The game runs in your conversation. Your friends can't open the conversation, and a game.html sent to a group chat does nothing on a phone. Publish it on Hostus and you get one link: it opens in any browser, stays the same on every new version, and the people playing need no account.
There are two routes. With the Hostus connector on, ask ChatGPT to publish. Without it, take the file out and drop it on Hostus. Both start from the game prompt. OpenAI facts on this page come from its help center, developer docs and release notes, read on 7 November 2026.
Route 1: connect Hostus and ask ChatGPT to publish
Connect once, on ChatGPT on the web. OpenAI says custom MCP servers can't be connected on mobile.
- In ChatGPT, open Plugins, select the plus button, then Add custom MCP server.
- Name it Hostus. Under Connection, enter
https://app.hostus.io/api/mcp. - Set the authentication to OAuth, then review the risk warning and select I understand and want to continue.
- Select Create as a plugin, install it, and sign in with your Hostus email when asked. No API key.
Then ask for the game:
- Start a new conversation. Type
@in the prompt box and select Hostus. - Say where it goes:
Make a car game for 4 players and publish it on Hostus.For a game you already have:Publish this game on Hostus. - Approve the action if ChatGPT asks.
- ChatGPT gives you the link. The page starts private, so open your Hostus dashboard, make it public, then send the link.
Don't expect it to happen on its own. In a new conversation ChatGPT may not use the connector unless you ask: it can hand you a file, or build a game for one screen. Say publish it on Hostus and mention @Hostus. OpenAI says app selection applies to the message where you use it, so a later request may need the mention again.
Your plan decides whether you can add it. OpenAI's article on connecting custom MCP servers lists full MCP support for Business and Enterprise/Edu on ChatGPT web, says only admins and owners can add a server to a Business workspace, and says Pro users connect with read and fetch permissions. In our own test on 7 November 2026, a Plus account connected Hostus and published a page, so check your account before ruling it out. Its developer docs add that account and workspace policies apply. If the option isn't there, or ChatGPT can't publish, use route 2. You end up with the same link.
Route 2: take the file out and upload it
- In the conversation with your game, paste the game prompt. It asks for one
.htmlfile with everything inside, under 1.8 MB, with touch controls for phones. - Take the file out. If ChatGPT offers a file, download it. If the code is in a code block, copy it into a plain text editor and save it as
game.html. Open it in your browser to check that it runs. - Drag the file onto hostus.io, type your email and click the magic link. That drop takes files up to 1 MB. For a bigger one, sign in first and upload from the dashboard.
- Make the page public and copy the link.
- Paste it in the group.
For a new version, upload the new file to the same page. The link doesn't change, friends with the game open see a small new version notice, and the last 20 versions stay in your history.
What happened to canvas?
OpenAI's release notes of 28 May 2026 say canvas is no longer available in GPT-5.5 Instant or GPT-5.5 Thinking, that coding now happens in code blocks in the chat, and that paid users keep canvas for a limited time through legacy models. On those models, look for your game in a code block.
Can ChatGPT host the game itself?
On paid plans, yes. ChatGPT Sites builds and hosts websites and lightweight apps from a conversation, for Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise. A new Site is private, you pick the audience in Share, and building or editing counts toward your Codex usage. Hostus is our pick for a game you send to friends: it takes a file from any ChatGPT plan, rooms and leaderboards need no setup, and the game stays a plain HTML file you can move.
| Route | ChatGPT plan | Friends need an account | New version | Playing together |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostus | Any, with the file route | No | Same link, last 20 versions kept | Rooms for up to 8 players and a leaderboard, no setup |
| ChatGPT Sites | Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise | No, when set to Anyone on the internet | Deploy again to the same Site | Each Site has a database; real-time rooms are not covered in the pages we read |
| Sending game.html | Any | Not an account, but it won't open on a phone | A new file every time | None |
Pick ChatGPT Sites if you are on a paid plan and want to stay inside ChatGPT.
Want friends playing at the same time?
Ask for rooms. Up to 8 players join from an invite link, with no other account or key: see multiplayer with friends. For scores, see a leaderboard for your game. Both are already in the game prompt.
Play one first
Flipdot is a one-tap arcade game published on Hostus, with a leaderboard and no backend. Open it on your phone: this is what your friends get when you send the link.
Good to know before you publish
Every page shows a small Hostus badge, and you pick the corner. The link is yourgame.hostus.page, and you can't point a domain of yours at it. The page does not appear in Google, so people reach it from your link. A new page starts private: making it public is a switch in the dashboard. The free plan covers 20 pages and 2 MB, media included, and Hostus keeps the last 20 versions of each page. If the file has a secret key in it, the upload stops and warns you. A Firebase web config also raises a warning, and it is public by design, so you can go on. Only publish games that are yours. Hostus gets your game to your friends. It is not a storefront: nobody finds your game on Hostus, and there are no payments. Home screen, player errors and the new version notice work on public pages Hostus detects as games.