Is Inselnova free to play?
Yes. Inselnova is free to play. You open your browser, pick a name, and start governing your first island. You never have to pay just to keep playing.
Is Inselnova pay-to-win?
No. You cannot buy your way to the top. Every island on the map was grown by a real player making real decisions, not by who spent the most. The governor who plans well wins, not the one with the biggest wallet.
Read more: Why Inselnova will never sell power
What kind of game is Inselnova?
You rule an island in a medieval sea full of other real players. You build your harbour, train fleets, spy on your neighbours, trade what you grow, and decide who to fight and who to befriend. It is a strategy game about the slow, satisfying work of turning one small island into something the whole map notices.
How is Inselnova different from Travian or Grepolis?
Inselnova is played across an archipelago: your raids, trade, spies and settlers travel by ship. The world never resets and there is no premium currency. Builds and fleets continue while you are offline, but other players can still attack. Shuttering lets you prepare for a longer absence within its limits.
Read more: Games like Travian compared · All strategy game comparisons
Will the world ever reset?
No. Your world keeps running and it never wipes, so the progress you make this month still matters next year. When an island falls quiet and gets abandoned, a force called the Black Tide reclaims it and opens it up for someone new. The map stays alive without ever starting over.
Read more: Why the world never resets
Can I catch up if I start late?
Yes. There is no train that already left. New islands open up all the time, and the quiet ones get reclaimed and handed to fresh players, so the map never hardens into a wall of veterans you can never touch. You start with the same tools everyone else started with, and your first days are protected while you find your feet.
Do I need to download or install anything?
No. Inselnova runs in your browser. There is no app to install, no launcher, and no updates to wait for. Open the page and you are in.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. Inselnova works the same on a phone, a tablet, or a computer. Check your island on the bus, send a fleet from the sofa, then open it again at your desk. Your world is wherever you are.
I have a job. Will I have time to play?
You can queue a build or send a fleet, close the tab and return to the result. How often you need to check depends on what you take on, especially during a war. For a planned longer break, Shuttering protects your islands for up to 21 days per rolling year, subject to entry conditions.
Read more: Planning time away · Full Shuttering rules
Will I get crushed as a brand-new player?
No. Your first days come with protection, so no one can raid you while you find your feet. You start small, learn the ropes one island at a time, and choose your own pace before you ever step onto the battlefield.
Will I get raided while I am offline?
For your first three days, no. New governors get a protected start, so nobody can touch you while you learn. After that, this is a world of real players, so yes, someone can come for your shores while you sleep. The good news is that a bad night is rarely the end of you. You rebuild, you lean on your alliance, and your story keeps going.
Do I need to join an alliance, or can I play solo?
Either way works. You can play the whole thing on your own, building and raiding on your own terms. But the world opens up when you join an alliance, up to twenty players who share a chat, defend each other islands, and plan wars together. The players who team up early tend to be the ones who stay.
What happens if I take a break or go on holiday?
Activate Shuttering in Settings before a planned absence. You have up to 21 days per rolling year, which you can split between breaks. You cannot activate it with hostile fleets already inbound or while holding a contested objective island. It does not switch on automatically. Other players continue building while you are away.
Read more: Planning time away · Full Shuttering rules
Does the game ever end, or can you win it?
There is no final score and no finish line. Inselnova keeps going, so winning means whatever you decide it means. Rule the rankings, hold a corner of the map with your alliance, grow rich at the bazaar, or just build the finest island in the sea. You set the goal, then you chase it.
How do I start?
You click play and you are governing within about ten minutes. One island, a few ships, and a whole archipelago waiting. It costs nothing to find out how far you can take it.
How do I learn how to play?
Inselnova eases you in, and a full game wiki covers every system in detail, from your first orders to combat, trade, and espionage. Most new governors skim the getting-started guide first, then dip into the rest whenever they want to go deeper.
Read more: Getting Started guide · Browse the full wiki
Ready to start?
Your first island takes about ten minutes. It costs nothing to find out how far you can take it.