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Radar Screensaver

Sweep, blips, faint targets.

Press F for fullscreen

About Radar Screensaver

Green radar sweep with concentric range rings and crosshair blips, rotating on a phosphor-decay trail. The PPI-style display channels the visual language of submarine sonar rooms, air traffic control towers, and sci-fi bridge consoles.

What the Radar Screensaver Does

A green phosphor-style radar sweep rotates across a circular display with concentric range rings, crosshair lines, and randomized blips that appear as the sweep passes and fade naturally. The trailing phosphor-decay effect mimics the slow fade of a real CRT radar scope. All rendering happens on HTML5 Canvas at 60fps using requestAnimationFrame — no external images, no WebGL. Press F for fullscreen and the radar scope fills your entire display, looking like a dedicated piece of hardware rather than a web page.

Gaming Setup, Flight Sim, and Sci-Fi Ambiance

Flight sim pilots and space game enthusiasts run the radar on a side monitor as cockpit ambiance during long sessions — the green sweep adds tactical atmosphere without distracting from the main display. Tabletop RPG game masters project it during military or sci-fi scenarios for an immersive command-center feel. Escape room designers embed a tablet running the radar inside props to simulate surveillance equipment. The phosphor-green palette and rotating sweep are instantly associated with high-stakes monitoring environments, making it one of the most atmospheric ambient displays available.

Streaming Overlay and Content B-Roll

Streamers covering military, aviation, or space topics use the radar animation as a B-roll background between segments. Capture it with OBS as a browser source for a clean, animated backdrop that reinforces the content theme. Tech YouTubers covering defense or aviation news use it as a lower-third or transition element. Because the animation is self-contained and runs indefinitely, you never need to worry about looping artifacts or stock footage licensing.

Pro Tip: Lightweight Always-On Display

The radar uses very little GPU — it draws only vector shapes and a fading trail on a single canvas. This makes it ideal for always-on kiosk displays, Raspberry Pi installations, or older laptops where heavier animations would cause thermal issues. Leave it running 24/7 on a dedicated monitor; the randomized blips prevent any static-image burn-in on OLED panels.

How to use it

  1. 01

    Open the Radar screensaver

    Navigate to the tool. The green sweep begins animating immediately — no login or download.

  2. 02

    Go fullscreen

    Press F to remove all browser UI. The radar scope fills your screen like a hardware display.

  3. 03

    Use on a secondary monitor

    Drag to a side screen and go fullscreen. The lightweight rendering leaves your main machine free for gaming or work.

  4. 04

    Capture for streaming

    Add as an OBS browser source for a clean animated backdrop with no browser chrome visible.

Frequently asked

The shortest path between you and the answer.

Does it include sound?

The radar runs silently by default, which is ideal for shared spaces. Layer a sonar-ping sound effect in your editing software over a recording if you need audio for a production.

Can I run it on a Raspberry Pi?

Yes. The canvas-based rendering is lightweight enough for low-power devices including Raspberry Pi kiosks and Chromebooks.

Is this tool free?

Yes. Every ScreenTools.co tool is free, with no account, no paywall, and no install.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes. Layouts adapt to phone and tablet screens. Mobile Safari restricts true fullscreen, but the page fills the viewport and you can add the page to your Home Screen for an app-like experience.

Does it work offline?

Once a tool's page has loaded once, the runtime is local. A few tools that fetch fonts or icons need the first hit online; after that, refresh works offline.

Does this collect my data?

No personal data leaves your browser. The site has lightweight, privacy-respecting analytics for aggregate counts (which tool was opened) and nothing else.

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