Play together
Games Phone and PC Can Play Together, No Download
- Every Pixaplay game is one web page on phones and computers, so phone and PC players share the same rooms with no download.
- Pecking Order has four phone control layouts and controller support; Rogue Defenders has touch controls, keyboard and up to 4 gamepads.
- Hearthfall has a phone layout with a touch bar, but its village is easier to run on a laptop or tablet.
- One Pixaplay account plays on one device at a time, so each player joins on their own account or as a guest.
Yes, there are great games phone and PC can play together, with no download. On Pixaplay every game is the same web page on a phone and a computer, so the sofa and the desk join the same room with one code. Pecking Order and Rogue Defenders have full touch controls; Hearthfall has a phone layout too.
Every group has one. The friend whose laptop is "at work", the cousin who only ever has a phone, the partner who'd rather play lying down. Good news: none of them have to sit out. For picks by group size instead, see our guide to browser games to play with friends.
Why is playing across devices easy in a browser?
Crossplay is usually hard because a phone app and a PC game are two separate programs that have to be kept in step. A browser game is one program. The phone and the laptop load the same page and meet in the same room. There's no "PC version" that's a week ahead of the phone one.
What does change between devices is the controls and the screen size. That's what the rest of this page is about.
Game by game: how does it play on a phone?
| Game | On a phone | On a computer | Same room as PC? | Our take on a phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pecking Order | 4 touch layouts; controllers | Keyboard; controllers | Yes | Great |
| Rogue Defenders | On-screen touch controls | Keyboard and mouse, arrow keys, up to 4 gamepads | Yes | Good |
| Hearthfall | Compact layout, touch bar | Keyboard and mouse | Yes | Works, nicer on a bigger screen |
| Influence | Phone or browser | Browser | Solo game | Solo only |
Pecking Order: made for thumbs
The most phone-friendly game we make. Under Settings, CONTROLS gives you four touch layouts:
- SPLIT, the default: both arrows under your left thumb, POWER and a big FLAP under your right. SWAP SIDES mirrors it for lefties.
- BUTTONS: an edge button each way that only steers; tap anywhere to jump and flap.
- STICK: a thumb stick to walk and steer, flick up to flap.
- TILT: lean the phone to steer, with a big FLAP button.
Controllers work too, and the game's "?" shows the controls for whatever you're holding. With up to 20 players in a room, it's the easiest pick for a mixed crowd. Play Pecking Order, or read the Pecking Order guide.
Rogue Defenders: any controls you've got
Rogue Defenders takes almost anything: keyboard and mouse, a second keyboard layout on the arrow keys, up to four gamepads, and touch with on-screen controls. Online rooms use a 4-letter code, and a phone joins the same room as a desktop.
It also does something no phone-only game can: couch co-op. Up to four of you can share one screen with a keyboard, the arrow keys and gamepads, for nights when half the group is in the same living room. Play Rogue Defenders, or see the Rogue Defenders guide.
Hearthfall: works on a phone, loves a bigger screen
Hearthfall folds into a compact phone layout, with a touch bar for Hero, Use, Army, Ping and Menu, a minimap and a find-your-hero button. Phone players share rooms with PC players like anyone else.
Honestly, though, it's a strategy game with a whole village to run, and a phone screen makes that fiddly. A tablet is fine. If one friend only has a phone, give them the duty with the least clicking. Hearthfall is early access with the Pixaplay Pass. More in the Hearthfall guide.
What should you check before a mixed-device game night?
A few small things save the most grief:
- One account, one device. A signed-in Pixaplay account plays on one device or tab at a time, across every game. Start on your phone and the laptop shows "Playing on another device" with Play here. So two people need two accounts, or one plays as a guest where the game allows it (Pecking Order does).
- Pick a touch layout before round one. In Pecking Order it's under Settings, CONTROLS. Try SPLIT and STICK in a warm-up rather than mid-race.
- Plug in. Phones get warm and hungry over a long evening.
- Use Wi-Fi if you can. A dropped signal hurts more in a race than in a strategy game.
- Install the web app if you play a lot. Add pixaplay.io to your home screen and it becomes the Pixaplay app, games full-window, no browser bar.
Which game is best for a phone-and-PC mix?
Depends on your crowd:
- A big, loud group: Pecking Order. Free to play, up to 20, and the most complete touch controls.
- Two to four friends teaming up: Rogue Defenders, free to try. Our list of co-op browser games for 2 to 4 friends compares it with the rest.
- A strategy group where everyone has a decent screen: Hearthfall.
- Playing over a call: any of them, with the call on one device or both. See browser games to play on a Discord call.
What about games outside Pixaplay?
A few well-known browser games handle mixed devices nicely too, as of November 2026. Codenames has an official free web version from its publisher: start a game and send the link, with no accounts or downloads (CGE). Jackbox takes a different route: one person owns and runs the game on a shared screen, and everyone else joins at jackbox.tv on a phone (Jackbox). That's brilliant in one living room. The difference with Pixaplay's games is that every player gets the whole game on their own screen, rather than a phone used as a remote.
How do you get a phone player into a PC player's room?
From quickest to slowest:
- Join from the friends list. If you're friends on Pixaplay, the phone player taps the Pixaplay button and then Join next to the host's name.
- An invite. The host opens the overlay (Shift+Tab on a keyboard) and invites the phone player, who gets a pop-up with Join.
- A link. Hearthfall has a Copy invite link button; drop it in your group chat.
- The code. Type the room code into the game on the phone.
Each one is walked through in how to join a friend's game online.
Questions people ask
Can iPhone and Android players play with PC players on Pixaplay?
Yes. Pixaplay's games run in the browser on iPhones, Android phones and computers alike, and a room takes players from all of them. Open the game in Safari or Chrome, type the room code, and you're in the same game as the laptops. No app needed.
Is it fair for phone players against keyboard players?
It depends on the game. In team games like Rogue Defenders and Hearthfall everyone's on one side, so it hardly matters. In Pecking Order's races a practised keyboard player has an edge; try the phone layouts in Settings, or connect a controller to the phone, to even things out.
Can I play on my phone and my laptop at the same time with one account?
No. A signed-in Pixaplay account plays on one device or tab at a time, across every game, and the newest one wins. The other screen shows Playing on another device with a Play here button. For two players, use two accounts, or let one join as a guest where the game allows it.
Do I need an app for phone play?
No. The games run in your phone's browser. If you play often, add pixaplay.io to your home screen: it installs as the Pixaplay web app and opens games full-window, without the browser bar. There's nothing to fetch from an app store.