes in, another neat Chrome extension that tracks the websites you visit and presents them in an easy to understand graphical display. To accomplish this, it automatically categorizes the sites you visit in your digital day and ranks them on a productivity scale to show you exactly which sites are distracting you the most. It can also detect when you are away from your device and disable tracking to improve accuracy. If you prefer not to have your browsing tracked, you can easily pause Rescue Time or delete it at any time.

Rescue Times allows you to quickly see exactly what you have been doing day to day and adjust your online habits to stay focused on the tasks at hand.

Rescue Time is available on Apple and Windows devices, as well as Android and iOS. If you download the client onto other devices, it can track the apps you use and gain a more detailed picture of how you spend your priceless work time. It is available as a free download for Google Chrome, but full functionality is $9 per month or $72 a year (4 free months), with a 14-day free trial.

News Feed Eradicator for Facebook

One of the most common distractors known to humanity has to be Facebook. Since Facebook burst onto the scene in 2004, it has become the most prominent social media site in the world. While Facebook is actively trying to reduce the amount of clickbait in its newsfeed, there are plenty of clickable items that will test your willpower.

The beauty of News Feed Eradicator for Facebook is that it replaces your news feed with an inspirational quote to keep your mind focused on work, instead of getting lost in a world of news feed nonsense. Another fantastic feature of this extension is the ability to edit quotes and even add your own motivational phrases. Adding a few amusing jokes could also be a cheerful injection into your working day.

This extension is available free on Google Chrome and is also available on Mozilla Firefox.

Remove YouTube Recommended Videos and Comments

Another social media giant is ever-expanding YouTube. Who hasn’t clicked on a link and got lost in the bottomless pit of recommended videos made readily available to you.

Maybe all you want to do is watch a short YouTube video as part of your research on a particular project, but with the plethora of distractions presented to you, you can’t muster the self-control and end up deviating from your plan. Help is at hand with this Chrome extension as it will actively hide related videos, video suggestions, user comments, and other recommended distractions from the YouTube page. This enables you to confidently navigate to YouTube without the worry of being sidetracked by useless media and messing up your tight schedule.

This is available as a free extension on Chrome and Firefox.

Games to travel all around the world while staying home

These video games all offer you a window to the world through beautifully recreated locations from the real world.

This week we’re trying to go through all the best video games to play while you’re stuck indoors. We’ve already looked at the biggest PC games that will take the longest for you to complete and we’ll also be looking at Minecraft alternatives and the best multiplayer games that you can play with your friends who don’t even like playing video games. Yep, video games can even help you with your social life while you’re stuck in the house.

Today though, we’re concentrating on all the best video games set in real cities and countries. Today’s games will help you travel the world from your living room, exploring beautiful virtual recreations of real-world cities. With graphics being so impressive these days, prepare to be blown away by the impressive recreations of some of the best cities you’ll find in the games below. Enjoy!

Best video games set in real places

You don’t have to leave your house to see the world. You now have the opportunity to see beautifully recreated real-world locations within some of the best video games out there. Check out any of the games below to take yourself on a virtual holiday. We didn’t want to be too US-centric in this virtual tour of the world though, so for cities like Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle, and Miami you’ll have to look elsewhere.

See Manhattan, New York in Tom Clancy’s The Division

Tom Clancy’s The Division is an exhilarating First Person Shooter (FPS) that is worth playing anyway. The action is fast-paced and sees you battling against the spread of a deadly virus with, you guessed it, lots of guns. The game is so good that it quickly became developer Ubisoft’s best-selling game when it first came out back in 2013.

We’re talking about it today though, because of the painstaking detail that Ubisoft went into recreating midtown Manhattan for the setting of the game. The game is pretty much a like-for-like recreation of the famous high-rise populated island in New York City. When you look up in Tom Clancy’s The Division, you’ll see the same you would see if you were actually in New York and looked up. Even better, the game still looks fantastic now, seven years after it was first released.

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See Hong Kong in Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs from Square Enix is a bit of a dark horse when it comes to open-world RPG style games. The game doesn’t get nearly as many plaudits as it should because it is lots of fun to play and hardly anybody plays it. Think fast-paced triad flavored GTA and you’re halfway there. It’s not just a copy of Grand Theft Auto, however, as it offers a beefed-up fighting system and a fantastic story to get through. This game rocks.

What’s great about Sleeping Dogs though, is that the action takes in an impressively recreated Hong Kong. It’s all here, from tightly packed residential areas, bright neon-lit nightlife hotspots, bustling street food markets, and the traditional and ultra-modern port. Sure you’ll have to go there as an undercover cop trying to break into the local Triad gangs but if you’ve ever wanted to go and see Hong Kong, you could see this as your chance.

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See Paris in Assassin’s Creed: Unity

The Paris that has been so beautifully remade in Assassin’s Creed: Unity is the Paris of the French Revolution when the game is set. You’re going time traveling on this holiday as you set off for the world’s romantic capital during the bloodiest era in its history. As well as the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral, you’ll also be seeing high levels of extreme civil unrest, regular lynchings and public acts of violence, and plenty of guillotines doing what they were invented for.

Again another Ubisoft recreation, this version of Paris gained so many plaudits due to the extreme levels of detail the team behind the game went to capture the magic of Paris. The Notre Dame Cathedral in particular marks a real achievement for the game with one developer dedicating over 80% of the work she did on the game to the single building. Furthermore, even though the Cathedral’s famous Spires weren’t actually a part of the Cathedral back then, Ubisoft added them anyway to stay true the essence of the building everybody knows and loves today.

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See San Francisco in Watchdogs 2

Watch Dogs 2 is an amazing sequel to the first Watch Dogs game because it both completely reinvents the hacker based open-world adventure game while staying true to and improving upon the dynamics of the original. The game still feels fresh today and is definitely worth playing even before we consider the virtual travel option that it offers anybody who’s ever wanted to visit San Francisco.

Let’s be honest, San Francisco is an enticing prospect to any traveler with a plethora of famous landmarks and geological features. Watchdogs 2 has them all, from the famous Bay to the Golden Gate Bridge. What’s even better than going there in person, is the fact that on this virtual holiday you’ll have the skills of an expert hacker and be able to break your way into all the coolest places that you’d never get near in real life.

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See Nepal in Far Cry 4

OK, this one requires a slight stretch of the imagination because Far Cry 4 isn’t actually set in Nepal, but a fictional country called Kryat. That being said, Kryat is most definitely a Nepali Himalaya inspired kingdom that bears more than striking resemblance to the tiny country that overlooks India. Everything you’d find in Nepal is here including misty snow-capped mountains and all manner of wildlife such as tigers and elephants. There’s also plenty of thin winding mountain paths to explore and all the Buddhist iconography you could ever hope to see.

Far Cry 4, just like all the other Far Cry games, is an absolute treat to play too. If you’re a First-Person Shooter (FPS) this is a game, you’ll absolutely love.

Multiplayer online games that your non-gamer friend will love

These multiplayer games are all perfect for playing with your non-gamer friends

The final article we’re bringing you in this week’s look at the best games to play while you’re stuck at home is here to help you reach out to your friends even while you can’t leave the house. The truth is, not everybody is a gamer though so you can’t expect anybody and everybody to get involved in your next World of Warcraft campaign just because you haven’t seen each other in the real world for quite some time.

All is not lost, however, as there are plenty of games you can play online with friends who wouldn’t normally play video games. Some of these games are free, all of them are fun, and most of all they are all accessible to people not used to playing video games alone or with friends online. Let’s get into them then, the best multiplayer games to play with non-gamers.

The best games for non-gamers

The five games listed below all offer unique experiences that could be attractive to non-gamers and first-time gamers alike. All our perfect to play with friends when you’re stuck inside. There’s no ridiculously complicated RPGs or first-person games in this list, just the best video games with accessible gameplay, gentle learning curves, friendly co-op games, and simple gaming dynamics.

Minecraft

Minecraft is a huge open-world game that offers a massive world to explore, inhabit, and shape. The graphics are rudimentary in Minecraft, which may go both ways for new gamers either earning a scoffed rebuke or appearing unthreatening. The game dynamics and physics that lie beneath the surface, however, are deep and rich. As well as the huge physical size of the Minecraft game world, it also offers a universe’s worth of possibilities complete with a plethora of elements and materials to find, mine, and ultimately craft.

Playing Minecraft with a non-gamer friend offers a non-threatening and open-ended experience. If you start your own private server in Creative mode, you’ll be able to build whatever you like in peace. You’ll have no enemies to worry about, no battles to fight, and you’ll simply be limited by the bounds of your collective imagination. This is the perfect way to spend time with friends while you can’t actually be together. Create a world together and then build it in your own image.

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Castle Crashers

Castle Crashers is a ridiculously fun side-scrolling arcade-style action and adventure game. Simply put, you don’t need to be a hardcore gamer to be drawn into the fast-paced colorful action that can be played cooperatively by up to four players. What’s even better is that you don’t need to take this game too seriously. This is a party game in its purest sense.

The action sees you playing as four intrepid knights battling through a mystical, fantasy land in a bid to overthrow an evil sorcerer. There’s plenty of brightly animated, cute beasties for you to fight but don’t be fooled. These are tough little creatures and you’ll have to work hard and fast to past them all.

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Portal 2

The original Portal game introduced some truly revolutionary game dynamics to the world of gaming. The titular portal gun allowed players to beam themselves around each individual level, with each being built specifically to warp the brains of the player so that they can best make use of the intriguing new technology. When you add to that the dark humor that the game also leveled at players you can see why the game became a cult classic.

Portal 2 improved and built on the winning formula in every way with one such way being the introduction of new cooperative dynamics. Portal 2 has all the physics-driven puzzles and action found in the first but can also be played with your friends. Being a mind-bending puzzler too, that doesn’t have any lethal weapons makes it perfect for anybody who doesn’t normally play video games. This is one of those games that will have non-gamers realizing they’re wrong about games and never knew all that they could be.

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Tetris 99

Even non-gamers know about Tetris and have probably played and loved it. The Gameboy classic puzzle game is another one of those video games that doesn’t feel like a traditional video game, it feels like something else. A game and puzzle in its purest sense, Tetris is simple yet perfect. Tetris 99 takes that video game ubiquity that has touched even the most ardent non-gamers and adds a manic social aspect to it that is a lot of fun once you get into it.

Tetris 99 is a Tetris Battle Royale game. Yep, you read that right. It is a game of Tetris that sees 100 players battling it out with each other in a bid to become the last man standing. It comes complete with new multiplayer elements including being able to lob bricks of all shapes and sizes at your enemies in a bid to throw them off-kilter and block up their screens. Ask your non-gamer friend if they’re ever played Tetris before and then ask them if they want to play it together against 98 other people. Then, let the fun commence.

FIFA 20

FIFA has always been one of the best social games ever. Playing a match against a friend sat next to you on the couch and beating them is a truly satisfying experience. When EA Sports added online multiplayer action the game though, everything went to the next level. You can now play against another player on the other side of the world and even play as a single player in a team of 11 against another team of 11 players. Absolutely ridiculous.

FIFA’s also great for playing with non-gamers though, as most of the time they’ll at least be football fans, so they’ll have something invested in the game before they even pick up the pad. If you then find that you’re unevenly matched to take on each other, you can simply switch to coop mode and try to win yourselves a trophy together. That way you’re in it together and everybody wins.

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Best PC games that last for hours

These long PC sandbox games offer hundreds of hours of gameplay to anybody brave enough to risk being sucked in.

There’s no reason to let being stuck inside stop you from having entertaining and fulfilling experiences. On the contrary, being stuck inside hands you a precious resource that usually evades too many of us as we deal with the pressures of modern life. That resource is time and when you’re stuck inside there’s a very good chance you’ve got lots of it, which means there’s nothing stopping you from getting into all the single-player and multiplayer video games you’re always too busy for.

Video games can too often feel like a guilty pleasure when you’re living in a busy world. Not now though. Now you’re free to sink endless days and nights into all the fantastic worlds to explore and adventures to complete. When you’re stuck indoors video games are your best friends and today, we’re going to introduce you to some of the best video games that will help you out while you’re stuck at home.

Best long PC games for PC gamers

The best games are the perfect way to while away long hours. Games now are so big and expansive that being stuck inside doesn’t mean you can’t experience vivid, realistic, and long adventures. Any of the games below are perfect for gamers stuck inside. We’ve touched on some big games in the list, but we’re avoiding the big names like Skyrim, Dark Souls, Total War, Diablo, DOTA 2, XCOM, and Final Fantasy.

Civilization V

When it comes to epic games that just keep going, the Civilization series has all others beat. Tasked with taking a fledgling society from the stone age all the way up to becoming a spacefaring civilization, there’s clearly a lot of playability here for you to get into. Civilization V really hit the sweet spot too, building on the games that came before it without adding too may fiddly new features that detract from the huge scale of the job at hand.

This game offers complete control over many different facets that create and shape the path a society and culture can take. What’s even more interesting about this massive strategy game is that you can win without even having to fight a single battle. Sure, there are scenario levels and campaigns you can play out that require some sort of military conquest, but the sandbox version of the game offers true freedom, allowing you to conquer the world through your cultural advancements or scientific discoveries. There’s a lot here to get into, and all of it is rewarding.

Civilization V Download now

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto was one of the first big open-world sandbox games that really caught the world’s imagination. When the 2D world turned 3D with Grand Theft Auto 3, the series quickly became the most successful video game franchise of all time and still is today. Grand Theft Auto’s Rockstar stablemate Red Dead Redemption deserves plenty of plaudits in its own right though. The Old West based outlaw sim had a fantastic storyline and well-built world to explore. The recent sequel only built on this success further.

The Old West of the Old West of the Red Dead sequel is a little less wild than that of the first game as big cities have started springing up. The RPG-like gameplay dynamics are the same though, and what’s truly amazing about Red Dead Redemption 2 is just how beautiful everything is. In many ways, it feels more like an interactive movie than a game but when you scratch below the surface you find all the entertaining dynamics that Rockstar is famous for. The world is huge, the missions are expansive, and the game just draws you in. If you start this one, you’ll find it hard to stop.

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Minecraft

Minecraft is another huge game that offers endless possibilities. The premise is simple. The world is full of useful elements and resources and you can go out and collect them and then use them to craft all manner of tools, weapons, buildings, and more. Worlds are procedurally generated so no two are alike and you can even create your own personal servers, which act as your own personal worlds for you and your friends to do with as you wish.

What’s also great about Minecraft is that because it is such a long- and well-established game, you’ll be able to find plenty of resources online to help you get yourself started. We recently ran a series of introduction features ourselves, covering everything from mining and crafting to more advanced themes such as Redstone dust, which is essentially electrical cable. Yep, you have so many possibilities with Minecraft that you can even get into mechanical and electrical engineering.

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Planet Zoo

It might not be a platformer or an FPS with a complicated combat system but Planet Zoo is a fantastic game to play if you have a lot of time. It has an almost therapeutic nature to it. Not only is it about building and developing your wildlife exhibitions, there is an almost zen-like feeling that comes from creating what are essentially the ultimate gardens. If you’re an animal or nature lover, this truly is the game for you.

You basically start a Planet Zoo game with a huge open space and an incredible array of tools and features at your fingertips all designed to help you build the ultimate zoo. This certainly is an intimidating affair, but the game is well designed enough to walk you through it in a way that is both educational and addictive. You’re not just building your zoo for the visitors, you’re building it for the animals too, which is an incredibly satisfying feature when done properly.

Planet Zoo Download now

Space Engineers

We’ve looked at zoos, infinite procedurally generated and resource dense worlds, the old West, and the rise and fall of civilizations and our final huge sandbox PC game is concentrating on space and all the work and effort that goes into building things in zero gravity. Space Engineers is a truly impressive new game that could easily eat up solid days and weeks of your time.

If you’re a sci-fi fan, this is the ultimate sandbox game for you as it allows you to explore space, build spaceships and space stations, mine planets and asteroids, and of course, fly around in a plethora of spacecraft and battle against galactic foes.

Best Minecraft alternatives

Each of these games offers a fantastic alternative yet comparable experience to that you’ll get with Minecraft.

This week we’ve been focusing on video games that are perfect for playing when you’re stuck indoors. We’ve looked at the games with the best virtual recreations of real-world cities and also looked at the longest PC games that you can play for days. In that vein then, it makes perfect sense that we take a look at Minecraft. It makes sense because Minecraft is such a huge and open-ended game, that it can be called a world in itself. Minecraft’s endless possibilities make it the perfect game to help you keep yourself active while stuck indoors.

We had a look at Minecraft not too long ago, putting together various beginner’s guides on topics such as farming, mining, and crafting. You should check them out if you want to spend your time in the house playing Minecraft. What we’re going to look at today are some greet alternative games to Minecraft. Other infinite worlds for you to explore and inhabit while you’re stuck indoors. Let’s get started.

Alternatives to Minecraft

These games below all offer gaming experiences comparable to that you’ll find in Mojang’s Minecraft. If you’re tired of Minecraft or don’t like the graphics or simply want to play a different sandbox game that offers endless possibilities, try one of the games listed below. These are not just Minecraft clones though. These are the best games that build on the experience you’ll find in Minecraft.

Roblox

Where do you start with Roblox? Minecraft is about building, Roblox is about building games. Single-player and multiplayer games. It is like a Lego/Minecraft hybrid that only introduces players to building elements that allow them- to experiment with and build on the ideas they have, but also gives them access to a vast library of all the greatest creations that have ever been built on the platform.

Roblox’s huge catalog of user-created games includes many fan-made versions of some of the biggest gaming franchises. These include the likes of GTA, Call of Duty, and more Pokémon games than you can count. If, however, you want to build on Roblox like you can build on Minecraft, then there’s plenty here for you too. Basically, if you’re a Minecraft fan who’s not too familiar with Roblox, check it out now because you will not be disappointed.

FREE

Roblox

From: Roblox

Lego Worlds

When you look at the block-based graphics of Minecraft and the building dynamics that have captured the imaginations of people all over the world, you can see how Minecraft’s success might have irked the people over at Lego HQ. Fortunately, though, Lego has a solid track record making excellent video games as well as brick-based kids playsets and it wasn’t long before Lego Worlds was born.

Lego Worlds is a great game too that in many ways offers a much more polished experience than you’ll get with Minecraft. As well as the building dynamics you find in Minecraft and the infinite possibilities that come with them, Lego Worlds also brings with it lots of the fun gaming engines that Lego has built into its long line of big-name Lego games from Star Wars to Batman. The gameplay in Lego Words is very well developed.

Lego Worlds Download now

Starbound

Minecraft is a vast procedurally generated 3D world. That doesn’t mean, however, that 2D side-scrolling games can’t offer enticing alternatives to Minecraft and Starbound is the first of two we’ll look at today. It’s also the first of two sci-fi games we’re going to tell you about.

Starbound is a pixelated gem that sees you leading a ship that’s traveling across a galaxy as it flees its home planet. Unfortunately, however, the ship doesn’t far and crash lands on a different planet. This is the premise that sees you start your Starbound adventure. You’ll get to explore and conquer beautiful 2D realms, mine for resources, and then use them to craft bases, tools, weapons, and more. You’ll also have to battle procedurally generated monsters, but don’t worry as you can do so cooperatively with friends online.

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No Man’s Sky

No Man’s Sky doesn’t look like an obvious Minecraft alternative, but it definitely is one. The game looks a lot slicker than Minecraft does and gives gamers an entire open-world universe to explore. Players can fly between planets and set up base on any of them, but there’s a lot going on beneath the surface bears similarities to Minecraft. Not least that the worlds are all procedurally generated, and you can build and craft everything you need to explore and colonize the galaxy.

This is a fantastic RPG-like alternative to Minecraft though because it offers you a fantastic opportunity to let your imagination run wild. There are no limits in No Man’s Sky, which is just like what you get with Minecraft. If you’re a Sci-Fi fan or if you’ve ever been obsessed with the infinite realm of space above us yet yearn to build and create just like you can on Minecraft, then No Man’s Sky is the game for you.

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Terraria

The final Minecraft alternative we’re featuring today is almost like a work of art. When you really get into Terraria, your creations take on a mind of their own and become real things of beauty. At its core, Terraria is a digging and crafting adventure game, just like Minecraft. It is another of our 2D Minecraft alternatives though and has traded Minecraft’s iconic block style for an enchanting pixelated aesthetic. That’s where all the beauty and art comes from.

Terraria is a huge game too. Armed with your trusty pickaxe, the game offers an incredibly large number of items for you to collect, refine, and then craft. There’s a lot more combat in Terraria than there is in Minecraft as well, so if you’re looking for more of an adventure, this is the game for you. It’s not simply about finding more resources to craft more out there items like lightsabers, which you can. The further you go in Terraria and the deeper you mine, the more outlandish things will start to happen. Honestly, if you’re stuck inside and looking for a Minecraft alternative that will take you places you never knew you wanted to go, Terraria is the game you’re looking for.

Terraria Download now

The best free Steam games 2020

These are the eight games that we think are the best free games you can play on Steam right now.

If you want to play games, you’ve come to the right place as we’re finishing this week’s look at all the best PC games with a bit of a treat. Today we’re going to bring you all the best free games you can get on Steam right now. We’ve already looked at free PC board games, free RPG games, the best sports games for PC, and all the best RTS strategy games too. Now though, it’s all about Valve’s massive online platform and the best free games you can find there.

Quite surprisingly, you’ll actually be able to find a lot of great free to play single-player and multiplayer games on Steam offering blistering gameplay across many different genres. All the biggest games are here in fact, from MOBAs to action RPGs via all manner of MMO masterpiece. Let’s dig in.

Free games for Steam

Team Fortress 2

This classic first-person shooter has been around for years and is still one of the most popular games on Steam. The cartoon-like graphics give you an idea of just how much fun Team Fortress 2 is to play. It’s been copied many times now, but the fact that it has such a huge community of followers supporting its development means that no matter what else is out there, there is a very good chance there will always be Team Fortress 2.

Team Fortress 2 Play now

DOTA 2

Here is another game that almost feels too good to be free. The hugely popular Massive Online Battle Arena game was the most popular game in the world at one point and still regularly attracts millions of viewers to annual tournaments that draw in the best players from around the globe. The premise of the game is simple and effective. There are two teams of mystical magical characters and they’re trying to battle through each other’s lines. The idea is to destroy your enemy’s towers and base. There’s no way a description can do DOTA 2 justice though, you simply must play it.

DOTA 2 Play now

Path of Exile

We’ve already featured Path of Exile in another of this week’s list. The classic RPG title is completely free-to-play, which meant it made it into our best free RPG game list too, and with good reason. Taking its inspiration from Diablo, Path of Exile sees you embark on a mission of character development and self-discovery. There’s so much customization you can do here as you fight your way through increasingly difficult dungeons using various playstyles. What’s best though, is that you can’t pay for advantages here as microtransactions will only get you cosmetic items rather than power-ups.

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Paladins

If you’re an Overwatch fan, then you’re going to love Paladins, which is a similar character-based action First Person Shooter (FPS). You have four categories of player to choose from including front line fighter, damage dealer, support hero, and flanking character. These are split between almost 40 different characters, which can be customized via weapons add-ons and other items. It’s all about the action here though, which is frantic and fun.

Paladins Play now

War Thunder

War Thunder is an action-packed treat of a game that packs a lot of punch for something that is free. Although it looks like a war game simulator, the action is a lot more arcade friendly with simple mechanics that make it easy to pick up but then difficult to master. All this is done in many different types of vehicle too including planes, tanks, and jeeps with 16 players splitting into two teams and battling it out.

War Thunder Play now

Smite

Smite brings a fresh change to the MOBA genre by coming at it from a different angle. That’s literally what it does. Instead of following your team of five warriors around as if you were some sort of malevolent god in the skies above, Smite gives you the third-person camera angle, which puts you right in the action. If you’re a DOTA 2 fan or you love League of Legends, there’s a lot here that you’ll recognize, but the new angle will make Smite feel brand-new.

Smite Play now

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Like Team Fortress 2 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is another First-Person Shooter that has been around for years and enjoys incredible support from a massive online community. The graphics might not look as good here as you’ll get with more modern games, but the gameplay is still as fresh it was the day it first burst onto the scene. Two teams, multiple locations, and lots of weapons. That’s it, that’s the game. You’re going to love it.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Play Counter-Strike

Destiny 2

It used to be that we couldn’t believe that Warframe, which offers an incredibly rich and enjoyable experience was free-to-play. The reason we couldn’t believe it is because it offered a comparable experience to that you’d get with Bungie’s Halo follow up Destiny, which cost Bungie a massive $500 million to develop and promote. Now though, the much-improved sequel to Destiny, Destiny 2, is free-to-play also meaning you can get a genuine AAA game experience for the same price as a collect call. The First-Person Shooter action here looks incredible and plays smoothly. The gameplay is frantic, and the worlds and missions have been built with lots of care and attention. If you only play one game from this list, it should probably be this one.

Destiny 2 Download now

Wrapping up

So, there you have eight of the best free games on Steam. Again, just like with all the other lists we’ve done this week, we’ve tried to mix up our recommendations and bring you as many different genres as possible. Free-to-play is now a huge part of the gaming with world with many developers choosing to take their games down that path. All the games we’ve listed above do above paid-for elements in them, and that drip-feed monetization method is what drives revenue for game developers all over the world. It’s all up to you what you spend though. You can play and enjoy all the games we’ve been through today for free, and that’s what matters most.

Best sport games

These are all the best Sports PC games you can download right now.

Today we’re back with another guide to some of the best PC games available to download. Yesterday we brought you all the best free board games and we’ll also be looking this week at RPGs, strategy games, and finishing the week with a bonus article on the best games you access on Steam for free. Today though, we’re looking at the best Sports games for PC.

Sports games have become incredibly popular over the years, which means there are plenty of high-quality games out there across many popular sports. Today, we’ll be looking at single and multiplayer football games, soccer games, athletics games, racing games, and even cricket games. Let’s get into the best Sports PC games.

Sports games for today

Monster Energy Supercross

We’re starting off today’s list with Monster Energy Supercross. Supercross is an incredibly fun sport to watch. It has it all. Fast-paced action, death-defying stunts, and an against the clock turbo feel that doesn’t quit until the chequered flag is waving the winner home. It’s dangerous though, which is why you and I might best be suited to stay at home and get our Supercross kick on our PC.

This is where Monster Energy Supercross comes in offering impressive graphics as you hurtle around the course on your Moto Cross bike. What’s even better about this Supercross simulator is that it comes with a world tour track builder, which means you can customize your tracks and build in as many stunts, twists, and turns as you like. The gameplay isn’t for the faint-hearted though and has quite a steep learning curve. If you’re not up for a difficult challenge, you should look elsewhere.

Monster Energy Supercross Download now

FIFA 20

FIFA has been the dominating force when it comes to football video games for some time now. Sure, there’s the Pro Evolution Soccer series, we’ll get to that later, but when it comes to units shipped there is only one winner.

With the latest installment, FIFA 20, Electronic Arts has added a brand-new dimension to the world of football it tries to digitally represent. VOLTA is a new game mode that takes its name from the Portuguese word for return. The idea behind this is clear as VOLTA is taking FIFA back to the street where so many of the world’s biggest soccer stars fell in love with the game. These “streets” hold a loose meaning too as the game is boiled down to smaller 3v3, 4v4, or 5v5 games in crazy arenas including rooftops, beaches, and cages. There’s a lot to learn with VOLTA but you’ll certainly have a lot of fun as you get to grips with the new dynamics VOLTA will need you to master.

FIFA 20 Download now

Pro Evolution Soccer 2020

The battle between FIFA and PES (Pro Evolution Soccer) used to be a lot closer than it is today. PES was widely regarded as the better game while FIFA offered a much more polished experience. For years though, PES fell behind in both regards and FIFA established itself as the football game to play.

Recently, though, PES has quickly been regaining lost ground and is once again garnering the critical acclaim it used to enjoy. This latest version of the Konami franchise has taken huge strides in that regard. Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 now has a completely revamped Master League, a more realistic transfer system, better first touch controls, improved goalkeepers, and more finely tuned ball physics. Even free kicks and penalty shootouts are better now too. Once again, PES is feeling like a video game that simulates the game dynamics you contend with when playing the game for real compared to a FIFA that simulates the game you watch on TV. Both are fun and both are great at what they try to do, but individual tastes will dictate which game is right for you.

eFootball PES 2020 Download now

Cricket 19

Cricket 19 is a fantastic cricket simulation game that really lets you dive into the on-field experience of world-renowned cricket stars. The game enjoys fantastic graphics and also has realistic physics and dynamics making all those spectacular catches you see on the TV more difficult to pull off but equally more satisfying when you do.

Cricket 19 also boasts an excellent career mode that will see you forming your own cricket club and building it up from scratch. Another great feature is the Scenario mode, which allows you to play in some of the most famous cricket matches of all time. If you’re a cricket fan, this is the game you want to try.

Cricket 19 Download now

Madden NFL 20

The Madden games by Electronic Arts have been around for decades now and, accordingly, have enjoyed constant evolution and refinement over a very long period of time. This latest addition to the series keeps it moving forward in impressive fashion and offers all American Football fans the chance to get into the heart of the action without having to put on protective pads and a helmet.

The graphics in Madden NFL 20 are simply mind-blowing and will leave you wondering whether you are playing a video game or controlling a game in real life. On top of the improved graphics, Madden also has an improved career mode called Face of the Franchise: QB1 that sees players try to become the NFL’s star quarterback.

Madden NFL 20 Download now

Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

The Olympics have always been the pinnacle of all sporting events across a wide variety of sporting disciplines. Always a treat to watch, the official Olympics game from Sega makes competing accessible for Olympics fans too. This online Sports game looks fantastic and offers recreations of many of the most popular Olympic events including the 100m Sprint, 110m Hurdles, the Hammer Throw, and the Long Jump, various swimming events, and ball games such as Baseball, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Football, Ping-Pong, and Tennis. You’ll also get a boxing game too.

There’s a lot here for all sports fans to get into and this game is definitely worth checking out. If you have certain events that you’d like to play, however, make sure you check the game has them as not all Olympic sports are here.

Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 Download now