WorkAdventure is an open-source, GDPR-oriented virtual office platform that renders a collaborative workspace as a 16-bit RPG world with avatar-based, proximity-triggered video chat, aimed at remote and hybrid teams, recruiters, trainers and event organisers.
What it is
WorkAdventure is a TypeScript collaborative web application that presents a virtual office as a 16-bit RPG video game. Users walk an avatar around a customisable map, and video chat starts automatically when avatars approach each other, so conversations happen by walking up to a colleague rather than by joining a scheduled room. It runs in the browser on desktop, mobile and tablet, and maps are designed by the organisation, with map-building documentation and a community catalogue collected in awesome-workadventure.
The problem it addresses is the gap between chat tools and scheduled meetings. The README positions the platform for immersive experiences such as recruitment, onboarding, training, digital workplace, and internal or external events, where people need to meet by chance rather than by invitation. It lives in the TypeScript web-application ecosystem and is deployed as a container stack, and it replaces the vendor's hosted virtual-office subscription for organisations that must keep workplace data on their own infrastructure, since the README states the platform is GDPR-compliant and open source while a paid SaaS edition also exists.
Key capabilities
- Proximity-triggered video chat that starts when avatars approach each other.
- Fully customisable maps built with the map-building documentation and community resources in awesome-workadventure.
- Scenario support for recruitment, onboarding, training, digital workplace, and internal or external events.
- Browser access on desktop, mobile and tablet.
- Two production deployment paths: Docker Compose or a Helm chart for Kubernetes.
- OIDC authentication, with a mock OIDC server enabled by default in development and disableable through docker-compose-no-oidc.yaml for anonymous access.
- Service stack spanning Traefik, Redis, OIDC, Matrix, map-storage, uploader, maps, api, front, extra and icon.
Who uses it and how
- Remote and hybrid teams keeping a persistent virtual office rather than a meeting link, matching the project's remote and workspace topics.
- Recruiters running recruitment and onboarding as walkable maps.
- Trainers and organisers of internal and external events building dedicated event spaces.
- GDPR-conscious organisations self-hosting on their own Docker Compose or Kubernetes infrastructure so workplace data stays in house.
- Contributors arriving through the Hacktoberfest topic and the project Discord.
Getting started
Local development requires Docker and a cloned repository: run cp .env.template .env, then docker-compose up, which serves the application at http://play.workadventure.localhost/ with test user User1 and password pwd. Production installs use Docker Compose or a Helm chart following docs/others/self-hosting/install.md, and the vendor's hosted version is the fastest route.
How it compares
No comparable virtual-office or video-collaboration tools are named in the material available, so WorkAdventure stands alone in this registry. The only alternative the README documents is its own hosted SaaS edition, which is easier to start with and helps sustain the project, whereas self-hosting keeps the deployment open source and under the operator's control at the cost of running the stack.
When to use it — and when not to
Self-hosting means operating a genuine multi-service stack, including Traefik as reverse proxy, Redis, an OIDC provider, map storage, an uploader, Matrix and several application services, so it suits teams with Docker or Kubernetes capacity. The README is product-facing and defers maps, self-hosting and troubleshooting to separate documentation, and the repository carries 902 open issues with no licence declared in the facts supplied, so organisations that need a supported commercial agreement or an explicit licence statement should weigh the hosted edition first. It is a poor fit for anyone wanting a plain scheduled video call without map design or infrastructure work.
project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline
WorkAdventure
WorkAdventure is a platform that allows you to design fully customizable collaborative virtual worlds (metaverse).
With your own avatar, you can interact spontaneously with your colleagues, clients, partners (using a video-chat system, triggered when you approach someone).
Imagine all types of immersive experiences (recruitments, onboarding, trainings, digital workplace, internal/external events) on desktop, mobile or tablet.
The little plus? The platform is GDPR and open source!
See more features for your virtual office!
Pricing for our SaaS version!
Support our team!
Community resources
- Want to build your own map, check out our map building documentation
- Check out resources developed by the WorkAdventure community at awesome-workadventure
Setting up a production environment
We support 2 ways to set up a production environment:
- using Docker Compose
- or using a Helm chart for Kubernetes
Please check the Setting up a production environment guide for more information.
[!NOTE]
WorkAdventure also provides a hosted version of the application. Using the hosted version is
the easiest way to get started and helps us to keep the project alive.
Setting up a development environment
[!NOTE]
These installation instructions are for local development only. They will not work on
remote servers as local environments do not have HTTPS certificates.
Install Docker and clone this repository.
[!WARNING]
If you are using Windows, make sure the End-Of-Line character is not modified by the cloning process by setting
the core.autocrlf setting to false: git config --global core.autocrlf false
Run:
cp .env.template .env
docker-compose up
The environment will start with the OIDC mock server enabled by default.
You should now be able to browse to http://play.workadventure.localhost/ and see the application.
You can view the Traefik dashboard at http://traefik.workadventure.localhost
(Test user is "User1" and password is "pwd")
If you want to disable the OIDC mock server (for anonymous access), you can run:
$ docker-compose -f docker-compose.yaml -f docker-compose-no-oidc.yaml up
Note: on some OSes, you will need to add this line to your /etc/hosts file:
/etc/hosts
127.0.0.1 oidc.workadventure.localhost redis.workadventure.localhost play.workadventure.localhost traefik.workadventure.localhost matrix.workadventure.localhost extra.workadventure.localhost icon.workadventure.localhost map-storage.workadventure.localhost uploader.workadventure.localhost maps.workadventure.localhost api.workadventure.localhost front.workadventure.localhost
Troubleshooting
See our troubleshooting guide.