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Neopets

The 1999 virtual pet site whose real game was always the economy — shops, a stock market and genuinely vicious restocking.

Opens in a new tab. We do not control this site and it may have changed since we catalogued it.

How to get the most from it

Neopets sits in Tycoon Sims under Play, filed as rabbit hole.

  • Open it when the evening is free. It has no natural stopping point.
  • Use a laptop or desktop computer — we file it as desktop only.
  • It works with the sound off, so it is fine on a train or in a quiet office.
  • Expect to create an account before you get far.
  • Go in expecting something nostalgic and weird.

About this category: Management games about money — lemonade stands scaled up to the point of moral compromise. Every one of them is about the same lesson.

Good for

  • A long evening with nothing planned
  • A trip back to the older internet
  • Seeing the internet at its least explicable
  • A quiet break at your desk

Neopets: quick answers

Is Neopets free?

Yes. Neopets is free to use, though it asks you to sign up.

Do I need an account to use Neopets?

Yes. Neopets asks you to create an account before you get far.

Does Neopets work on a phone?

Not well. We file Neopets as desktop only, so open it on a laptop or desktop computer.

Is Neopets safe for work?

Yes, we file it as safe for work. It also works muted.

How long does Neopets take?

We file it as "Rabbit hole": Clear your evening. We warned you.

More in Tycoon Sims

All 15 in Tycoon Sims
  • Build sundaes to order under mounting time pressure, the most polished entry in a series about the dignity of service work.

  • The original of the Papa's series, where tips fund your upgrades and customers absolutely notice an undercooked base.

  • A browser railway empire where the whole server races to reach the same era of engines before anybody else does.

  • A persistent economic simulation where thousands of players genuinely supply each other, so prices move for real reasons.

    • 1 hr+
    • Desktop

Same mood: nostalgic

All nostalgic sites
  • The link at the end of every bait-and-switch since 2007, and the reason nobody fully trusts a shortened URL.

    • <1 min
    • Sound on
  • The chaotic original, still hosting animation and games uploaded since 1999, and still the least sanitised corner of the web.

    • 1 hr+
    • Not at work
    • Sound on
    • Desktop
  • A permanent vaporwave station with fake adverts, a virtual room and album art on a CRT, running continuously for about a decade.

    • <1 min
    • Sound on
  • The studio behind Bloons, with a browser games shelf that still hosts the tower defence titles the genre was built on.

    • 10 min
    • Desktop

Keep exploring

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