Create 3D games that run in the browser, and know what happens on the player’s device
A 3D browser game is not streamed from a server: the player’s own device draws it. That explains everything: why nothing needs installing, why performance differs from one device to the next, and why we build lightweight worlds.
An illustration of the publish card. The numbers and addresses in it are examples. To see a scene your own device really draws, open the 3D Game Design page.
Three facts about 3D games in a browser
The drawing happens on your side
The browser loads the world once, then the device’s graphics chip draws it dozens of times a second. No distant graphics server and no video stream.
Nothing is installed
The game is a web page. The player opens the link, sees a loading bar and then the world. No store, no download, no permissions.
Smoothness follows the device
A recent computer shows the world at full quality and a mid-range phone shows it at less. That is why quality adapts by itself, and why we keep worlds light.
What the player’s device needs
There is no list of approved devices, only general conditions. Try your world on the devices your audience uses before you announce it.
| Condition | What it means | If it is not met |
|---|---|---|
| A modern browser | A recent version of a mainstream browser, on computer or phone. | The world may not load, and a clear message appears instead. |
| 3D graphics enabled | The browser is allowed to use the graphics chip. That is the default on most devices. | The world stops with a message that explains why, not with a black screen. |
| Enough memory | Lightweight worlds suit most recent phones. Large models and images add to the load. | Slower loading or stutter. That is why a world has size limits. |
| A connection to load the world | The world loads when the link is opened, then runs on the device. | Loading cannot start without a connection. |
| A keyboard or touch | Movement by keys and mouse, or by an on-screen touch joystick. | — |
We do not promise a particular performance on a particular device: quality adapts, and results differ from device to device.
Quality adapts to the device by itself
On the automatic setting the world measures how smoothly it runs on the player’s device and, if that drops, lightens itself step by step: simpler shadows, then lower resolution, then fewer effects. The player gets smooth play rather than a pretty picture that stutters. In the studio you see the frame counter and the world-size meters before you publish.
- Quality settings: auto, low, medium, high
- A frame counter and meters for triangles, textures and lights
- A world over its size budget does not build, and the reason is stated
What the player sees when their device cannot cope
Silent failure is worse than failure. So every case has a message.
While loading
A real progress bar that follows what has actually loaded, not a spinner that turns forever.
No 3D graphics
A message explaining that the browser or device does not provide 3D graphics, instead of an empty screen.
A lost graphics context
If the system takes the graphics chip away from the browser (switching apps, for instance), the world tries to recover when it comes back.
How to publish a 3D browser game
Four steps, and the second is the one people forget.
- 1
Play the world all the way through
Switch to “Play game” and finish the objective at least once. A world that cannot be finished should not be published.
- 2
Try it on a real phone
Open the preview on a mid-range phone, not only on your computer. Watch how smooth the movement is and how comfortable the touch joystick feels.
- 3
Check the size meters
Look at the meters for triangles, textures and lights. If you are close to the limit, lighten the world: simpler models and smaller images.
- 4
Publish and share the link
Press “Publish”. You get a link that opens in the browser, with a reminder that performance varies by device.
What we do not promise
Questions people ask
Does the player need a powerful graphics card?
Do I pay for graphics servers?
How long does a world take to load for the player?
What happens on an old phone?
Can I embed the world in my website?
Why not build large, realistic worlds?
More about 3D Game Design
3D Game Design
Describe a world or a game and get a lightweight, stylised 3D experience that runs in the browser on the player’s device, with a visual world editor and edits in plain words.
Open the studio pageAI 3D world builder
The world editor up close: select, move, rotate and scale; add shapes and your own models; set the lighting, the time of day, the player and the rules.
See the details3D game templates
Seven ready worlds: exploration, obstacle course, kart racer, warehouse walkthrough, room walkthrough, puzzle adventure and product showroom.
See the detailsStill deciding between 2D and 3D?
2D Game Design
Describe a game and play it in your browser within minutes: menu, levels, score, win and lose, sound and touch controls. Tune it with sliders and publish it to a link.
Open the studio page2D vs 3D game maker
A guide that helps you choose: the kind of experience, the effort to make it, devices, touch controls, and five questions that settle it.
Read the guideBuild a world that runs for your audience, not only for you.
Describe the world, try it on a real phone, check the performance meters, then publish it to a link.