Adobe is pulling the plug on Flash at the end of 2020.
With Adobe no longer updating and distributing the Flash Player, browsers will soon stop supporting Flash. But this doesn't mean we're going to lose all the games we remember from our childhoods. Learn how to download, play, and preserve your favorite games without a browser or internet connection.
First, you need to download the game files for whatever you're trying to preserve. Flash games files, in their playable forms, are stored as SWF (Shockwave Flash) files. I have already uploaded all the Flash games on this site and a few extras to a MediaFire link below. Here's how to obtain these files yourself.
1. Go to the web page with the game you want to download
2. Use Ctrl + U to view the source code for the web page (if Ctrl + U does nothing, try refreshing the page first)
3. Use Ctrl + F to search through the source code, search for .swf
4. Browse through all results for .swf until you find the game file. It should look like a link that downloads automatically when clicked
That's it, you have your game file. However, not all web pages store their game files in a way that makes them accessible through the page's source code. If you can't find a .swf file, I highly recommend you Google your game + "Weebly", as most famous flash games have at some point been uploaded to a Weebly website. This is what I do, as it is very easy to rip game files from Weebly sites using the above method. If you still can't find a game file, just ask me and I'll upload it to the MediaFire link.
1. Go to the web page with the game you want to download
2. Use Ctrl + U to view the source code for the web page (if Ctrl + U does nothing, try refreshing the page first)
3. Use Ctrl + F to search through the source code, search for .swf
4. Browse through all results for .swf until you find the game file. It should look like a link that downloads automatically when clicked
That's it, you have your game file. However, not all web pages store their game files in a way that makes them accessible through the page's source code. If you can't find a .swf file, I highly recommend you Google your game + "Weebly", as most famous flash games have at some point been uploaded to a Weebly website. This is what I do, as it is very easy to rip game files from Weebly sites using the above method. If you still can't find a game file, just ask me and I'll upload it to the MediaFire link.
Now that you have your game(s), you need an program to play them with. Though Flash primarily exists within browsers, Adobe does make their own "projector", a stand alone program that can be run Flash games on your computer. They will continue to work even after Adobe stops maintaining Flash, as the program is dependent on your computer only. No browser, no internet connection needed. Above are download links to these projectors, for Windows and Macintosh. Third party projectors exist, but I cannot recommend them. For now.
Here are the instruction for playing games with the projector. These instructions are included as a text file in the MediaFire link.
Here are the instruction for playing games with the projector. These instructions are included as a text file in the MediaFire link.
To play a a game
1. Open flashplayer_32_sa.exe 2. Click "File" 3. Click "Open..." 4. Click "Browse..." 5. Find game you want, select it 6. Click "OK" Alternatively, associate .swf files with the flash player so that clicking on them will automatically open the game, without having to open the player first. 1. Right click any game 2. Select "Open with" 3. Select "Choose another app" 4. Click "More apps" 5. Make sure the "Always use this app to open .swf files" box is checked 6. Scroll all the way down and click "Look for another app on this PC" 7. Find flashplayer_32_sa.exe on your computer and select it Your game progress will save automatically. Your save data is located in an directory like: C:\Users\[yourusernamehere]\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Flash Player\#SharedObjects\6L2A5B4A\#localWithNet Create an identical location and move your save file there for play on a different computer |