40 mind-blowing interactive websites
Websites that make you say "wait, this is a web page?". These are 3D worlds, real-time physics, a live globe of the wind and a map of 100,000 stars.
They are best on a laptop or desktop, though most also work on a phone.
Updated · 40 sites · hand-checked
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1. Bruno Simon
A developer portfolio you drive around in a toy truck, knocking over the CV as you go. The most quoted argument that WebGL was worth learning.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- bruno-simon.com
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2. Bartosz Ciechanowski
Long, gorgeous interactive essays explaining how gears, cameras, GPS and light actually work.
- Learn
- Free
- ciechanow.ski
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3. 100,000 Stars
Zoom out from the Sun through a 3D map of our stellar neighbourhood, with over a hundred thousand real stars to click on.
- Science & Space
- Free
- stars.chromeexperiments.com
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4. NASA Eyes
Fly through a real-time 3D model of the solar system, tracking actual spacecraft on actual trajectories.
- Science & Space
- Free
- eyes.nasa.gov
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5. FFF
A collection of small interactive experiments by designer Jongmin Kim, each with its own odd physics and visuals to poke at.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- fff.cmiscm.com
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6. Holocloth
Drape a sheet of holographic fabric in 3D, drag it around and fiddle with iridescence, sparkle and sheen until it looks like a foil sticker.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- holocloth.vercel.app
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7. Nullschool Earth
A live globe of wind, ocean currents, waves and particulates, animated straight from forecast data. Spin it, switch the layer, and watch the weather move.
- Maps & Earth
- Open source
- earth.nullschool.net
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8. Scale of the Universe
Zoom continuously from the Planck length to the observable universe. Still stunning years later.
- Science & Space
- Free
- scaleofuniverse.com
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9. NukeSimulation
Drop a nuclear weapon on any city in 3D and see the fireball, blast rings, heat and fallout plume. Sobering and clearly explained.
- Science & Space
- Free
- nukesimulation.com
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10. The Evolution of Trust
A playable introduction to game theory that explains why cooperation appears, and why it collapses.
- Learn
- Free
- ncase.me
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11. Solar System Scope
An interactive, texture-accurate model of the planets that works beautifully as a teaching tool.
- Science & Space
- Freemium
- solarsystemscope.com
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13. Patrick Heintzmann Lab
A notebook of realtime graphics experiments: shaders, simulations and odd prototypes to poke at.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- lab.patrickheintzmann.com
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14. Meta AI Demos
Try Meta's research demos in the browser: cut objects out of any video, or turn a single photo into a 3D model.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- aidemos.meta.com
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15. Silk
Draw symmetrical, glowing, silk-like patterns that look far better than your actual drawing skill.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- weavesilk.com
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16. 3DLogoLab
Drop in a flat logo or SVG and get a spinning 3D version with chrome, glass or gold materials, ready to export as a video.
- Design & Type
- Freemium
- 3dlogolab.io
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17. Anatomy Atelier
Explore the human body in 3D, organ by organ, with hotspots and short lessons on what each part does.
- Science & Space
- Free
- anatomyatelier.org
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18. BuildGuides
Minecraft blueprints shown layer by layer in 3D, so you can rebuild houses, castles and farms block by block.
- Games & Play
- Free
- buildguides.net
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19. CADMAPPER
Select any area in the world and download its buildings, roads and terrain as CAD files for architecture models.
- Maps & Earth
- Freemium
- cadmapper.com
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20. Car Anatomy
An interactive 3D car you can take apart: engine, gearbox, brakes and suspension, each explained in plain English as it moves.
- Learn
- Free
- underthehood.online
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21. Chronas
Drag a slider through 5,000 years of history and watch empires grow and collapse on the map, with linked articles for every era.
- Maps & Earth
- Free
- chronas.org
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22. DOF Simulator
Pick a camera, lens, aperture and distance and watch the depth of field and background blur change on a sample photo.
- Learn
- Free
- dofsimulator.net
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23. Eye Atlas
An interactive 3D model of the human eye. Orbit it, peel it apart layer by layer, slice it in half and see what goes wrong in common conditions.
- Science & Space
- Free
- eye-anatomy-delta.vercel.app
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24. F4map
OpenStreetMap rendered as a 3D city with buildings, trees and moving shadows. Fly anywhere in the world.
- Maps & Earth
- Free
- demo.f4map.com
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25. Flourish
Paste in a spreadsheet and get an animated, interactive chart or map, including the famous racing bar charts.
- Design & Type
- Freemium
- flourish.studio
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26. FUNES
Monuments and cultural heritage scanned into detailed 3D models you can orbit in the browser, from the Trevi Fountain to small-town churches.
- Read & Archive
- Free
- funes.world
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27. Glenn
An open-world driving game set in real cities, playable in the browser. Customise a car and cruise around with friends.
- Games & Play
- Free
- playglenn.com
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28. Google Earth
The whole planet in 3D in a browser tab. Fly through cities, take the guided Voyager stories or measure anything.
- Maps & Earth
- Free
- earth.google.com
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29. Hero Forge
Build your tabletop character as a 3D miniature, from pose and armour to the shape of the nose. Designing is free; ordering a print isn't.
- Games & Play
- Freemium
- heroforge.com
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30. Hooktheory
See the chords and melody of thousands of pop songs laid out on a timeline, and learn why progressions work the way they do.
- Learn
- Freemium
- hooktheory.com
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31. Javalab
Hundreds of small, clear simulations of physics, chemistry and earth science, from pendulums to tides.
- Science & Space
- Free
- javalab.org
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32. Juddesk
Plan a desk setup in 3D with real monitors, keyboards and lamps at true scale, then rearrange it until it feels right.
- Design & Type
- Free
- juddesk.com
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33. LeoLabs Visualization
Every tracked satellite and piece of debris in low earth orbit, swarming around a 3D globe in real time.
- Science & Space
- Free
- platform.leolabs.space
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35. NB Chemistry Lab
A virtual chemistry lab in 3D: pick up glassware, mix reagents and watch the reactions happen without breaking anything.
- Learn
- Freemium
- chemistry-en.nobook.com
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36. PCBX Simulator
Build Arduino circuits on a 3D breadboard in the browser, wire up displays and LEDs, and run real code against them.
- Learn
- Free
- pcbx.com
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37. ShadeMap
Every mountain, building and tree shadow on earth, simulated for any date and time. Find the sunny café terrace or the shady campsite.
- Maps & Earth
- Freemium
- shademap.app
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38. Shader Gradient
Design moving 3D gradient backgrounds by tweaking noise, shape and camera, then export them or drop them into Figma, Framer or React.
- Design & Type
- Open source
- shadergradient.co
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39. Skill-Lync Resources
Free mini courses on engineering topics like finite elements and fluid dynamics, with interactive diagrams instead of walls of formulas.
- Learn
- Free
- resources.skill-lync.com
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40. Spline
Model, animate and add interactions to 3D scenes in the browser, then embed them on a website like an image.
- Design & Type
- Freemium
- spline.design
Want more than 40?
This list is one slice of a directory of 479 websites. Search, filter by category or tag, or shuffle the lot.
Explore the full directoryQuestions
Do these need a powerful computer?
Most run on any recent laptop or phone. The heaviest 3D ones are smoother with a dedicated graphics card.
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