Getting Started

How YoyoArena Works, in Three Steps

YoyoArena is a free browser gaming platform: a library of original arcade, puzzle and strategy games, each with its own page. This page walks through picking a game, playing it, what an optional account adds and where your scores are saved. The Player's Guide covers controls and troubleshooting.

1

Pick a Game

Browse arcade, puzzle and strategy games

2

Press Play

The game opens right on its page, no account needed

3

Beat Your Best

Many games remember your best score on your device

Step 1

Browse the Library

Three Categories

Arcade games are short, score-driven runs: reflex runners, aim trainers, shooters, and stacking and timing games. Puzzle games ask for planning over reflexes: drawing lines for a rolling ball, cutting ropes, rotating circuit tiles and matching gems. Strategy games ask for planning under pressure: routing aircraft and trains, lining up artillery shots and placing turrets.

Every Game Has Its Own Page

Game pages carry a description, how-to-play notes with the controls, tips and strategy, a short note on how the game was designed, and a few frequently asked questions, so you can tell whether it is your kind of game before you start.

Step 2

Press Play

Play Straight From the Game Page

Every game page has a Play button. Press it and the game opens in the page itself, for every visitor, with nothing to install.

Touch, Mouse and Keyboard

Touch works in every game. Most games also respond to a mouse and many accept keyboard keys, though not all do: Snake, for example, is steered with the arrow keys or WASD on a desktop and by swiping on a phone. The How to Play section on each game page lists that game's controls, and the Player's Guide groups the games by control style.

Phone or Laptop

The games are designed portrait-first for phone screens and also run in a desktop browser. Many games have a fullscreen option, usually the F key on a keyboard; check the controls for the game you picked.

Step 3

Come Back and Beat Your Best

Saved Progress Lives in Your Browser

Many games keep your best score or level progress in your browser, on the device you play on. The games do not send scores to our servers, so that copy is the only one. It stays on that device and browser, and clearing your browser data removes it. For the same reason YoyoArena has no shared leaderboards; where a game shows a score table, it lists your own scores on your own device.

A Free Account Is Optional

Sign up with an email address and password; no payment information is collected. We may ask you to confirm your email address, which is also the address we use for account notices. An account gives you a dashboard that lists the games, each opening in a player page with reload and fullscreen buttons, and a profile page for your display name, date of birth and country or region. It does not store your game scores.

Notifications Are Up to You

If you have an account, YoyoArena may email you about new games and new blog posts, and every such email has an unsubscribe link. Browser notifications are only switched on if you enable them from the dashboard.

Transparency

What You Should Know

Who builds the games, what the site sells and how it is paid for, in three points.

  1. 1

    The games are built by YoyoArena

    Every game in the library is built by YoyoArena and hosted on this site. None is licensed from a third-party game provider or embedded from another site.

  2. 2

    Nothing is for sale

    The site has no in-game purchases, subscriptions, premium tiers or deposits, and it collects no payment information from players.

  3. 3

    How the site is paid for

    Standard display advertising, where it appears on the site, is meant to cover the costs of running it. Every game is free to play, with or without an ad on its page.

Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Does YoyoArena cost anything to join?

Registering and playing are both free, and the site sells nothing. How the site is paid for is described in the "What You Should Know" section above.

Can I play without an account?

Yes. Every game page has a Play button that opens the game right on the page, for every visitor. A free account is optional and adds a dashboard that lists the games and a profile page.

How do I start a game?

Open the game library, choose a category (arcade, puzzle or strategy), open a game and press the Play button on its page. The game loads in the page itself.

Where are my scores and progress saved?

Many games keep your best score or progress in your browser's storage, on the device you play on, and only there. Clearing your browser data removes it.

Do the games work on phones and tablets?

Yes. Every game runs in the browser, so it works on a phone, tablet, laptop or desktop. Touch works in every game, most also respond to a mouse, and many accept keyboard keys; each game page lists its controls.

Is there a rewards program on YoyoArena?

Rewards are paused. YoyoArena previously had an optional rewards program that recorded a small balance for completed rewarded sessions. The program is paused: no new rewarded sessions are available. A session that was already open before the pause can still be completed and is then recorded on the account. Balances already recorded on an account stay recorded, and withdrawals are not currently available. Playing the games is free and is not affected. Questions about a recorded balance can be sent to info@yoyoarena.com.