Every typing game on the Thistledowplay desk

Two pure speed tests, one patient trainer, two live racers and a space shooter. Each card below shows where the game shines, how much of your week it tends to swallow, and which device it really wants. Ranked by how often we reached for it unprompted once the review was filed.

Our first pick01

Minimalist speed test

Monkeytype

The cleanest typing test on the web. Words sit quietly on a plain background and the test starts the moment you press a key. Choose time or word-count runs, quotes, zen or your own text, pick from a huge wardrobe of colour themes, and read a detailed chart of speed and errors once you finish.

Many test modesHundreds of themesDetailed result charts

Desktop browser

Honest measuring10

Real improvement8

Fair on a free footing10

Pull of the next session8

Open Monkeytype Full write-up

Best teacher02

Adaptive trainer

keybr.com

A patient touch-typing tutor that starts with only a few of the most common letters and invents pronounceable practice words from them. New keys appear only once you hit your target speed, and lessons keep circling back to whichever letters slow you down. Slow at first, remarkably effective after a fortnight.

Adaptive lessonsPer-key statisticsMultiplayer mode

Desktop browser

Honest measuring8

Real improvement10

Fair on a free footing9

Pull of the next session7

Train on keybr Full write-up

Bookworm’s race03

Quote racing

TypeRacer

The veteran of online typing races, launched in 2008. You race other people by typing passages from books, films, songs and games, and every result goes into your record. Private tracks let you race friends with a shared link, and a practice mode lets you type quietly alone.

Real quote passagesPrivate race roomsWPM history

Desktop browser

Honest measuring8

Real improvement7

Fair on a free footing9

Pull of the next session8

Join a TypeRacer race Full write-up

Pure adrenaline04

Typing shooter

ZType

A space shooter in which your keyboard is the only weapon. Every incoming ship carries a word, and each correct letter fires a shot at it. Waves grow faster and the words grow longer, so accuracy decides whether you survive. Plays instantly in the browser, with official mobile versions too.

Arcade shooter actionRising wave speedInstant play, no sign-up

Desktop browser; mobile app also available

Honest measuring6

Real improvement7

Fair on a free footing10

Pull of the next session9

Launch ZType Full write-up

Garage builder05

Car racing typing

Nitro Type

Cartoon cars, live races and a garage to fill. Type a short passage as fast and accurately as you can to drive against other players, earn Nitro Cash and experience after each race, and spend it on new cars. Join a team, chase seasonal leaderboards and use nitros to leap ahead.

Live typing racesCollectible carsTeams and seasons

Desktop browser

Honest measuring6

Real improvement6

Fair on a free footing6

Pull of the next session9

Race in Nitro Type Full write-up

Many tongues06

Multilingual speed test

10FastFingers

A sixty-second typing test built from the two hundred most common words of each language, with more than forty languages to choose from. Day-long competitions, live races for up to twenty players and custom text practice round it out, which makes it unusually useful for anyone typing beyond English.

Tests in 40+ languages24-hour competitionsCustom text practice

Desktop browser

Honest measuring7

Real improvement6

Fair on a free footing8

Pull of the next session6

Test on 10FastFingers Full write-up