Homegames: An 8-year solo-built, GPLv3 platform for making browser games

Homegames is a free, open-source platform for creating and playing multiplayer games entirely in the browser. Players need no account to jump in, and creators get a built-in code editor with live preview, so changes can be tested in real multiplayer sessions on the fly. The studio also handles asset management, letting makers upload files or draw and record directly in the tool. Finished games can be published publicly or kept private.

The project’s defining trait is its commitment to openness and longevity. Everything — the platform code, the games themselves, and the website — is licensed under GPLv3, so anyone can read or fork it. Homegames was architected to be fully self-hostable, including its API, which means creators can run the whole stack on their own hardware and preserve their games independently of the central site.

What makes it notable is the scale of persistence behind it: a mostly solo side project sustained since 2018. The emphasis on self-hosting and preservation — the author’s framing of games surviving even if “this website gets hit by a bus” — reflects a design philosophy oriented toward user ownership and durability rather than platform lock-in.