How to license HTML5 games for your school or app
To license HTML5 games for a school, an edtech platform or a kids' app, first pick the model that fits: a free embed with an attribution link, a yearly license for a build you host yourself, or a white-label license that carries your own name. Then check that the games fit your devices and your privacy rules, and ask the studio for a build or an embed code. That's the whole process. The rest of this guide explains the three models, what to check before you sign, which rights to ask for, and what matters most for classrooms and apps for children.
Embed vs self-hosted vs white-label
The three models differ in where the game runs, whose name is on it and what it costs.
| Free embed | Self-hosted license | White-label | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the game runs | On the studio's servers, inside a frame on your page | On your own servers or app | On your own servers or app |
| Whose name is on it | The studio's, with a link back | The studio's | Yours, with your logo and theme |
| Setup | Paste one snippet | Upload one folder of files | Upload one folder of files |
| Works offline | No | Yes, if your app caches it | Yes, if your app caches it |
| Cost | Free, usually with limits | A yearly or one-time fee per title | A higher fee per title, plus any custom work |
| Best for | Class pages, blogs, small sites | Learning platforms, school networks | Apps and brands that want one look |
An embed is the fastest way to start. You paste an iframe and a link, and the game appears on your page. The catch is that you depend on the studio's servers, and an embed usually comes with conditions, such as keeping the attribution link or staying under a traffic limit.
A self-hosted license gives you the game's files. You put them on your own server or inside your app, so the game keeps working even if the studio's site is slow or down, and no request leaves your platform.
White-label goes one step further: the game shows your name and logo, and often your colors, so it feels like part of your product.
What to check
Before you pick a game, test it the way your players will use it. Five things matter most.
- Devices. Open the demo on the oldest device your players use: a school Chromebook, a small phone, a tablet in portrait. Check that the buttons are big enough for small fingers and that the game works with touch, a mouse and, where possible, a keyboard.
- Size. A smaller build loads faster on a busy school network and costs less to host. Ask for the compressed size of each game. Most casual HTML5 games come in at a few megabytes or less.
- Offline. If your app works without a connection, make sure the game does too. A self-contained build with no outside requests can be cached and played offline.
- Data collection. Find out exactly what the game sends anywhere: analytics, crash reports, ad requests. For a children's product, the best answer is nothing at all.
- Ads inside. Many free games carry their own ads. A licensed build should have none, so the only ads your players see (if any) are the ones you choose.
Rights to ask for
A license is a short contract, and a few terms decide most of its value.
- Term. How long the license runs, and what happens when it ends. A yearly license usually renews only when you pay again. A perpetual license lets you keep the version you have.
- Exclusivity. Most game licenses are non-exclusive, which keeps the price low. If you need a game no competitor can use, ask for an exclusive license for one channel or region, and expect it to cost several times more and to last a limited time.
- Updates. Ask whether bug fixes and updates are included for the whole term, and how you receive them.
- Rebranding. If you want your logo, your name or your colors in the game, make sure the license says so. A standard license usually doesn't allow it.
If a game is built on open-source code, ask which license that code uses. A permissive license, such as MIT, lets the game be licensed to you, as long as the original credits stay with it.
Classrooms and kids' apps
For anything children use, privacy comes first. Look for games that need no accounts, collect no names, emails or photos, and have no chat. A game with nothing to sign in to has no student data to protect, which makes a school's privacy review much simpler.
Check that the game doesn't load anything from other companies, such as ad networks, analytics tools or social buttons. Each one is another company that sees your students' visits. A self-hosted build that makes no outside requests is the easiest to approve.
Finally, ask what the studio itself keeps. A hosted embed always loads from the studio's servers, so ask what those servers log and for how long.
How it works at Tabby Arcade
At Tabby Arcade, every game is made to pass the checks above: no accounts, no chat, no ads in a licensed build, and nothing to install. Our licensing page lists the prices, the default terms and every game you can license, and each game has its own page with a playable demo, its build size and the devices it supports.
- Free embed. Our original games that can be licensed now have an embed code on their game page. It's free with the Games by Tabby Arcade link, shows no ads, sets no cookies and keeps no visitor numbers.
- Self-hosted and white-label. Ask us for a quote through the licensing page. You get a self-contained build, one folder of static files that runs on any web server.
- Machine-readable list. If you're comparing many games, our catalog file lists every licensable game with its size, devices, controls and status.
- Schools and districts. See our plans for schools for an ad-free site license for every classroom.
To try a few first, Arcade Memory Match, Mirror Light Puzzle and Tidy Tiles Puzzle are calm puzzles that work on every device, with no timer and no way to lose.
FAQ
Can I put a free HTML5 game on my school website?
Often, yes. Many studios offer a free embed for classroom and non-commercial use, as long as you keep their attribution link. Read the embed terms first, and check whether the game shows ads.
What's the difference between a license and an embed?
An embed runs the game from the studio's servers inside a frame on your page. A license gives you the game's files to host yourself, so it keeps working on your own platform, with no outside requests.
Do licensed games collect student data?
They shouldn't. Ask the studio exactly what the game sends and where. A self-contained build with no accounts, no analytics and no ads collects nothing about your students.
