Where to host an HTML5 browser game for free
You can host an HTML5 browser game for free with no signup on ship.page by dropping a .html file up to 10 MB, a .zip up to 25 MB (100 MB unpacked) or a folder, and get a live HTTPS link in seconds that stays up for 30 days. If you want a storefront and player community instead, itch.io takes up to 1,000 files and 500 MB extracted with a free account.
A file. A folder. A fresh start.
Your static site, one link away.
Uploading publishes your file. The link is public but unlisted, not password-protected, so leave out secrets and confidential content.
- itch.io unpacked HTML5 limit across 1,000 files
- 500 MB
- ship.page free upload (100 MB unpacked, 100 files)
- 25 MB ZIP
- ship.page free link lifetime with no account needed
- 30 days
- GitHub Pages published site limit on public repos
- 1 GB
How to get a playable link in seconds on ship.page
Export your game as HTML5
Build your project for the web from your engine or code editor so that index.html is the homepage. If your engine outputs a folder of scripts, sprites and audio, zip it; a ZIP with a single top folder is unwrapped automatically.
Turn off pre-compression in your build settings
ship.page serves files as they are with no Content-Encoding header. If your engine outputs pre-compressed .br or .gz files, either disable compression before exporting or enable a JavaScript decompressor in the export options.
Drop the ZIP, folder or HTML file onto ship.page
Drag your .html file (up to 10 MB), .zip file (up to 25 MB on free, 100 MB unpacked, up to 100 files) or folder (up to roughly 7 MB of files) into the browser uploader. You do not need an account or credit card.
Send the HTTPS link or QR code to players
Your game goes live in seconds on its own subdomain over HTTPS, and the success screen gives you a QR code with a PNG download for mobile testing. The link stays up for 30 days, or 90 days if you claim it with a free Google or email sign-in.
Your options
itch.io
- Best for
- Indie developers who want a public game page, a player community and donations.
- Free
- Free account hosts HTML5 ZIPs up to 500 MB extracted (1,000 files, 200 MB per file) with a default 10% revenue share you can set down to 0%.
- Catch
- You must create an account and set up a store page before anyone can play, and selling a browser game requires marking the project as downloadable.
ship.page
- Best for
- Sending a playable build to playtesters, friends or clients in seconds without creating an account.
- Free
- Free with no signup for 30 days (90 days with a free account), taking a 10 MB HTML file or a 25 MB ZIP (100 MB unpacked, 100 files).
- Catch
- Free pages cannot be updated at the same URL, custom domains are not offered on any plan, and bigger builds up to 100 MB ZIPs need Pro at $4 a month.
gd.games
- Best for
- People building their game inside the GDevelop editor who want to publish straight from the editor.
- Free
- Free hosting built directly into the GDevelop editor.
- Catch
- It is only for GDevelop games, so you cannot upload HTML5 builds from Unity, Godot, Phaser, Construct or Twine.
GitHub Pages
- Best for
- Developers who already keep their game source and build files in a public Git repository.
- Free
- Free for public repositories on GitHub Free, with published sites up to 1 GB, a 100 GB monthly soft bandwidth limit, a soft limit of 10 builds an hour and custom domains.
- Catch
- It requires a GitHub account and a public repository on the free tier, and it cannot be used as free hosting for a commercial, e-commerce or SaaS business.
Cloudflare Pages
- Best for
- Games with thousands of small sprite or audio files that need a custom domain.
- Free
- Free plan allows 20,000 files per site, 500 builds a month and 100 custom domains per project.
- Catch
- Each individual file is capped at 25 MiB, which blocks large single-file WebAssembly or data bundles unless you split them.
Netlify
- Best for
- Developers who want drag-and-drop deploys with Netlify Drop, with no account needed to start.
- Free
- Netlify Drop accepts a folder, ZIP or single HTML file with no account needed to start, and the free plan includes 300 credits.
- Catch
- A production deploy costs 15 credits and bandwidth costs 20 credits per GB, and moving up to the Personal plan costs $9 a month.
Free HTML5 browser game hosts compared
| Host | Account | Size limit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| itch.io | Required | 500 MB unpacked, 200 MB/file, 1,000 files | Store page, player community and donations |
| ship.page | None required | 25 MB ZIP (100 MB unpacked), 100 files | Unlisted playtest link in seconds |
| gd.games | Via GDevelop editor | Set by GDevelop | Games built in GDevelop only |
| GitHub Pages | Required (public repo) | 1 GB site, 100 GB/mo soft bandwidth | Open-source and non-commercial developer builds |
| Cloudflare Pages | Required | 25 MiB per file, 20,000 files | High file-count games with custom domains |
| Netlify | Not required to start | 300 credits (15/deploy, 20/GB) | Quick drops that later move to Git deploys |
Should I use itch.io or a direct link host?
Pick itch.io when you want strangers to discover your game. It gives you a public game page, a player community and a way to take donations.
Pick ship.page when you just want a link to paste into Discord or Slack right now. Every uploaded page is sent with a noindex header and is never listed in a public directory, so only people with the link can play your prototype.
When do GitHub Pages, Cloudflare Pages or Netlify make sense?
Developer hosts shine when you want a permanent custom domain or automated deploys from Git, and you can compare the workflow in our GitHub Pages comparison and Netlify Drop comparison. GitHub Pages is free, though your repository must be public on the free plan and it is not allowed as free hosting for a commercial business.
Cloudflare Pages is strong for asset-heavy 2D games because the free plan allows 20,000 files per site and 100 custom domains, as long as no single file exceeds 25 MiB. For command-line or automated publishing, ship.page also supports one curl command (POST https://ship.page/deploy), an MCP server at https://ship.page/mcp and a GitHub Action.
What engine settings trip up free web game hosts?
- Engines like Unity can export pre-compressed .gz or .br files; for a Unity WebGL game on ship.page, turn on Decompression Fallback or set compression to Disabled, and use Pro at $4 a month if your ZIP is between 25 MB and 100 MB.
- If you build in GDevelop, you can also export a web folder and host a GDevelop game on ship.page for an unlisted link.
- File paths on ship.page are case-sensitive, so Sprites/Player.png in your code will fail if the file is named sprites/player.png.
- ship.page only serves static files like HTML, CSS, JavaScript and WebAssembly; multiplayer servers in Node.js, Python or PHP need a separate backend host.
Tip: If your game uses client-side routing for menus or levels, use hash routes like #/level-2 on ship.page because there is no single-page-app fallback.
Questions
Where can I host my HTML5 game for free without creating an account?
ship.page lets you drag and drop an HTML file up to 10 MB, a ZIP up to 25 MB (100 MB unpacked) or a folder and gives you a live HTTPS link for 30 days with no signup. Netlify Drop also accepts a folder, ZIP or single HTML file with no account needed to start.
What are the file size limits for HTML5 games on itch.io?
itch.io allows up to 1,000 files per HTML5 upload, a maximum of 500 MB when extracted and up to 200 MB for any single file. You can upload either a ZIP with index.html at the root or a single self-contained .html file.
Can I host a Unity WebGL build for free?
Yes. On ship.page, turn off pre-compression or turn on Decompression Fallback, then upload a ZIP up to 25 MB free (100 MB unpacked), or up to 100 MB on Pro at $4 a month.
Can I password-protect a private playtest build?
On ship.page, every free upload is unlisted and sent with a noindex header so search engines ignore it. If you need password protection, pages that never expire (or custom expiry down to 60 seconds) and the ability to update a build at the same link, ship.page Pro costs $4 a month.
Can I sell my browser game on these free hosts?
itch.io has built-in payments where HTML5 games can take donations, and you can set a price if you mark the project as downloadable, with a default 10% revenue share you can change from 0% to 100%. GitHub Pages forbids running a commercial or e-commerce business on its free hosting.
Keep reading
- Share an HTML game
- Host a Unity WebGL game
- Host a Phaser game
- Publish a Twine game
- ship.page vs GitHub Pages
Drop your HTML5 game build to test it
Drag in an HTML file, a ZIP up to 25 MB or a folder to get a playable HTTPS link and QR code in seconds with no signup.