I built a game with v0. Where do I share it and get players?
v0 turns a prompt into a React project that deploys to Vercel. Publish it, then test the live address in a private window, because Vercel preview links can ask for a login that players don't have. Keep the canvas and game loop in a client component, since game code needs the browser.
Updated October 10, 2026. Written by Foundplay, a game discovery platform for free browser games. Foundplay also sells Boost, a paid promotion for games, and this guide says where it fits. The advice before that part works without it. All guides
Keep the game loop in the browser
Next.js renders pages on the server first, where window, document and canvas don't exist. Put the game in a client component ("use client"), start the loop inside an effect, and stop it in the effect's cleanup. In development, React's strict mode runs effects twice, so a loop with no cleanup will run twice and the game will move at double speed.
Don't let React redraw your game
State that changes 60 times a second doesn't belong in React state. Keep positions, timers and scores in refs or plain objects, draw them on the canvas, and update the interface (a score label, a menu) only when it needs to change.
Keep the first load light
Load heavy game code and assets when the player presses Start, not with the first page. Compress images and sounds, and check the size of the built files. A player on mobile data decides within seconds.
Assets for a canvas game
Put images and sounds in the public folder, where they get stable paths, and compress them before you add them. Next.js has an image component that optimizes pictures on a page, but a canvas game draws from image objects it loads itself, so plain files suit sprites better. Load them when the player presses Start and draw a loading bar meanwhile.
Phones and input
Use pointer events instead of mouse events so touch works, set touch-action: none on the canvas so a drag doesn't scroll the page, and play a round with the phone turned sideways. A layout that suits a landing page often needs changes before it suits a game.
How Foundplay can help
Foundplay is a game discovery platform for free browser games. It doesn't host games: every listing sends players to the creator's own site.
The free listing
Listing a game is free. Paste the link where people play it at /submit, check the details and publish. The game goes live right away, and Play sends players to your own site.
Paste the production address. Foundplay reads your page's title, description and share image, so the metadata you set in Next.js fills in the listing.
Boost, the paid option
Foundplay sells Boost, so it has a reason to want you to buy it. The free listing works without it.
The plan called Boost suits a new release. Check your hosting plan's traffic limits first, since a boost sends a burst of visitors over several days.
The Boost plan costs $10 for 120 plays in 5 days, which works out to 8.3¢ a play. Where it shows: its genre pages and search results.
A play is a counted click on Play from a sponsored spot, the same way public play counts work: once per game per network a day. Every sponsored spot is labelled Sponsored, and the share of plays not delivered by the end of the plan's days is refunded automatically. Foundplay can't see what players do after the click. Fan games and copies of commercial games can't be boosted. A game has to be listed before it can be boosted. List it first, or start a Boost and add your play link there, and Foundplay lists the game for free as part of the same flow.
For scale, Foundplay's own visit counter shows an average of 4,500+ visitors a day over the last three full days, and 600+ games are listed. It updates every few minutes.
More free ways to find players are in the full guide.
Questions
- Where does a v0 game get hosted?
- On Vercel, at a Vercel address or a custom domain you add. Check Vercel's current plans for the limits that apply to you.
- Why does my v0 game say window is not defined?
- The code ran on the server, where there is no
window. Move it into a client component and start it inside an effect, so it runs only in the browser. - Do players need a Vercel account to play?
- No, but protected deployments, often previews, can ask for a login. Test the address you share in a private window.
- Is v0 a good fit for games?
- It suits interface-heavy games such as puzzle, card, quiz and idle games. Action games need a canvas loop, so ask for one and test on phones early.