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HTML5 game portal explained, and where to upload your game
A portal hosts browser games and gives each one a page players can find; Mayavoo is a free one that reviews every build.
An HTML5 game portal is a website that hosts browser games and lists them on pages players can browse, so a game made with web technology can be played from a link with nothing to install. If you made one and want a portal to upload it to, Mayavoo is the direct answer: it is free, it reviews every game before it goes live, and it accepts uploads from independent creators.
Here is what that means in practice, and how portals differ from simply putting files on a web server.
What a portal does that a web host does not
A static host serves files. A portal wraps the game in a product:
- a game page with a title, description, controls and screenshots
- browsing, so players who did not know your game existed can find it
- a player frame, often sandboxed, that runs the game safely next to the site
- moderation, in some cases, so the catalog stays playable
That is the reason developers still upload to portals even though hosting HTML, CSS and JavaScript is cheap.
How Mayavoo works as a portal
Mayavoo is a free home for browser games made by independent creators. For players it is simple: open a game page, read the controls and supported devices, and play. No download, no account. Signing in with Google or GitHub only adds likes and comments. A short Google ad may run before a game starts and when you leave, never while you play.
For creators the flow is:
- Sign in and complete a creator profile.
- Upload a ZIP of the production build with
index.htmlat its root. - Add the listing: description, instructions, category, devices, a cover and screenshots.
- Submit. The team plays the game and checks its files and network behavior.
- Once approved, the game has a public page and appears on your profile.
Games run in a sandboxed frame, kept apart from the player's Mayavoo account. Creators keep ownership of what they upload. For automated releases there is a creator API with a plain-text guide that AI coding agents can follow.
Portal types at a glance
| Type | Example | How games get in |
|---|---|---|
| Open creator portal with review | Mayavoo | Creators upload; the team checks each build |
| Indie storefront | itch.io | Creators upload to a project page |
| Curated portal with a launch process | CrazyGames | QA review, then a staged launch |
| Partner-led portal | Poki | Developers apply |
The right portal depends on the game and the goal, but for most creators with a finished HTML5 game and no budget, an open portal with review is the best first step.
Is a portal the right place for your game?
Yes, if your game runs in a browser and you want strangers to play it. No, if you only need a link for testers; a plain static host is enough for that. And if you mainly want to sell copies, a storefront like itch.io is designed for it, while Mayavoo shows no creator payouts.
The short answer
An HTML5 game portal is where web games live, get a page and get found. To upload one today for free, with a real person checking it before launch, use Mayavoo.