Abstract image featuring a smooth, curving form in dark purple and blue hues, creating a mysterious, atmospheric effect.

Designing a new category of browser, built for gaming

Ray Browser2023-2025
ServicesProduct strategy, research, design

Overview

Ray set out to build the first browser made for gaming. As their strategic product design partner, we designed the product from zero to one — the experience, the retention loops, and a reason to switch that Chrome couldn't match.

Context

Every browser on the market is optimised for productivity. But gamers use them differently. One tab for the game, another for video, Discord open alongside, constantly context-switching. No browser was built around that behavior. We designed Ray to be the first.

Game Mode

Game Mode is the core of the browser. A curated portal of web games, automatic split-screen, and performance up to 30% faster than Chrome. It made the case for switching in the first five minutes.
Gaming interface showing a Battle Royale category with various game options including Bruh.io and Zombie Royale. Chat panel on the right.

Splitscreen

Other browsers split two tabs. Ray's split-screen is a persistent state. Open Discord on one side and keep browsing freely on the other. Swap, resize, toggle with a shortcut. For single-monitor users, Ray is effectively a second screen.

Missions & rewards

We introduced retention mechanics and reward systems that created habit, encouraged game discovery and gave users a reason to replay.
Gaming store interface showing various items: Acid Rain skin, Robux, Discord Nitro, Stumble Guys, Fortnite, Eneba, and Multi Game Card.
Four panels showing "All Daily Missions Complete!" with various game characters. Total earned: 1100 coins.

Customization

Choosing themes, colours and backgrounds gave users something to own. Gaming culture runs on identity and the product needed to reflect that.

Impact

While the product found its niche audience, Ray never hit the growth needed to raise series A and eventually pivoted.
What the numbers showed was that designing specifically for an underserved audience works. The market just wasn't there yet.

300K+Users
42%D7 Retention
3.4MGames played
Color selection interface with "Default" and "Night Sky" options, and a horizontal color slider ranging from red to blue.
Four square icons featuring the letter "R" with different vibrant backgrounds, positioned around a central black and purple icon.

Brand assets

Together with Proxy, we extended Ray’s visual world into motion. We created the launch animation and a system of infinite loops that carry users through the journey — turning transitions, loading moments and feature reveals into part of the brand experience.