Is there a free version of Galcon?

Yes. Galcon 2: Galactic Conquest is free on Steam. Nexas Code 2D is also free, playable straight from nexascode.com in a browser tab with no purchase, download or account needed to start.

Can I play Galcon in a browser, like Nexas Code 2D?

Not really. The actively supported Galcon releases are native apps on Steam, iOS and Android rather than browser games, so you have to download and install something first. Nexas Code 2D runs entirely inside a browser tab at nexascode.com, on desktop, Chromebook or phone, with nothing to install.

How long does a Nexas Code 2D match take compared to Galcon?

A Galcon skirmish is usually over in two to ten minutes. Nexas Code 2D runs longer, roughly 15 to 30 minutes for a standard match and more with 30 commanders, because it adds a research tree, six hull classes and a ground invasion phase that Galcon's single arrow-drawing mechanic doesn't have.

Galcon alternatives

Games like Galcon that you can play right now, free

Someone searching "games like Galcon" usually wants that same instant, no-menu galaxy conquest, a game where the fighting starts immediately and a match is short enough for a coffee break. Often they also want more to look at than colored circles connected by arrows.

Play free in your browser No download, no installer, no account needed to start a match.

What Galcon is

Galcon is a minimalist real-time strategy game built on one mechanic: draw an arrow from a planet you own to any other planet and a share of your fleet flies over to take it. Created by indie developer Phil Hassey in the mid-2000s, with Galcon 2: Galactic Conquest as the current free Steam release, it's one of the earliest and most respected touch-friendly conquest games.

What Nexas Code 2D keeps

Nexas Code 2D is a free 4X space strategy game that runs in a browser tab. It is not a clone of Galcon and it is not trying to be — it is much smaller. These are the specific things it carries over.

Galaxy-level conquest by sending fleets to take planets rather than micromanaging individual units — Nexas Code 2D's galaxy map lets you select any number of ships, including your whole fleet with the All button, and send them as one order.
Ships fight it out automatically once they arrive rather than you aiming every shot — order Nexas Code 2D ships to close on and engage a target and they handle the fight themselves.
No hands-on control of ground troops — Galcon abstracts ground fighting away entirely, and Nexas Code 2D lets you shape a real-time ground battle only through what you send and your pre-match doctrine draft, then you watch it resolve.
AI skirmishes for solo practice at different scales — Galcon's bot matches have an equivalent in Nexas Code 2D's solo games against 4, 8, 16 or 30 bot commanders.

What it does not have

Straight answer: Galcon's whole appeal is a match over in five minutes, playable offline in a native phone app. Nexas Code 2D has neither: matches run 15 to 30 minutes, everything happens in a browser tab, and you manage a tech tree and six hull classes instead of one pure arrow-drawing mechanic.

Galcon vs Nexas Code 2D

	Galcon	Nexas Code 2D
Price	Free (Galcon 2: Galactic Conquest)	Free, no purchase required
Platform	Windows/Mac via Steam, plus iOS and Android apps	Any browser: desktop, Mac, Chromebook, phone/tablet in landscape
Session length	2-10 minutes per skirmish	15-30 minutes; longer on 30-commander maps
Pace	Real-time, continuous, no pause	Real-time, continuous, no pause
Multiplayer	Online and local multiplayer plus AI bots	Live 30-player free-for-all, private lobbies, or solo vs 4/8/16/30 bots
Install	Download from Steam or an app store first	None — loads and plays instantly in the browser

Galcon details checked September 2026. Prices and storefronts change; the free half of the table does not.

So is it worth a click?

If what you love about Galcon is drawing one arrow and watching a fleet swallow a planet, and you want that same instinct with real combat, hull types and a ground invasion at the end instead of the same loop on repeat, Nexas Code 2D is that feeling stretched to fifteen minutes with more to look at.

Galaxy to ground, one continuous zoom

Scroll out and you are reading a galaxy map. Scroll in and it unfolds into a single star system. Keep going and you are standing on the planet, watching a real-time ground battle for the bunker. No loading screens between the three.

A 4X match that fits in a coffee break

You take your first world in under a minute. The research ladder, doctrine drafting and planet specialisation are all there — they just resolve in the time a grand-strategy game spends on its tutorial.

Up to 30 commanders on one map

Solo matches run at 4, 8, 16 or 30 commanders against bots. Multiplayer is a live 30-player free-for-all with private lobbies if you would rather bring your own.

Runs in the tab you already have open

No installer, no launcher, no account required to play. It is a WebGL build that starts on a laptop, a Chromebook or a phone held sideways.

Questions people actually ask

Is there a free version of Galcon?: Yes. Galcon 2: Galactic Conquest is free on Steam. Nexas Code 2D is also free, playable straight from nexascode.com in a browser tab with no purchase, download or account needed to start.
Can I play Galcon in a browser, like Nexas Code 2D?: Not really. The actively supported Galcon releases are native apps on Steam, iOS and Android rather than browser games, so you have to download and install something first. Nexas Code 2D runs entirely inside a browser tab at nexascode.com, on desktop, Chromebook or phone, with nothing to install.
How long does a Nexas Code 2D match take compared to Galcon?: A Galcon skirmish is usually over in two to ten minutes. Nexas Code 2D runs longer, roughly 15 to 30 minutes for a standard match and more with 30 commanders, because it adds a research tree, six hull classes and a ground invasion phase that Galcon's single arrow-drawing mechanic doesn't have.