House rules
How the Arcade works.
Everything on one page, in plain language: the climb, the stars, the XP, the boards, and the badges. Each game also has its own How to play guide on its level map.
The climb
The Arcade is 9 games and 831 levels. Eight games use one ladder: clear a level to open the next, and the levels get harder as you go. Gradient Golf has four parallel worlds that each climb from an opening hole to a boss hole. Every twentieth ladder level (twenty-first in the three 105-level games) is a boss with a tighter limit, and the last ladder level is the final boss. Checkpoints are named milestones on the way up; they are progress markers, never locked doors.
Who can play what
Checkpoint 1 of every game is open to everyone, no account needed, first boss included. A free account opens Checkpoints 2 and 3. Checkpoints 4 and 5 are Pro floors, included with Premium, and Pro also includes star polishing: replaying levels you have already won to lift your recorded stars. Gradient Golf is smaller: the first hole in every world is open to everyone, the middle holes need a free account, and each world's final boss hole is Pro. Anything you clear before signing in is saved on your device and merges into your account the moment you sign in.
Stars and scores
Every run is graded on our servers from 0 to 100. Score 90 or better for three stars, 70 to 89 for two, and any win below that earns one. Your first win on a level always records your stars, and runs that count for ranking, including challenges and the weekly quest, keep updating your record. Polishing your recorded stars on practice replays is a Pro perk.
| Concept Link | Start at 100; each wrong group costs 12. You get 4 mistakes on levels 1-30, then 3; bosses allow one fewer. |
|---|---|
| Lexicon | Solve on guess 1 for 100, then 95 / 90 / 80 / 70 / 60. You get 6 guesses on levels 1-42, then 5; bosses allow one fewer. |
| Arcade Mini | Start at 100; a Check costs 10, a failed Submit 15, a Hint 12. You cannot fail; you spend points instead. |
| Hallucination Hunt | Four rounds; your accuracy sets the score, catching fakes back-to-back adds a bonus. Catch 3 of 4 to clear; only the final boss demands a perfect 4 of 4. |
| Recall Rush | Accuracy is worth 60, speed 30, your best combo 10. Get at least 4 of 6 right to win. The clock: 22s per question early, down to 18s late; bosses 15s. |
| Timeline | Three lives; a miss costs one and the card snaps to its true place. No misses scores 100, one 85, two 70. Bosses give two lives. |
| Theme Hunt | Start at 100; each hint stage costs 12, each wrong submit 2. You cannot fail. |
| The Big Grid | Same as Arcade Mini: Check costs 10, failed Submit 15, Hint 12. |
| Gradient Golf | Match the proven best route for 100; landing at par is about 90; every stroke over drops you further. Eight strokes without holing ends the run. |
XP
XP equals your score, one point for one point, on wins that count for ranking: you are signed in and playing a standard run. Practice runs award no XP.
Your first finished run on a level is your ranked one, win or lose. Once a level’s answers have been revealed to you, replays count as practice for High Scores: progress and badges still improve, stars record on your first win, and ranked XP is settled. It works like a puzzle rating in chess: the first attempt is the measurement, and everything after is training.
High Scores
Seasons run quarterly. Boards rank season XP, with ties broken by stars, then distinct levels cleared, then whoever got there first. There is one overall board and one per game. Boards show your Arcade handle, the username on your account, and you can change it any time in account settings. Only server-graded competitive wins count; nothing on these boards can be earned in the browser alone.
Badges
There are 41 badges: milestones for climbing, mastery, showing up, and beating friends. They are awarded instantly on the result screen, they are never taken back, and every badge card can be shared. The full case, including exactly how to earn each one, lives in the trophy case.
Browse all badgesStreaks, quests, and challenges
A streak is clearing at least one level on consecutive days, anywhere in the Arcade. The weekly quest picks three levels from three different games every Monday; clear all three for bonus XP, and every pick is always reachable on a free account. After a win you can send a challenge link: your friend plays the exact same level, and the better run takes it, compared by score, then stars, then fewer mistakes, then faster time.
Fair play
Every answer lives on our servers and is graded there; solutions never ship to your browser. Practice modes are always labeled and never touch the ranked boards. If a run cannot be verified end to end, it is scored as practice rather than trusted.