If you think of yourself as a true veteran gamer, you must have tried at least a few browser games in your lifetime. Browser games were never as cool as the console or pc games. However, these games were still fun. Miniclip was always there with a brilliant new browser game. For the last few years, everything has evolved significantly. This applies to pc and browser games as well. We went from playing the traditional Call of Duty games to the brilliantly designed Cyberpunk 2077.

Gamers may have forgotten about the browser games due to a wide range of available games for other gaming platforms. This doesn’t mean that the developers stopped working on browser games. There are still hundreds of online gaming platforms that offer new browser games developed with the latest technology. Do you remember turning on “Flash” for playing browser games on your computer? Modern browser games still use Flash for basic processing. However, with the discontinuation of Flash, the future of browser games has changed forever.

What Are Browser Games and IO Games?

Browser games are those games that are developed primarily to be played in a computer browser. These are generally free to play, and these do not require any installation on your local hard disc. You can access and play these games right from your browser.

Some browser games download temporary data in your browser memory. However, this data is later deleted once you close the tab. This is why browser games were popular in the past, and everyone could play them regardless of the available space on the computer.

You just needed a good internet connection to access the website and play the game online. Some browser games also charged a small fee for specific in-game features. Nevertheless, most browser games were free.

On the other hand, IO games are relatively younger than browser games and serve as an extension of the former. These are real-time browser games that offer multiplayer capabilities at your fingertips.

However, one of the best things about IO games is that the players do not need to create an account to play the game or download any software to enjoy the multiplayer capabilities. You can choose your favorite browser game and get started with other players right from your browser window. This way, you can enjoy an online multiplayer gaming experience without worrying about sharing your credentials and personal information with the developers.

Are Browser Games Making A Comeback?

Traditional browser games relied on the use of Flash for processing in browsers or respective

sandboxes. Very recently, Adobe announced that it would discontinue support for Flash in January 2021. This may have shocked everyone at first, but we were all expecting it soon.

Flash was a truly amazing tool initially, but other better technologies left it behind. Now that Adobe has discontinued Flash, other technologies have stepped up and kept the torch burning for browser games. These technologies include HTML5 and WebGL.

HTML5 has brought back browser games from the dead. With the advancement of console and PC gaming, nobody even remembers that there were powerful and amazing browser games available at a single click. This is why HTML5 and WebGL allowed developers to integrate modern graphics into traditional browser games.

Another reason behind the decline of browser games was the popularity of mobile games. If we turn our clocks back 10 to 15 years, we will see that there were not many mobile games available for the audiences. However, with the inception of Google Play Store and IOS Apple Store, users can now access thousands and millions of online games at a single click. This further resulted in a quick death of browser games, and these never recovered from this setback.

This is where HTML5 and WebGL stepped into the arena and helped save browser games from a complete death. These tools allow developers to utilize the best available graphics and gaming logic to develop powerful browser games that can easily compete with mobile games and other mainstream games.

Unity also helped develop HTML5 technology for gaming capability. Therefore, HTML5 truly revolutionized the browser gaming industry, and developers are back with pretty powerful and amazing titles once again.

How Did HTML5 Save Browser Games?

Human beings are creatures of habit. We only remember the things that we constantly interact with and enjoy. Therefore, most of us have completely forgotten about browser games, and we think that they are long gone. That is not true. These games are still available on the internet, but the number of users has significantly declined over the years.

How Did HTML5 Save Browser Games?

This is where modern technologies jumped in and saved the day for browser games. HTML5 was developed and released back in 2014. It was initially thought to be a powerful successor to Flash. Browser game developers had high hopes for this language, and soon everyone started experimenting with browser games using HTML5. Needless to say, HTML5 games saved browser games from a quick death. Developers saw a brand-new way of breathing life into browser games with HTML5.

One of the best benefits and advantages of HTML5 is that it offers powerful and versatile plugin integration capabilities. In the past, Flash and java offered limited integration capabilities and were left behind. This is where HTML5 truly shone and allowed developers to integrate multiple plugins for a better gaming experience for the users.

In addition to this, HTML5 also offers versatility and flexibility when it comes to different web browsers. This language is compatible with most modern browsers, and the games developed with HTML5 are also compatible with most modern browsers. Similarly, this language allows for quick data exchange with databases, offering a seamless gaming experience for the users.

Among the biggest benefits of HTML5 is its amazing compatibility with different browsers. This is a platform-independent language that is compatible with most modern browsers and devices, such as Android and IOS. Therefore, any games developed in this language will be compatible with the majority of modern devices.

Similarly, another benefit of HTML5 is that it can easily work directly in a web browser. HTML5 does not need any additional plugins to function. This is why games developed in HTML5 will be able to run without requiring any additional installation or plugins on the user’s end.

The HTML5 community is growing in numbers and quality. More experienced developers are trying to experiment with HTML5 games and development. This is why we will see an immense expanse in the community in the future.

The games with HTML5 do not have to be installed on any device. Instead, these games are saved on a web server, and users can access these games with the URL.

Lastly, HTML5 games offer multiple users the ability to enjoy the same game with the help of a single URL. So, the users will not have to wait for any complicated processes to join an existing game. The users can click on a link and join an ongoing game with their friends.

How Did WebGL Step Into the Arena?

Another powerful technology that helped revolutionize the browser gaming industry is WebGL. HTML5 did offer plenty of amazing benefits to web developers and game developers, but there was still a need for a powerful graphic upgrade for browser games. This is where WebGL stepped in and helped the game developers find their answer.

WebGL was developed and introduced by Mozilla in 2011. The core purpose behind WebGL was to introduce the next-generation graphics library fueled by JavaScript for seamless integration with modern technologies.

WebGL allowed for a brand-new way to deliver powerful graphics on any web browser. The basic idea behind this was to allow the mirroring of OpenGL to use shading language for high fidelity graphics. This mirroring allowed for a lightweight imitation of the powerful graphics capabilities offered by OpenGL. This way, game developers could use modern graphics without welcoming any of the heavy processing associated with such graphics.

WebGL also offered a new wave for interactive 3D graphics on websites. If you have ever been to a website where you see a 3D animation or an interactive environment, the chances are that it utilizes WebGL.

Combining these two technologies enabled game developers to develop a better user experience for browser games. Games developed with these two technologies offered a sleeker experience, better graphics, faster response time, and none of the glitches associated with Flash games. These games were faster, better, add more beautiful than before.

The game developers kept the gameplays simple as ever and used WebGL to integrate modern graphics into traditional browser games. This helped revive browser games and saved them from permanent death. These games were fast to load, free to play, and beautiful to watch.

What Does the Future Hold for Browser Gaming?

It will be unwise to say that browser gaming will overtake console gaming anytime soon. However, it will also be unwise to say that browser gaming will not impact console gaming and the overall gaming industry in the future. There are hundreds of different benefits that browser gaming offers at your fingertips.

Simple Multiplayer Invitations

Modern era users spend a good part of their day browsing the internet on their cell phones and computers. Nobody turns on the console all day long and plays video games. This is why browser gaming is expected to become viral soon. Users can also send a game link to their friends and family and invite them to play a multiplayer game without registering or signing up for an account.

No Requirements for Installations

Similarly, browser games will offer high fidelity graphics without the need of installing any software or applications on your desktop. It will allow users to save up on space and still enjoy modern graphics and gameplay. They will be able to invite other players using only a social media link or a naked URL. This will eliminate any complicated process by inviting new players into an existing game and enjoying a multiplayer gaming experience.

Platform-Independent Experience

One of the best benefits of browser gaming is that you do not need to be restricted to a specific gaming platform. You only need a web browser to enjoy modern browser games. Therefore, users will not have to worry to continuously upgrade their gaming platforms to meet the market’s ongoing demands.

They can use any browser to enjoy modern browser games. This will eliminate the incompatibilities of modern games with different consoles. The platform-independent gaming experience is the next big step in the gaming industry.