A free VTT with no download: the browser tabletops in 2026
"No download" cuts the list of virtual tabletops roughly in half. Foundry runs on a server, Fantasy Grounds and Talespire are installs, and every player needs them, not just the GM. What's left runs in a tab, which is what you need for a Chromebook, a school or work laptop that won't let you install anything, an iPad, or the player who joins from a phone on the train. Here is what each of the browser tabletops gives you for free. We make one of them, so weigh that entry accordingly.
What "no download" rules out
- Foundry VTT. Players connect through a browser, but the GM runs a server: an install on their machine, or a hosting service at a monthly fee.
- Fantasy Grounds Unity. A desktop install for the GM and every player. The software is free since November 2025, but it is still software.
- Talespire. A Steam app for everyone at the table, with a seat to buy per player.
- AboveVTT. Runs in the browser, but as an extension each player installs on top of D&D Beyond. Fine on a home laptop; usually blocked on a managed one.
The browser tabletops
RollQuest
Sign up, make a game, send a link. The free plan is the whole table: fog of war, dynamic lighting with walls and doors, 3D dice, D&D 5e and 5.5e character sheets (and sheets for four games of its own), a combat tracker and audio, with two games and 500 MB for your own maps and tokens. Players need a free account. Paid plans (from $3.99 and $8.99 a month billed yearly, or $4.99 and $9.99 month to month) add GM tools, not table features. Eight players plus the GM.
Free tier limits: two games, three character sheets, 500 MB.
Roll20
Free gets you a table with fog of war, character sheets for over 1,200 systems, and 100 MB of uploads, plus the biggest marketplace and player-finder. Dynamic lighting needs Plus at $5.99 a month. Players need a free account.
Free tier limits: no dynamic lighting, 100 MB, an interface that shows its age.
Owlbear Rodeo
The lightest of all. A map, tokens, fog of war and 3D dice load in seconds, and players don't need accounts at all: they open the link. Dynamic Fog, its own free extension, adds walls, doors and lights, and community extensions add sheets. Paid tiers ($3.99 and $7.99 a month) add storage and rooms.
Free tier limits: no built-in character sheets or rules, and storage.
D&D Beyond Maps
Free for every D&D Beyond account since September 2025. Host with the maps and adventures you own on D&D Beyond, nine basic maps, monster tokens from the basic rules, fog of war, initiative and shared dice, reading from your D&D Beyond character sheets. Uploading your own maps needs Master Tier at $5.99 a month, and there is no dynamic lighting.
Free tier limits: no lighting or walls, no uploads of your own maps, D&D only.
Alchemy
A cinematic, presentation-first tabletop in the browser, with scenes, audio and character sheets that calculate. Every feature is free, with an optional $8 a month supporter tier, and there's a desktop app as well as the browser.
Free tier limits: none on features. Fog is painted by hand rather than cleared by line of sight, and lighting is secondary to presentation.
Side by side
| Player accounts | Free tier includes | Dynamic lighting | Your own maps on free | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RollQuest | Free account | Fog, lighting, sheets, dice, combat, audio; 2 games, 500 MB | Free | Yes, 500 MB |
| Roll20 | Free account | Fog, community sheets, 100 MB | Plus, $5.99/mo | Yes, 100 MB |
| Owlbear Rodeo | None needed | Every tool, 200 MB | Free, Owlbear's own extension | Yes, 200 MB |
| D&D Beyond Maps | D&D Beyond account | Owned content, 9 basic maps, fog, initiative, dice | No | Master Tier, $5.99/mo |
| Alchemy | Account | Every feature | Not in its documentation | Yes |
Does it work on a Chromebook, an iPad or a phone?
Not everything on this list works on all three, so check before the session rather than during it.
- Chromebook: all of them. They run in Chrome.
- iPad and iPhone: every browser there runs on Safari's engine, and that rules some out. Owlbear Rodeo and D&D Beyond Maps open in Safari (Maps isn't yet optimised for phones and tablets). RollQuest supports only Chrome and Edge, so it doesn't run on an iPhone or iPad yet, and Alchemy lists Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
- Android phone: RollQuest opens a player's character sheet first, so they can roll and track hit points with a thumb. Roll20's maps and tokens don't work on mobile, though its character sheets do.
Comfort is another matter. A GM's screen wants a laptop-sized display: maps, tokens, a sheet and chat at once. Players on a phone can roll, read their sheet and see the map, and will zoom a lot.
Two things to check on a managed device: that the browser is current and one the tabletop supports (RollQuest needs Chrome or Edge), and that WebGL isn't disabled by policy, because 3D dice and lighting use it.
The ten-minute test
Before committing your table to any of these, run this on your own:
- Sign up and make a game.
- Upload one map, or pick a bundled one.
- Put a token on it and move it.
- Send the link to one friend and have them join from their phone.
- Roll a die where both of you can see it.
If any step takes longer than a couple of minutes, that's the tabletop telling you something about the next fifty sessions.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a completely free virtual tabletop?
Yes, several. RollQuest's free plan runs a complete game with lighting and sheets. Owlbear Rodeo is free for a map, tokens, fog and dice. Roll20 is free without dynamic lighting. D&D Beyond Maps is free with content you own there, and Alchemy is free outright.
Do my players need accounts?
Owlbear Rodeo, no. RollQuest and Roll20, a free account each. D&D Beyond Maps, a D&D Beyond account. Alchemy, an account.
Can I play D&D online with no download at all?
Yes. A browser tabletop for the map, dice and sheets, and Discord in the browser for voice. Nothing is installed on anyone's machine.
Does a browser VTT need a fast computer?
No. Anything that runs a current browser will do. Dynamic lighting and 3D dice use the graphics card through WebGL, so a very old machine or one with WebGL disabled will run them slowly or not at all.