Grand Theft Auto: Vice City can now be played through a web browser, and it feels as if it were running on a PlayStation 2. This non-commercial tech demo from DOS Zone uses a WebAssembly build of the GTA community’s reVC (reverse Vice City) engine. It’s meant to showcase the potential for rendering complex 3D games through browser APIs, allowing them to basically run on any device with an integrated browser.
This port is based on an open-source version of the game, not affiliated with Rockstar Games. The demo is intended only to familiarise you with the tech. As such, all features are available, including support for different aspect ratios, gamepad controls, touch controls, and it saves your game if you have a JS-DOS key.
Apparently, you can even progress through the story if you can provide the game files to prove your ownership. That said, the demo lets you roam free in the first open part of the map, which is good enough for a quick test. Trying to follow the mission triggers a file check, so stay away from the hotel checkpoint.
Needless to say, the legal side isn’t completely clear. DOS Zone claims this demo merely showcases technology using open-source code. Nevertheless, Rockstar still owns the rights to the game, its story, and characters. What’s more, the in-game radio plays copyrighted music. DOS Zone’s manifesto states that it aims to preserve gaming, not encourage piracy. As such, any disputed content will be promptly removed if requested by rights holders.
Legalities aside, the game ran flawlessly during my short test, offering control through mouse and keyboard, a gamepad, and even touch controls. Yep, you heard that right, the game also runs on smartphone browsers. I bet you can also run it on one of those fancy fridges.
Note that Vice City isn’t the only game available on this platform; the library is massive, including plenty of early DOS and Windows games, such as Turok, Earthworm Jim, and Tomb Raider. I was surprised by how each game ran smoothly and loaded quickly. I still remember the days when 3D games were a pipe dream for browsers, but today, it seems that only the sky is the limit. Who knows, maybe we’ll live to see AAA titles launching on browsers in the future.
