Player View

What is Player View? 

Player View lets GMs see the game exactly as a specific player sees it, in a separate browser tab alongside the GM screen. It replaces older workarounds like using a second account or the "Rejoin as Player" option, providing a true, real-time preview of each player's experience on the VTT.

Use Player View to:

• Verify character assignments, handouts, macros, and permissions before a session
• Troubleshoot a player's issue mid-session by stepping into their view
• Set up macros or pre-explore maps on a player's behalf
• Learn how Roll20's permissions and visibility system works by comparing the GM and player perspectives

Opening Player View

Player View lives inside the new View Controls menu in the VTT toolbar, which groups all controls that affect how the VTT is displayed:

• Player View
• Preview Token Vision (Ctrl+L)
• Opacity sliders for layers and darkness
• Foreground toggle
• Dark/Light Mode

To use Player View and open the Player Picker:

• In the VTT toolbar, click the View Controls menu.
• Select Open Player View.
• The Player Picker menu appears.

Using the Player Picker

The Player Picker lets you choose which player to view the game as. It shows:

• Each player's name and online/offline status
• The current page each player is on
• A search bar for locating players in games with large rosters (helpful for West Marches-style campaigns)
• Click a player's name to open their Player View in a new browser tab.

Tip: You can have multiple Player View tabs open at the same time, one for each player you want to preview.

Inside a Player View Tab

When you open Player View for a specific player, a new browser tab launches showing that player's exact view of the game.

What Player View Shows

• Tabletop: The map, tokens, and lighting exactly as the player sees them
• Chat tab: The chat log filtered to what the player can see
• Journal tab: Only the handouts and characters that specific player has access to
• Jukebox tab: What the player can access
• Collections tab: What the player can view in collections

Identifying whose view you're in

• The browser tab title displays the player's name
• An in-VTT banner across the top of the screen shows the same

Switching Players from Player View

To view a different player without returning to your GM screen, click the settings icon in the in-VTT banner and select another player.

What Player View does not show

• Some tabs are intentionally not accessible from Player View to keep GM-only content protected:
• Art Library
• Compendium
• Announcements
• Settings

Additionally, some settings live locally on each player's device, so they won't appear identically in Player View:

• Visual effects toggles
• Voice & Video configuration (Player View shows player names but not the full V&V interface)
  For device-specific settings, verify directly with the player.

Approximate Player View (When You Don't Have Players Yet)

If no players have accepted their game invites yet, you can still use Player View to approximate what the player experience will look like.

• Open the Player Picker.
• Press the "Approximate Player View" button.
• A Player View tab opens showing what a generic player would see based on your GM permissions.

Important: Because you're still the GM, this view reflects your own permissions, not a specific player's. For a fully accurate preview, wait until a real player accepts their invite, then use Player View for that specific player.

Taking Actions on a Player's Behalf

Player View is not read-only. You can take actions inside Player View as if you were that player.

What you can do

• Send Chat messages from that player's perspective
• Roll dice and macros from the player's character sheet
• Move the player's tokens on the map
• Configure macros on the player's character sheet
• Assign or view handouts and characters through the player's Journal
• Test whispers, secret rolls, and reactions

Privacy safeguards

• Chat transparency: Any Chat message you send from Player View is automatically labeled "GM as [Player Name]" so the whole table can see when a message originates from the GM.
• Whisper privacy: Player-to-player whispers remain private and are not visible from Player View.

Player View and Explorer Mode

If your game has Explorer Mode enabled, a banner in the Player View tab confirms it is active.

Moving a player's token from Player View updates that player's explored areas as if they had moved the token themselves. This makes Player View particularly useful for pre-exploring maps during session prep.

Resetting explored areas

To undo areas explored during a Player View session, use the "Reset what I explored" option available in the Player View tab.

Critical: The Reset option is only available during an active Player View session. Once you close the Player View tab or switch to a different player, any areas explored become permanent for that player.

Always reset before closing Player View or switching players if you want to undo pre-exploration.

Preview Token Vision (formerly Ctrl+L)

The Ctrl+L shortcut has been renamed from "Line of Sight" to Preview Token Vision. Functionality is unchanged: it's still a quick vision check for a selected token, based on the token's vision and lighting settings.

Preview Token Vision vs. Player View

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I open Player View for multiple players at once? 

Yes. Each Player View opens in its own browser tab, so you can have as many open simultaneously as you'd like.

Does Player View work if my players are offline? 

Yes. The Player Picker shows both online and offline players. Player View reflects each player's account permissions and access regardless of whether they are currently logged in.

Will my players see me viewing their perspective? 

Passive viewing is not visible to players. Only actions you take from Player View that are visible to them (such as Chat messages) will appear on their end. Chat messages sent from Player View are always labeled "GM as [Player Name]" for transparency.

Can I move a player's token from Player View? 

Yes. Tokens moved from Player View behave exactly as if the player moved them, including updating Explorer Mode exploration data.

Does Ctrl+L still work as a shortcut?

Yes. The keyboard shortcut and behavior are unchanged; only the name of the feature has changed to "Preview Token Vision."

How is Player View different from "Rejoin as Player"? 

Player View is the modern replacement. Unlike "Rejoin as Player," it opens in a proper secondary tab (no need to leave your GM session), persists through page refreshes, and reflects a specific player's permissions rather than a generic player role.

What happens if I close the Player View tab while Explorer Mode changes are unsaved? 

Any exploration performed during that Player View session becomes permanent for the player once the tab is closed or you switch to a different player. Use the "Reset what I explored" option before closing if you want to undo pre-exploration.

Is there anything that won't look exactly the same in Player View as it would on an actual Player's Device?

Yes. A handful of things won't look exactly the same in Player View as they would on an actual player's device, since some settings live locally. Things like visual effects toggles and Voice & Video configuration are device-level, so they won't carry over. Voice & Video will show player names only in this view.

Why can't I see a player I invited in my game?

Players need to join the game (accept the invite) before they show up in Player View. Until then, you can Approximate Player View by rejoining as a player yourself.