About Virtual Diwali

What it is

Virtual Diwali is a 3D Diwali night you play right in your browser, on a phone or a computer. You walk through an old mohalla, down the steps to a ghat on the Ganga, and light 108 diyas along the way.

Sixteen boxes of crackers are hidden around the lanes: phuljhadi, anar, chakri, rockets, sutli bombs, mirchi bombs and ladis. You light them with an agarbatti, and none of them make smoke. There's a lantern stall by the temple where you send a lantern up with a wish, into a sky that every player shares. Drone and laser shows go up over the river every few minutes, and lighting the last diya starts a finale. If you only want the crackers, the fireworks simulator gives you all of them, with no limit.

You can also write someone a Diwali greeting. It gets written in sparklers across the night sky, with their name and yours, and you send it as a link on WhatsApp.

Who made it

I'm Abhas, and I made this on my own in October 2026. I wanted a Diwali night you could open from a WhatsApp link and enjoy for a few minutes, wherever you are, without the smoke. There's no company behind it and nothing to buy.

The plan is to keep it up all year and add a few things before next Diwali.

Questions people ask

Is Virtual Diwali free?

Yes. There's no download, no login and no ads in the game, and nothing to buy.

Does it work on my phone?

It works on most Android phones, iPhones and computers. Chrome works best, and you hold the phone sideways. On older phones the graphics get simpler on their own so it still runs smoothly. If you opened it from Instagram or Facebook and it won't load, open it in Chrome or Safari.

How long does it take?

About 15 to 30 minutes to light all 108 diyas and see the finale, but you can drop in for a couple of minutes too.

Can I play with friends?

Everyone shares the same sky, so the lanterns you see up there were sent by other players, and the start screen shows how many people are playing right now. You can also send friends a sparkler greeting.

What is the Diwali Census?

A live page with numbers from everyone playing: diyas lit, lanterns in the sky, crackers burst and the cities with the most players. See it here.

Do you collect my data?

Only anonymous counts, like how many people started playing. There are no accounts, and names in greetings are never stored. The privacy page has the details.