What Is the Difference Between Remote Play and Hotseat on VirtualTabletop.io?

Updated

Remote play and hotseat differ in one thing: how many devices the players use. In remote play, everyone plays on their own device and joins the same room through a shared URL. In hotseat, several people share one device and take turns by switching which player the browser tab is viewing. Both modes use the same player list, so you can mix them in one room.

Remote play: one device per person

Each player opens the room URL on their own device. Their browser tab appears in the room as a connection, and they can pick their own name and color in the player table.

To set it up:

  1. Open the room you want to play in.
  2. Use the share button in the player table to get the room URL.
  3. Send that URL to the other players.
  4. As each person opens it, their browser tab shows up in the player table as a connection.
  5. Each player selects their name and color.

The key detail: every browser tab with the room open counts as one player connection. That is why a second tab on your own machine can act as a separate player if you want it to.

Hotseat: one device, several players

In hotseat, several people share a single device. You add each person to the player list, then switch the tab to whoever's turn it is.

To set it up:

  1. In the player table, use the person_add row to add each person who shares the device.
  2. When it is someone's turn, use the visibility button to switch this browser tab to that player.
  3. Play their turn, then switch to the next player the same way.

The important limitation: only the browser tab switches over — the game itself stays untouched. Switching players changes whose view and permissions the tab is using; it does not reset, advance, or otherwise alter the game state.

Side-by-side comparison

Remote play Hotseat
Devices One per player One shared device
How players join Open the shared room URL Added manually via the add-player row
How turns switch Each player uses their own tab Use the visibility button to switch the tab
Effect on game state None None — only the tab switches

Player table buttons you will use in both modes

  • edit — rename the player everywhere in the game.
  • visibility — view the game as this player. It is greyed out while that player is connected and playing.
  • delete — remove a player from the list. Only shown while they are not connected, and it asks first if parts of the game still belong to them.
  • add — add a player who shares this device (the hotseat case).
  • share — share the room URL so other players can join (the remote case).

Which one should you use?

Choose remote play when each person has their own device and you want everyone to see the game from their own perspective at the same time. Choose hotseat when people are in the same room around one screen and you want to pass turns without passing hardware. Because both modes draw on the same player list, a room can support remote players and hotseat players at once — for example, two people on a laptop taking turns while a third joins from another device.