CINXE.COM

<!doctype html><html lang="en-US" prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns#"><head><meta charSet="utf-8"/><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1"/><link rel="icon" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/favicon-48x48.bc390275e955dacb2e65.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/apple-touch-icon.528534bba673c38049c2.png"/><meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff"/><link rel="manifest" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/manifest.f42880861b394dd4dc9b.json"/><link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="/opensearch.xml" title="MDN Web Docs"/><title>Introduction to game development for the Web - Game development | MDN</title><link rel="alternate" title="Einführung in die Spieleentwicklung für das Web" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/de/docs/Games/Introduction" hrefLang="de"/><link rel="alternate" title="Introduccion para desarrollo de juegos para la Web" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/es/docs/Games/Introduction" hrefLang="es"/><link rel="alternate" title="Introduction au développement de jeux vidéo" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/fr/docs/Games/Introduction" hrefLang="fr"/><link rel="alternate" title="ウェブ用のゲーム開発入門" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/ja/docs/Games/Introduction" hrefLang="ja"/><link rel="alternate" title="웹 게임 개발에 대해" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/ko/docs/Games/Introduction" hrefLang="ko"/><link rel="alternate" title="Introdução ao desenvolvimento de jogos para a Web" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/pt-BR/docs/Games/Introduction" hrefLang="pt"/><link rel="alternate" title="Введение в разработку Web-игр" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/ru/docs/Games/Introduction" hrefLang="ru"/><link rel="alternate" title="Web 游戏开发简介" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/zh-CN/docs/Games/Introduction" hrefLang="zh"/><link rel="alternate" title="Web 遊戲開發介紹" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/zh-TW/docs/Games/Introduction" hrefLang="zh-Hant"/><link rel="alternate" title="Introduction to game development for the Web" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Games/Introduction" hrefLang="en"/><link rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href="/static/media/Inter.var.c2fe3cb2b7c746f7966a.woff2" crossorigin=""/><link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="MDN Blog RSS Feed" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/blog/rss.xml" hrefLang="en"/><meta name="description" content="The modern web has quickly become a viable platform not only for creating stunning, high quality games, but also for distributing those games."/><meta property="og:url" content="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Games/Introduction"/><meta property="og:title" content="Introduction to game development for the Web - Game development | MDN"/><meta property="og:type" content="website"/><meta property="og:locale" content="en_US"/><meta property="og:description" content="The modern web has quickly become a viable platform not only for creating stunning, high quality games, but also for distributing those games."/><meta property="og:image" content="https://developer.mozilla.org/mdn-social-share.d893525a4fb5fb1f67a2.png"/><meta property="og:image:type" content="image/png"/><meta property="og:image:height" content="1080"/><meta property="og:image:width" content="1920"/><meta property="og:image:alt" content="The MDN Web Docs logo, featuring a blue accent color, displayed on a solid black background."/><meta property="og:site_name" content="MDN Web Docs"/><meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/><meta name="twitter:creator" content="MozDevNet"/><link rel="canonical" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Games/Introduction"/><style media="print">.article-actions-container,.document-toc-container,.language-menu,.main-menu-toggle,.on-github,.page-footer,.place,.sidebar,.top-banner,.top-navigation-main,ul.prev-next{display:none!important}.main-page-content,.main-page-content pre{padding:2px}.main-page-content pre{border-left-width:2px}</style><script src="/static/js/gtag.js" defer=""></script><script defer="" src="/static/js/main.d21ae86f.js"></script><link href="/static/css/main.26c64ea7.css" rel="stylesheet"/></head><body><script>if(document.body.addEventListener("load",(t=>{t.target.classList.contains("interactive")&&t.target.setAttribute("data-readystate","complete")}),{capture:!0}),window&&document.documentElement){const t={light:"#ffffff",dark:"#1b1b1b"};try{const e=window.localStorage.getItem("theme");e&&(document.documentElement.className=e,document.documentElement.style.backgroundColor=t[e]);const o=window.localStorage.getItem("nop");o&&(document.documentElement.dataset.nop=o)}catch(t){console.warn("Unable to read theme from localStorage",t)}}</script><div id="root"><ul id="nav-access" class="a11y-nav"><li><a id="skip-main" href="#content">Skip to main content</a></li><li><a id="skip-search" href="#top-nav-search-input">Skip to search</a></li><li><a id="skip-select-language" href="#languages-switcher-button">Skip to select language</a></li></ul><div class="page-wrapper document-page"><div class="top-banner loading"><section class="place top container"></section></div><div class="sticky-header-container"><header class="top-navigation "><div class="container "><div class="top-navigation-wrap"><a href="/en-US/" class="logo" aria-label="MDN homepage"><svg id="mdn-docs-logo" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" x="0" y="0" viewBox="0 0 694.9 104.4" style="enable-background:new 0 0 694.9 104.4" xml:space="preserve" role="img"><title>MDN Web Docs</title><path d="M40.3 0 11.7 92.1H0L28.5 0h11.8zm10.4 0v92.1H40.3V0h10.4zM91 0 62.5 92.1H50.8L79.3 0H91zm10.4 0v92.1H91V0h10.4z" class="logo-m"></path><path d="M627.9 95.6h67v8.8h-67v-8.8z" class="logo-_"></path><path d="M367 42h-4l-10.7 30.8h-5.5l-10.8-26h-.4l-10.5 26h-5.2L308.7 42h-3.8v-5.6H323V42h-6.5l6.8 20.4h.4l10.3-26h4.7l11.2 26h.5l5.7-20.3h-6.2v-5.6H367V42zm34.9 20c-.4 3.2-2 5.9-4.7 8.2-2.8 2.3-6.5 3.4-11.3 3.4-5.4 0-9.7-1.6-13.1-4.7-3.3-3.2-5-7.7-5-13.7 0-5.7 1.6-10.3 4.7-14s7.4-5.5 12.9-5.5c5.1 0 9.1 1.6 11.9 4.7s4.3 6.9 4.3 11.3c0 1.5-.2 3-.5 4.7h-25.6c.3 7.7 4 11.6 10.9 11.6 2.9 0 5.1-.7 6.5-2 1.5-1.4 2.5-3 3-4.9l6 .9zM394 51.3c.2-2.4-.4-4.7-1.8-6.9s-3.8-3.3-7-3.3c-3.1 0-5.3 1-6.9 3-1.5 2-2.5 4.4-2.8 7.2H394zm51 2.4c0 5-1.3 9.5-4 13.7s-6.9 6.2-12.7 6.2c-6 0-10.3-2.2-12.7-6.7-.1.4-.2 1.4-.4 2.9s-.3 2.5-.4 2.9h-7.3c.3-1.7.6-3.5.8-5.3.3-1.8.4-3.7.4-5.5V22.3h-6v-5.6H416v27c1.1-2.2 2.7-4.1 4.7-5.7 2-1.6 4.8-2.4 8.4-2.4 4.6 0 8.4 1.6 11.4 4.7 3 3.2 4.5 7.6 4.5 13.4zm-7.7.6c0-4.2-1-7.4-3-9.5-2-2.2-4.4-3.3-7.4-3.3-3.4 0-6 1.2-8 3.7-1.9 2.4-2.9 5-3 7.7V57c0 3 1 5.6 3 7.7s4.5 3.1 7.6 3.1c3.6 0 6.3-1.3 8.1-3.9 1.8-2.7 2.7-5.9 2.7-9.6zm69.2 18.5h-13.2v-7.2c-1.2 2.2-2.8 4.1-4.9 5.6-2.1 1.6-4.8 2.4-8.3 2.4-4.8 0-8.7-1.6-11.6-4.9-2.9-3.2-4.3-7.7-4.3-13.3 0-5 1.3-9.6 4-13.7 2.6-4.1 6.9-6.2 12.8-6.2 5.7 0 9.8 2.2 12.3 6.5V22.3h-8.6v-5.6h15.8v50.6h6v5.5zM493.2 56v-4.4c-.1-3-1.2-5.5-3.2-7.3s-4.4-2.8-7.2-2.8c-3.6 0-6.3 1.3-8.2 3.9-1.9 2.6-2.8 5.8-2.8 9.6 0 4.1 1 7.3 3 9.5s4.5 3.3 7.4 3.3c3.2 0 5.8-1.3 7.8-3.8 2.1-2.6 3.1-5.3 3.2-8zm53.1-1.4c0 5.6-1.8 10.2-5.3 13.7s-8.2 5.3-13.9 5.3-10.1-1.7-13.4-5.1c-3.3-3.4-5-7.9-5-13.5 0-5.3 1.6-9.9 4.7-13.7 3.2-3.8 7.9-5.7 14.2-5.7s11 1.9 14.1 5.7c3 3.7 4.6 8.1 4.6 13.3zm-7.7-.2c0-4-1-7.2-3-9.5s-4.8-3.5-8.2-3.5c-3.6 0-6.4 1.2-8.3 3.7s-2.9 5.6-2.9 9.5c0 3.7.9 6.8 2.8 9.4 1.9 2.6 4.6 3.9 8.3 3.9 3.6 0 6.4-1.3 8.4-3.8 1.9-2.6 2.9-5.8 2.9-9.7zm45 5.8c-.4 3.2-1.9 6.3-4.4 9.1-2.5 2.9-6.4 4.3-11.8 4.3-5.2 0-9.4-1.6-12.6-4.8-3.2-3.2-4.8-7.7-4.8-13.7 0-5.5 1.6-10.1 4.7-13.9 3.2-3.8 7.6-5.7 13.2-5.7 2.3 0 4.6.3 6.7.8 2.2.5 4.2 1.5 6.2 2.9l1.5 9.5-5.9.7-1.3-6.1c-2.1-1.2-4.5-1.8-7.2-1.8-3.5 0-6.1 1.2-7.7 3.7-1.7 2.5-2.5 5.7-2.5 9.6 0 4.1.9 7.3 2.7 9.5 1.8 2.3 4.4 3.4 7.8 3.4 5.2 0 8.2-2.9 9.2-8.8l6.2 1.3zm34.7 1.9c0 3.6-1.5 6.5-4.6 8.5s-7 3-11.7 3c-5.7 0-10.6-1.2-14.6-3.6l1.2-8.8 5.7.6-.2 4.7c1.1.5 2.3.9 3.6 1.1s2.6.3 3.9.3c2.4 0 4.5-.4 6.5-1.3 1.9-.9 2.9-2.2 2.9-4.1 0-1.8-.8-3.1-2.3-3.8s-3.5-1.3-5.8-1.7-4.6-.9-6.9-1.4c-2.3-.6-4.2-1.6-5.7-2.9-1.6-1.4-2.3-3.5-2.3-6.3 0-4.1 1.5-6.9 4.6-8.5s6.4-2.4 9.9-2.4c2.6 0 5 .3 7.2.9 2.2.6 4.3 1.4 6.1 2.4l.8 8.8-5.8.7-.8-5.7c-2.3-1-4.7-1.6-7.2-1.6-2.1 0-3.7.4-5.1 1.1-1.3.8-2 2-2 3.8 0 1.7.8 2.9 2.3 3.6 1.5.7 3.4 1.2 5.7 1.6 2.2.4 4.5.8 6.7 1.4 2.2.6 4.1 1.6 5.7 3 1.4 1.6 2.2 3.7 2.2 6.6zM197.6 73.2h-17.1v-5.5h3.8V51.9c0-3.7-.7-6.3-2.1-7.9-1.4-1.6-3.3-2.3-5.7-2.3-3.2 0-5.6 1.1-7.2 3.4s-2.4 4.6-2.5 6.9v15.6h6v5.5h-17.1v-5.5h3.8V51.9c0-3.8-.7-6.4-2.1-7.9-1.4-1.5-3.3-2.3-5.6-2.3-3.2 0-5.5 1.1-7.2 3.3-1.6 2.2-2.4 4.5-2.5 6.9v15.8h6.9v5.5h-20.2v-5.5h6V42.4h-6.1v-5.6h13.4v6.4c1.2-2.1 2.7-3.8 4.7-5.2 2-1.3 4.4-2 7.3-2s5.3.7 7.5 2.1c2.2 1.4 3.7 3.5 4.5 6.4 1.1-2.5 2.7-4.5 4.9-6.1s4.8-2.4 7.9-2.4c3.5 0 6.5 1.1 8.9 3.3s3.7 5.6 3.7 10.2v18.2h6.1v5.5zm42.5 0h-13.2V66c-1.2 2.2-2.8 4.1-4.9 5.6-2.1 1.6-4.8 2.4-8.3 2.4-4.8 0-8.7-1.6-11.6-4.9-2.9-3.2-4.3-7.7-4.3-13.3 0-5 1.3-9.6 4-13.7 2.6-4.1 6.9-6.2 12.8-6.2s9.8 2.2 12.3 6.5V22.7h-8.6v-5.6h15.8v50.6h6v5.5zm-13.3-16.8V52c-.1-3-1.2-5.5-3.2-7.3s-4.4-2.8-7.2-2.8c-3.6 0-6.3 1.3-8.2 3.9-1.9 2.6-2.8 5.8-2.8 9.6 0 4.1 1 7.3 3 9.5s4.5 3.3 7.4 3.3c3.2 0 5.8-1.3 7.8-3.8 2.1-2.6 3.1-5.3 3.2-8zm61.5 16.8H269v-5.5h6V51.9c0-3.7-.7-6.3-2.2-7.9-1.4-1.6-3.4-2.3-5.7-2.3-3.1 0-5.6 1-7.4 3s-2.8 4.4-2.9 7v15.9h6v5.5h-19.3v-5.5h6V42.4h-6.2v-5.6h13.6V43c2.6-4.6 6.8-6.9 12.7-6.9 3.6 0 6.7 1.1 9.2 3.3s3.7 5.6 3.7 10.2v18.2h6v5.4h-.2z" class="logo-text"></path></svg></a><button title="Open main menu" type="button" class="button action has-icon main-menu-toggle" aria-haspopup="menu" aria-label="Open main menu" aria-expanded="false"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-menu "></span><span class="visually-hidden">Open main menu</span></span></button></div><div class="top-navigation-main"><nav class="main-nav" aria-label="Main menu"><ul class="main-menu nojs"><li class="top-level-entry-container "><button type="button" id="references-button" class="top-level-entry menu-toggle" aria-controls="references-menu" aria-expanded="false">References</button><a href="/en-US/docs/Web" class="top-level-entry">References</a><ul id="references-menu" class="submenu references hidden inline-submenu-lg" aria-labelledby="references-button"><li class="apis-link-container mobile-only "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Overview / Web Technology</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Web technology reference for developers</p></div></a></li><li class="html-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon html"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">HTML</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Structure of content on the web</p></div></a></li><li class="css-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/CSS" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon css"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">CSS</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Code used to describe document style</p></div></a></li><li class="javascript-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon javascript"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">JavaScript</div><p class="submenu-item-description">General-purpose scripting language</p></div></a></li><li class="http-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon http"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">HTTP</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Protocol for transmitting web resources</p></div></a></li><li class="apis-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon apis"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Web APIs</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Interfaces for building web applications</p></div></a></li><li class="apis-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Web Extensions</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Developing extensions for web browsers</p></div></a></li><li class="apis-link-container desktop-only "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Web Technology</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Web technology reference for developers</p></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="top-level-entry-container "><button type="button" id="guides-button" class="top-level-entry menu-toggle" aria-controls="guides-menu" aria-expanded="false">Guides</button><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn" class="top-level-entry">Guides</a><ul id="guides-menu" class="submenu guides hidden inline-submenu-lg" aria-labelledby="guides-button"><li class="apis-link-container mobile-only "><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon learn"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Overview / MDN Learning Area</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn web development</p></div></a></li><li class="apis-link-container desktop-only "><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon learn"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">MDN Learning Area</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn web development</p></div></a></li><li class="html-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon html"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">HTML</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn to structure web content with HTML</p></div></a></li><li class="css-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/CSS" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon css"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">CSS</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn to style content using CSS</p></div></a></li><li class="javascript-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn/JavaScript" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon javascript"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">JavaScript</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn to run scripts in the browser</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Accessibility</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn to make the web accessible to all</p></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="top-level-entry-container "><button type="button" id="mdn-plus-button" class="top-level-entry menu-toggle" aria-controls="mdn-plus-menu" aria-expanded="false">Plus</button><a href="/en-US/plus" class="top-level-entry">Plus</a><ul id="mdn-plus-menu" class="submenu mdn-plus hidden inline-submenu-lg" aria-labelledby="mdn-plus-button"><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/plus" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Overview</div><p class="submenu-item-description">A customized MDN experience</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/plus/ai-help" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">AI Help</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Get real-time assistance and support</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/plus/updates" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Updates</div><p class="submenu-item-description">All browser compatibility updates at a glance</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/plus/docs/features/overview" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Documentation</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn how to use MDN Plus</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/plus/docs/faq" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">FAQ</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Frequently asked questions about MDN Plus</p></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="top-level-entry-container "><a class="top-level-entry menu-link" href="/en-US/curriculum/">Curriculum <sup class="new">New</sup></a></li><li class="top-level-entry-container "><a class="top-level-entry menu-link" href="/en-US/blog/">Blog</a></li><li class="top-level-entry-container "><button type="button" id="tools-button" class="top-level-entry menu-toggle" aria-controls="tools-menu" aria-expanded="false">Tools</button><ul id="tools-menu" class="submenu tools hidden inline-submenu-lg" aria-labelledby="tools-button"><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/play" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Playground</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Write, test and share your code</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/observatory" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">HTTP Observatory</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Scan a website for free</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/plus/ai-help" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">AI Help</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Get real-time assistance and support</p></div></a></li></ul></li></ul></nav><div class="header-search"><form action="/en-US/search" class="search-form search-widget" id="top-nav-search-form" role="search"><label id="top-nav-search-label" for="top-nav-search-input" class="visually-hidden">Search MDN</label><input aria-activedescendant="" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-controls="top-nav-search-menu" aria-expanded="false" aria-labelledby="top-nav-search-label" autoComplete="off" id="top-nav-search-input" role="combobox" type="search" class="search-input-field" name="q" placeholder=" " required="" value=""/><button type="button" class="button action has-icon clear-search-button"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-cancel "></span><span class="visually-hidden">Clear search input</span></span></button><button type="submit" class="button action has-icon search-button"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-search "></span><span class="visually-hidden">Search</span></span></button><div id="top-nav-search-menu" role="listbox" aria-labelledby="top-nav-search-label"></div></form></div><div class="theme-switcher-menu"><button type="button" class="button action has-icon theme-switcher-menu small" aria-haspopup="menu"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-theme-os-default "></span>Theme</span></button></div><ul class="auth-container"><li><a href="/users/fxa/login/authenticate/?next=%2Fen-US%2Fdocs%2FGames%2FIntroduction" class="login-link" rel="nofollow">Log in</a></li><li><a href="/users/fxa/login/authenticate/?next=%2Fen-US%2Fdocs%2FGames%2FIntroduction" target="_self" rel="nofollow" class="button primary mdn-plus-subscribe-link"><span class="button-wrap">Sign up for free</span></a></li></ul></div></div></header><div class="article-actions-container"><div class="container"><button type="button" class="button action has-icon sidebar-button" aria-label="Expand sidebar" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidebar-quicklinks"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-sidebar "></span></span></button><nav class="breadcrumbs-container" aria-label="Breadcrumb"><ol typeof="BreadcrumbList" vocab="https://schema.org/" aria-label="breadcrumbs"><li property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem"><a href="/en-US/docs/Games" class="breadcrumb" property="item" typeof="WebPage"><span property="name">Game development</span></a><meta property="position" content="1"/></li><li property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem"><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Introduction" class="breadcrumb-current-page" property="item" typeof="WebPage"><span property="name">Introduction to game development for the Web</span></a><meta property="position" content="2"/></li></ol></nav><div class="article-actions"><button type="button" class="button action has-icon article-actions-toggle" aria-label="Article actions"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-ellipses "></span><span class="article-actions-dialog-heading">Article Actions</span></span></button><ul class="article-actions-entries"><li class="article-actions-entry"><div class="languages-switcher-menu open-on-focus-within"><button id="languages-switcher-button" type="button" class="button action small has-icon languages-switcher-menu" aria-haspopup="menu"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-language "></span>English (US)</span></button><div class="hidden"><ul class="submenu language-menu " aria-labelledby="language-menu-button"><li class=" "><form class="submenu-item locale-redirect-setting"><div class="group"><label class="switch"><input type="checkbox" name="locale-redirect"/><span class="slider"></span><span class="label">Remember language</span></label><a href="https://github.com/orgs/mdn/discussions/739" rel="external noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Enable this setting to automatically switch to this language when it's available. (Click to learn more.)"><span class="icon icon-question-mark "></span></a></div></form></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="de" href="/de/docs/Games/Introduction" class="button submenu-item"><span>Deutsch</span><span title="Diese Übersetzung ist Teil eines Experiments."><span class="icon icon-experimental "></span></span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="es" href="/es/docs/Games/Introduction" class="button submenu-item"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="fr" href="/fr/docs/Games/Introduction" class="button submenu-item"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="ja" href="/ja/docs/Games/Introduction" class="button submenu-item"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="ko" href="/ko/docs/Games/Introduction" class="button submenu-item"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="pt-BR" href="/pt-BR/docs/Games/Introduction" class="button submenu-item"><span>Português (do Brasil)</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="ru" href="/ru/docs/Games/Introduction" class="button submenu-item"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="zh-CN" href="/zh-CN/docs/Games/Introduction" class="button submenu-item"><span>中文 (简体)</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="zh-TW" href="/zh-TW/docs/Games/Introduction" class="button submenu-item"><span>正體中文 (繁體)</span></a></li></ul></div></div></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div class="main-wrapper"><div class="sidebar-container"><aside id="sidebar-quicklinks" class="sidebar" data-macro="GamesSidebar"><button type="button" class="button action backdrop" aria-label="Collapse sidebar"><span class="button-wrap"></span></button><nav aria-label="Related Topics" class="sidebar-inner"><header class="sidebar-actions"><section class="sidebar-filter-container"><div class="sidebar-filter "><label id="sidebar-filter-label" class="sidebar-filter-label" for="sidebar-filter-input"><span class="icon icon-filter"></span><span class="visually-hidden">Filter sidebar</span></label><input id="sidebar-filter-input" autoComplete="off" class="sidebar-filter-input-field false" type="text" placeholder="Filter" value=""/><button type="button" class="button action has-icon clear-sidebar-filter-button"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-cancel "></span><span class="visually-hidden">Clear filter input</span></span></button></div></section></header><div class="sidebar-inner-nav"><div class="in-nav-toc"><div class="document-toc-container"><section class="document-toc"><header><h2 class="document-toc-heading">In this article</h2></header><ul class="document-toc-list"><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#the_html_game_platform">The HTML game platform</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#the_business_case">The business case</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#web_technologies_for_game_developers">Web technologies for game developers</a></li></ul></section></div></div><div class="sidebar-body"> <ol> <li class="toggle"> <details open=""> <summary>Introduction</summary> <ol> <li><em><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Introduction" aria-current="page">Introduction</a></em></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Anatomy">Anatomy</a></li> </ol> </details> </li> <li class="toggle"> <details> <summary>APIs for game development</summary> <ol> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Canvas_API">Canvas</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/CSS">CSS</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Fullscreen_API">Full screen</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Gamepad_API">Gamepad</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/IndexedDB_API">IndexedDB</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript">JavaScript</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Pointer_Lock_API">Pointer Lock</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/SVG">SVG</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/TypedArray">Typed Arrays</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Audio_API">Web Audio</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebGL_API">WebGL</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebRTC_API">WebRTC</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebSockets_API">WebSockets</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebVR_API">WebVR</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Workers_API">Web Workers</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/XMLHttpRequest">XMLHttpRequest</a></li> </ol> </details> </li> <li class="toggle"> <details> <summary>Techniques</summary> <ol> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Async_scripts">Using async scripts for asm.js</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/Performance/Optimizing_startup_performance">Optimizing startup performance</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/WebRTC_data_channels">Using WebRTC peer-to-peer data channels</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Audio_for_Web_Games">Audio for Web Games</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/2D_collision_detection">2D collision detection</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Tilemaps">Tiles and tilemaps overview</a></li> </ol> </details> </li> <li class="toggle"> <details> <summary>3D games on the Web</summary> <ol> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web">3D games on the Web overview</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web/Basic_theory">Explaining basic 3D theory</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web/Building_up_a_basic_demo_with_A-Frame">Building up a basic demo with A-Frame</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web/Building_up_a_basic_demo_with_Babylon.js">Building up a basic demo with Babylon.js</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web/Building_up_a_basic_demo_with_PlayCanvas">Building up a basic demo with PlayCanvas</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web/Building_up_a_basic_demo_with_Three.js">Building up a basic demo with Three.js</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web/WebXR">WebXR</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_collision_detection">3D collision detection</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_collision_detection/Bounding_volume_collision_detection_with_THREE.js">Bounding volume collision detection with THREE.js</a></li> </ol> </details> </li> <li class="toggle"> <details> <summary>Implementing game control mechanisms</summary> <ol> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Control_mechanisms">Control mechanisms</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Control_mechanisms/Mobile_touch">Mobile touch</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Control_mechanisms/Desktop_with_mouse_and_keyboard">Desktop with mouse and keyboard</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Control_mechanisms/Desktop_with_gamepad">Desktop with gamepad</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Control_mechanisms/Other">Other</a></li> </ol> </details> </li> <li class="toggle"> <details> <summary>Tutorials</summary> <ol> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Tutorials/2D_Breakout_game_pure_JavaScript">2D breakout game using pure JavaScript</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Tutorials/2D_breakout_game_Phaser">2D breakout game using Phaser</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Tutorials/HTML5_Gamedev_Phaser_Device_Orientation">2D maze_game with device orientation</a></li> <li><a href="https://mozdevs.github.io/html5-games-workshop/en/guides/platformer/start-here/">2D platform game using Phaser</a></li> </ol> </details> </li> <li class="toggle"> <details> <summary>Publishing games</summary> <ol> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Publishing_games">Publishing games overview</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Publishing_games/Game_distribution">Game distribution</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Publishing_games/Game_promotion">Game promotion</a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Publishing_games/Game_monetization">Game monetization</a></li> </ol> </details> </li> </ol> </div></div><section class="place side"></section></nav></aside><div class="toc-container"><aside class="toc"><nav><div class="document-toc-container"><section class="document-toc"><header><h2 class="document-toc-heading">In this article</h2></header><ul class="document-toc-list"><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#the_html_game_platform">The HTML game platform</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#the_business_case">The business case</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#web_technologies_for_game_developers">Web technologies for game developers</a></li></ul></section></div></nav></aside><section class="place side"></section></div></div><main id="content" class="main-content "><article class="main-page-content" lang="en-US"><header><h1>Introduction to game development for the Web</h1></header><div class="section-content"><p>The modern web has quickly become a viable platform not only for creating stunning, high quality games, but also for distributing those games.</p> <p>The range of games that can be created is on par with desktop and native OS counterparts. With modern Web technologies and a recent browser, it's entirely possible to make stunning, top-notch games for the Web. And we're not talking about simple card games or multiplayer social games that have in the olden days been done using Flash®. We're talking about 3D action shooters, RPGs, and more. Thanks to massive performance improvements in <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript">JavaScript</a> just-in-time compiler technology and new APIs, you can build games that run in the browser (or on <a href="/en-US/docs/Glossary/HTML5">HTML5</a>-powered devices) without making compromises.</p></div><section aria-labelledby="the_html_game_platform"><h2 id="the_html_game_platform"><a href="#the_html_game_platform">The HTML game platform</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>You can truly think of the Web as a better target platform for your game. As we like to say, "the Web is the platform." Let's take a look at the core of the Web platform:</p> <figure class="table-container"><table class="no-markdown standard-table"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col">Function</th> <th scope="col">Technology</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><strong>Audio</strong></td> <td><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Audio_API">Web Audio API</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong>Graphics</strong></td> <td> <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebGL_API">WebGL</a> (<a href="https://www.khronos.org/opengles/" class="external" target="_blank">OpenGL ES</a> 2.0) </td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong>Input</strong></td> <td> <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Touch_events">Touch events</a>, <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Gamepad_API/Using_the_Gamepad_API">Gamepad API</a>, device sensors, <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebRTC_API">WebRTC</a>, <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Fullscreen_API">Full Screen API</a>, <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Pointer_Lock_API">Pointer Lock API</a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong>Language</strong></td> <td> <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript">JavaScript</a> (or C/C++ using <a href="https://github.com/emscripten-core/emscripten/wiki" class="external" target="_blank">Emscripten</a> to compile to JavaScript) </td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong>Networking</strong></td> <td> <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebRTC_API">WebRTC</a> and/or <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebSockets_API">WebSockets</a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong>Storage</strong></td> <td><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/IndexedDB_API">IndexedDB</a> or the "cloud"</td> </tr> <tr> <td><strong>Web</strong></td> <td> <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML">HTML</a>, <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/CSS">CSS</a>, <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/SVG">SVG</a> (and much more!) </td> </tr> </tbody> </table></figure></div></section><section aria-labelledby="the_business_case"><h2 id="the_business_case"><a href="#the_business_case">The business case</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>As a game developer, whether you're an individual or a large game studio, you want to know why it makes sense to target the Web with your next game project. Let's look at how the Web can help you.</p> <ol> <li>The reach of the Web is enormous; it's everywhere. Games built with HTML work on smartphones, tablets, PCs and Smart TVs.</li> <li>Marketing and discoverability are improved. You're not limited to promoting your app on someone else's app store. Instead, you can advertise and promote your game all over the Web as well as other media, taking advantage of the Web's inherent linkability and shareability to reach new customers.</li> <li>You have control where it matters: Payments. You don't have to hand over 30% of your revenues to someone else just because your game is in their ecosystem. Instead, charge what you want and use whatever payment processing service you like.</li> <li>Again with more control, you can update your game whenever you want. No waiting breathlessly for approval while someone hidden within another company decides whether your critical bug fix will ship today or tomorrow.</li> <li>Control your analytics! Instead of relying on someone else to make all the decisions about what analytics you need, you can collect your own — or choose the third party that you like the best — to gather information about your sales and your game's reach.</li> <li>You get to manage your customer relationship more closely, in your own way. No more having customer feedback filtered through an app store's limited mechanisms. Engage with your customers the way you want to, without a middleman.</li> <li>Your players can play your game anywhere, anytime. Because the Web is ubiquitous, your customers can check their game's status on their phones, tablets, their home laptops, their work desktops, or anything else.</li> </ol></div></section><section aria-labelledby="web_technologies_for_game_developers"><h2 id="web_technologies_for_game_developers"><a href="#web_technologies_for_game_developers">Web technologies for game developers</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>For the tech folks, let's dig into the APIs the Web brings to the table that cater to game developers. Here's a thorough list to give you a taste of what the Web can do for you:</p> <dl> <dt id="fetch_api"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Fetch_API">Fetch API</a></dt> <dd> <p>Send and receive any kind of data you want from a Web server like downloading new game levels and artwork to transmitting non-real-time game status information back and forth.</p> </dd> <dt id="full_screen_api"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Fullscreen_API">Full Screen API</a></dt> <dd> <p>This simple API lets your game take over the entire screen, thereby immersing the player in action.</p> </dd> <dt id="gamepad_api"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Gamepad_API/Using_the_Gamepad_API">Gamepad API</a></dt> <dd> <p>If you want your users to be able to use gamepads or other game controllers to work your game, you'll need this API.</p> </dd> <dt id="html"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML">HTML</a> and <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/CSS">CSS</a></dt> <dd> <p>Together, these two technologies let you build, style, and lay out your game's user interface. Part of HTML is the <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/canvas"><code><canvas></code></a> element, which provides one way to do 2D graphics.</p> </dd> <dt id="html_audio"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/audio">HTML audio</a></dt> <dd> <p>The <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/audio"><code><audio></code></a> element lets you easily play simple sound effects and music. If your needs are more involved, check out the <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Audio_API">Web Audio API</a> for real audio processing power!</p> </dd> <dt id="indexeddb"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/IndexedDB_API">IndexedDB</a></dt> <dd> <p>A powerful data storage API for maintaining user data on their own computer or device. A great way to save game state and other information locally so it doesn't have to be downloaded every time it's needed. Also useful to help make your game playable even when the user isn't connected to the Web (such as when they're stuck on an airplane for hours on end).</p> </dd> <dt id="javascript"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript">JavaScript</a></dt> <dd> <p>JavaScript, the programming language used on the Web, is blazing fast in modern browsers and getting faster all the time. Use its power to write the code for your game, or look at using technologies like <a href="https://github.com/emscripten-core/emscripten/wiki" class="external" target="_blank">Emscripten</a> or <a href="http://asmjs.org/spec/latest/" class="external" target="_blank">Asm.js</a> to easily port your existing games.</p> </dd> <dt id="pointer_lock_api"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Pointer_Lock_API">Pointer Lock API</a></dt> <dd> <p>The Pointer Lock API lets you lock the mouse or other pointing device within your game's interface so that instead of absolute cursor positioning you receive coordinate deltas that give you more precise measurements of what the user is doing, and prevent the user from accidentally sending their input somewhere else, thereby missing important action.</p> </dd> <dt id="svg"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/SVG">SVG</a> (Scalable Vector Graphics)</dt> <dd> <p>Lets you build vector graphics that scale smoothly regardless of the size or resolution of the user's display.</p> </dd> <dt id="typed_arrays"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Typed_arrays">Typed Arrays</a></dt> <dd> <p>JavaScript typed arrays give you access to raw binary data from within JavaScript; this lets you manipulate GL textures, game data, or anything else, even if it's not in a native JavaScript format.</p> </dd> <dt id="web_audio_api"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Audio_API">Web Audio API</a></dt> <dd> <p>This API for controlling the playback, synthesis, and manipulation of audio from JavaScript code lets you create awesome sound effects as well as play and manipulate music in real time.</p> </dd> <dt id="webgl"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebGL_API">WebGL</a></dt> <dd> <p>Lets you create high-performance, hardware-accelerated 3D (and 2D) graphics from Web content. This is a Web-supported implementation of <a href="https://www.khronos.org/opengles/" class="external" target="_blank">OpenGL ES</a> 2.0.</p> </dd> <dt id="webrtc"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebRTC_API">WebRTC</a></dt> <dd> <p>The WebRTC (Real-Time Communications) API gives you the power to control audio and video data, including teleconferencing and transmitting other application data back and forth between two users. Want your players to be able to talk to each other while blowing up monsters? This is the API for you.</p> </dd> <dt id="websockets"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebSockets_API">WebSockets</a></dt> <dd> <p>The WebSocket API lets you connect your app or site to a server to transmit data back and forth in real-time. Perfect for multiplayer gaming action, chat services, and so forth.</p> </dd> <dt id="web_workers"><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Workers_API/Using_web_workers">Web Workers</a></dt> <dd> <p>Workers give you the ability to spawn background threads running their own JavaScript code, to take advantage of modern, multicore processors.</p> </dd> </dl></div></section></article><aside class="article-footer"><div class="article-footer-inner"><div class="svg-container"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="162" height="162" viewBox="0 0 162 162" fill="none" role="none"><mask id="b" fill="#fff"><path d="M97.203 47.04c8.113-7.886 18.004-13.871 28.906-17.492a78 78 0 0 1 33.969-3.39c11.443 1.39 22.401 5.295 32.024 11.411s17.656 14.28 23.476 23.86c5.819 9.579 9.269 20.318 10.083 31.385a69.85 69.85 0 0 1-5.387 32.44c-4.358 10.272-11.115 19.443-19.747 26.801-8.632 7.359-18.908 12.709-30.034 15.637l-6.17-21.698c7.666-2.017 14.746-5.703 20.694-10.773 5.948-5.071 10.603-11.389 13.606-18.467a48.14 48.14 0 0 0 3.712-22.352c-.561-7.625-2.938-15.025-6.948-21.625s-9.544-12.226-16.175-16.44-14.181-6.904-22.065-7.863a53.75 53.75 0 0 0-23.405 2.336c-7.513 2.495-14.327 6.62-19.918 12.053z"></path></mask><path stroke="url(#a)" stroke-dasharray="6, 6" stroke-width="2" d="M97.203 47.04c8.113-7.886 18.004-13.871 28.906-17.492a78 78 0 0 1 33.969-3.39c11.443 1.39 22.401 5.295 32.024 11.411s17.656 14.28 23.476 23.86c5.819 9.579 9.269 20.318 10.083 31.385a69.85 69.85 0 0 1-5.387 32.44c-4.358 10.272-11.115 19.443-19.747 26.801-8.632 7.359-18.908 12.709-30.034 15.637l-6.17-21.698c7.666-2.017 14.746-5.703 20.694-10.773 5.948-5.071 10.603-11.389 13.606-18.467a48.14 48.14 0 0 0 3.712-22.352c-.561-7.625-2.938-15.025-6.948-21.625s-9.544-12.226-16.175-16.44-14.181-6.904-22.065-7.863a53.75 53.75 0 0 0-23.405 2.336c-7.513 2.495-14.327 6.62-19.918 12.053z" mask="url(#b)" style="stroke:url(#a)" transform="translate(-63.992 -25.587)"></path><ellipse cx="8.066" cy="111.597" fill="var(--background-tertiary)" rx="53.677" ry="53.699" transform="matrix(.71707 -.697 .7243 .6895 0 0)"></ellipse><g clip-path="url(#c)" transform="translate(-63.992 -25.587)"><path fill="#9abff5" d="m144.256 137.379 32.906 12.434a4.41 4.41 0 0 1 2.559 5.667l-9.326 24.679a4.41 4.41 0 0 1-5.667 2.559l-8.226-3.108-2.332 6.17c-.466 1.233-.375 1.883-1.609 1.417l-2.253-.527c-.411-.155-.95-.594-1.206-1.161l-4.734-10.484-12.545-4.741a4.41 4.41 0 0 1-2.559-5.667l9.325-24.679a4.41 4.41 0 0 1 5.667-2.559m9.961 29.617 8.227 3.108 3.264-8.638-.498-6.768-4.113-1.555.548 7.258-4.319-1.632zm-12.339-4.663 8.226 3.108 3.264-8.637-.498-6.769-4.113-1.554.548 7.257-4.319-1.632z"></path></g><g clip-path="url(#d)" transform="translate(-63.992 -25.587)"><path fill="#81b0f3" d="M135.35 60.136 86.67 41.654c-3.346-1.27-7.124.428-8.394 3.775L64.414 81.938c-1.27 3.347.428 7.125 3.774 8.395l12.17 4.62-3.465 9.128c-.693 1.826-1.432 2.457.394 3.15l3.014 1.625c.609.231 1.637.274 2.477-.104l15.53-6.983 18.56 7.047c3.346 1.27 7.124-.428 8.395-3.775l13.862-36.51c1.27-3.346-.428-7.124-3.775-8.395M95.261 83.207l-12.17-4.62 4.852-12.779 7.19-7.017 6.085 2.31-7.725 7.51 6.389 2.426zm18.255 6.93-12.17-4.62 4.852-12.778 7.189-7.017 6.085 2.31-7.725 7.51 6.39 2.426z"></path></g><defs><clipPath id="c"><path fill="#fff" d="m198.638 146.586-65.056-24.583-24.583 65.057 65.056 24.582z"></path></clipPath><clipPath id="d"><path fill="#fff" d="m66.438 14.055 96.242 36.54-36.54 96.243-96.243-36.54z"></path></clipPath><linearGradient id="a" x1="97.203" x2="199.995" y1="47.04" y2="152.793" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"><stop stop-color="#086DFC"></stop><stop offset="0.246" stop-color="#2C81FA"></stop><stop offset="0.516" stop-color="#5497F8"></stop><stop offset="0.821" stop-color="#80B0F6"></stop><stop offset="1" stop-color="#9ABFF5"></stop></linearGradient></defs></svg></div><h2>Help improve MDN</h2><fieldset class="feedback"><label>Was this page helpful to you?</label><div class="button-container"><button type="button" class="button primary has-icon yes"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-thumbs-up "></span>Yes</span></button><button type="button" class="button primary has-icon no"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-thumbs-down "></span>No</span></button></div></fieldset><a class="contribute" href="https://github.com/mdn/content/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md" title="This will take you to our contribution guidelines on GitHub." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn how to contribute</a>.<p class="last-modified-date">This page was last modified on <time dateTime="2023-12-20T07:32:08.000Z">Dec 20, 2023</time> by <a href="/en-US/docs/Games/Introduction/contributors.txt" rel="nofollow">MDN contributors</a>.</p><div id="on-github" class="on-github"><a href="https://github.com/mdn/content/blob/main/files/en-us/games/introduction/index.md?plain=1" title="Folder: en-us/games/introduction (Opens in a new tab)" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">View this page on GitHub</a> • <a href="https://github.com/mdn/content/issues/new?template=page-report.yml&mdn-url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.mozilla.org%2Fen-US%2Fdocs%2FGames%2FIntroduction&metadata=%3C%21--+Do+not+make+changes+below+this+line+--%3E%0A%3Cdetails%3E%0A%3Csummary%3EPage+report+details%3C%2Fsummary%3E%0A%0A*+Folder%3A+%60en-us%2Fgames%2Fintroduction%60%0A*+MDN+URL%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.mozilla.org%2Fen-US%2Fdocs%2FGames%2FIntroduction%0A*+GitHub+URL%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fmdn%2Fcontent%2Fblob%2Fmain%2Ffiles%2Fen-us%2Fgames%2Fintroduction%2Findex.md%0A*+Last+commit%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fmdn%2Fcontent%2Fcommit%2Fe72890bafe775a38620def9a74beda8cf9c47411%0A*+Document+last+modified%3A+2023-12-20T07%3A32%3A08.000Z%0A%0A%3C%2Fdetails%3E" title="This will take you to GitHub to file a new issue." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Report a problem with this content</a></div></div></aside></main></div></div><footer id="nav-footer" class="page-footer"><div class="page-footer-grid"><div class="page-footer-logo-col"><a href="/" class="mdn-footer-logo" aria-label="MDN homepage"><svg width="48" height="17" viewBox="0 0 48 17" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><title id="mdn-footer-logo-svg">MDN logo</title><path d="M20.04 16.512H15.504V10.416C15.504 9.488 15.344 8.824 15.024 8.424C14.72 8.024 14.264 7.824 13.656 7.824C12.92 7.824 12.384 8.064 12.048 8.544C11.728 9.024 11.568 9.64 11.568 10.392V14.184H13.008V16.512H8.472V10.416C8.472 9.488 8.312 8.824 7.992 8.424C7.688 8.024 7.232 7.824 6.624 7.824C5.872 7.824 5.336 8.064 5.016 8.544C4.696 9.024 4.536 9.64 4.536 10.392V14.184H6.6V16.512H0V14.184H1.44V8.04H0.024V5.688H4.536V7.32C5.224 6.088 6.32 5.472 7.824 5.472C8.608 5.472 9.328 5.664 9.984 6.048C10.64 6.432 11.096 7.016 11.352 7.8C11.992 6.248 13.168 5.472 14.88 5.472C15.856 5.472 16.72 5.776 17.472 6.384C18.224 6.992 18.6 7.936 18.6 9.216V14.184H20.04V16.512Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M33.6714 16.512H29.1354V14.496C28.8314 15.12 28.3834 15.656 27.7914 16.104C27.1994 16.536 26.4154 16.752 25.4394 16.752C24.0154 16.752 22.8954 16.264 22.0794 15.288C21.2634 14.312 20.8554 12.984 20.8554 11.304C20.8554 9.688 21.2554 8.312 22.0554 7.176C22.8554 6.04 24.0634 5.472 25.6794 5.472C26.5594 5.472 27.2794 5.648 27.8394 6C28.3994 6.352 28.8314 6.8 29.1354 7.344V2.352H26.9754V0H32.2314V14.184H33.6714V16.512ZM29.1354 11.04V10.776C29.1354 9.88 28.8954 9.184 28.4154 8.688C27.9514 8.176 27.3674 7.92 26.6634 7.92C25.9754 7.92 25.3674 8.176 24.8394 8.688C24.3274 9.2 24.0714 10.008 24.0714 11.112C24.0714 12.152 24.3114 12.944 24.7914 13.488C25.2714 14.032 25.8394 14.304 26.4954 14.304C27.3114 14.304 27.9514 13.96 28.4154 13.272C28.8954 12.584 29.1354 11.84 29.1354 11.04Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M47.9589 16.512H41.9829V14.184H43.4229V10.416C43.4229 9.488 43.2629 8.824 42.9429 8.424C42.6389 8.024 42.1829 7.824 41.5749 7.824C40.8389 7.824 40.2709 8.056 39.8709 8.52C39.4709 8.968 39.2629 9.56 39.2469 10.296V14.184H40.6869V16.512H34.7109V14.184H36.1509V8.04H34.5909V5.688H39.2469V7.344C39.9669 6.096 41.1269 5.472 42.7269 5.472C43.7509 5.472 44.6389 5.776 45.3909 6.384C46.1429 6.992 46.5189 7.936 46.5189 9.216V14.184H47.9589V16.512Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></a><p>Your blueprint for a better internet.</p><ul class="social-icons"><li><a href="https://mozilla.social/@mdn" target="_blank" rel="me noopener noreferrer"><span class="icon icon-mastodon"></span><span class="visually-hidden">MDN on Mastodon</span></a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/mozdevnet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="icon icon-twitter-x"></span><span class="visually-hidden">MDN on X (formerly Twitter)</span></a></li><li><a href="https://github.com/mdn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="icon icon-github-mark-small"></span><span class="visually-hidden">MDN on GitHub</span></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/blog/rss.xml" target="_blank"><span class="icon icon-feed"></span><span class="visually-hidden">MDN Blog RSS Feed</span></a></li></ul></div><div class="page-footer-nav-col-1"><h2 class="footer-nav-heading">MDN</h2><ul class="footer-nav-list"><li class="footer-nav-item"><a href="/en-US/about">About</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a href="/en-US/blog/">Blog</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/careers/listings/?team=ProdOps" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Careers</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a href="/en-US/advertising">Advertise with us</a></li></ul></div><div class="page-footer-nav-col-2"><h2 class="footer-nav-heading">Support</h2><ul class="footer-nav-list"><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="https://support.mozilla.org/products/mdn-plus">Product help</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="/en-US/docs/MDN/Community/Issues">Report an issue</a></li></ul></div><div class="page-footer-nav-col-3"><h2 class="footer-nav-heading">Our communities</h2><ul class="footer-nav-list"><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="/en-US/community">MDN Community</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="https://discourse.mozilla.org/c/mdn/236" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MDN Forum</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="/discord" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MDN Chat</a></li></ul></div><div class="page-footer-nav-col-4"><h2 class="footer-nav-heading">Developers</h2><ul class="footer-nav-list"><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="/en-US/docs/Web">Web Technologies</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="/en-US/docs/Learn">Learn Web Development</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="/en-US/plus">MDN Plus</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a href="https://hacks.mozilla.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hacks Blog</a></li></ul></div><div class="page-footer-moz"><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/" class="footer-moz-logo-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><svg width="112" height="32" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><title id="mozilla-footer-logo-svg">Mozilla logo</title><path d="M41.753 14.218c-2.048 0-3.324 1.522-3.324 4.157 0 2.423 1.119 4.286 3.29 4.286 2.082 0 3.447-1.678 3.447-4.347 0-2.826-1.522-4.096-3.413-4.096Zm54.89 7.044c0 .901.437 1.618 1.645 1.618 1.427 0 2.949-1.024 3.044-3.352-.649-.095-1.365-.185-2.02-.185-1.426-.005-2.668.397-2.668 1.92Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M0 0v32h111.908V0H0Zm32.56 25.426h-5.87v-7.884c0-2.423-.806-3.352-2.39-3.352-1.924 0-2.702 1.365-2.702 3.324v4.868h1.864v3.044h-5.864v-7.884c0-2.423-.806-3.352-2.39-3.352-1.924 0-2.702 1.365-2.702 3.324v4.868h2.669v3.044H6.642v-3.044h1.863v-7.918H6.642V11.42h5.864v2.11c.839-1.489 2.3-2.39 4.252-2.39 2.02 0 3.878.963 4.566 3.01.778-1.862 2.361-3.01 4.566-3.01 2.512 0 4.812 1.522 4.812 4.84v6.402h1.863v3.044h-.005Zm9.036.307c-4.314 0-7.296-2.635-7.296-7.106 0-4.096 2.484-7.481 7.514-7.481s7.481 3.38 7.481 7.29c0 4.472-3.228 7.297-7.699 7.297Zm22.578-.307H51.942l-.403-2.11 7.7-8.846h-4.376l-.621 2.17-2.888-.313.498-4.907h12.294l.313 2.11-7.767 8.852h4.533l.654-2.172 3.167.308-.872 4.908Zm7.99 0h-4.191v-5.03h4.19v5.03Zm0-8.976h-4.191v-5.03h4.19v5.03Zm2.618 8.976 6.054-21.358h3.945l-6.054 21.358h-3.945Zm8.136 0 6.048-21.358h3.945l-6.054 21.358h-3.939Zm21.486.307c-1.863 0-2.887-1.085-3.072-2.792-.805 1.427-2.232 2.792-4.498 2.792-2.02 0-4.314-1.085-4.314-4.006 0-3.447 3.323-4.253 6.518-4.253.778 0 1.584.034 2.3.124v-.465c0-1.427-.034-3.133-2.3-3.133-.84 0-1.488.061-2.143.402l-.453 1.578-3.195-.34.549-3.224c2.45-.996 3.692-1.27 5.992-1.27 3.01 0 5.556 1.55 5.556 4.75v6.083c0 .805.314 1.085.963 1.085.184 0 .375-.034.587-.095l.034 2.11a5.432 5.432 0 0 1-2.524.654Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></a><ul class="footer-moz-list"><li class="footer-moz-item"><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/privacy/websites/" class="footer-moz-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Website Privacy Notice</a></li><li class="footer-moz-item"><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/privacy/websites/#cookies" class="footer-moz-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cookies</a></li><li class="footer-moz-item"><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/about/legal/terms/mozilla" class="footer-moz-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Legal</a></li><li class="footer-moz-item"><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/about/governance/policies/participation/" class="footer-moz-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Community Participation Guidelines</a></li></ul></div><div class="page-footer-legal"><p id="license" class="page-footer-legal-text">Visit <a href="https://www.mozilla.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mozilla Corporation’s</a> not-for-profit parent, the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://foundation.mozilla.org/">Mozilla Foundation</a>.<br/>Portions of this content are ©1998–2024 by individual mozilla.org contributors. Content available under <a href="/en-US/docs/MDN/Writing_guidelines/Attrib_copyright_license">a Creative Commons license</a>.</p></div></div></footer></div><script type="application/json" id="hydration">{"url":"/en-US/docs/Games/Introduction","doc":{"isMarkdown":true,"isTranslated":false,"isActive":true,"flaws":{},"title":"Introduction to game development for the Web","mdn_url":"/en-US/docs/Games/Introduction","locale":"en-US","native":"English (US)","sidebarHTML":"\n <ol>\n <li class=\"toggle\">\n <details open=\"\">\n <summary>Introduction</summary>\n <ol>\n <li><em><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Introduction\" aria-current=\"page\">Introduction</a></em></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Anatomy\">Anatomy</a></li>\n </ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n <li class=\"toggle\">\n <details>\n <summary>APIs for game development</summary>\n <ol>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Canvas_API\">Canvas</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/CSS\">CSS</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Fullscreen_API\">Full screen</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Gamepad_API\">Gamepad</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/IndexedDB_API\">IndexedDB</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript\">JavaScript</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Pointer_Lock_API\">Pointer Lock</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/SVG\">SVG</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/TypedArray\">Typed Arrays</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Audio_API\">Web Audio</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebGL_API\">WebGL</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebRTC_API\">WebRTC</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebSockets_API\">WebSockets</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebVR_API\">WebVR</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Workers_API\">Web Workers</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/XMLHttpRequest\">XMLHttpRequest</a></li>\n </ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n <li class=\"toggle\">\n <details>\n <summary>Techniques</summary>\n <ol>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Async_scripts\">Using async scripts for asm.js</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/Performance/Optimizing_startup_performance\">Optimizing startup performance</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/WebRTC_data_channels\">Using WebRTC peer-to-peer data channels</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Audio_for_Web_Games\">Audio for Web Games</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/2D_collision_detection\">2D collision detection</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Tilemaps\">Tiles and tilemaps overview</a></li>\n </ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n <li class=\"toggle\">\n <details>\n <summary>3D games on the Web</summary>\n <ol>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web\">3D games on the Web overview</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web/Basic_theory\">Explaining basic 3D theory</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web/Building_up_a_basic_demo_with_A-Frame\">Building up a basic demo with A-Frame</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web/Building_up_a_basic_demo_with_Babylon.js\">Building up a basic demo with Babylon.js</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web/Building_up_a_basic_demo_with_PlayCanvas\">Building up a basic demo with PlayCanvas</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web/Building_up_a_basic_demo_with_Three.js\">Building up a basic demo with Three.js</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_on_the_web/WebXR\">WebXR</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_collision_detection\">3D collision detection</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/3D_collision_detection/Bounding_volume_collision_detection_with_THREE.js\">Bounding volume collision detection with THREE.js</a></li>\n </ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n <li class=\"toggle\">\n <details>\n <summary>Implementing game control mechanisms</summary>\n <ol>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Control_mechanisms\">Control mechanisms</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Control_mechanisms/Mobile_touch\">Mobile touch</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Control_mechanisms/Desktop_with_mouse_and_keyboard\">Desktop with mouse and keyboard</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Control_mechanisms/Desktop_with_gamepad\">Desktop with gamepad</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Techniques/Control_mechanisms/Other\">Other</a></li>\n </ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n <li class=\"toggle\">\n <details>\n <summary>Tutorials</summary>\n <ol>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Tutorials/2D_Breakout_game_pure_JavaScript\">2D breakout game using pure JavaScript</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Tutorials/2D_breakout_game_Phaser\">2D breakout game using Phaser</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Tutorials/HTML5_Gamedev_Phaser_Device_Orientation\">2D maze_game with device orientation</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"https://mozdevs.github.io/html5-games-workshop/en/guides/platformer/start-here/\">2D platform game using Phaser</a></li>\n </ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n <li class=\"toggle\">\n <details>\n <summary>Publishing games</summary>\n <ol>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Publishing_games\">Publishing games overview</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Publishing_games/Game_distribution\">Game distribution</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Publishing_games/Game_promotion\">Game promotion</a></li>\n <li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Games/Publishing_games/Game_monetization\">Game monetization</a></li>\n </ol>\n </details>\n </li>\n </ol>\n","sidebarMacro":"GamesSidebar","body":[{"type":"prose","value":{"id":null,"title":null,"isH3":false,"content":"<p>The modern web has quickly become a viable platform not only for creating stunning, high quality games, but also for distributing those games.</p>\n<p>The range of games that can be created is on par with desktop and native OS counterparts. With modern Web technologies and a recent browser, it's entirely possible to make stunning, top-notch games for the Web. And we're not talking about simple card games or multiplayer social games that have in the olden days been done using Flash®. We're talking about 3D action shooters, RPGs, and more. Thanks to massive performance improvements in <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript\">JavaScript</a> just-in-time compiler technology and new APIs, you can build games that run in the browser (or on <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Glossary/HTML5\">HTML5</a>-powered devices) without making compromises.</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"the_html_game_platform","title":"The HTML game platform","isH3":false,"content":"<p>You can truly think of the Web as a better target platform for your game. As we like to say, \"the Web is the platform.\" Let's take a look at the core of the Web platform:</p>\n<figure class=\"table-container\"><table class=\"no-markdown standard-table\">\n <thead>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"col\">Function</th>\n <th scope=\"col\">Technology</th>\n </tr>\n </thead>\n <tbody>\n <tr>\n <td><strong>Audio</strong></td>\n <td><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Audio_API\">Web Audio API</a></td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <td><strong>Graphics</strong></td>\n <td>\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebGL_API\">WebGL</a> (<a href=\"https://www.khronos.org/opengles/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">OpenGL ES</a>\n 2.0)\n </td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <td><strong>Input</strong></td>\n <td>\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Touch_events\">Touch events</a>,\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Gamepad_API/Using_the_Gamepad_API\">Gamepad API</a>, device sensors, <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebRTC_API\">WebRTC</a>,\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Fullscreen_API\">Full Screen API</a>,\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Pointer_Lock_API\">Pointer Lock API</a>\n </td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <td><strong>Language</strong></td>\n <td>\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript\">JavaScript</a> (or C/C++ using\n <a href=\"https://github.com/emscripten-core/emscripten/wiki\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Emscripten</a> to\n compile to JavaScript)\n </td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <td><strong>Networking</strong></td>\n <td>\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebRTC_API\">WebRTC</a> and/or\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebSockets_API\">WebSockets</a>\n </td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <td><strong>Storage</strong></td>\n <td><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/IndexedDB_API\">IndexedDB</a> or the \"cloud\"</td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <td><strong>Web</strong></td>\n <td>\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML\">HTML</a>,\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/CSS\">CSS</a>,\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/SVG\">SVG</a> (and much more!)\n </td>\n </tr>\n </tbody>\n</table></figure>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"the_business_case","title":"The business case","isH3":false,"content":"<p>As a game developer, whether you're an individual or a large game studio, you want to know why it makes sense to target the Web with your next game project. Let's look at how the Web can help you.</p>\n<ol>\n <li>The reach of the Web is enormous; it's everywhere. Games built with HTML work on smartphones, tablets, PCs and Smart TVs.</li>\n <li>Marketing and discoverability are improved. You're not limited to promoting your app on someone else's app store. Instead, you can advertise and promote your game all over the Web as well as other media, taking advantage of the Web's inherent linkability and shareability to reach new customers.</li>\n <li>You have control where it matters: Payments. You don't have to hand over 30% of your revenues to someone else just because your game is in their ecosystem. Instead, charge what you want and use whatever payment processing service you like.</li>\n <li>Again with more control, you can update your game whenever you want. No waiting breathlessly for approval while someone hidden within another company decides whether your critical bug fix will ship today or tomorrow.</li>\n <li>Control your analytics! Instead of relying on someone else to make all the decisions about what analytics you need, you can collect your own — or choose the third party that you like the best — to gather information about your sales and your game's reach.</li>\n <li>You get to manage your customer relationship more closely, in your own way. No more having customer feedback filtered through an app store's limited mechanisms. Engage with your customers the way you want to, without a middleman.</li>\n <li>Your players can play your game anywhere, anytime. Because the Web is ubiquitous, your customers can check their game's status on their phones, tablets, their home laptops, their work desktops, or anything else.</li>\n</ol>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"web_technologies_for_game_developers","title":"Web technologies for game developers","isH3":false,"content":"<p>For the tech folks, let's dig into the APIs the Web brings to the table that cater to game developers. Here's a thorough list to give you a taste of what the Web can do for you:</p>\n<dl>\n <dt id=\"fetch_api\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Fetch_API\">Fetch API</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>Send and receive any kind of data you want from a Web server like downloading new game levels and artwork to transmitting non-real-time game status information back and forth.</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"full_screen_api\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Fullscreen_API\">Full Screen API</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>This simple API lets your game take over the entire screen, thereby immersing the player in action.</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"gamepad_api\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Gamepad_API/Using_the_Gamepad_API\">Gamepad API</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>If you want your users to be able to use gamepads or other game controllers to work your game, you'll need this API.</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"html\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML\">HTML</a> and <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/CSS\">CSS</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>Together, these two technologies let you build, style, and lay out your game's user interface. Part of HTML is the <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/canvas\"><code><canvas></code></a> element, which provides one way to do 2D graphics.</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"html_audio\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/audio\">HTML audio</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>The <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/audio\"><code><audio></code></a> element lets you easily play simple sound effects and music. If your needs are more involved, check out the <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Audio_API\">Web Audio API</a> for real audio processing power!</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"indexeddb\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/IndexedDB_API\">IndexedDB</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>A powerful data storage API for maintaining user data on their own computer or device. A great way to save game state and other information locally so it doesn't have to be downloaded every time it's needed. Also useful to help make your game playable even when the user isn't connected to the Web (such as when they're stuck on an airplane for hours on end).</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"javascript\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript\">JavaScript</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>JavaScript, the programming language used on the Web, is blazing fast in modern browsers and getting faster all the time. Use its power to write the code for your game, or look at using technologies like <a href=\"https://github.com/emscripten-core/emscripten/wiki\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Emscripten</a> or <a href=\"http://asmjs.org/spec/latest/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Asm.js</a> to easily port your existing games.</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"pointer_lock_api\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Pointer_Lock_API\">Pointer Lock API</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>The Pointer Lock API lets you lock the mouse or other pointing device within your game's interface so that instead of absolute cursor positioning you receive coordinate deltas that give you more precise measurements of what the user is doing, and prevent the user from accidentally sending their input somewhere else, thereby missing important action.</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"svg\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/SVG\">SVG</a> (Scalable Vector Graphics)</dt>\n <dd>\n <p>Lets you build vector graphics that scale smoothly regardless of the size or resolution of the user's display.</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"typed_arrays\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Typed_arrays\">Typed Arrays</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>JavaScript typed arrays give you access to raw binary data from within JavaScript; this lets you manipulate GL textures, game data, or anything else, even if it's not in a native JavaScript format.</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"web_audio_api\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Audio_API\">Web Audio API</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>This API for controlling the playback, synthesis, and manipulation of audio from JavaScript code lets you create awesome sound effects as well as play and manipulate music in real time.</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"webgl\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebGL_API\">WebGL</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>Lets you create high-performance, hardware-accelerated 3D (and 2D) graphics from Web content. This is a Web-supported implementation of <a href=\"https://www.khronos.org/opengles/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">OpenGL ES</a> 2.0.</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"webrtc\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebRTC_API\">WebRTC</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>The WebRTC (Real-Time Communications) API gives you the power to control audio and video data, including teleconferencing and transmitting other application data back and forth between two users. Want your players to be able to talk to each other while blowing up monsters? This is the API for you.</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"websockets\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebSockets_API\">WebSockets</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>The WebSocket API lets you connect your app or site to a server to transmit data back and forth in real-time. Perfect for multiplayer gaming action, chat services, and so forth.</p>\n </dd>\n <dt id=\"web_workers\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Workers_API/Using_web_workers\">Web Workers</a></dt>\n <dd>\n <p>Workers give you the ability to spawn background threads running their own JavaScript code, to take advantage of modern, multicore processors.</p>\n </dd>\n</dl>"}}],"toc":[{"text":"The HTML game platform","id":"the_html_game_platform"},{"text":"The business case","id":"the_business_case"},{"text":"Web technologies for game developers","id":"web_technologies_for_game_developers"}],"summary":"The modern web has quickly become a viable platform not only for creating stunning, high quality games, but also for distributing those games.","popularity":0.0059,"modified":"2023-12-20T07:32:08.000Z","other_translations":[{"locale":"de","title":"Einführung in die Spieleentwicklung für das Web","native":"Deutsch"},{"locale":"es","title":"Introduccion para desarrollo de juegos para la Web","native":"Español"},{"locale":"fr","title":"Introduction au développement de jeux vidéo","native":"Français"},{"locale":"ja","title":"ウェブ用のゲーム開発入門","native":"日本語"},{"locale":"ko","title":"웹 게임 개발에 대해","native":"한국어"},{"locale":"pt-BR","title":"Introdução ao desenvolvimento de jogos para a Web","native":"Português (do Brasil)"},{"locale":"ru","title":"Введение в разработку Web-игр","native":"Русский"},{"locale":"zh-CN","title":"Web 游戏开发简介","native":"中文 (简体)"},{"locale":"zh-TW","title":"Web 遊戲開發介紹","native":"正體中文 (繁體)"}],"pageType":"guide","source":{"folder":"en-us/games/introduction","github_url":"https://github.com/mdn/content/blob/main/files/en-us/games/introduction/index.md","last_commit_url":"https://github.com/mdn/content/commit/e72890bafe775a38620def9a74beda8cf9c47411","filename":"index.md"},"short_title":"Introduction to game development for the Web","parents":[{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Games","title":"Game development"},{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Games/Introduction","title":"Introduction to game development for the Web"}],"pageTitle":"Introduction to game development for the Web - Game development | MDN","noIndexing":false}}</script></body></html>