Fullscreen Mode

Play games in fullscreen for an immersive experience.

4 min read

Fullscreen mode provides an immersive gaming experience by hiding all UI elements and displaying the game across your entire screen.

Entering fullscreen

Method 1: Fullscreen button

Start playing a game
Move your mouse to reveal the control bar at the bottom
Click the fullscreen button (expand icon, far right of the control bar)

Method 2: Maximize window (Windows®/Linux)

On Windows and Linux, maximizing the window also triggers fullscreen mode.

There is no keyboard shortcut (like F11) for fullscreen. Use the button or maximize the window.

Exiting fullscreen

Method	Action
Escape key	Press Escape. Also triggers the exit/save dialog.
Fullscreen button	Move mouse to show controls, click fullscreen button again
Alt+Tab	Switch to another application (restores windowed mode)

Multi-monitor support

Behavior	Details
Which monitor?	The monitor where the Playback window is currently located
How to change?	Drag the window to your preferred monitor before entering fullscreen

To fullscreen on a specific monitor:

Exit fullscreen (if currently fullscreen)
Drag the Playback window to your desired monitor
Enter fullscreen. It will use that monitor

Resolution and scaling

Playback does not change your system’s display resolution. Instead, it scales the game content to fit your screen.

How scaling works

Mode	Behavior
Normal	Game scales to fit the screen while maintaining aspect ratio. Black bars appear if needed.
Pixel Perfect	Game scales using integer multiples only (2x, 3x, 4x) for sharp pixels. May not fill the entire screen.

Aspect ratios are always preserved. No stretching or distortion.

UI behavior in fullscreen

Control bar

Feature	Behavior
Auto-hide	Hides after 3.25 seconds of no mouse movement
Show controls	Move your mouse to make controls reappear
Opacity	70% transparent when visible

All control bar buttons remain available in fullscreen:

Play/Pause
Rewind
Fast Forward
Volume
Reset
Settings
Shaders
Achievements

Hidden in fullscreen: Picture-in-Picture button

Cursor behavior

State	Cursor
Controls hidden	Cursor is invisible
Controls visible	Normal arrow cursor
Mouse captured	Cursor hidden (for light gun games)

The top navigation bar (with device switcher and menu) is completely hidden during fullscreen.

Platform differences

Windows

Maximizing the window enters fullscreen mode
Brief transition animation to prevent visual flicker

macOS

Maximizing does NOT trigger fullscreen (use the button instead)
Native macOS® fullscreen animation

Linux

Maximizing the window enters fullscreen mode
Direct fullscreen transition

Settings

Pixel Perfect Mode

For the sharpest retro graphics in fullscreen:

Go to Settings > Playback
Enable Pixel Perfect Mode
Game will use integer scaling (2x, 3x, etc.)

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Black screen in fullscreen	Wait a moment. Transition may be in progress. Try pressing Escape.
Wrong monitor	Exit fullscreen, drag window to correct monitor, re-enter fullscreen
Controls won’t appear	Move your mouse. They auto-hide.
Can’t exit fullscreen	Press Escape, or Alt+Tab to another application
Game looks stretched	Aspect ratio is always preserved. This shouldn’t happen.
Game looks too small	Pixel Perfect Mode may be limiting the scale. Try disabling it.

Devices

Highlights

Features