Highlights
- Thanks to fans, the original Diablo is now playable via a web browser.
- It even works on mobile devices with special touchscreen support.
- You can play the shareware demo version for free now, but if you want to access the full game you will need to upload the MPQ from your purchased copy.
Diablo fans managed to get the original game to run natively through a web browser, meaning you can currently play the first game on any internet-enabled device.
When you open the browser port (linked here) you have two options: you can either play the shareware version or upload an MPQ.
You can also upload save files, so if you’re playing through Diablo on the go but want to switch to a web browser to try it out, that’s possible too.
Shareware is a free version of Diablo that lets you get a taste of the game before you buy it. It’s basically a demo, but if you upload an MPQ you get access to the full game. You can get this by buying Diablo from GOG for just £7.89. So it’s not piracy, it’s just a new way to use the DRM-free game you bought.
The Diablo web browser even supports mobile devices
The best thing about this fan-made port is that it works incredibly well on mobile devices. Every phone has a web browser, so you can get Diablo up and running right away. Thankfully, there are dedicated buttons on the side that allow you to play the game using the touchscreen, so you don’t have to worry about setting up a Bluetooth keyboard.
Of course, the screen is much smaller and it can feel a little odd playing a classic RPG like this without a mouse in hand, but after a few hours it becomes second nature. You can see what it looks like in the tweet embedded below.
If you haven’t played the original Diablo, it came out in 1996 and introduced us to the iconic Tristram. We arrive there at the beginning of the game to find that most of the residents have fled and those left behind – like series star Deckard Cain – need our help.
At the end of your adventure, you even face Diablo in his mortal form, but if you played the second game (which was re-released in 2021), you know how the story ended. It’s not quite as simple as “hero kills villain.” I won’t go into specific spoilers here, as you can fire up Firefox right now and try the game out for yourself.
