Epstein Island Game System Requirements: Browser, Hardware, Mobile, and Internet

System requirements in the browser: WebGL 2, not WebGPU

The official answer, on the home page and in the FAQ, is short: a current browser with WebGL is enough. Tested system requirements are promised only for the Unity version, the actual main project, once it is released.

The prototype's code shows what "current" means in practice. The island is drawn with three.js revision 180 through its WebGL renderer, and that version of three.js requires WebGL 2; it dropped WebGL 1 in revision 163. WebGPU plays no part, the game does not use it.

JavaScript also has to be switched on, and your browser must be able to load JavaScript modules through an import map. That is how the game pulls in three.js and its other pieces.

If loading fails, the big button in the start menu reads "Laden fehlgeschlagen" (loading failed), with the reason and a request to reload underneath. When everything works, the same button switches from "Lädt …" (loading) to "Singleplayer".

TipWhen you report a bug, include your operating system, your browser, and what you were doing. That is exactly what the FAQ asks for.

What hardware you need, and what the prototype actually asks for

The game names no minimum spec for processor, graphics card, or memory, and this guide will not invent one. What can be shown is what the prototype demands from your graphics: at startup it asks the browser for the high-performance GPU and switches on antialiasing.

On the "Hoch" (high) setting, the game renders up to 60 frames per second, with soft shadows and, on sharp screens, up to 1.65 pixels per screen point. At night up to four lamps near you cast real light, and characters stay visible from further away than on the lower setting.

As soon as a window is open, such as the backpack, the map, or the settings, the game throttles itself to 15 frames per second. Switch to another tab and it pauses and stops rendering altogether.

On phones and tablets: what the game changes by itself

On phones and tablets you play in the browser; the apps are for Windows, macOS, and Linux. When the game detects a touchscreen as the main input, it starts on the "Sparsam" (economy) display setting all by itself.

It also loads the characters one after another there instead of all at once, because phones and tablets otherwise run out of memory unpacking the character files. The loading line under the start button counts them up. On a computer this step runs in parallel, which is faster.

On a phone, the game page puts the game right at the top, with a fullscreen button. Where the browser does not allow real fullscreen, Safari on the iPhone for example, the frame covers the whole window instead, with a visible button to leave. In portrait mode a note suggests turning the phone sideways.

You walk with on-screen buttons and look around by swiping, and gamepads are not supported. The full layout is in Controls on mobile and tablet.

TipTurn the phone sideways, tap fullscreen, then start. Held sideways, the phone shows you more of the island.

Desktop packages for Windows, macOS, and Linux

Prefer a proper program? There is one file per system. The app checks for updates at startup and fetches only the changed files, not the whole package. The download page lists no minimum operating system versions; for each file it shows the version, size, build date, and a SHA256 checksum.

The clicks needed on first launch are covered step by step in Installing on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Browser or app? See Play in the browser or download.

• Windows: a ZIP archive containing the Island folder with Island.exe. On first launch you will see the SmartScreen filter that Windows shows for new programs.
• macOS: a ZIP with Island.app. The packages are not notarized by Apple, so the first launch brings up the message that Apple could not verify the app.
• Linux: a tar.gz archive with the program at Island/Island. If the system complains about the "SUID sandbox", start it with --no-sandbox.

Internet for co-op and voices: when the game needs a connection

The browser version loads the island from the server when you open it. In co-op the game then keeps a standing connection to the Island server, sends your position ten times a second, and stores the shared save online.

If the connection drops, the game shows "Verbindung unterbrochen. Island verbindet dich erneut …" (connection lost, reconnecting) and tries five times, with pauses growing to eight seconds. If none of that works, rejoin through "Multiplayer". If you are already connected in another window, the game tells you that too.

For voices, it depends on the conversation mode. The prepared clips, 442 voice lines in this build, ship with the game and need no outside service. The default open conversation mode ("Freies Gespräch mit Figurenstimme") instead opens a live audio connection over WebRTC for every conversation. That needs a game profile, and the microphone only if you want to speak rather than type.

Meanwhile the prepared clip plays right away, and the open conversation joins in once connected. After 18 seconds without a connection the game gives up and sticks with the prepared dialogue, and a live connection ends on its own after four minutes at most. In co-op the characters always use prepared dialogue, and the same goes for browsers without WebRTC.

TipOn a weak connection, set "Gesprächsart" (conversation mode) in the settings to "Vorbereitete Dialoge" (prepared dialogue). The game then never tries to open a live audio connection.

If the game stutters: switch the display setting to economy

The most useful control sits inside the game. Open the settings from the start menu, or with Esc from the pause screen, change "Darstellung" (display) from "Hoch" (high) to "Sparsam" (economy), and confirm with "Übernehmen" (apply). The settings app on the in-game phone leads to the same place. Here is what economy mode changes:

• at most 30 instead of 60 frames per second
• one pixel per screen point instead of up to 1.65, which matters on high-density screens
• no shadows
• at night, at most two real lamps near you instead of four
• distant characters are hidden sooner
• fewer water effects: two wakes instead of three, half as many rings, 200 spray particles instead of 600

TipAlmost all of this applies immediately. Only the water effects are fixed when the game loads, so they change after you reload the page. Your browser remembers the choice for your next visit.