The basic architecture splits between an authoritative game server that executes physics, resolves collisions, and broadcasts authoritative state snapshots, and a browser client that captures input, renders visuals, and runs client-side prediction to hide latency. The client sends player inputs over WebSockets, renders the scene, and reconciles its local state against incoming server updates.
At a glance
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Transport for real-time state sync | WebSockets | developer.mozilla.org |
| Client-side persistence for settings/session | Web Storage API | developer.mozilla.org |
| Rendering surface in the browser | Canvas or WebGL | developer.mozilla.org |
An authoritative multiplayer browser game splits cleanly in two: the server owns and validates game state, the client only renders and predicts. Concretely: the client captures input, sends it over a WebSocket connection, and immediately applies a local prediction (move the player, play the animation) so the game feels responsive. The server receives that input, runs the real simulation (physics, hit detection, scoring), and broadcasts the resulting state to all clients at a fixed tick rate. The client then reconciles: it snaps or interpolates from its predicted position to the server’s actual position, correcting drift without visible jumps.
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What goes where, in code terms: rendering and input capture live in your engine’s browser loop, drawn to a Canvas or WebGL context; the WebSocket connection and message serialization sit in a network module the engine calls each frame; game rules, collision resolution and win conditions belong on the server, never trusted from the client. In Unity WebGL, browser-side networking hooks go through a .jslib plugin as described in the Unity manual on interacting with browser scripting; Godot 4 exposes the same kind of bridge via JavaScriptBridge. Local session data (player name, settings, reconnect tokens) can use the Web Storage API; it should never hold anything the server needs to trust.
Sources
- MDN: WebSockets API
- MDN: Canvas API
- MDN: WebGL API
- MDN: Web Storage API
- Unity manual: interacting with browser scripting
- Godot docs: exporting for the Web
Related questions
Why not trust the client with game state directly?
A client-authoritative game lets anyone modify local variables to cheat; an authoritative server validates every action against its own simulation before broadcasting results to all players.
Do I need client-side prediction if I have a fast server?
Yes – network round-trip time alone causes visible input lag; prediction hides it by moving the player locally before the server confirms, then reconciling.
Last updated: 24 September 2026