Arcade games you can play in the browser
Arcade here means one core action, a run that ends when you slip, and a score to beat next time. The short games boot straight into play, keep your best score in the browser, and put the restart button in the same place every time. Stack Yard is a timing game: a crane slides a load back and forth, and you choose when to drop it, with crates, pallets, barrels and tall crates each landing by their own rule. Critter Care has critters on cushions wanting snacks, naps, baths and plasters, and the only choice is which one to serve next. Swarm Dodge and Nightrun are about movement, one in an open arena full of monsters and the other on a three-lane road that keeps speeding up. Siege Shot is a one-gesture aiming game: pull back, let go, and bring a stronghold down from its base. Nightfall: Survivors and Run and Gun stretch the formula into longer roguelite runs with bosses and upgrades. Hop Tower and Kite & Wind are newer arrivals. Stack Yard, Critter Care, Swarm Dodge, Nightrun and Siege Shot have no final level; the aim is always a better score than last time.
Survivors ArenaTwenty minutes. One arena. Everything wants you.
Merge WorkshopMerge a cottage into a stadium.
Gem CascadeMatch three, build specials, clear the board.
Snake ArenaGrow long. Don't bump heads.
Kite & WindHold to rise.
Hop TowerTap to jump. Climb before the spikes catch up.
Siege ShotAim and let go.
Critter CareTap the right one.
Stack YardTap to drop. Stack the yard as high as you dare.
NightrunThree lanes. Change lane. That is all.
Swarm DodgeYou move. That is the only thing you can do.
Nightfall: SurvivorsSurvive the haunted clearing until dawn.
Run and GunClear the room. Shoot the door open. Take what was behind it.
Questions
Do arcade games here save my high score?
Yes. Stack Yard, Critter Care, Swarm Dodge, Nightrun and Siege Shot save your best score in this browser's local storage and show it at the end of each run. A private window may not keep it.
Is there an ending?
Not in the short score-chasing games. They grow harder until something goes wrong: the crane in Stack Yard gets faster, Nightrun's road closes up, and Siege Shot keeps sending bigger strongholds. The goal is a new best.
Can I play with one hand on a phone?
Several of them, yes. Stack Yard needs only a tap to drop, Critter Care a tap on the critter, Nightrun a tap on either half of the screen, and Siege Shot a pull back from anywhere on the screen.