Web Browser Game Development

Framework selection and browser-specific principles. For stack choice details see game-development/engine-selection.

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1. Framework Selection

Decision Tree

What type of game?
│
├── 2D Game
│   ├── Full game engine features? → Phaser 4
│   ├── Fast prototype / jam?      → Kaplay
│   ├── Raw rendering power?       → PixiJS 8
│   └── Tiny / no dependency?      → Raw Canvas / WebGL
│
├── 3D Game
│   ├── Full engine (physics, XR)? → Babylon.js
│   └── Rendering focused?         → Three.js
│
├── Hybrid (DOM UI + canvas moments)
│   └── Custom shell + guest viewport
│       (Canvas/Kaplay/Phaser/Pixi inside a region/modal)
│
└── Narrative-first
    └── Ink (inkjs) or Twine export + DOM host

Comparison

Framework	Type	Best For
Raw Canvas / WebGL	2D / low-level	Small scope, full control
Kaplay	2D toolkit	Rapid prototypes
Phaser 4	2D engine	Full game features
PixiJS 8	2D renderer	Rendering, custom systems
Three.js	3D renderer	Visualizations, lightweight 3D
Babylon.js	3D engine	Full engine, XR

Hybrid shell + guest

Use when chrome is HTML (menus, inventories, text, dashboards) but bursts of play need a canvas:

1. Mount guest in a container; pass context in.
2. Run a local game loop in the guest.
3. Return results (score, pass/fail); destroy guest (RAF, listeners, GL context as needed).

Do not let the guest own global app routing unless the product is a full-screen game.

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2. WebGPU Adoption

Browser Support (2025)

Browser	Support
Chrome	✅ Since v113
Edge	✅ Since v113
Firefox	✅ Since v131
Safari	✅ Since 18.0
Total	~73% global

Decision

• New GPU-heavy projects: Use WebGPU with WebGL fallback
• Broad legacy / simple 2D: Start with WebGL or Canvas 2D
• Feature detection: Check navigator.gpu

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3. Performance Principles

Browser Constraints

Constraint	Strategy
No local file access	Asset bundling, CDN
Tab throttling	Pause when hidden (visibilitychange)
Mobile data limits	Compress assets
Audio autoplay	Require user interaction

Optimization Priority

1. Asset compression - KTX2, Draco, WebP
2. Lazy loading - Load on demand
3. Object pooling - Avoid GC
4. Draw call batching - Reduce state changes
5. Web Workers - Offload heavy computation

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4. Asset Strategy

Type	Format
Textures	KTX2 + Basis Universal (or WebP/PNG for simple 2D)
Audio	WebM/Opus (fallback: MP3)
3D Models	glTF + Draco/Meshopt

Phase	Load
Startup	Core assets, <2MB
Gameplay	Stream on demand
Background	Prefetch next level

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5. PWA for Games

Benefits: offline play, install, fullscreen, optional push. Requirements: service worker, web app manifest, HTTPS.

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6. Audio Handling

• Create/resume AudioContext on first click/tap
• Prefer Web Audio API; pool sources; preload common SFX
• Compress with WebM/Opus when possible

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7. Anti-Patterns

❌ Don't	✅ Do
Load all assets upfront	Progressive loading
Ignore tab visibility	Pause when hidden
Block on audio load	Lazy load audio
Skip compression	Compress everything
Assume fast connection	Handle slow networks
Leave canvas engines running off-screen	Tear down guests

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Remember: Browser is the most accessible platform. Respect its constraints.

When to Use

Use when building HTML5/WebGL/WebGPU games, choosing a browser runtime, or wiring hybrid DOM+canvas guests.

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.