How to Make a Browser Game Full Screen, and Exit Again
Updated
To play a browser game in full screen, start the game, then press Play fullscreen under the game, on the right: the game fills the whole screen, and Esc brings you back. To put the whole browser in full screen instead, press F11 on Windows, Fn + F on a Mac, or the full screen key on a Chromebook.
The Play fullscreen button
On a game page, the game starts when you press the round play button on its picture. Once the game runs, a button labeled Play fullscreen appears under the game, on the right. Press it and the game alone fills the screen, with the site's header and the rest of the page out of view.
To return to the page, press Esc. The button appears only after the game has started, so if you cannot find it, press play first. Browsers that do not support this kind of full screen, such as Safari on iPhone, do not show it. You can try it in Legiontide Army Runner or any of the games below, all wide 3D games that make good use of the extra space.
More wide games are in 3D games and racing games.
Keyboard shortcuts for full screen
These shortcuts put the browser itself in full screen. Tabs and the address bar disappear, but the page stays, with the game in its frame. Google lists them in its Chrome keyboard shortcuts.
| Device | Enter full screen | Leave full screen |
|---|---|---|
| Windows or Linux, Chrome | F11 | F11, or press and hold Esc |
| Mac, Chrome | Fn + F | Fn + F, or press and hold Esc |
| Chromebook | The full screen key, just right of refresh | The same key |
On a Chromebook the full screen key sits in the row of special keys above the numbers. Google's guide to the Chromebook keyboard describes it as the key that makes your page take up the full screen.
Browser full screen and the Play fullscreen button work well together. The shortcut hides the browser, and the button goes further and gives the screen to the game alone. The other Chromebook keys that games use are covered in games to play on a Chromebook.
Which one to use
| Where you play | What to press |
|---|---|
| Computer, game running | Play fullscreen, under the game on the right |
| Computer, you want the page but not the browser bars | F11, Fn + F on a Mac, or the Chromebook key |
| Android phone | Play fullscreen, after turning the phone the way the game wants |
| iPhone | No Play fullscreen button: the game plays in the page; turn the phone sideways for landscape games |
| iPad | Play fullscreen; swipe down to leave |
How to exit full screen
Press Esc. Browsers keep Esc as the way out of full screen, and Chrome's help adds that you can press and hold it if a quick press does nothing. On Windows, F11 also ends it. Switching to another tab or another app also ends full screen that a game started.
F11 not working?
On many laptops the F1 to F12 keys control brightness, volume and similar features unless you hold Fn. Press Fn + F11, or change the keyboard setting that swaps the two. On a Mac, Chrome uses Fn + F rather than F11.
If F11 works but the game is still small, that is browser full screen doing its job: the page fills the screen and the game stays in its frame. Press Play fullscreen under the game as well to give the game the whole screen. If the game does not load at all, see browser game not loading.
On a phone or tablet
On an Android phone, start the game and tap Play fullscreen under the game, on the right. On a phone held upright the player is a small wide frame, and a game made for an upright screen shows in it as a narrow strip; in full screen it fills the phone. Turned sideways, the player is taller than the screen, so the button is the way to see a wide game whole.
Some games say which way to hold the phone. Zombie Quell 3D recommends landscape, Pixel Tower recommends landscape on phones, and Jelly runner platform asks you to rotate the phone. Gem Mahjong has a portrait layout. More games built for phones are in mobile games, and touch controls are covered in keyboard and touch controls.
On an iPhone there is no Play fullscreen button, because Safari supports this kind of full screen on iPad but not on iPhone, as Mozilla's compatibility data shows. The game plays in the page; turn the phone sideways for a landscape game. On an iPad the button works, and a swipe down leaves full screen.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a game full screen on a laptop?
Start the game and press Play fullscreen under it, on the right, or press F11. On many laptops that means Fn + F11, and on a Mac, Fn + F.
How do I go full screen on a Chromebook?
Press the full screen key just right of refresh, or start the game and press Play fullscreen under it.
How do I exit full screen?
Press Esc, or press and hold it in Chrome. F11 on Windows and the full screen key on a Chromebook switch it off too.
Why does full screen not work on my iPhone?
Safari on iPhone does not offer full screen for a game inside a page, so the Play fullscreen button does not appear there and the game plays in the page. Safari on iPad does offer it.
On a computer, full screen starts with one button and ends with Esc.
