Hosting Others' Games on Your Website: Legal Risks and Legitimate Alternatives

Hosting games from other websites on your own site is almost certainly illegal without explicit permission.

Legal Violations

• Copyright Infringement: Game code, assets, audio, video—all protected. Unauthorized copying/distribution = infringement.
• Terms of Service: Source site’s ToS universally prohibit scraping, embedding, or redistribution.
• DMCA / EUCD: Takedown notices, lawsuits, statutory damages ($750–$30k/work US).
• Trademark: Using game title/logo implies endorsement—false association.

Legal Alternatives

• Licensing: Contact developer/publisher for distribution agreement (rev-share, flat fee).
• Official Embeds: Some portals (Kongregate, Newgrounds, itch.io) provide embed codes—only if explicitly offered.
• Public Domain / Open Source: Games with CC0, MIT, GPL licenses—verify license terms.
• Affiliate / Link: Link to original—drives traffic legally, may earn rev-share.

Building Your Own Game Site

• Commission original games.
• Partner with indie devs (itch.io, Game Jolt).
• Curate + link (not host)—“Best Free Games This Week” style.

Respect IP—build sustainably.