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Desktop builds ​

A debuff game is a static web app, so it can ship as a desktop app by wrapping it in a native window. We recommend Tauri. It uses the operating system's own webview instead of bundling a browser, so installers stay tiny.

On our Windows test, the starter game (npm create debuff) became a 1.8 MB installer (2.8 MB as an MSI). The app opened its window in about a second and used about 33 MB of memory. Electron apps typically start around 80 to 100 MB.

Status

These steps are tested on Windows with Tauri 2. macOS and Linux follow the same steps with their own prerequisites, but we haven't verified them yet. A debuff desktop command that does this for you is on the roadmap.

1. Prerequisites ​

You need Rust and the platform's webview tooling. Follow Tauri's prerequisites guide:

  • Windows: Rust (the MSVC toolchain), Microsoft C++ Build Tools and WebView2 (preinstalled on Windows 11).
  • macOS: Rust and the Xcode command line tools.
  • Linux: Rust, webkit2gtk-4.1 and the build packages listed by Tauri.

2. Add Tauri to your game ​

From your game's folder (made with npm create debuff):

bash
npm install -D @tauri-apps/cli@2
bash
npx tauri init --ci --app-name my-game --window-title "my game" --frontend-dist ../dist --dev-url http://localhost:5173 --before-dev-command "npm run dev" --before-build-command "npm run build"

This creates src-tauri/. Open src-tauri/tauri.conf.json and set two things:

  • identifier: a unique reverse-domain id such as com.yourname.mygame. Tauri refuses to build with its placeholder.
  • The window size under app.windows, for example "width": 960, "height": 540, to match your game's aspect ratio.

3. Run and build ​

bash
npx tauri dev

This runs your game in a desktop window with hot reload. The debuff dev panel works as usual.

bash
npx tauri build

This builds the production game (npm run build), compiles the native shell and writes installers to src-tauri/target/release/bundle/. On Windows that's an NSIS …-setup.exe and an .msi. The first build compiles Rust dependencies and takes a few minutes; later builds are much faster.

Things to know for games ​

  • Webview differences: Windows uses WebView2 (Chromium). macOS and Linux use WebKit (WKWebView and WebKitGTK), so test there before you ship. WebGL2 is widely supported, but gamepad support in WebKit-based webviews is limited. If your game needs controllers on macOS or Linux, test early, or use a native gamepad plugin such as tauri-plugin-gamepad.
  • Linux graphics: some Linux setups, often with NVIDIA GPUs, show a blank window because of a WebKitGTK driver issue. Tauri documents the workaround.
  • The splash: production builds open with the "made with debuff" card. Pass splash: false to new Game() to remove it. Poki and some other portals require that: see Publishing.
  • Fullscreen: set "fullscreen": true on the window, or toggle it at runtime with Tauri's window API.

Shipping ​

  • itch.io: zip the installer, or the app folder, and upload it as a Windows, macOS or Linux download. You can also upload your web build (dist/) as a browser-playable version of the same game.
  • Steam: works, but needs Steamworks integration through a community Rust crate. There's no official Tauri plugin.

Alternatives ​

Electron bundles its own Chromium, so behaviour is identical on every platform, including gamepads. The cost is installers around 100 MB. Pick it if WebKit differences on macOS or Linux block you.