No download, no account. Plays on a computer, phone or tablet; your progress saves on your device.
What kind of game is this?
A quiet life by the water, two thousand years ago.
You arrive at a small fishing village on the Sea of Galilee with a little bread in your pack and not much else. There's no grand quest and nobody to defeat. Just neighbours who need a hand, a boat that needs building, and a world that rewards patience.
It's in the spirit of games like Stardew Valley, but set in the real world of the Gospels: the fishing, farming, stonework and markets of the time, built as faithfully as a small game can manage.
25places to explore, from your own house to Alexandria and Mount Sinai
18quests, plus 13 stories from scripture
7skills, from fishing to masonry
6original pieces of music
328Bible verses, quoted word for word (KJV)
$0to play, right in your browser
The village square
Village life
Learn a trade. Know your neighbours.
Gather reeds and driftwood, press olives, glean barley at the field's edge and bake at Tamar's oven. Everyone in the village has a story and something they need help with, and the market changes from day to day.
Seven skills that grow as you work
Seven mini-games, from the olive press to a boat race, each with stars and a personal best
A house to furnish and clothes to dye, from undyed wool to Tyrian purple
Passover, the Feast of Weeks and Tabernacles on their real dates, a task every day, and the Sabbath every seventh
A market with a life of its own: prices rise and fall with what's in the stalls
A donkey of your own, with saddlebags for everything you gather
Day and night, with lamps in the windows and everyone at supper together at dusk
Miriam's boat
On the water
Build a boat, then take it out.
Help build a new boat for the lake, then sail it out past the pier. Look for rippling shoals and haul in the net in a timing mini-game: three pulls, each a little faster, and the better you time them the fuller the net.
Magdala
Around the lake
Five towns, each with its own work.
Once Miriam's net is mended, the roads open. Follow the shore to Magdala, where the whole lake's catch is split, salted and dried, and on to Tiberias, where Herod's new palace is going up beside the hot springs. Climb the hill road to Cana at the grape harvest, and on to Nazareth on its ridge, where the winter rain has brought down a terrace wall. Or sail across the lake to Capernaum, a town of black basalt houses with a hole in one roof.
Every town has its own people, market and quest
Maps twice the size: a fishing camp, a farmstead, a walled vineyard and a shepherd's hills
Pilgrims' tents on the Mount of Olives, and a hamlet among the date palms across the Jordan
The oasis
The road
Walk the wilderness between.
The road south crosses dry hills with a waystation, a shepherd's fold, an old watchtower and an oasis. Travellers share news by the fire, but after dark there are bandits on the road and lions in the hills. Learn to hold your own with a staff, or get to shelter before nightfall.
Jerusalem
The city
Go up to Jerusalem.
Earn your way to the pilgrim road and reach the great city: crowded streets, traders who pay well for Galilee goods, and the Temple platform rising over everything. Apprentice with a stonemason, carry water for the festival, and light the lamps along the market street at night.
Alexandria
Further afield
Down to Egypt.
From Jerusalem, the long road runs south-west by Gaza and the coast to Alexandria, the great city on the sea: the Pharos on its island, grain ships loading for Rome, the Museum and the Library, a busy agora, and the Jewish quarter with its great synagogue. Make paper from the papyrus by the lake, and sit down to supper with the neighbours at dusk.
Stories by the fire
Step inside the stories the old men tell.
Old Shimon sits by the village well, and if you ask, he'll tell you a story. He isn't the only one: Yael the potter, Leah at her market stall, Tamar the cook, Ezra the carpenter, Ovadiah at the waystation, Gershon the shepherd and Elnatan the spice merchant each tell the story closest to their own work. Then you're there: not as the hero, but as an ordinary person who saw it happen. The story itself is told in the words of scripture, and each one leaves a keepsake at your house.
Jonah and the Storm
Jonah 1
You're a sailor on the ship out of Joppa. Load the cargo, throw it overboard when the storm hits, row for your life, and watch something enormous rise from the deep.
Told by Old Shimon, by the well
Jonah and the Great City
Jonah 2 to 4
Hear Jonah's prayer from the deep, then follow him to Nineveh, where a whole city puts on sackcloth.
Told by Old Shimon, by the well
Ruth
Ruth 1 to 4
Reap the barley in Bethlehem, let fall handfuls for the young widow gleaning behind you, and stand among the people at the town gate.
Told by Old Shimon, by the well
The Potter's House
Jeremiah 18
An apprentice at a potter's wheel, the day a prophet came to watch the clay.
Told by Yael the potter, at her wheel
The Coin in the House
Luke 15
A neighbour holding the lamp, the day a woman lost one of her ten pieces of silver and swept the whole house to find it.
Told by Leah, at her market stall
The Widow of Zarephath
1 Kings 17
A neighbour in a town on the coast, in a long drought, and a handful of meal in a barrel that never runs out.
Told by Tamar the cook, at her oven
Elijah on Mount Carmel
1 Kings 18
A drought, the whole of Israel on a mountain, and barrels of water carried up from the spring.
Told by Ovadiah, at the waystation
Noah and the Ark
Genesis 6 to 9
Work at the timber yard that sells the gopher wood, boil the pitch, and watch the biggest boat ever built go up on dry land.
Told by Ezra the carpenter, at his bench
David and Goliath
1 Samuel 17
Keep the baggage in the camp at Elah, the morning a shepherd boy comes with bread and cheese for his brothers.
Told by Gershon the shepherd, at his fold
Joseph in Egypt
Genesis 37 to 45
A spice caravan on the road to Egypt, a boy bought for silver, and twenty years later, a famine and a feast.
Told by Elnatan the spice merchant, in Jerusalem
Let My People Go
Exodus 1 to 13
Make bricks in Goshen, see the signs come on Egypt across the road, and eat the Passover at night with your staff in your hand.
Told by Old Shimon, by the well
Through the Sea
Exodus 13 to 15
The camp by the sea, the pillar of cloud, and a road through the midst of the water.
Told by Old Shimon, by the well
The Mountain of God
Exodus 16 to 20
Manna in the mornings, water from the rock, and the Ten Commandments at the foot of Sinai.
Told by Old Shimon, by the well
Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.Jonah 1:17, KJV
Scripture, word for word
Every verse is quoted exactly from the King James Version, with its reference. Nothing is paraphrased.
No invented words
Biblical figures never speak lines the Bible doesn't give them. You see what they do; scripture tells what they said.
You're a witness
The player never performs miracles or causes what God does. You carry, row, and watch, like the people who were there.
Screenshots
A look around
Who it's for
Made to be shared
Families
A calm, gentle game to play together. On the road, bandits and lions are driven off, never killed, and there's nothing to buy.
Homeschool and classrooms
See what daily life was like in Jesus' time: fishing, farming, building and travel, with the scripture behind each place a click away.
Roads of Galilee is new and growing quickly. Here's what's been added so far. Sign up below to hear when the next story arrives.
A page for churches, schools and homeschool families
Thinking of using the game with a group? The new page sets out what each of the fourteen stories covers, roughly how long it takes, what's shown and what's left out, and where to find it, with the discussion sheets and a way to get in touch.
Season 1: The Beginning, now with a story to follow
The game now has a main storyline in five chapters, with the goal at the top of your Journal: you came to the lake a stranger, so find your place among its people. Mend the net, help your neighbours, go up to Jerusalem for the feast, and come home to a village full of people from Tyre and Sidon, Judaea and beyond Jordan, all come to hear the teacher. Help feed them and give them somewhere to sit, then go down to the shore with everyone, where he sits in a boat a little way out and the crowd listens from the land. Also new: a direction arrow by your feet, cooking that keeps going, Save / Restore Progress in the menu, and a way to report bugs and send ideas from inside the game.
A new story: The Coin in the House
Leah at the market stall tells a story a traveller brought her, a teacher's story, they say: a woman with ten pieces of silver, who lost one. You're the neighbour across the lane. Take Shoshana's lamp to old Zimra's fire to light it, hold it up in the dark house while the woman sweeps, a corner at a time, until the light falls on a gleam of silver. Then run to fetch the neighbours, because she wants everyone to rejoice with her. The keepsake is a piece of silver for your house.
A village mystery: Crumbs on the Path
Things are going missing in the lake village at night: bread off Tamar's oven ledge, wool from Hanan's bundle, fish from Miriam's rack. Everyone says it was Natan. Tamar doesn't think so. Look closely at where things went, read the prints in the mud by the trough, and ask around. Every clue goes in your Journal. When you think you know who did it and why, put it together, then wait by the well after dark and follow at a distance, keeping to the shadows. What you find in the old net shed is yours to decide about, and so is the puppy you bring home.
A new story: Nehemiah's Wall
Yoezer the mason in Jerusalem tells a builder's story. The wall of Jerusalem lies in burned heaps, and every family is building the stretch in front of its own house. Pick good stones out of the rubble, carry the rubbish out when the bearers are worn out, stand the watch at night, and run when the trumpet sounds, while the wall rises from ruins to half its height to whole in fifty-two days. Then hang the doors of the Water Gate, and stand with all the people in the street before it to hear Ezra read the law.
A new story: Joseph in Egypt
Elnatan the spice merchant in Jerusalem tells the story his own trade is in. You're the youngest hand in a spice caravan halting at the wells of Dothan, with camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh down to Egypt, the day a boy is sold to it for twenty pieces of silver. Twenty years later you're back in Egypt in the famine, buying corn at the granaries like everyone else, when ten shepherds from Canaan bow down before the governor. Bake bread for his feast, and stand in the street with the servants when everyone is sent out of the house, and hear him weep.
The Exodus, and the road to Egypt
Old Shimon now tells the whole story of the Exodus, in three parts, and this time you see it happen. Make bricks in Goshen and watch the signs come on Egypt across the road: the river turned to blood, the frogs, the flies stopping at the border, hail and fire, the locusts, and a darkness you can feel while Goshen has light. Eat the Passover at night with your staff in your hand, and walk out of Egypt at dawn. Stand by the sea as the pillar moves behind the camp, and walk through the midst of it on dry ground, between walls of water. Gather manna in the wilderness, drink from the rock, and stand at the foot of Sinai in the smoke and the thunder for the Ten Commandments. And Egypt is a place you can go now: follow the road south from Jerusalem to Alexandria, with its lighthouse, its grain ships and its great synagogue.
Four towns, and a world twice the size
Once Miriam's net is mended, the roads open. Follow the shore to Magdala, where the whole lake's catch is salted, and on to Tiberias, where Herod's palace is going up beside the hot springs. Or climb the hill road to Cana at the grape harvest, and on to Nazareth on its ridge, where the winter rain has brought down a terrace wall. Each town has its own people, market and quest. And every map has doubled: walk east along the shore to a fishing camp, or south past Kefar Zayit to a farmstead, a walled vineyard and a shepherd's hills; go out of Jerusalem's gates to the pilgrims' tents on the Mount of Olives; wade the Jordan to a hamlet among the date palms.
A world that lives
The market now has a life of its own: the boats bring in fish, Tamar bakes, Elazar presses oil, the village eats, and prices rise and fall with what's in the stalls, including what you sell. Jerusalem has its own market too, fed by caravans and emptied by pilgrims, and the wilderness waystation lives off the road. Watch Miriam carry her catch to Leah's in the morning, Tirzah carry water up from Siloam, the children play tag, and everyone sit down to supper together at dusk, round Tamar's table, the pilgrims' fire in the city, or Ovadiah's fire in the desert. And everyone has a proper face now, that blinks, and a voice of their own when they talk (made-up babble, not words).
A new story: Noah and the Ark
Ezra the carpenter tells the one every carpenter loves: the biggest boat ever built, on dry land. Work at the timber yard that sells the gopher wood, boil the pitch, and watch the ark go up from a bare frame to a hull black with pitch, until the beasts come two and two, the sky goes dark, and the door is shut.
A new story: David and Goliath
Gershon the shepherd tells the one every shepherd knows. You keep the baggage in Israel's camp at Elah, where a shepherd boy leaves his bread and cheese with you before he runs to the front. Fetch water from the brook, hang up the king's armour when he gives it back, and stand at the edge of the camp to watch him go down into the valley, with a sling and five smooth stones.
Put it on your home screen
Roads of Galilee can now live on your phone like an app: open the game, choose Menu, then Add to your home screen. It gets its own icon (a fishing boat on the lake at sunset), opens full screen, and keeps playing when you lose signal.
Capernaum, and a donkey of your own
Sail Miriam's new boat across the lake to Capernaum, a town of black basalt houses, where a woman named Hodaya is staring up at the hole four men dug through her roof to let their friend down. Help her mend it, the old way. And on the hill road at home, old Asa's donkey has fallen under her load: help him, and Tova is yours to ride, with saddlebags for everything you gather.
Play on your phone or tablet
Roads of Galilee now fits a phone, upright or on its side. A small map sits in the corner, your Pack, Skills, Journal and Tasks slide up from a bar along the bottom, and the journey log tucks away until you want it. Tap to walk, press and hold for more, pinch to zoom, and twist two fingers to turn the camera.
Three new stories, from three new storytellers
Ask the villagers for a story, and the ones who know one will tell it. Yael the potter takes you to the potter's house the day Jeremiah came to watch the wheel. Tamar the cook tells of the widow of Zarephath and her handful of meal. And Ovadiah at the waystation, named for Ahab's steward, tells of Elijah on Mount Carmel: a whole nation on a mountain, and twelve barrels of water carried up from the spring. Each has its own puzzle and keepsake.
Feasts, daily tasks and family mode
The three pilgrimage feasts now come to the village on their real dates: help Tamar bake unleavened bread at Passover, bring Yohanna the firstfruits at the Feast of Weeks, and build a booth with Ezra at Tabernacles. There's a new task every day, the Sabbath every seventh day, rare finds, skill milestones and titles, a collections page, links to share your house with friends, up to three travellers on one computer, and printable discussion sheets for each story.
Season 2: Ruth, puzzles and keepsakes
A new story by the fire: Ruth. Reap the barley in Bethlehem, let fall handfuls for the young widow gleaning behind you, and stand among the people at the town gate. Every story now has puzzles of its own, Shimon has a map of the stories he knows (and the ones still to come), each finished story leaves a keepsake at your house, and you can make a card of its key verse to share.
Season 1: mini-games, clothes and photos
Six new mini-games with stars and personal bests: the olive press, the potter's wheel with Yael (new to the village), a boat race across the bay, market rush at Leah's stall, dressing stone in Jerusalem, and herding sheep into the fold. Choose how you look and dye your clothes, from walnut brown to Tyrian purple. Take pictures in photo mode, and back up your journey.
A house of your own
Mend Miriam's net and she gives you the empty house by the shore. Buy furniture from Ezra the carpenter, from reed mats to a loom, and arrange your courtyard however you like. A lamp stand burns through the night.
The rest of Jonah, and the King James Version
Jonah's prayer from the belly of the fish, the beach where the fish brings him ashore, and Nineveh through the very last verse. The great fish now appears on screen. All scripture in the game now uses the King James Version.
Jerusalem worth an hour, and the first story
Masonry, four city quests, traders who pay well for Galilee goods, and lamps along the market street. Old Shimon tells his first story: Jonah and the Storm.
The wilderness road
A whole region between Galilee and Jerusalem: a waystation, an oasis, a shepherd's fold and a watchtower. Bandits at night, lions in the hills, and a Defence skill. Music for every place, for night, for sailing and for fights.
Sailing and the fishing mini-game
Take Miriam's boat out onto the lake and haul in the net.
The road to Jerusalem, and a boat for the lake
Walk off the edge of the map to travel, and help build Miriam's new boat.
Jerusalem opens
Jerusalem joins the game as a region you unlock, with scripture in examine text and the Journal.
Markets, farming and day and night
Shops with real stock, market days, task lists and perks. A second village, Kefar Zayit, with Farming and Cooking, three new quests, and a full day and night cycle.
An original soundtrack
Music composed for the game and played live in your browser.
The first playable village
Roads of Galilee begins: a fishing village on the lake, and a net worth mending.
Letters from the lake
Hear when the next story is told.
An occasional email when something new arrives: a new place, a new story, or a chance to try things early. No spam, and you can unsubscribe any time.
Questions
Good to know
Is it really free?
Yes. The game is free to play in your browser, with no ads and nothing to buy.
Can I put it on my phone's home screen?
Yes. Open the game, then choose Menu and Add to your home screen. On an iPhone or iPad, tap Safari's Share button and then Add to Home Screen. It opens full screen with its own icon, and plays without a connection once it has loaded.
What do I need to play?
A modern browser such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. It plays on a laptop or desktop with a mouse, and on phones and tablets too: tap to walk, press and hold for more, pinch to zoom. There's nothing to install and no account to make.
Will my progress be saved?
Yes, automatically, in your browser on this device. To keep it safe or move it to another computer, open the menu and choose "Save / Restore Progress": it gives you a code or a file to bring back later.
Is it suitable for children?
It's a gentle game. The road has bandits and lions after dark, but they are driven off with a staff and run away; nobody dies, and there's no blood. Younger children may want a grown-up nearby for reading.
How does the game handle the Bible?
Carefully. Scripture is quoted word for word from the King James Version with references, and is never paraphrased. Biblical figures are never given invented words. In the main game, villagers talk about the news of the day but no biblical figure appears. In the stories told by the fire, you're an ordinary witness, never the one doing God's work.
Is it historically accurate?
It aims for the feel of the time: real crafts, foods, travel and places, simplified to fit a small game. Your village and its people are invented; Jerusalem, Magdala, Tiberias, Capernaum and Alexandria are compressed impressions of the real places.
