Quake III Arena in your browser: how to play

What it actually is

Q3JS is a non-commercial fan project built on the GPL-licensed ioquake3 engine and the officially released demo data. It has a live server browser, frag leaderboards and a phone mode. The same author runs a Jedi Academy port.

The legitimate way to play

Uses free demo data; Quake III Arena is sold on Steam and GOG.

If Quake III Arena won't load

• Give the first load time. Quake III Arena 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, Quake III Arena 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. The project offers touchscreen controls, but a shooter like this is much easier with a keyboard and mouse or a controller.

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Questions