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Devices and browsers

This page separates what is known to work from what is only expected to work.

What you need​

  • A current web browser with JavaScript switched on. The player that starts and frames each game needs JavaScript. With it switched off, the game page shows a note and a link that opens the game directly instead.
  • An internet connection to load the site and the game's files. There is no offline mode.
  • An input device the game supports. Each game page lists whether the game plays with keyboard, mouse, touch or gamepad. See Controls.
  • Browser storage left enabled, if you want favourites, your recently played list and game saves to be remembered. See My games.

Beyond that, requirements depend on the game. Each one is a separate program that runs on your device, so a demanding game needs a faster device than a simple one. The site does not publish minimum hardware figures, because none have been measured.

What has been verified​

The site has been tested in Google Chrome only:

  • Chrome on a desktop computer.
  • Chrome's emulation of a phone screen.

In that setting, the five launch games were each checked to load, draw their opening screen, animate, respond to clicks and key presses, and save.

That check went as far as the title screen and first inputs. The games were not played through to the end as part of testing.

What has not been verified​

  • Firefox.
  • Safari, on Mac, iPad and iPhone.
  • Any real phone or tablet. Phone behaviour has only been checked in Chrome's emulation.
  • Other browsers in general.

Modern browsers are expected to work, since the site uses standard web features. But "expected" is not "tested": if you use one of these, you may meet problems nobody has seen yet.

Planned​

A manual pass in Firefox and Safari is listed as still to do, and automated testing in Firefox and in WebKit, the engine behind Safari, is on the roadmap. Neither has been done yet.

Known differences between browsers​

These follow from how the player is built, rather than from testing on each browser.

Full screen on iPhone. iPhone browsers do not let a web page put one part of itself in full screen. On an iPhone the Full screen button switches a full-window view on and off instead: the game covers the page and fills the browser window, but the browser's own bars may stay visible.

Locking the screen sideways. For games made for a wide screen, the player asks the browser to lock the orientation to landscape in full screen. Browsers that do not support this ignore the request, and you turn the device yourself.

Sharing. The Share button opens the system share sheet only on touch devices whose browser offers one. Otherwise it copies the link.

Gamepads. Controller support depends on both the browser and the individual game.

Phones and tablets​

On a narrow screen the site switches to a layout with a tab bar at the bottom, and a game fills the browser window when you press Play. Games made for a wide screen ask you to turn the phone sideways. The game page and player controls describes this in full.

Check "Plays with" before starting a game on a phone. A game that lists only keyboard and mouse was not made for touch.

Apps and installing​

There are no native apps for any platform, and nothing to install.

The site does publish a web app manifest, with its name and icons. Some browsers use a manifest to offer an "install" or "add to home screen" shortcut. That behaviour has not been tested, and the shortcut would still be the website: it needs a connection and works no differently.

Language​

The site is in English only. Translations do not exist yet; localisation appears on the roadmap as a later item, with no date.