How to Export Your Godot 4 Game to the Web (and itch.io)

A game on your hard drive isn't really a game yet. The moment you put it in a browser and send someone a link, it becomes real. Web export is the fastest way to get there, and it's how most people share their first Godot project on itch.io. The export itself is easy. A couple of gotchas catch everyone, so here's the whole path.

Godot needs the web export templates installed before it can build for the browser. Open the editor and go to Editor, Manage Export Templates. If they're not there, download them (the button fetches the matching version for you). This is a one-time step.

Go to Project, Export. Click Add, and choose Web. That creates a preset with sensible defaults. You usually don't need to change anything to get started.

Then hit Export Project, pick an empty folder, and name the main file index.html. Godot spits out a handful of files: the HTML page, a .js loader, a .wasm file, and your packed game. They all need to stay together.

Here's the first thing that trips people up. Open that index.html straight from your file manager and you'll likely get a black screen or a console full of errors. Modern browsers block the features Godot's web build needs when a page loads from a file:// path. It's not broken. It just has to be served over HTTP.

The quick way to test locally is a tiny web server. If you have Python:

# run this in the folder with index.html
python -m http.server 8000

Then open http://localhost:8000 in your browser. Now it loads. Godot's editor also has a one-click "Remote Debug, Run in Browser" option that spins up a server for you.

itch.io is the easiest home for a browser game, and it's free. Zip your exported files (with index.html at the root of the zip, not inside a subfolder). On itch, create a new project, set the Kind to HTML, and upload the zip. Check the box that says this file will be played in the browser.

One setting matters: find the SharedArrayBuffer support option in the embed settings and turn it on. Godot 4's web builds use threading features that depend on it, and leaving it off is the most common reason a game that worked locally shows a black screen on itch. Set a sensible viewport size for the embed while you're there.

If it loads locally but breaks once uploaded, run through this short list:

• SharedArrayBuffer support is enabled in the itch embed settings.
• index.html is at the top level of your zip.
• You're on a recent browser. Older ones choke on WebAssembly threads.
• The browser console (F12) almost always names the real problem. Read it before guessing.

Performance is the other thing to expect: web builds run slower than desktop, and big games take a while to download. Keep your first web project small and it'll feel snappy.

Honestly, the hardest part of web export is having a game worth exporting. That's the whole reason to build complete, small projects instead of half-finished prototypes. Our free Co-Op Crate Combustion quest walks you through a full, finished local co-op game across 13 chapters, exactly the kind of project that's satisfying to export and hand to a friend with a link.

How do I export a Godot 4 game to the web?

Install the web export templates via Editor, Manage Export Templates, then go to Project, Export, add a Web preset, and export to an index.html file. Godot generates the HTML, JavaScript, and WebAssembly files your browser needs to run the game.

Why is my Godot web export a black screen?

Two usual causes. Locally, you're opening index.html from a file path instead of serving it over HTTP, so serve it with a local web server. On itch.io, you forgot to enable SharedArrayBuffer support in the embed settings, which Godot 4 web builds require.

Can I put my Godot game on itch.io?

Yes, and it's free. Export to web, zip the files with index.html at the root, create an HTML project on itch, upload the zip, mark it as played in the browser, and enable SharedArrayBuffer support in the embed settings.