February 14, 2026
Spice up your browser
Dune II written in HTML5/JS
Classic Dune II runs in your browser — nostalgia vs “is this legal”
TLDR: A browser reimplementation of Dune II lets you play the ’90s classic on desktop and mobile. Commenters split between warm nostalgia, warnings about possible copyright trouble, and purists claiming the first Dune aged better—highlighting the clash between game preservation and legal limits.
Spice alert: the 1992 real-time strategy classic Dune II has been reborn in your browser via an HTML5/JavaScript reimplementation. You can jump in at dune2js.com on desktop or phone (landscape, please), or poke the code on the GitHub version. There’s even a simple “profile” link trick to auto-save. But while the game loads fast, the comments loaded faster — and hotter.
First wave: pure nostalgia. One fan sighed that it was their first RTS (real-time strategy) and still “fantastic,” summoning a flood of childhood memories of spice fields and base-building. Then the sandstorm hit: another commenter cried “copyright infringement,” sparking a fierce back-and-forth over whether using the original art and sounds is fair love for classics or a legal landmine. Meanwhile, a spicy side-quest emerged: some argued the earlier Dune adventure game actually aged better than Dune II — heresy to base-builders, gospel to story-first purists.
Memes sprinted across the dunes: “The spice must flow — in JavaScript,” “Fear is the mind-killer, but so is a DMCA,” and mobile players bragged about “tap-harvesting” spice. It’s retro joy wrapped in legal jitters, all playing out in the most 2026 way possible: you, a browser tab, and Arrakis on demand.
Key Points
- •Dune II has been reimplemented in HTML5 and JavaScript for browser-based play.
- •The primary play link is https://dune2js.com, with support for keyboard/mouse on desktop and touch controls on mobile.
- •Mobile users are advised to use landscape mode, disable the landscape tab bar, and add to home screen for fullscreen.
- •A GitHub-hosted version is available, and local play is supported via Node.js with npm install/start and access at localhost:8080.
- •Game state can be managed via a URL ‘profile’ parameter: ‘public’ disables auto-save, other values enable background and periodic auto-saving.