GUIDE / 16 CLASSICS THAT RUN IN A TAB / UPDATED OCTOBER 10, 2026
Quake, Doom, Diablo, LEGO Island, The Simpsons: Hit & Run, Half-Life, Crash Bash, wipEout and Pitfall! all run in a browser tab now, free, with nothing to install. Community programmers compile the original engines to WebAssembly or rebuild them for the web, and the game loads straight into the page. This guide lists every one on the wall, what you actually get, how much it downloads before you can play, and whether it works on a phone.
How we checked. We opened each game, checked its first playable scene and measured its initial assets or network transfer, then noted phone support, players and whether it asks for an account. We skip ports that make you download gigabytes: GTA V, Skate 3 and Urban Terror each need well over a gigabyte, so they are not here.
Unofficial, and labelled. These are fan and community projects, not releases from the original studios, and every listing names the rights holder. Some run on data the studios gave away (the Quake, Doom and Diablo shareware, Valve's Half-Life demos, SimCity's open-sourced code); others run original game files. We link to each project; we do not host any game.
| Play it | Original | What you get | Download before play | Phone | Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quake (q1.pieter.com) | Quake (1996)id Software | Online deathmatch on the episode 1 maps, up to 8 players | about 24 MB | Yes, by touch | Online, up to 8 |
| Three.js Quake | Quake (1996)id Software | The single-player shareware episode, rebuilt on Three.js | about 22 MB (shareware pak0.pak 19 MB) | Not checked | Single player |
| Quake II (q2.pieter.com) | Quake II (1997)id Software | Online deathmatch and capture the flag, topped up with bots | about 81 MB | Yes, by touch | Online, up to 8 with bots |
| Quake III Arena (q3.pieter.com) | Quake III Arena (1999)id Software | Online deathmatch on the demo maps, The Longest Yard included | about 76 MB, cached after the first visit | Yes, by touch | Online multiplayer |
| Three.js Doom | Doom (1993)id Software | Shareware Episode 1, Knee-Deep in the Dead, on Three.js | about 8 MB | Desktop only | Single player |
| Three.js Descent | Descent (1995)Parallax Software / Interplay | Shareware Episode 1, six degrees of freedom, on Three.js | about 9 MB | Desktop only | Single player |
| WebXash (Half-Life in the browser) | Half-Life (1998)Valve | Valve's free Uplink, Day One and deathmatch demos; your own Steam files for the full game | about 38 to 87 MB per demo | Desktop only | Single-player demos; self-hosted multiplayer |
| LEGO Island (isle.pizza) | LEGO Island (1997)The LEGO Group / Mindscape | The whole game, from a full decompilation | 4 MB to start; the original game data streams in as you play | Yes, by touch | Single player; optional multiplayer |
| The Simpsons: Hit & Run (browser port) | The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003)Radical Entertainment / Vivendi / Fox | The whole PC game, ported from its source code | about 54 MB before Start; the rest streams as you play | Desktop only | Single player |
| Diablo 1 in the Browser | Diablo (1996)Blizzard | The shareware version; your own files unlock the full game | about 28 MB, cached after the first visit | Opens; best on desktop | Single player |
| Crash Bash Online | Crash Bash (2000)Eurocom / Cerny Games / Activision | 28 free battle arenas, solo CPUs or online rooms; Adventure needs an account | about 24 MB for the first solo arena; others load on demand | Not checked | Solo vs CPUs or 2-4 online players |
| wipEout (browser port) | wipEout (1995)Psygnosis / Sony | Original anti-gravity racing; choose MINIMAL VERSION to skip music and intro | about 13 MB minimal; optional full version listed at 144 MB | Not checked | Single player |
| Pitfall! | Pitfall! (1982)David Crane / Activision | Browser reconstruction with smooth scrolling and three difficulty modes | under 1 MB through the first playable scene | Not checked | Single player |
| bunnyhop.lol | Counter-Strike: Source bhop (2004 engine)Valve; community maps by their credited makers | Movement time trials, a beginner tutorial, ghosts and online servers | about 20 MB through the tutorial; other maps load on demand | Desktop only | Solo time trials and online servers |
| micropolisJS | SimCity (1989)Maxis / EA (open-sourced as Micropolis) | The original simulation, ported to JavaScript | under 1 MB | Desktop only | Single player |
| Lost City (RuneScape 2004) · account needed | RuneScape (as of November 2004)Jagex | A community reconstruction of 2004 RuneScape; free account needed | about 5 MB; maps and models stream in as you play | Desktop only | Massively multiplayer |
↗The original Quake as online deathmatch: QuakeWorld on the FTE engine, the episode 1 maps and up to eight players.
DOWNLOADabout 24 MB. Phone: yes, by touch.
↗id Software's 1996 Quake, ported to Three.js by mrdoob with Claude. The shareware first episode plays free in a tab.
DOWNLOADabout 22 MB (shareware pak0.pak 19 MB). Phone: not checked.
↗Quake II deathmatch online in the browser, which Pieter Levels says he made with AI: the classic DM maps, CTF and bots.
DOWNLOADabout 81 MB. Phone: yes, by touch.
↗Online Quake III Arena deathmatch in a tab: type a name, press Play and frag whoever is on, The Longest Yard included.
DOWNLOADabout 76 MB, cached after the first visit. Phone: yes, by touch.
↗Doom's shareware Episode 1, Knee-Deep in the Dead, rebuilt on Three.js by mrdoob with Claude and Codex.
DOWNLOADabout 8 MB. Phone: desktop only.
↗Parallax Software's 1995 six-degrees-of-freedom shooter, ported to Three.js by mrdoob with Claude. Shareware Episode 1 included.
DOWNLOADabout 9 MB. Phone: desktop only.
↗Half-Life in a browser tab on the Xash3D engine: the free Uplink, Day One and deathmatch demos start in a click; bring your own files for the full game or CS 1.6.
DOWNLOADabout 38 to 87 MB per demo. Phone: desktop only.
↗The original anti-gravity racer in your browser: futuristic ships, weapon pickups and sweeping tracks.
DOWNLOADabout 13 MB minimal; optional full version listed at 144 MB. Phone: not checked.
↗Counter-Strike: Source bunnyhopping in a browser: learn to strafe, chain jumps and race your own best ghost.
DOWNLOADabout 20 MB through the tutorial; other maps load on demand. Phone: desktop only.
↗The 1997 LEGO Island running in your browser: explore the island, build vehicles, race, and meet Pepper and the Brickster.
DOWNLOAD4 MB to start; the original game data streams in as you play. Phone: yes, by touch.
↗The 2003 Simpsons: Hit & Run running in a browser tab: drive around Springfield, smash things and do the family's missions.
DOWNLOADabout 54 MB before Start; the rest streams as you play. Phone: desktop only.
↗The original 1996 Diablo running in your browser through WebAssembly. The shareware is free; bring your own files for the full game.
DOWNLOADabout 28 MB, cached after the first visit. Phone: opens; best on desktop.
↗The PS1 party game in a tab: 28 free battle arenas, solo against CPUs or in online rooms with friends.
DOWNLOADabout 24 MB for the first solo arena; others load on demand. Phone: not checked.
↗Swing over crocodiles, dodge rolling logs and collect jungle treasures in a tiny browser rebuild of the Atari classic.
DOWNLOADunder 1 MB through the first playable scene. Phone: not checked.
↗The original SimCity simulation, open-sourced as Micropolis, hand-ported to JavaScript. Zone, build, tax, and watch a city grow or fail.
DOWNLOADunder 1 MB. Phone: desktop only.
↗ACCOUNT NEEDEDA free, open-source, community-run reconstruction of RuneScape exactly as it was on 24 November 2004, playable in the browser.
DOWNLOADabout 5 MB; maps and models stream in as you play. Phone: desktop only.
Yes. The original engines are compiled to WebAssembly (or rebuilt in Three.js), and the game data loads into the page. You click play and you are in: no installer, no emulator setup, no account for most of them.
Every game in this guide is free to play. A few creators take donations, Lost City asks for a free account, and Crash Bash needs an account for its saved Adventure campaign; its Battle arenas work as a guest.
From under 1 MB for SimCity and Pitfall! to about 87 MB for the largest Half-Life demo. Choose wipEout's MINIMAL VERSION for about 13 MB; its optional full version with music and intro is listed at 144 MB. LEGO Island and The Simpsons: Hit & Run start small and stream the rest as you play. We leave out ports that need roughly 200 MB or more before you can play.
Quake (q1.pieter.com), Quake II (q2.pieter.com), Quake III Arena (q3.pieter.com), LEGO Island (isle.pizza) play by touch. The rest want a keyboard and mouse. More in our guide to browser games on your phone.
The three Quakes on q1, q2 and q3.pieter.com are online deathmatch with real players and bots, and Lost City is a full MMO.
KNOW ONE WE MISSED?
If a classic game runs in your browser and does not need a giant download, suggest it. We check every one before it goes up. Browse the rest of the free browser shooters or the full game wall.