A 3D virtual tabletop you open in a tab
Most 3D VTTs are desktop applications with a price per seat and a stylised look. TerrainTale is a web page: a realistic miniature table with torchlight, height and cover, drag-and-drop minis, a ruler that counts feet, and an initiative tracker. Sign up, open a starter scene, and the fight is on the table in a minute.
What the third dimension changes at the table
A flat map answers "where is everyone". A 3D table answers the questions that make a fight interesting: does the archer on the parapet have line of sight, is the crate cover, how far is the drop from the balcony. The ruler measures between any two points on any surface and reports the height difference alongside the distance, so "30 ft · 10 ft up" is a readout, not a debate.
Light is part of the map. Torches cast real shadows down a corridor, a hearth glows, and the same scene reads differently at noon, dusk and night with one preset change.
A browser tab, not a game engine download
Nothing to install and no launcher to keep updated. It runs on macOS, Windows, Linux and ChromeOS in any modern browser with WebGL 2. Rendering quality is picked from the GPU: integrated graphics get a lighter path that still has soft lighting and animated minis; discrete GPUs get ambient occlusion, MSAA and 4K shadows.
- No seat licences: one free account, and one screen is the table
- Scenes save in the browser and export as JSON
- Self-hostable as a single Node process
Realistic, and everything fits the grid
The library is PBR surfaces generated from scanned materials, photoscanned props from Poly Haven, and rigged KayKit characters, all CC0 and all authored to the same 5-foot cell. A doorway replaces a wall segment and lines up. A Large creature takes two squares by two. Drop your own .glb (Hero Forge, Meshy, Sketchfab) and it is on the table; any image becomes a standee token.
How it sits next to the other 3D tabletops
Each 3D VTT makes a different trade. In general terms, as we understand them at the time of writing:
- TaleSpire: a polished, stylised desktop app with shared boards, paid per player. TerrainTale is realistic, browser-based and free, and single-screen today.
- Foundry with a 3D module: enormously capable once the module stack is set up and maintained. TerrainTale ships 3D as the only mode with nothing to configure.
- D&D Beyond Sigil: Windows-only and closing at the end of October 2026. TerrainTale runs on any OS and your scenes are JSON you keep.
- Tabletop Simulator: a physics sandbox for any board game. TerrainTale is built around the 5-foot grid, a ruler in feet and a turn tracker.
What it does not do yet
There is no shared player view or remote multiplayer, and no fog of war. Today the table is one screen: a TV or projector for in-person groups, or a screen share for remote ones. Both are on the roadmap, and the scene format was designed so they can be added without changing saved maps.
Questions
What is a 3D virtual tabletop?
A VTT where the battle map is a three-dimensional scene rather than a flat image: walls have height, light casts shadows, minis are models, and distance can include elevation. It replaces the picture-and-tokens map, not the rulebook.
Do players need to install anything?
No. Nothing is installed for anyone; it is a web page. Today the DM runs it on one screen the group looks at, in person or over a screen share.
Does it run on integrated graphics?
Yes. Quality tiers are chosen from the GPU. An Intel Iris laptop runs the low tier with lighting and animated characters; a discrete GPU adds ambient occlusion, MSAA and 4K shadows.
Can I use it for remote games?
Over a screen share, yes, and many groups do. A native shared player view is the next planned feature.
Is it really free?
Sign-up is free, every feature is included, and the library is CC0. The server is open and self-hostable, so a group can run its own copy.
Keep reading
D&D Virtual Tabletop in 3D
A 3D virtual tabletop built for Dungeons & Dragons: realistic battle maps, animated miniatures, a ruler in feet, initiative and HP.
3D Battle Maps for Tabletop RPGs
Make 3D battle maps in the browser from a realistic, CC0 library: PBR floors and walls, photoscanned props, trees and lights.
TaleSpire alternative
A browser-based TaleSpire alternative: realistic 3D battle maps with photoscanned props, no download or purchase, a free sign-up, and a builder that makes a map in minutes..
Sigil alternative
D&D Beyond's Sigil 3D VTT closes at the end of October 2026.
Ready to put a map on the table?
Sign up in a minute. Five starter scenes are waiting on the welcome screen.