3D Games Online: Camera Views, Controls and What to Play
Updated
3D games online put you inside a space you can turn around in, so on top of moving you also control where the camera looks. In first-person games the camera is your eyes and the mouse turns your head; in third-person games it follows behind you. Below is what each kind asks of you, with games from the 3D games category.
How 3D games differ from 2D
A 2D game shows a flat side or top view, and the arrow keys are usually enough. A 3D game adds depth and a camera, which means more controls and more work for your computer or phone.
| View | Where the camera is | Usual controls | Start with |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-person | Behind your character's eyes | WASD to move, the mouse to look and aim | Assault Zone |
| Third-person | Above and behind your character | WASD or arrows, the mouse or a key for the camera | Mad Combat Marines |
| Vehicle | Behind or inside a car, bike or plane | Steering keys, sometimes a key to switch the camera | Taxi Driver Las Vegas |
| Fixed or turnable | Looking at an object or a board | Click, drag to rotate | Color Screw 3D |
First-person shooters
Four of these games list the same control scheme, so learning it once covers all of them. On a computer you move with the arrow keys or WASD and turn, aim and shoot with the mouse. On a phone an on-screen joystick moves you, a fire button shoots, and dragging on the right side of the screen turns and aims.
- Assault Zone sends you into enemy-held territory to take out the guards one by one. Be quick, or they fire back.
- Battle Area is set in a mineral mine on Mars that enemies have captured.
- Warfare Area 2 adds first aid kits to pick up. L locks the pointer to the game, R reloads and P pauses.
- Bullet Fury sends your troop into a secret laboratory run by enemies.
- Rocket Clash 3D takes place at a missile base with acid pools of toxic rocket fuel and underground tunnels. WASD moves, C crouches and Space jumps.
In a first-person game the mouse turns the camera, so the game hides the cursor and locks it in place. If you need the cursor back, keyboard controls for games explains the locked cursor and the Esc key. Aiming habits are in shooting games tips.
Third-person: the camera behind you
Seeing your own character makes it easier to judge jumps, corners and how close an enemy is.
- Mad Combat Marines is a cartoon third-person shooter with 5 weapons and 3 maps. The number keys 1 to 5 pick a weapon, E gets you into a car, Ctrl crouches and Space jumps.
- Cat Chaos Simulator makes you a mischievous cat in houses and parks. Jump on tables, knock over cups and see how high your mess value goes, with a click or a tap.
- Backflip Parkour is about flips and backflips from heights, all with the mouse.
- Hide 'N Seek! is set in a 3D maze, with two modes: run from the captors for a set time while collecting diamonds, or be the captor and hunt for players you cannot see. Slide to move.
Driving, riding and flying
- Taxi Driver Las Vegas is set in an open city. Pick up passengers and follow the directions to their addresses, or switch to open mode and explore. WASD moves, C changes the camera, F interacts and Esc opens the menu.
- Sky City Riders races bikes across tracks on top of skyscrapers against the clock. Nitro helps on the long ramps, and a 2 player option puts one rider on the arrows with Left Shift for nitro and the other on WASD with N.
- 3D Air Racer is a flight game of 20 levels: fly through the rings to finish each one. The mouse or the arrows turn, A and D work the rudder, and 1, 2 and 3 perform tricks.
- Rocket Car Football Championship mixes rocket-powered cars with a giant ball, in 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 matches against computer teams. WASD or the arrows drive, Shift boosts and Space jumps, with five cups from Bronze to Champions.
The basic controls of car games, from steering to the handbrake, are in car games online.
3D sports and puzzles
Not every 3D game needs fast hands. In these, the 3D view is there to judge distance or to turn an object around.
- Basket 3D is shooting hoops with the mouse or a finger, with more balls to earn as you score.
- Is It Golf? asks you to get a golf ball, a sheep, a car, a chicken and a toilet to the flag. Slide to set the launch power and keep away from the drums.
- Crossbar Challenge turns the penalty kick around: there is no goalkeeper, and the aim is to hit the crossbar, not to score. Swipe to kick.
- Sprinter Heroes is a running tournament on seven continents, against your friend and other runners. You run by tapping the left and right arrows, or A and D, in turns.
- Color Screw 3D asks you to unscrew colored bolts into boxes of the same color, and each box holds only 3. On a computer you hold the right mouse button and drag to rotate the object, then click a bolt.
- Nexus 3D is a neon wiring puzzle: rotate the nodes until power flows from the source to every target.
- Island Mayhem: Tiki Blast 3D is a cannon puzzle of 200 levels on 10 islands. Drag to aim, set the power bar and fire to bring down towers that move with real physics.
NEW
NEWWhen a 3D game runs slowly
3D games ask more of the device than 2D ones. If a game stutters or never finishes loading, browser game not loading goes through the fixes step by step. A bigger window helps you see the world around you, and play browser games full screen shows how to fill the screen and get back out.
Tips for 3D games
- Learn the camera before the goal. Spend the first seconds turning around and finding where you are.
- In a first-person shooter, keep your aim at head height while you walk, so you turn less when an enemy appears.
- Use the camera key when one is listed. Taxi Driver Las Vegas puts it on C.
- In puzzles, rotate before you act. Color Screw 3D boxes hold only 3 bolts, so look at the whole object first.
- On a phone, use the drag area to aim. In Assault Zone and the three games that share its controls, the right side of the screen turns the view.
3D games FAQ
What are 3D games?
Games drawn in three dimensions, so the world has depth and the camera can move around it. 2D games show a flat side or top view instead.
Do 3D games work on a phone?
Many do. Assault Zone, Battle Area, Warfare Area 2 and Bullet Fury have an on-screen joystick and fire button, and Color Screw 3D rotates with a swipe.
Can two people play a 3D game together?
Sky City Riders has a 2 player option on one keyboard, and in Sprinter Heroes you race your friend. Rocket Car Football Championship puts you in a team, but your teammates are the computer.
Do I need to install anything to play 3D games?
No. The games run free in the browser, with no install and no registration.
The 3D games category has thousands more, from shooters to puzzles.
