diff --git a/karma.conf.js b/karma.conf.js
index 16447fe3c6..e167b01d32 100644
--- a/karma.conf.js
+++ b/karma.conf.js
@@ -17,13 +17,8 @@ module.exports = function (config) {
     ],
 
     // list of files / patterns to exclude
-    // currently failing tests, open separate PRs to fix
     exclude: [
-      './tests/api/state/stateManager.js', // 4, "# should clear the cache when the state root is set"
-      './tests/api/state/storageReader.js', // 1, "# should get value from stateManager"
-      './tests/api/index.js', // 11, "# should run blockchain with mocked runBlock" not working"
-      './tests/api/runBlock.js', // 3, "# should fail when runTx fails"
-      './tests/api/runBlockchain.js' // 2, "# should run with valid and invalid blocks"
+      './tests/api/state/stateManager.js' // 4, "# should clear the cache when the state root is set"
     ],
 
     // preprocess matching files before serving them to the browser
@@ -69,6 +64,10 @@ module.exports = function (config) {
 
     // Concurrency level
     // how many browser should be started simultaneous
-    concurrency: Infinity
+    concurrency: Infinity,
+
+    // Fail after timeout
+    browserDisconnectTimeout: 100000,
+    browserNoActivityTimeout: 100000
   })
 }
diff --git a/tests/api/index.js b/tests/api/index.js
index 5613a279d3..47946cda45 100644
--- a/tests/api/index.js
+++ b/tests/api/index.js
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ tape('VM with blockchain', (t) => {
   })
 
   t.test('should run blockchain with mocked runBlock', async (st) => {
-    const vm = setupVM()
+    const vm = setupVM({ chain: 'goerli' })
     const genesis = new Block(Buffer.from(testData.genesisRLP.slice(2), 'hex'))
     const block = new Block(Buffer.from(testData.blocks[0].rlp.slice(2), 'hex'))
 
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ tape('VM with blockchain', (t) => {
   })
 
   t.test('should run blockchain with blocks', async (st) => {
-    const vm = setupVM()
+    const vm = setupVM({ chain: 'goerli' })
     const genesis = new Block(Buffer.from(testData.genesisRLP.slice(2), 'hex'))
     const block = new Block(Buffer.from(testData.blocks[0].rlp.slice(2), 'hex'))
 
diff --git a/tests/api/runBlock.js b/tests/api/runBlock.js
index 76d938d47b..97f188d4bf 100644
--- a/tests/api/runBlock.js
+++ b/tests/api/runBlock.js
@@ -31,8 +31,7 @@ function setup (vm = null) {
     data: testData,
     p: {
       runBlock: promisify(runBlock.bind(vm)),
-      putAccount: promisify(vm.stateManager.putAccount.bind(vm.stateManager)),
-      generateCanonicalGenesis: promisify(vm.stateManager.generateCanonicalGenesis.bind(vm.stateManager))
+      putAccount: promisify(vm.stateManager.putAccount.bind(vm.stateManager))
     }
   }
 }
@@ -59,8 +58,6 @@ tape('runBlock', async (t) => {
   t.test('should fail when runTx fails', async (st) => {
     const block = new Block(util.rlp.decode(suite.data.blocks[0].rlp))
 
-    await suite.p.generateCanonicalGenesis()
-
     // The mocked VM uses a mocked runTx
     // which always returns an error.
     await suite.p.runBlock({ block, skipBlockValidation: true })
@@ -108,8 +105,6 @@ tape('should fail when tx gas limit higher than block gas limit', async (t) => {
   const block = new Block(util.rlp.decode(suite.data.blocks[0].rlp))
   block.transactions[0].gasLimit = Buffer.from('3fefba', 'hex')
 
-  await suite.p.generateCanonicalGenesis()
-
   await suite.p.runBlock({ block, skipBlockValidation: true })
     .then(() => t.fail('should have returned error'))
     .catch((e) => t.ok(e.message.includes('higher gas limit')))
@@ -128,8 +123,6 @@ tape('should fail when runCall fails', async (t) => {
     await suite.p.putAccount(tx.from.toString('hex'), acc)
   }
 
-  await suite.p.generateCanonicalGenesis()
-
   // The mocked VM uses a mocked runCall
   // which always returns an error.
   // runTx is a full implementation that works.
diff --git a/tests/api/runBlockchain.js b/tests/api/runBlockchain.js
index a48321d306..56f3f3c7ce 100644
--- a/tests/api/runBlockchain.js
+++ b/tests/api/runBlockchain.js
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 const tape = require('tape')
 const level = require('level-mem')
-const { promisify } = require('util')
+const promisify = require('util.promisify')
 const Blockchain = require('ethereumjs-blockchain')
 const Block = require('ethereumjs-block')
+const Common = require('ethereumjs-common').default
 const util = require('ethereumjs-util')
 const runBlockchain = require('../../lib/runBlockchain')
 const { StateManager } = require('../../lib/state')
@@ -10,8 +11,15 @@ const { createGenesis } = require('./utils')
 
 tape('runBlockchain', (t) => {
   const blockchainDB = level()
-  const blockchain = new Blockchain({ db: blockchainDB })
-  const vm = { stateManager: new StateManager(), blockchain }
+  const blockchain = new Blockchain({
+    db: blockchainDB,
+    chain: 'goerli',
+    validate: false
+  })
+  const vm = {
+    stateManager: new StateManager({ common: new Common('goerli') }),
+    blockchain: blockchain
+  }
 
   const putGenesisP = promisify(blockchain.putGenesis.bind(blockchain))
   const putBlockP = promisify(blockchain.putBlock.bind(blockchain))
@@ -29,7 +37,7 @@ tape('runBlockchain', (t) => {
   })
 
   t.test('should run with genesis block', async (st) => {
-    const genesis = createGenesis()
+    const genesis = createGenesis({ chain: 'goerli' })
 
     await putGenesisP(genesis)
     st.ok(blockchain.meta.genesis, 'genesis should be set for blockchain')
@@ -49,12 +57,12 @@ tape('runBlockchain', (t) => {
       cb(null, {})
     }
 
-    const genesis = createGenesis()
+    const genesis = createGenesis({ chain: 'goerli' })
     await putGenesisP(genesis)
 
-    const b1 = createBlock(genesis, 1)
-    const b2 = createBlock(b1, 2)
-    const b3 = createBlock(b2, 3)
+    const b1 = createBlock(genesis, 1, { chain: 'goerli' })
+    const b2 = createBlock(b1, 2, { chain: 'goerli' })
+    const b3 = createBlock(b2, 3, { chain: 'goerli' })
 
     blockchain.validate = false
 
@@ -79,12 +87,13 @@ tape('runBlockchain', (t) => {
   })
 })
 
-function createBlock (parent = null, n = 0) {
+function createBlock (parent = null, n = 0, opts = {}) {
+  opts.chain = opts.chain ? opts.chain : 'mainnet'
   if (parent === null) {
-    return createGenesis()
+    return createGenesis(opts)
   }
 
-  const b = new Block()
+  const b = new Block(null, opts)
   b.header.number = util.toBuffer(n)
   b.header.parentHash = parent.hash()
   b.header.difficulty = '0xfffffff'
diff --git a/tests/api/state/stateManager.js b/tests/api/state/stateManager.js
index 15722bb25a..2c8bbb9d55 100644
--- a/tests/api/state/stateManager.js
+++ b/tests/api/state/stateManager.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-const { promisify } = require('util')
+const promisify = require('util.promisify')
 const tape = require('tape')
 const util = require('ethereumjs-util')
 const StateManager = require('../../../lib/state/stateManager')
@@ -9,13 +9,12 @@ tape('StateManager', (t) => {
     const stateManager = new StateManager()
 
     st.deepEqual(stateManager._trie.root, util.KECCAK256_RLP, 'it has default root')
+    st.equal(stateManager._common.hardfork(), 'byzantium', 'it has default hardfork')
     stateManager.getStateRoot((err, res) => {
       st.error(err, 'getStateRoot returns no error')
       st.deepEqual(res, util.KECCAK256_RLP, 'it has default root')
+      st.end()
     })
-
-    st.equal(stateManager._common.hardfork(), 'byzantium', 'it has default hardfork')
-    st.end()
   })
 
   t.test('should clear the cache when the state root is set', async (st) => {
diff --git a/tests/api/state/storageReader.js b/tests/api/state/storageReader.js
index aece74d7aa..ed3f564a23 100644
--- a/tests/api/state/storageReader.js
+++ b/tests/api/state/storageReader.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-const { promisify } = require('util')
+const promisify = require('util.promisify')
 const tape = require('tape')
 const { StorageReader } = require('../../../lib/state')
 
diff --git a/tests/api/utils.js b/tests/api/utils.js
index e29555acfe..0decdcd1da 100644
--- a/tests/api/utils.js
+++ b/tests/api/utils.js
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@ const level = require('level-mem')
 const Blockchain = require('ethereumjs-blockchain')
 const VM = require('../../lib/index')
 
-function createGenesis () {
-  const genesis = new Block()
+function createGenesis (opts = {}) {
+  opts.chain = opts.chain ? opts.chain : 'mainnet'
+  const genesis = new Block(null, opts)
   genesis.setGenesisParams()
 
   return genesis
@@ -20,10 +21,10 @@ function createAccount (nonce, balance) {
   return acc
 }
 
-function setupVM () {
+function setupVM (opts = {}) {
   const db = level()
-  const blockchain = new Blockchain(db)
-  const vm = new VM({ blockchain })
+  opts.blockchain = opts.blockchain ? opts.blockchain : new Blockchain({ db, validate: false })
+  const vm = new VM(opts)
 
   return vm
 }