Games to Learn English Review: Free Interactive Vocabulary & Grammar Games

Games to learn English (engames.eu) is a free ESL/EFL site run by Zdenda, an English teacher. It publishes interactive online games and printable activities that teachers can drop directly into a lesson plan — vocabulary sets, grammar songs, picture stories, and short listening exercises.

The library is organized into four rough buckets:

• Grammar games — present simple, past simple vs continuous, third-person -s, HAVE TO / DON'T HAVE TO, question formation.
• Vocabulary games — topic-based sets, often with images and matching activities.
• Listening resources — short audio/video with comprehension questions.
• Picture stories — visual sequences designed to scaffold narrative tenses and oral retelling.

The site has a clean, blog-style layout with posts dated and signed. It looks like a teacher's personal site — because it is. That gives the content a classroom-tested feel you don't get from corporate publishers.

Games to learn English works best for these specific things:

• 5-minute warm-ups: the interactive games load in the browser and self-check, so you can take attendance while students work.
• Grammar revision: the past simple vs continuous and third-person -s activities are built around Van Patten's input-processing ideas — a research-backed approach you don't usually see in free resources.
• Vocabulary homework: the printable picture stories work well as take-home packets, especially for students without reliable internet.
• Fast-finishers: keep the games tab open as a backup for early finishers; they're self-paced.
• Substitute plans: a single post usually contains 2-3 activities, enough for a 30-minute sub slot.

Yes — with the usual caveat for personal teacher sites. engames.eu is free, well-organized, and the content is clearly written by someone who has taught the grammar points in front of a real class. If you teach A2-B1 and want ready-made interactive games without a paywall, it's a genuinely useful bookmark.

It won't replace a structured curriculum. The library is small compared to Wordwall or Teach-This, advanced levels are thin, and there's no progress tracking or student accounts. Treat it as a free supplement alongside one of the alternatives below.

Honest recommendation: use Games to learn English for grammar warm-ups and picture stories at A2-B1, then pair it with Wordwall (more game templates) or Teach-This (more depth) for the rest of your teaching week.