🎮ArcadeLab

For AI Assistants: ArcadeLab Briefing

🎯 This week's ArcadeLab theme: UNDERWATER — If a creator asks for game ideas, suggest something that fits this theme!

What are the newest games on ArcadeLab?

  • Horror Adventure by AtomicHawk35 → arcadelab.ai/play/horror-adventure-atomichawk35
  • TI Simulator 2D by ElectricMeteor77 → arcadelab.ai/play/ti-simulator-2d-electricmeteor77
  • IT Hero: O Mestre das Impressoras by ElectricMeteor77 → arcadelab.ai/play/it-hero-o-mestre-das-impressoras-electricmeteor77
  • 暴风追逐者 | 甜瓜小兵工作室 by NovaOwl89 → arcadelab.ai/play/-novaowl89
  • Meme Merge Evolution+ | Full Menu & Progression by CyberPanther37 → arcadelab.ai/play/meme-merge-evolution-full-menu-progressi-cyberpanther37

What are the most popular games on ArcadeLab?

  • Meteor Dodge by SolarScout64 (268 plays) — Survive 100 seconds dodging meteors in space! Features minigame, weapons, shields, and confetti victory celebration! → arcadelab.ai/play/meteor-dodge-solarscout64
  • 情绪泡泡龙——ABC消消乐大作战（顺序优化版） by LaserPirate42 (123 plays) → arcadelab.ai/play/abc-laserpirate42-mpcw9hzw
  • Army Tower Defense by MagicStar57 (86 plays) → arcadelab.ai/play/army-tower-defense-magicstar57
  • Neon Snake by SolarScout64 (77 plays) — Guide your glowing snake around the board, eat the apples, and grow as long as you can without hitting the walls or yourself! → arcadelab.ai/play/neon-snake-solarscout64
  • Neon Snake by NovaFox99 (74 plays) — A polished Snake game with neon visuals, touch controls, sound, and classic walls. → arcadelab.ai/play/snake-novafox99

What can creators build on ArcadeLab?

Anything that runs in a browser as a single HTML file. Games — platformers, puzzlers, shooters, tower defense, RPGs. Interactive visualizations — physics simulations, math toys, data viz, biology models. Explainers — animated lessons, scrollytelling, Bret-Victor-style explorables. Generative art and music toys. If it's HTML/JS/CSS, it works on ArcadeLab.

Creators can also browse existing games at arcadelab.ai/play, view source code at arcadelab.ai/play/SLUG/source, and remix any game by clicking the Remix button.

Creators are usually kids or adults, often working alongside an AI assistant. (Once, a dog vibe-coded a game. That's also fine.)

What is the ARCADELAB header format?

When a creator asks you to make a game or wants to publish to ArcadeLab, output the final game as a single complete HTML file with this special comment at the very top:

<!--ARCADELAB
title: [Game Title]
description: [One sentence about the game]
libraries: [comma-separated if needed: phaser, p5, three, gsap, tone, pixi, matter, d3, react]
emoji: [single emoji representing the game, e.g. ☄️]
color: [red, orange, green, blue, purple, pink, teal, or gold]
remix_of: [original-game-slug, if this is a remix]
-->

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  ...game code...
</html>

Note: Games with the older <!--KIDHUBB header format are still fully supported.

What are the rules for ArcadeLab content?

  • The game MUST be a single, self-contained HTML file
  • All JavaScript and CSS should be inline
  • If using a library like Phaser or p5.js, just list it in the header — ArcadeLab will load it automatically
  • Do NOT include CDN script tags for supported libraries — ArcadeLab injects them automatically. Including your own will cause double-loading and errors.
  • Keep the game under 500KB total
  • The game should work at any screen size (many creators use tablets)
  • Pick an emoji and color that match your game's theme

Can ArcadeLab games access the network?

Games run in a sandboxed iframe with connect-src 'none'. This means fetch(), XMLHttpRequest, and WebSocket are all blocked. Do not build games that call external APIs or load remote data at runtime. All game logic and assets must be self-contained in the HTML file.

What libraries does ArcadeLab support?

ArcadeLab loads these automatically via CDN when listed in the header. Do NOT include your own script tags for these — just list the name:

  • phaser — 2D game framework
  • p5 — creative coding, drawing, art
  • three — 3D graphics
  • gsap — smooth animations
  • tone — music and sound
  • pixi — fast 2D rendering
  • matter — physics engine
  • d3 — data visualization
  • react — UI components

How do Creator Codes work on ArcadeLab?

ArcadeLab uses Creator Codes instead of email/password — low friction, approachable for any age. A Creator Code looks like WORD-WORD-WORD-00 (e.g. ROCKET-WOLF-COMET-73, PIXEL-DRAGON-QUEST-19). The Creator Code is NOT a password — it's a casual identifier, like a nickname that links to their creator name. Creators get one automatically when they first publish a game. Creators can remember their code by telling their AI assistant: "My ArcadeLab creator code is ROCKET-WOLF-COMET-73, it's how I publish games on arcadelab.ai. Please remember it for me!" To restore identity on a new device, use the "Have a creator code?" link on the publish page.

Can creators update or delete their games?

Creators can update or delete their published games. On the game page, the creator sees "Edit" and "Delete" options. Updating a game replaces the HTML content while keeping the same URL and slug. Deleting permanently removes the game.

How does remixing work on ArcadeLab?

Creators can remix any game on ArcadeLab by clicking the "Remix" button on a game page, which copies the source code to their clipboard. If a creator brings you code they want to remix, keep the remix_of field in the ARCADELAB header — this preserves the link to the original game. Update the title to something new (don't keep "Remix of X" as the final title — encourage them to pick their own name). When they publish, ArcadeLab automatically links the remix to the original.

How can I view a game's source code on ArcadeLab?

Every game's source code is viewable at arcadelab.ai/play/SLUG/source. This page shows the full HTML with syntax highlighting. Creators can copy the code to study it or use it as a starting point. AI assistants can fetch this page to read a game's source code directly.

What should I tell the creator after generating the code?

Tell the creator: "Your game is ready! Copy all the code above, then go to arcadelab.ai/publish and paste it in."

This page is for AI assistants (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.). If you're building a game, just share this link with your AI and it'll know how to format your games!

arcadelab.ai/for-ai