Examples of Browser Based Games Using Three.Js, Javascript, and WebGL

July 12, 2023

These days I’m really interested in browser based games, particularly those that use libraries such as three.js. I decided to put together a bit of list of some of the best examples I have come across. In terms of actual gameplay I think that these vary in quality but I think they are all great demonstrations of the potential of webGL and browser based games. They are all free games too. 🙂


Interlandmade for Google by 14 Islands

Interland

Interland is an educational game designed to teach kids about online safety. I think this is perhaps the best example I have come across so far of an online game created using three.js. I am particularly impressed by the overall design, general usability, and mobile controls.

Open Interland
Read case study by 14 Islands

xx142-b2.exe by Ben Clark and Salvator Prevati

xx142-b2.exe

xx142-b2.exe won 1st place in JS13kGames competition (2019). This is a competition about creating a game in less than 13kb! I think this game has an excellent concept and when I have shown it to my students they all get drawn in to the challenge of figuring it out and completing the levels. It’s amazing what has been achieved here in such a small file size.

Open xx142-b2.exe

Ouigo WebGL Game
Ouigo

Ouigo

Ouigo is a highly polished pinball styled game created with Threejs. Another great example of what is possible with Threejs and WebGL.

Play Ouigo

HexGL by Thibaut Despoulain (BKcore)

HexGL

An oldie (2013?) but a goodie, HexGL is a futuristic racing game built by Thibaut Despoulain (BKcore) using HTML5, Javascript and WebGL.

Play HexGL

Cube Slam

Cube Slam

Another amazing example of a browser based game, “Cube Slam is a video game that you can play face-to-face against your friends..just by sharing a link.”

Open Cube Slam
Read article about it

The Aviator by Karim Maaloul 

The Aviator

The Aviator is the result of a tutorial on Tympanus.net that explores the basics of creating animated 3D scenes using Three.js.

Open The Aviator
Open the tutorial

The frantic run of the valorous rabbit by Karim Maloul

The frantic run of the valorous rabbit

Another cool demo by Karim Maloul. Check it out on Codepen where you can easily view the code. You can also find other cool demos by Karim on Codepen (I particularly like Paranoid vs shy birds).

Open The frantic run of the valorous rabbit

Tower Blocks by Steve Gardner

Tower Blocks

Another cool demo on Codepen. A simple but effective game by Steve Gardner.

Plume and the forgotten letter

Plume and the forgotten letter

A great example of a third person game with some interesting styles and effects rendered through WebGL.

Open Plume Game

Egghunt MSI

Egghunt MSI

Super smart, award winning game by Merci-Michel.

Open Egghunt MSI

Summer Afternoon Three.js WebGL game
Summer Afternoon

Summer Afternoon

Summer Afternoon by Vicente Lucendo presents a lovely, immersive environment, with a brilliant use of shaders emulating a 2D cartoon-like style. One thing I didn’t notice at first is that multiple players can join simultaneously, which is very cool.

Open Summer Afternoon

Coastal World - WebGL Three.js Game
Coastal World

Coastal World

Coastal World by Merci Michel is a super impressive example of a Three.js / WebGL game, with lots of different game play elements to uncover, such as riding a jetski or zip-line.

Open Coast World

Montblanc Explorer

Montblanc Explorer

Montblanc Explorer is another great example of a WebGL vehicle racer game.

Open Montblanc Explorer


Otherwise, I hope you enjoy checking out these Three.js / WebGL games, and please don’t hesitate to get in touch (via contact@henryegloff.com) if you have come across other great examples of browser based / webGL games that you think should be included here.

And just a shameless self promotion, I have recently been developing my own third person player controller system for Three.js. If by chance you’re interested, you can check out the latest demo here, and learn more here. 😎