So, you want to play some RotMG on your Chromebook.
Are you so pumped that you wanna tackle Leviathan solo?
In this (ultimate) complete tutorial, you’ll learn:
- How to play RotMG through the browser (the laggy way)
- How to get Linux and play through Firefox (an alternative way)
- And how to play using WINE and Steam (the crazy way)
- The best video setting to get more FPS and reduce lag
- Other games you can play on your Chromebook
- And more
After trying to play directly through the browser on Chrome, I could never really have a good time with it because it lags. Like crazy.
Chrome doesn’t play well with Flash, which RotMG runs off of. So I decided to do some research and test out a few other methods (just because Realm of the Mad God is so addicting).
I really wanted to get the game running on my Chromebook at a playable FPS. And I saw that many other players were having the same problem (lag, low FPS, game crashing, etc.).
(Note that your results will vary! But if you’re willing to give it a shot, you just may end up being the cool kid in class that’s able to run RotMG on a Chromebook!)
Sound good? Let’s get some RotMG action on!
System requirements
Realm of the Mad God has minimal system requirements to run. But as you probably already know, Chromebooks aren’t exactly made for gaming.
The requirements from the game’s Steam page says the following:
- CPU: 2.33GHz or faster
- RAM: 1 GB RAM
- HDD: 100 MB HD space
Most Chromebooks easily meet the RAM requirement, as every model has at least 2GB of RAM. The HD space also should be no sweat- unless you have a ton of junk on your system.
The minimum amount of HD space any Chromebook on the market can have is actually a whopping 16GB.
As for the CPU, some will have enough and others won’t. My particular model, the Acer CB3-131, doesn’t meet the process requirements. And it shows.
The game runs at a buttery smooth 6 FPS through Deca’s site.
But for other players, you may just have enough CPU power to run the game perfectly- or at least at a playable FPS. Some of the more powerful Chromebooks have some mean i7 CPUs.
Now, you’re probably thinking: Why do I need to worry about disk space for RotMG? It plays through the browser! Well, you’ll need some space to play the game if you decide to download Firefox on your Chromebook. Or install Steam. So that’s why it matters.
Besides, you’re probably not here to play through the browser, are you?
The process
So let’s get to the good stuff.
The game plan for this is to try out three different methods to run RotMG.
The most basic one doesn’t require you to download anything. It’s just running the game through the browser (which many of you probably already tried). The other two are slightly more complicated.
And they’ll require you to download other programs like WINE, Steam, and Firefox.
- Method 1: Play through the Chrome Browser (easiest, but unplayable for most)
- Method 2: Install Linux and download Firefox (slightly more complicated, but Firefox runs Flash games smoother)
- Method 3: Install Linux, get WINE, download Steam, and then play RotMG through a virtual environment (hardest and requires a beefy Chromebook)
Even if you try all three and they all fail- who cares? At least you learned something? And you’ll be able to play a whole bunch of other games now (like WoW) that you’d never even imagined before in your wildest Chrome OS dreams.
But if you’re a true Realm of the Mad God addict, you’ll probably do anything you can to get your hands on the world’s most addicting pixel browser MMORPG, right?
(Are you a huge MMO fan? Check out some of the best MMOs for Chromebooks!)
Alright. Enough with the intros. Let’s get some RotMG going on your Chromebook!
Method 1: Play through the browser
The easiest and fastest way to get some RotMG action.
This method will perform poorly for the majority of Chromebook owners. In fact, I’ve never seen it actually work and run well on even some of the more powerful models. I can only imagine that it may work on super high-end Chromebooks.
But for the rest of us, this method just results in a laggy unplayable game chugging at less than 8 FPS. I’ve never gotten this to run smoothly on my laptop. Perhaps one day DECA Studios will optimize their web version of the game. But for now, you can’t really play it unless you want to watch a slideshow.
Adjusting the quality settings of Flash does seem to help a bit. And then further tuning the video settings in the game also help.
But even doing that, I can only squeeze out a few more FPS and the game still barely runs on my Acer CB3-131. I think it’s a combination of the Flash/Chrome integration, since Chrome has been reported to run Flash games poorly. Even though Chrome supports it out of the box, that doesn’t mean it runs well.
The other problem would be that it’s just too much going on at once when you have 20 people taking down a Scorpion Queen.
The sprites, action, and processing power to run this smoothly ain’t gonna happen on most Chromebooks. Let me know if you actually have a model that runs at a decent framerate.
Method 2: Get Linux and Firefox
The first method is to simply try another browser.
As you probably know, Chromebooks only support the Chrome Browser. Firefox seems to handle Flash games much better in terms of performance, so we can give it a try over Chrome.
To do this, we’ll have to install Firefox on the Chromebook. There’s no way to do this directly on Chrome OS. We’ll have to install Linux in order to change our Chromebook browser.
The process is pretty simple and doesn’t take too much time. If you get stuck, feel free to post a comment and I’ll try to help you out! Also, don’t worry if you screw up on any step. There’s no real “permanent” damage you can do your device. Just do a Powerwash to reset it to completely wipe everything.
Sound good? Okay, let’s get started.
I’m going to detail the steps here in a nutshell. I’ll like to the complete guide for those who are having trouble. You can follow the steps here or just jump to the guide if you’re unfamiliar with Linux.
Step 1: Make a backup
You should regularly be backing up your Chromebook just to protect your files.
There are multiple ways to do this.
But the easiest one is to simply enable Google Drive and sync your Chromebook with it. This way, anything you save on your Chromebook will automatically be saved in the cloud. If you’d rather avoid using Drive, you can use other cloud providers like Dropbox.
Or if you’re paranoid and don’t want to use any cloud services at all, you can backup your stuff to an SD card, thumb drive, or external hard drive that works with Chromebooks. Check out the tutorial linked above if you need steps.
The reason why you need to make a backup is that this process will delete everything on your device. This means your downloaded pictures, videos, documents, funny memes, etc.
Your Chromebook settings, wallpapers, and other personal details will also be deleted. However, your Google Account will be OK. Anything saved online (Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.) will remain untouched.
Step 2: Enter Developer Mode
Easy peasy.
After you’ve backed up your data, we’ll want to enable Dev Mode so we can do awesome stuff like get Linux and Steam. This step is easy for most owners of modern Chromebooks. Older models have an actual physical switch you need to toggle to enable Dev Mode.
But that’s a very small percentage of the market! If you try these steps and they don’t check for an actual switch on the side of your device that you need to toggle.
- Press “ESC + Refresh + Power” and hold it until your laptop restarts.
- Press “CTRL + D” after it restarts and shows the warning message.
- Hit Enter if prompted.
- Press “CTRL + D” again.
Your Chromebook should now be in Developer Mode. If you messed up, you can start over again. Follow this tutorial for detailed steps. Please note that if you’re using a school or work Chromebook that’s enrolled into a network, you probably can’t do this because it’ll be blocked.
You’ll have to speak with your admin for them to grant you access. There’s no way around this. Sorry!
Step 3: Download Crouton
You can easily grab a copy of Crouton here. It’s basically an awesome program that’ll let us download Linux.
Step 4: Download Linux
Linux is what will allow us to get Firefox since Chrome OS doesn’t play well with third-party applications.
Fun fact: Did you know Chrome OS is built using Linux? Linux is known for its security and bulletproof environment. This is partially why Chrome OS is so secure and doesn’t need stuff like antivirus.
After you download Crouton, read over the FAQ page here.
You’re ready to get Linux! You can install the kernel by pressing “CTRL + ALT + T” (be sure you’re logged in already) to bring up the command prompt.
- Type “shell” and hit Enter.
- Type “sudo install -Dt /usr/local/bin -m 755 ~/Downloads/crouton” and hit Enter.
- And finally type “sudo crouton -t xfce” and hit Enter.
- Launch Linux by typing “sudo startxfce4” and press Enter!
You’ll now have an instance of Linux running at the same time as Chrome OS.
You can toggle between them by pressing “CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + Back/Forward Arrows.” These are the arrows at the top of your keyboard- NOT the keypad!
Please note that Developer Mode is insecure. You need to create a strong password during the setup, or else anyone can access your data if they can break your password.
You can also check out the Crouton extension from the Chrome Web Store. This requires you to enable Dev Mode but makes the process much easier.
Lastly, for those who get stuck, check out this help page and follow the steps.
Step 5: Download Firefox
Once you boot into Ubuntu Xfce, you’ll want to grab Firefox. This is super easy and there are multiple ways to do so.
Get Firefox through the Ubuntu Software Center
- On your desktop toolbar, find the “Activities” section.
- Search for the “Ubuntu Software Center” icon. Click on it to launch it.
- After it opens up, search for “Firefox” in the search bar.
- Click on “Install” and follow the on-screen prompts.
You’re done!
Get Firefox through the command line
The command line will make everything a lot easier and faster. If you’re afraid to use it, this is a perfect time to try it out and get accustomed to it!
Just press “CTRL + ALT + T” once again to launch the terminal.
- Type “$ sudo apt-get update” to update your repository index.
- Type “$ sudo apt install firefox” and enter your password.
- After it’s installed, you can find it on your menu or just type “$ firefox” to launch it from the command line like a pro!
After you get Firefox installed, the next thing to do is to get Flash.
Step 6: Install Flash
Note that Adobe has already stated they’ll stop supporting Flash by the end of 2020 and that it should no longer be used by then for security reasons.
Linux development of Flash has already been stopped, so this will be an older version of the player. This could pose a security risk. Proceed at your own risk!
Enable the Canonical Partners repo by doing this:
Launch the command prompt “CTRL + ALT + T” (this again?).
- Type “$ sudo add-apt-repository “deb http://archive.canonical.com/ $(lsb_release -sc) partner” and press Enter.
- Type “$ sudo apt update” and hit Enter.
- And finally type “$ sudo apt install flashplugin-installer” and hit “Y” and press Enter.
- Restart Firefox.
This will magically enable Flash. You should now be able to play Realm of the Mad God. Note that you may have to enable Flash on the page. You can test if it installed correctly by going here.
That’s it.
Does it run better on Firefox? Were you able to get it playing smoothly? Or is it worse? Let me know by leaving a comment.
If you can’t get Flash running this way, you can try this:
Use restricted extras
Some codes, software, and Flash may be “locked” due to legal restrictions in some countries.
The software can be downloaded across the globe and some countries have software restrictions and patents. So you’ll need to review your local country’s laws and regulations before doing so.
Since Flash is outdated and no longer supported, you can download it by “unlocking” it from Ubuntu’s restricted extras.
- Launch the command prompt (“CTRL + ALT + T”).
- Type:
- sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
- Hit Enter.
This will install a bunch of stuff on your Chromebook:
- Flash Player plugin
- Various codecs for audio and videos
- MP3 playback
- DVD playback
- Java plugins (if you only need Java, you can download Java the easy way)
- And various other stuff
Alternatively, you can go through the GUI:
- Launch the Ubuntu Software Center, then click on “Edit.“
- Find the Ubuntu Software tab.
- Find “Downloadable from the Internet.”
- Check the box for “Software restricted by copyright or legal issues (Multiverse).”
- Close the program.
- Update your Ubuntu by running: sudo apt-get update
You should now have Java plugins, Flash plugins, MP3 playback, DVD playback, TrueType, and more all on your Chromebook.
You just upgraded your Chromebook!
With the power of Linux, you can do a lot more than you could before. Even if Realm of the Mad God doesn’t work, you still unlocked a new level of power!
Other stuff you can do with Linux:
- Install video players
- Interface CD or DVD players
- Use other browsers
- Play other games (like League of Legends)
- Play other (Steam) games (like Hearthstone, Path of Exile, and DotA 2)
- Download and play nearly all video and audio formats
- Browse the web securely with minimal chances of viruses
- Download Windows-native programs
- Get word processors
- And a lot more- check out the Ubuntu forums
Are you a Linux fanatic? Check out some of the most Linux-friendly Chromebooks.
Method 3: Get WINE and Steam
The next option is to get the game by using WINE and then playing it on Steam.
Follow the previous method to get Linux installed. This builds off of it, so if you haven’t done the previous steps yet- go ahead and do so! The “downloading Firefox” part is optional.
This time around, you’ll be downloading the emulator WINE instead. This basically lets you run a virtual environment of Windows on Linux on Chrome OS. Isn’t that cool?
Because of the technological hardware limits of Chromebooks, you may get a lot of lag, crashing, and freezing. So even then this may not always work.
But if you’re a real RotMG fan, you’ll do anything to play on your Chromebook, no? At least you’ll learn some cool stuff?
Here’s how.
Get WINE
You can download it here. Installation is straightforward. Just follow the tutorial they have there since I’m too lazy to make one myself.
They also have a nice, detailed FAQ page that you may want to read over as it gives you some insight that may explain what you can do with WINE on your Chromebook.
And if you get stuck, here’s a forum you can post in for assistance.
You can also leave a comment and I’ll try to get back to you ASAP.
Get Steam
After you get WINE, you’ll want to get Steam!
This is super easy:
Step 1: Launch the terminal by pressing “CTRL + ALT +T” while you’re on Ubuntu.
Step 2: Type in “$ sudo apt-get install -y steam” and hit Enter.
Step 3: Read over the agreements.
Step 4: Press “Tab” to highly “OK” and then hit Enter.
Step 5: Be patient. Check out some RotMG videos.
Step 6: Steam will complete installation and you’ll see it show up under your menus. Find it somewhere under Applications > Games > Steam.
Launch Steam and let it update if it needs to- which steam probably will.
Download RotMG
The last step! Just log in to your Steam account and download RotMG on your Chromebook. I’m pretty sure you know how to do this step.
To save you some time, you can click here to go directly to the store page. Then add it to your Steam library by clicking “Install.”
After that, just launch the game as usual and see how it runs! You may need to adjust the video settings to get the game to run smoother. This method didn’t work on my cheap Acer Chromebook.
My friend was able to have a much better time with Realm of the Mad God than I did. He could actually play the game at a decent 25 FPS, on average.
Improving performance
If you’re playing the game and getting some terrible frames, slowness, lag, or even “page is not responding,” there are some tricks you can do to help increase your performance.
The most obvious one is to reduce the quality in Flash. You can right-click anywhere on the Realm of the Mad God window, then hover over “Quality” and set it to “Low.”
Since Flash is Flash, your options are limited in what you can do from here. The rest of the graphical settings are in the actual game menu.
Here are some other ways to squeeze out more FPS.
Set your video settings to the following:
- Show Quest Portraits = OFF
- Draw Shadows = OFF
- UI Quality = LOW
- Draw Text Bubbles = OFF
- Particle Effect = LOW
- HP Bars = OFF
- Hardware Acceleration = OFF
Hardware Acceleration may be controlled by the actual Flash Player.
To disable it, you can right-click the Player > Hardware Acceleration > Off.
The options to control video settings are very limited as you can see. So if you still get lag, there’s not much else you can do at this point without a more powerful machine.
Here’s a video that you may want to check out for some more tips:
Need a faster Chromebook? Check out the best Chromebooks for gaming and upgrade your setup.
Did you get RotMG running on your Chromebook?
Well, that’s all I have for you!
By now, you should have everything you need to know about getting Real of the Mad God to run on your Chromebook.
You probably already could do this before. But maybe now you have some additional options to make it less laggy and get more frames per second out of it.
If you have any questions, leave a comment below. Or if you found this tutorial to be helpful, let me know also =]!
Consider telling a friend, then y’all can play RotMG on your Chromebooks. Together! Time to take down the Scorpion King on a Chromebook!
Thanks for reading!
Is it good or bad?
So i was wondering what about the memory thing mine is at like 500