Flash? Is not that the technology that had so many security holes that it had to be put down? Yes and now. Flash was undoubtedly highly problematic from a security point of view. It was, however, also a technology that was widely used to create incredible applications and games.
Flash is dead and there is no option to install Flash anymore in modern web browsers. The technology lives on, however. Ruffle is an open source project that emulates Flash in modern browsers and on websites.
There are two main options here: websites may integrate Ruffle for Flash emulation so that games and apps may be played. The other option integrates Ruffle into browsers so that Flash content may be played even if the site has no Ruffle implementation.
Firefox is in an excellent position, as it supports desktop and mobile extensions. This means, that you may install Flash in Firefox for the desktop and for Android to regain Flash support. Ruffle is also available for Chromium-based browsers, but all major ones limit extensions to their desktop versions.
Microsoft is testing extensions support in Edge for Android, but it is not there yet.
Installing Ruffle in Firefox
It is not difficult to install the extension in Firefox. Just visit the official Ruffle website in Firefox and activate the “add to Firefox” option on the page to install the extension. Ruffle displays the permissions that it requires — access your data for all websites — and an add button to commence the installation.
Once installed, Ruffle will load Flash content encountered in the browser. If the site uses a Ruffle implementation it will upgrade it to the latest version, if that is not already used. If the site does not emulate Flash at all, Ruffle will load the Flash content so that it can be accessed. In other words, the Ruffle extension may also prove useful if the site uses Ruffle to provide access to Flash content.
Note: Ruffle is still a work in progress. Some games or apps may not work properly or at all because of that.
Using Ruffle to play Flash games
Once Ruffle is installed, Flash games should load automatically. This is regardless of whether the website the game is hosted on supports Ruffle or not.
Apart from certain games or apps that won’t work properly, Ruffle’s extension is also not capable of loading local Flash games in the browser.
Other than that, it is smooth sailing from this moment on. Finding Flash games and apps on the Internet is probably the hardest part at this point. Most gaming sites that supported Flash games in the past have installed Ruffle by now. The extension may still be useful on some of these sites, as it may load a newer Ruffle version that promises better compatibility and other benefits.
Firefox for Android loads Flash games and apps just like the desktop version once Ruffle is installed. It may be difficult to play them in the browser, at least on smaller screens, as the resolution may be tiny because of missing optimizations.
Alternatives
A few projects offer access to thousands of Flash games and apps. Popular ones are the Flash Games preservation project, Flashpoint, which had a size of more than 30 gigabytes back in 2018 already. It has grown to a size of 1.4 terabytes since then.
The archive has preserved more than 170,000 games and animations according to information on its website. Good news is that you do not need to download the entire archive but a smaller distribution. Games and components are then loaded on demand.
Another project is the Flash Game Archive. It is still maintained up to this point and includes a searchable directory of games on its website.
Closing words
Ruffle is an interesting option if you want to play Flash games or apps in your browser. While it does not work for all games yet, it is a valid option. Many Flash game websites have withered away since the end of Flash, others have moved on to support JavaScript games only.
Now You: have you played games online recently?
I ignored Flash was supported by some sites and could be emulated by an application such as Rush. I thought Flash was a format of the past. Some gamers still fond of as it seems.
The very few games I happen to play on-line are archaic yet fit perfectly into a break :
Simon Says Game [https://www.mathsisfun.com/games/simon-says.html]
Snake Game [https://playsnake.org/]
Super Master Mind [https://supermastermind.github.io/playonline/game.html]
Master Mind, a game which improves awareness of avoiding fast conclusions 🙂