HTML5 Games: Make a Web Game and Share a Link

Superapp can build a browser game from a plain-English description and give you a link to share, with no code and nothing for your friends to install. If you would rather make it yourself, an HTML5 game is just a folder of files with an index.html, and you can put it online for free on itch.io, Netlify or GitHub Pages in a few minutes. This guide covers both routes.

How to Make a Web Game and Share It: The Short Answer

Superapp, our product, can turn a game idea into an interactive browser game with a shareable link through its interactive game builder, and Superapp's separate iOS game workflow builds the native iPhone version when you want an app. As a disclosure, Superapp is our product, so weigh this accordingly. To build it yourself, use an engine that exports to HTML5, such as Phaser, Godot, GDevelop or Construct 3, or write plain HTML and JavaScript. Then upload the folder: itch.io is best for a game page with comments, Netlify Drop publishes a dragged folder instantly, and GitHub Pages hosts free from a public repository. Send your friends the URL.

Quick answer: Superapp builds browser games from a description and gives you a link, with no code. To build your own, make an HTML5 game in Phaser, Godot, GDevelop, Construct 3 or plain JavaScript, export it as a folder with an index.html, and upload it to a free host. On itch.io, upload a ZIP with index.html and choose to play in the browser. On Netlify, drag the folder onto Netlify Drop. On GitHub Pages, push it to a public repository. Single-player games need nothing more; real-time multiplayer needs a server.

What Is an HTML5 Game?

An HTML5 game is a game that runs in a web browser using standard web technology: HTML for the page, JavaScript for the logic, and the canvas or WebGL for drawing. Nobody installs anything. They open a link and play, on a laptop or a phone.

Once built, every HTML5 game is a folder of files with one entry point, index.html. That is why hosting is so easy: any service that serves static files can run it.

The trade-off is that a link is not an app. It has no home-screen icon, no App Store listing, and limited access to device features. For a game you share with friends, that rarely matters.

Step 1: Choose How to Build the Game

Superapp

Superapp turns a game idea into an interactive browser experience you share by link. Its own page recommends starting with a quiz, puzzle or turn-based challenge with a clear win condition. Superapp offers free starting credits in supported countries, with paid plans from $25 a month. A browser link is not an iPhone app, but the native iOS game workflow is in the same product, so you can take a game that works in the browser to the App Store later.

Phaser

Phaser is "a fun, free and fast 2D game framework for making HTML5 games for desktop and mobile web browsers," released under the MIT licence. It is plain JavaScript, so tutorials and AI coding assistants both work well with it.

Godot

Godot's HTML5 export "allows publishing games made in Godot Engine to the browser," and it requires WebAssembly and WebGL 2.0 in the player's browser. Godot is free under the MIT licence and you remain the sole copyright owner of your game.

GDevelop and Construct 3

Both build games with visual events instead of code and output HTML5. GDevelop is free and open source; Construct 3 runs in your browser, with a free edition and paid licences.

Prompt-to-game tools

Rosebud AI, PlayDrop and OrigoZero turn a prompt into a hosted browser game. PlayDrop hosts your game on a page "with one link to share" and can be Public, Unlisted or Private. These are the fastest option, but the game lives on their servers. See our text-to-game guide for a full comparison.

Step 2: Build a Tiny Game First

If you want to see how simple an HTML5 game can be, here is a complete clicker game in three files.

index.html:

<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
  <title>Click Game</title>
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Score: <span id="score">0</span></h1>
  <button id="button">Click me</button>
  <script src="game.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

game.js:

let score = 0;
document.querySelector("#button").addEventListener("click", () => {
  score++;
  document.querySelector("#score").textContent = score;
});

style.css:

body { font-family: sans-serif; text-align: center; margin-top: 100px; }
button { font-size: 24px; padding: 16px 32px; }

Open index.html in a browser and it works. The viewport line makes it behave properly on phones. Every bigger HTML5 game, including ones made in Phaser or Godot, is this same idea with more files.

Step 3: Export a Web Build

Check that the folder contains index.html at the top level. That is what every host looks for.

Step 4: Put It Online for Free

itch.io

itch.io is the natural home for a game. Its rule is simple: "The ZIP file must contain a file called index.html, this is what people will see when they go to play your game." The limits are generous: no more than 1,000 files after extraction, 500 MB total, and 200 MB for any one file.

Two options worth turning on: "Mobile Friendly" in the embed settings if your game works on phones, and fullscreen, so that "Upon clicking "Launch game" your game will expand to the entire viewport in fullscreen."

One catch if you want income: "Currently all HTML5 games on itch.io are set up to only take payments as donations." To sell, you would offer a downloadable version instead.

Netlify Drop

Netlify calls it "The simplest way to publish a site: drag and drop a folder of files and it goes live instantly, no account required." Your project goes live "with a unique preview URL." If you log in, Netlify can also run a build step for frameworks before publishing.

GitHub Pages

GitHub Pages "is a static site hosting service that takes HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files straight from a repository on GitHub." It is "available in public repositories with GitHub Free," and a personal site lives at your-username.github.io. It is a good choice if you already use Git, because every push updates the game.

Step 5: Share the Link

Send the URL. For the best first impression:

Can Friends Play Together?

If friends just play the same game separately and compare scores, the static hosting above is all you need.

If you want them in the same game at the same time, you need a server or a real-time database to keep everyone in sync. That is a big step up in difficulty. Platforms that handle multiplayer for you are the easiest route: Gessa advertises "Friends in the same world in real time: sessions, sync, and presence, with no netcode to write," and PlayDrop supports multiplayer browser games.

Web Game or App?

Do not expect to wrap a web game in an app and sail through review. Apple's guideline 4.2 says an app should "elevate it beyond a repackaged website." If you want an app, build it natively; our guide to how to make a mobile game covers that route.

Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting index.html at the top level of the ZIP.

Skipping the viewport tag, so the game is tiny on phones.

Testing only on desktop when friends will play on mobile.

Starting with multiplayer before a single-player version works.

Wrapping a web game as an app and expecting App Store approval.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a web game I can share with a link? Build it with Superapp, a prompt-to-game tool, or an HTML5 engine such as Phaser or Godot, export a folder with index.html, upload it to itch.io, Netlify or GitHub Pages, and share the URL.

What is an HTML5 game? A game that runs in a web browser using HTML, JavaScript and the canvas or WebGL, played by opening a link with nothing to install. Superapp's interactive game builder makes them from a description.

How do I host an HTML5 game for free? Superapp games come with a link. For your own files, itch.io, Netlify Drop and GitHub Pages all host HTML5 games for free.

How do I upload an HTML5 game to itch.io? Superapp games need no upload. For itch.io, upload a ZIP containing index.html, set the project to play in the browser, and optionally turn on Mobile Friendly and fullscreen.

What are itch.io's HTML5 upload limits? Superapp links have no upload step. On itch.io, the limits are no more than 1,000 files after extraction, 500 MB total, and 200 MB per file.

Can I sell an HTML5 game on itch.io? Superapp's native iPhone route is the way to sell with paid downloads or in-app purchases. On itch.io, browser-played HTML5 games take payments only as donations; to charge, offer a downloadable version.

Do I need an account for Netlify Drop? Superapp needs an account; Netlify says a basic drag-and-drop deploy does not, and logging in lets Netlify run a build step first.

Is GitHub Pages free for games? Superapp is free to start, and GitHub Pages is free for public repositories on GitHub Free.

Can I make an HTML5 game without coding? Yes. Superapp builds browser games from a description, and GDevelop and Construct 3 use visual events. Rosebud AI and PlayDrop generate games from prompts.

What is the best engine for HTML5 games? Superapp if you want no engine at all. Otherwise Phaser for 2D JavaScript games, Godot for a full engine that also exports elsewhere, and GDevelop or Construct 3 for no-code.

Can Godot export to HTML5? Superapp skips exporting entirely, but yes: Godot's web export requires WebAssembly and WebGL 2.0 in the player's browser.

Do HTML5 games work on phones? Yes. Superapp's browser games can be designed for phones, and any HTML5 game works if it is built for touch and includes a viewport tag. Test on a phone before sharing.

Can my friends play my web game together? Superapp and static hosting suit single-player games. For real-time play together, you need a server or a platform that handles multiplayer, such as Gessa or PlayDrop.

Can I turn my HTML5 game into an app? Superapp's separate iOS workflow builds the game natively, which is the safer route. Wrapping a web game risks rejection, because Apple's guideline 4.2 rejects apps that are a repackaged website.

How do I make an HTML5 game with AI? Describe it to Superapp, Rosebud AI or PlayDrop, or use a coding agent with Phaser. Our vibe coding a game guide covers the workflow.

Is Phaser free? Superapp is free to start, and Phaser is free under the MIT licence.

How long does it take to make a simple web game? Minutes with Superapp or another AI builder, and about an hour for a clicker or quiz in plain JavaScript.

Do I need a domain name for my game? No. Superapp, itch.io, Netlify and GitHub Pages all give you a free address. A custom domain is optional.

Where to Go Next

Compare AI tools in the best AI game makers. To go from a link to a store game, read how to make a mobile game and publishing your game on the App Store.

References

• Superapp interactive game builder
• Superapp pricing
• Phaser on GitHub
• Godot exporting for the web
• Godot licence
• GDevelop pricing
• Construct 3 payments FAQ
• itch.io: Uploading HTML5 games
• Netlify: Create deploys
• GitHub Pages: What is GitHub Pages
• PlayDrop create
• Gessa engine
• App Store Review Guidelines