Publishing a playable build of your web-based game no longer has to be a weekend-long marathon of server setup and domain wrangling. Since GitHub Pages serves static assets directly from any public repository, you can give friends, play-testers, or potential clients a live URL to your project in roughly the time it takes to pour a fresh coffee. Follow the steps below and you’ll be showing off in no time.

Why GitHub Pages Is the Fast Lane

Some hosting solutions are flexible but intimidating, others are effortless but expensive. GitHub Pages hits a sweet spot: it’s free, tied to your source control, and refreshes automatically on every push. That means your deployment pipeline is basically git add → git commit → git push → done—a workflow you already use.

What You Need Ahead of Time

• A GitHub account that can create public repositories
  
  
• Your compiled or transpiled game build (HTML, JS, CSS, assets) in a single folder
  
  
• Five clear minutes and a browser you trust
  
  
  

Optional but helpful: basic familiarity with the Git command-line or your favorite GUI client.

Step-by-Step Launch Sequence

Below is the five-minute flight plan. Each step includes an estimated slice of the overall time budget and one key action you must not skip.

Step	Action	What You Do	Time Budget
1	Create repository	Hit New in GitHub and name it my-awesome-game (or anything)	1 min
2	Upload game files	Drag-and-drop your build folder or push via Git	2 min
3	Enable GitHub Pages	Flip a switch in repository settings	1 min
4	Retrieve public URL	Copy the address GitHub shows you	1 min

Total: 5 minutes—and yes, that includes typing a commit message.

Step 1: Create a Fresh Repository

Sometimes the simplest actions feel like obstacles, so open GitHub and press New Repository without hesitation. Give the repo a memorable name; brevity matters because it will end up inside your URL. Leave the repository public—Pages only deploys from public or paid private repositories—and skip adding a README for the moment. Click Create and inhale: the clock just started.

In many projects you might initialize locally first, but when speed is the core goal it’s faster to let GitHub make the remote and then clone it. Either route works, so choose whichever you can do without thinking. The point is momentum, not perfection.

Step 2: Upload Your Game Build

There are two winning tactics:

1. Drag-and-drop in the web interface. For ultra-light projects, select Add File → Upload Files, grab everything in your dist/ or build/ folder, and drop it.
   
   
2. Push from the terminal. If you cloned an empty repo locally, just copy your build artifacts into that folder, run git add ., commit with a message like Add playable build, and push.
   
   
   

Either method deposits the exact same files onto the default branch (usually main). Make sure the root of the repository contains an index.html; GitHub Pages will serve that automatically. Case sensitivity matters, so double-check filenames on macOS or Windows before relying on them in production.

A short pause here pays off: open index.html in your browser locally. If it doesn’t load images or sounds, the server will fail too. Five seconds of sanity checking saves five hours of bug hunting later.

Step 3: Flip the Pages Switch

Now the magic button. Navigate to Settings → Pages inside the repository menu. Under Branch, pick main (or whatever your default branch is) and select the root folder. Hit Save and GitHub’s build robots will queue an instant deployment.

If you see a gh-pages branch suggested in older tutorials, ignore it; the newer workflow deploys directly from your main line of development. This streamlines life and avoids version drift between code and deploy.

GitHub will display a green checkmark once the site is live. Behind the scenes it copies your static files to a global CDN, making your game accessible almost anywhere within seconds. Because everything is HTTPS by default, you don’t need extra security steps.

Step 4: Grab Your Public URL

Right below that green checkmark sits your brand-new address—usually
https://your-username.github.io/your-repository-name/.

Copy it. Paste it into a browser. Witness your game running exactly as it did locally. Congratulations: deployment accomplished.

Consider bookmarking the URL or pinning it in the project README. Each time you push new commits to the default branch, the site redeploys automatically. Continuous delivery without extra tooling—nice.

Two Smart Lists to Keep You Fast

Common Gotchas (Avoid Them!)

1. Forgot to include index.html at repository root—Pages shows a 404.
   
   
2. Mixed-case file paths on Windows but lower case in code—assets fail on the CDN.
   
   
3. Pushed to a branch other than main—Pages silently waits for the correct branch.
   
   
4. Left build output nested in a subfolder—root directory serves nothing.
   
   
5. Used WebGL assets greater than 100 MB—GitHub rejects large files by default.
   
   
   

Advantages That Impress Your Audience

• Speed – five-minute claim is real and demonstrable.
  
  
• Version lock – every commit is a deploy snapshot; you can roll back instantly.
  
  
• Zero cost – perfect for indie teams or student portfolios.
  
  
• HTTPS + CDN – professional polish without configuration.
  
  
• Shareability – a single link works on desktop and mobile equally.
  
  
  

Advanced Tweaks for Bonus Points

If you outgrow the basic setup, custom domains and automated builds await. You can add a CNAME file with your personal domain, integrate a CI workflow to build TypeScript or bundle assets, or branch-protect main so only tested commits deploy. None of these features slow down the initial five-minute launch, but they adapt smoothly when your project matures.

Frequently Asked Lightning Questions

Does my repository need to stay public forever?
For free accounts, yes. If privacy becomes critical, upgrade to a paid plan or move to a different host.

Can I use a custom 404 page?
Absolutely—drop 404.html into the repository root and customize at will.

How do I monitor traffic?
GitHub offers basic referrer data under Insights → Traffic. For deeper analytics, embed client-side scripts like plausible tracking.

Final Sprint Recap

You created a repository, shipped your build, flipped one setting, and received a production grade URL. Five minutes spent, zero dollars invested, infinite bragging rights unlocked. Next time someone asks to “just see the game running,” you’ll have a link ready before they finish the sentence.

Deploy early, deploy often, and let GitHub Pages keep your browser game in front of the people who matter.