Half-Life in your browser: how to play

What it actually is

WebXash is a browser build of the Xash3D engine that ships with Valve's freely released Half-Life: Uplink demo, a short standalone chapter. It is a good taste of how smooth the old GoldSrc games are in WebAssembly. The full campaign is not included.

The legitimate way to play

Uplink demo is free; Half-Life is sold on Steam.

If Half-Life won't load

• Give the first load time. Half-Life downloads its engine and data before the first frame, and a cut-off download often looks like a frozen black screen. Reload once on a stable connection before trying anything else.
• Click inside the game window before pressing keys. Browser games only receive keyboard and mouse input once the page has focus, and most need a click to capture the mouse.
• If the screen stays black, run our browser check. A missing WebGL 2 result usually means an outdated browser or a graphics driver the browser has blocked.

Chromebook, phone and tablet

On a Chromebook, Half-Life should start in Chrome as long as the browser check shows WebAssembly and WebGL 2. Low-end Chromebooks may need lower graphics settings, and managed school devices can block sites or downloads entirely; follow your school's rules. It is built for keyboard and mouse, so a phone or tablet is not a realistic way to play it.

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