OpenMW

Playing

On your own server, open http://localhost in desktop Chrome - or just play the hosted site at morrowind.virtastic.app. The launcher offers:

• The example world - a small free demo, no Morrowind required.
• Bring your own Morrowind - point the browser at your Data Files folder; files stream from disk on demand, nothing is uploaded.
• This server’s copy - when the host has game data staged, play it with nothing to pick.
• Your own Morrowind, from anywhere - sign in and upload once; it follows your account to any machine, saves included.

Settings and keybindings persist in the browser. Saves go with how you play: to real files inside your picked folder (“bring your own”), to the server when signed in, or to browser storage for the offline demo. In-game, Options → Video has a resolution-scale setting - drop it a notch on lighter hardware.

Troubleshooting

• “Can’t open this folder because it contains system files.” Chromium refuses folders under Program Files, where Steam’s default library lives. Copy Data Files to your Desktop or Documents and pick it there. GOG installs are unaffected.
• “Doesn’t look like a Data Files folder.” Pick the folder actually containing Morrowind.esm and Morrowind.bsa (or its parent Morrowind folder).
• No sound, music, or intro video. Your copy is missing the loose Sound/Music/Video folders that live beside the archives. A normal Steam or GOG install has them.

Browser requirement. Desktop Chrome or Chromium with MEMORY64 (Chrome/Edge 133+): the engine needs SharedArrayBuffer + threads, WebGL2 via ANGLE, EXT_clip_control, and the File System Access API. Firefox, Safari and mobile are not supported.

Multiplayer

Experimental. Playable, but young - expect rough edges.

Two ways to play, switched from inside the game: Solo (your own world, yours alone) and Party (your world, open to your friends — up to 32 of them). There is no public world and no separate party concept: you are always the host of your own world, and joining a friend means joining their world through your friends list. Visiting advances their campaign; you keep the skills you used and what you carry out.

The server owns the world: NPCs, combat resolution and loot are simulated server-side by a headless copy of the engine, so a modified client cannot author what an NPC did. Friends, whisper/mute/block, in-game reporting and server-side saves are all there.

On the hosted service, sign-in is SSO only (Google / Discord / Microsoft - no passwords to leak; accounts are keyed on the provider’s stable ID, never your email). A server you run chooses its own sign-in in the setup wizard. Running your own is the quick start below, choosing Multiplayer in the wizard; provider-side steps live in Multiplayer setup.

Quick start: your own server

You need Docker and your own copy of Morrowind. Then:

git clone https://github.com/Virtastic/openmw-web.git
cd openmw-web
./setup.sh        # Windows: .\setup.ps1

Nothing compiles: the script checks out the newest release and pulls its prebuilt server image.

1. Grab the latest openmw-web-*.zip from Releases and unzip it into play/ (the game engine is too big for git - the script reminds you).
2. Your browser opens http://localhost/admin. Create your admin account, answer the wizard.
3. Drag your Morrowind Data Files folder in when it asks. Play at http://localhost.

That’s it. Self-hosting covers everything else - the dashboard page by page, mods, Tamriel Rebuilt, multiplayer, domains and HTTPS. Stuck? Ask in Discord.

Releases

Every release ships two archives: the prebuilt engine and web front-end (openmw-web-<tag>.zip, which also runs standalone as a dashboard-less static server) and the exact source snapshot (openmw-web-src-<tag>.tar.gz, the GPLv3 Corresponding Source). See CHANGELOG.md for what changed. Building from source is only needed if you are changing the engine itself; see Building from source.

License

openmw-web is licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 3. It is a derivative work of OpenMW, which is itself GPLv3, so the combined work is GPLv3. The full text is in LICENSE; bundled dependencies keep their own licenses (see THIRD-PARTY-LICENSES.md).

Game data and trademarks

The Elder Scrolls and Morrowind are trademarks of ZeniMax Media / Bethesda Softworks. This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Bethesda or ZeniMax. No Morrowind game data is included or distributed here; you must own and supply your own legally-obtained copy. The engine is an independent, clean-room reimplementation (OpenMW) and ships no Bethesda assets.

Community

• Discord - the fastest place for help, screenshots, and news. Technical deep-dives welcome.
• YouTube (@Virtastic-Apps) - demos, build logs, and other native-to-browser ports.
• Reddit (r/virtastic) - releases and discussion.
• LinkedIn - company news.
• GitHub Discussions - longer questions and showcases.

Bugs and features go to Issues.

Support the project

openmw-web is built and hosted by Virtastic. If you enjoy it, you can support us on Ko-fi or Patreon - it pays for the servers and the development time. Nothing is behind a paywall: every mode is free to everyone, and no tier buys a feature.

Credits

• WASM port, tooling, and hosting: © 2025–2026 Virtastic. See NOTICE and AUTHORS.md.
• OpenMW: the engine this is built on, by the OpenMW team.
• Demo world: the OpenMW Example Suite (CC-BY / CC-BY-SA) by DestinedToDie and contributors, plus the OpenMW template data files.

Screenshots

What it took

The OpenMW engine, compiled from its C++ source to WebAssembly and rendering with WebGL2. Morrowind runs in your browser, on your own machine: nothing is streamed from a server.

• Your browser needs 64-bit WebAssembly memory and access to a folder on your computer: Chrome or Edge on a computer.
• WebGL2 rendering with GPU skinning (WebGPU path in progress)
• Saves and settings persist between sessions
• “Bring your own data” with no multi-GB upload

Read how we did it, with the measurements and the mistakes.

Status and how to help

Released. Playable in browser, WebGL2 (WebGPU path in progress), 60fps, persistent saves, File System Access loader for user data.

Known issues

Every known bug is in the open issues on GitHub, so nothing is hidden.

Help us test

Try it in Chrome, Edge or Brave on a computer. If something breaks, report a bug with what you did, your browser, and what you saw.

GPL 3.0 · Source · Contributing guide · Code of conduct · Get involved

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