Game & tournament rules

Last updated: 12 October 2026

How matches and tournaments work and how results are decided. These rules are part of the Terms of Service.

Matches

• Both players get exactly the same field: the same circles at the same moments in Circles, the same blocks in Brick. The field is generated from a seed shared by both sides.
• The game server is the referee. It checks every tap and every hit; your score is what the server counted.
• Brick: a block goes to the player who broke it first in game time. If both break it in the same millisecond, both get its points. Blocks taken by the opponent first are worth nothing to you. Losing the ball costs points.
• Circles: points for every circle depend on how close to the centre and how fast you tap. Missed circles give nothing.
• The higher score wins. Equal scores are a draw.
• Leaving a match counts as a loss; your opponent finishes the match and wins.
• Practice matches are free. When nobody is online, you may play against a recording of a real player’s earlier run (a ghost).

Money matches

• Stakes are fixed amounts shown in the lobby. Both players stake the same amount.
• The winner receives the pot (both stakes) minus our fee, currently 15% of the pot. A draw returns both stakes in full, without a fee.
• Open games. You can open a table and wait for a live opponent (the stake is on hold while the table is open; you can remove it at any time), or play right away and leave your result as an open challenge.
• Challenges. An opponent who takes your challenge plays the same field; your score stays hidden from them until the end. A challenge that nobody takes within 24 hours expires and the stake is returned without a fee. You can cancel your own challenge after it has been open for 1 hour, for a cancellation fee of 15% of the stake.

Tournaments

Each tournament page shows its game, format, schedule, entry fee, number of places and prizes before you register. What is shown there applies to that tournament.

Formats

• Double elimination (up to 256 players): a bracket of one-on-one meetings. Losing one meeting sends you to the lower bracket; losing two knocks you out. A meeting is played to a number of wins: usually best of 3 (first to 2 wins), and best of 5 (first to 3) in the meetings that decide the top places. A game that ends in a draw is replayed.
• Arena (up to 9 players): everyone plays the same field at the same time; places are decided by score.

Registration, check-in and start

• Registration opens when the tournament is announced. When all places are taken, new registrations join the waiting list in order.
• Check-in opens 30 minutes before the start and closes 10 minutes before it. Players who don’t check in lose their place; it goes to the next player on the waiting list.
• Places left empty give a free pass in the first round to randomly chosen players. Seeding is random.
• A tournament may be cancelled if it is less than its minimum filled one hour before the start (usually 80% of the places), or for technical reasons. Entry fees of a cancelled tournament are returned to the balance and all registered players are notified.

During the tournament

• Make sure your connection is stable before the start. When your meeting is ready you have 3 minutes to join; otherwise the meeting is lost by default.
• If you disconnect during a game you have 60 seconds to come back; otherwise that game is lost.
• Entry fees include our fee, normally 10% of every entry, shown on the tournament page. If a tournament allows re-entry, every entry costs the same.

Prizes

• Prizes and how they are split are shown on the tournament page. A guaranteed prize pool is paid in full even if fewer players join.
• Prizes are credited to the winners’ balances within 24 hours after the results are checked, and can be withdrawn right away (see withdrawals).
• Prize amounts are in US dollars; the coin and network for a payout are those listed on the payments page.

Fair play and disputes

• Bots, scripts, collusion, multiple accounts and playing for someone else are forbidden (see Terms, section 5). Results obtained this way are voided and prizes cancelled.
• Every money match and tournament game is recorded in full: the seed, the rules and every action of both players. Results can be re-checked independently and replayed.
• If you think a result is wrong, write to support@arkadegames.xyz within 48 hours with the match from your history. We check the recording and reply with what we found.