Road Rash in the browser (Three.js port)

Road Rash in the browser is a fan-made port of the 1996 Windows version of Road Rash that plays in a browser tab. It is not an emulator: it is a new JavaScript and Three.js program that uses the original’s artwork, sprites, music and videos. You do not need your own game files, and it has touch controls for phones. The site was working when we checked on 21 October 2026.

What it is

The port was posted to Hacker News on 19 October 2026 as “Show HN: RoadRash ported to Three.js to run in the browser” by the user olucurious. In the post the author writes that Road Rash was one of their favourite PC games, that the browser emulators they tried felt sluggish, and that they built the browser version out of nostalgia. No source repository has been published; the site’s code is plain, readable JavaScript.

From the site’s own code we can see how it works:

• The menus copy the original’s 640x480 screens and use its own text table and Futura fonts.
• Races run on the decoded courses of the PC game, drawn with Three.js, with the rival riders shown as the original sprite frames.
• Bike prices, gearing, rider stats and race lengths are read from tables in the original program.
• Cutscenes, bike showroom spins and the band videos play from video files on the site.

Which game it is matters, because there are many Road Rash games. This one is the 3DO / Windows 95 generation (the 3DO original came out in 1994, the Windows version in 1996), with the soundtrack by Soundgarden, Monster Magnet, Paw, Swervedriver, Hammerbox and Therapy?. It is not the Mega Drive / Genesis trilogy. If you are after the Nintendo 64 game, Road Rash 64 Recompiled is a separate native PC port that needs your own ROM; it is listed under recompiled games.

What is in it

• Thrash Mode and Big Game Mode, as in the original. Big Game Mode lets you pick one of eight characters with their own starting cash and bike.
• Five courses: The City, Sierra Nevada, The Peninsula, Napa Valley and Pacific Highway, each with five levels.
• Fifteen bikes in the Rat, Sport and Super classes, with nitro on the faster bikes.
• Cars on or off: a setting turns traffic off. One commenter found even level 1 hard with cars on.
• Mano-a-Mano: the original’s head-to-head mode, rebuilt with online rooms that the site relays (up to eight riders, with optional AI bikers). We did not test it with a second player.
• Jukebox: pick the race song and watch two of the band videos.
• Progress is saved in your browser.

How to play

1. Open the site in a new tab. Click or tap once so the browser allows sound.
2. Pick a mode, a course and a bike, then race.
3. On a keyboard: arrow keys or WASD to steer, accelerate and brake, Z / X (or Space and Ctrl) to punch left and right, C / K to kick, N for nitro, V to switch between the chase view and a first-person view, Esc to pause.
4. On a phone or tablet: use the on-screen buttons; steering can also follow the tilt of the device.

Requirements

• A current browser with WebGL. The site does not name supported browsers.
• A keyboard on a computer, or a touch screen. We found no gamepad support in the code.
• An internet connection: the art, music and videos load from the site.

Is it safe and legal?

• It is an unofficial fan project. Road Rash was developed and published by Electronic Arts, which has not endorsed this port.
• The game is still copyrighted, and the site serves its artwork, music and videos. EA does not sell the 1996 PC version today, so there is no official copy to point to.
• We only link the port’s own site. Nothing is installed on your computer.
• A commenter who said he worked on the game at EA asked for the original credits to be shown; the site does not list them at the moment.

Not working?

• No sound: click or tap the page once, and check the volume settings in the options menu.
• Stutter or a slow start: the first race loads the course and sprites; close other heavy tabs, or try again on a faster connection.
• The page scrolls instead of steering: click the game first so the keys go to it.
• Mano-a-Mano will not connect: the online rooms depend on the site’s relay; try again later or race in Thrash Mode.
• Want another classic racer in the browser? Try WipEout.

Unofficial. This page is written by an independent directory. It is not made by, endorsed by or affiliated with Electronic Arts or olucurious (Road Rash in the browser (Three.js port)'s author). We do not host any files, and we never link to game files, ROMs or ISOs.