diff --git a/src/core/CreateRenderer.js b/src/core/CreateRenderer.js
index c5c64f87db..44977d4866 100644
--- a/src/core/CreateRenderer.js
+++ b/src/core/CreateRenderer.js
@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@ var Features = require('../device/Features');
  * build time and inlined into the bundle as compile-time constants. They are not available as runtime
  * variables and determine which renderer classes are included in the build.
  *
+ * If the renderer type is `Phaser.AUTO` and the WebGL context cannot be created, despite the
+ * feature detection passing, this will fall back to the Canvas Renderer. The original error is
+ * dispatched as an `error` event on `window`, so it remains visible to error monitoring.
+ *
  * @function Phaser.Core.CreateRenderer
  * @since 3.0.0
  *
@@ -31,6 +35,9 @@ var CreateRenderer = function (game)
 {
     var config = game.config;
 
+    //  Remember the requested type, as AUTO is resolved to a concrete renderer below
+    var isAutoRenderType = (config.renderType === CONST.AUTO);
+
     if ((config.customEnvironment || config.canvas) && config.renderType === CONST.AUTO)
     {
         throw new Error('Must set explicit renderType in custom environment');
@@ -111,9 +118,27 @@ var CreateRenderer = function (game)
         //  Let the config pick the renderer type, as both are included
         if (config.renderType === CONST.WEBGL)
         {
-            game.renderer = new WebGLRenderer(game);
+            try
+            {
+                game.renderer = new WebGLRenderer(game);
+            }
+            catch (e)
+            {
+                if (!isAutoRenderType)
+                {
+                    throw e;
+                }
+
+                e.message += '. Falling back to CanvasRenderer';
+                window.dispatchEvent(new ErrorEvent('error', {
+                    error: e
+                }));
+
+                //  Force the type to Canvas, since the WebGL context could not be created
+                config.renderType = CONST.CANVAS;
+            }
         }
-        else
+        if (config.renderType === CONST.CANVAS)
         {
             game.renderer = new CanvasRenderer(game);
             game.context = game.renderer.gameContext;
diff --git a/tests/core/CreateRenderer.test.js b/tests/core/CreateRenderer.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..45f63903b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/core/CreateRenderer.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+//  jsdom has no WebGLRenderingContext, so Phaser's feature detection reports
+//  WebGL as unavailable and CreateRenderer never tries to build a WebGL
+//  renderer. Define it before loading Phaser so detection passes (the
+//  setup.js canvas mock returns an object for 'webgl' contexts), which lets
+//  these tests exercise the "detection passed but context creation failed" path.
+if (typeof window.WebGLRenderingContext === 'undefined')
+{
+    window.WebGLRenderingContext = function () {};
+}
+
+//  CreateRenderer pulls in the WebGL renderer and its render nodes, which
+//  cannot be required from src directly (circular requires), so use the
+//  built bundle like the Phaser Game tests do.
+require('../../dist/phaser.js');
+
+var Phaser = global.Phaser;
+
+var Config = Phaser.Core.Config;
+var CreateRenderer = Phaser.Core.CreateRenderer;
+var CanvasRenderer = Phaser.Renderer.Canvas.CanvasRenderer;
+var EventEmitter = Phaser.Events.EventEmitter;
+
+describe('CreateRenderer', function ()
+{
+    var dispatchEvent;
+
+    //  A WebGL context that reports itself as lost makes WebGLRenderer throw
+    //  'WebGL unsupported' during construction, without touching a real context.
+    var lostContext = {
+        isContextLost: function () { return true; }
+    };
+
+    function makeGame (configOverrides)
+    {
+        var config = new Config(Object.assign({
+            width: 64,
+            height: 48,
+            context: lostContext
+        }, configOverrides || {}));
+
+        return {
+            config: config,
+            scale: { baseSize: { width: 64, height: 48 } },
+            events: new EventEmitter(),
+            textures: new EventEmitter(),
+            canvas: null,
+            context: null,
+            renderer: null
+        };
+    }
+
+    beforeEach(function ()
+    {
+        //  The fallback reports the WebGL error via window.dispatchEvent. Intercept it,
+        //  otherwise the test runner treats the dispatched ErrorEvent as an unhandled error.
+        dispatchEvent = vi.spyOn(window, 'dispatchEvent').mockImplementation(function () { return true; });
+    });
+
+    afterEach(function ()
+    {
+        dispatchEvent.mockRestore();
+    });
+
+    describe('WebGL context failure', function ()
+    {
+        it('should fall back to CanvasRenderer when the type is AUTO', function ()
+        {
+            var game = makeGame({ type: Phaser.AUTO });
+
+            CreateRenderer(game);
+
+            expect(game.renderer).toBeInstanceOf(CanvasRenderer);
+            expect(game.config.renderType).toBe(Phaser.CANVAS);
+            expect(game.context).toBe(game.renderer.gameContext);
+        });
+
+        it('should dispatch the original error on window when falling back', function ()
+        {
+            var game = makeGame({ type: Phaser.AUTO });
+
+            CreateRenderer(game);
+
+            expect(dispatchEvent).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+            var event = dispatchEvent.mock.calls[0][0];
+
+            expect(event.type).toBe('error');
+            expect(event.error).toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+            expect(event.error.message).toBe('WebGL unsupported. Falling back to CanvasRenderer');
+        });
+
+        it('should still throw when the type is explicitly WEBGL', function ()
+        {
+            var game = makeGame({ type: Phaser.WEBGL });
+
+            expect(function () { CreateRenderer(game); }).toThrow('WebGL unsupported');
+            expect(game.renderer).toBeNull();
+            expect(dispatchEvent).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        });
+    });
+});