How to Play Top-Down Arena

This page explains everything you need to start playing: how to open a game, how the lobby works, what every control does, how to play with a friend, and what to do if something goes wrong. All games on this site run in your browser, so there is nothing to download.

Quick start in six steps

1. Open any game page from the Games menu and press Play Now in the game box. You can also use the Open in a separate page link for a full-window game.
2. Type a nickname. Please do not use your real name or other personal details.
3. Select a game mode card: Classic 1v1 Duel, Mini Battle Royale, Sniper Outpost or Shotgun Corridor.
4. Press Quick Play to start right away. The game waits about four seconds for another online player and then lets a computer opponent play against you.
5. Move, aim and shoot with the controls below. Your health, weapon and ammo are shown at the bottom of the screen.
6. When the match ends, press Rematch to play again or Lobby to pick a different mode.

Choosing a game

Every mode has its own map, weapon and pace. If you are new, start with the duel.

Controls

Keyboard and mouse

• Move: W, A, S, D or the arrow keys. Movement is smooth, so you glide into a stop instead of halting instantly.
• Aim: move the mouse. Your character always faces the crosshair.
• Shoot: hold the left mouse button or the Space bar.
• Reload: press R. The weapon also reloads on its own when the magazine is empty.
• Chat: press Enter to type a message when you are playing against another real person.

Phones and tablets

• Move: touch and drag anywhere on the left half of the screen. A virtual joystick appears under your thumb.
• Aim and fire: touch the right half of the screen. Drag to point your weapon in that direction, or simply hold a spot to aim at it. Your weapon fires automatically while your thumb is down.
• Tip: turn your phone sideways (landscape) so both thumbs have plenty of room.

Understanding the game screen

• Health bar: at the bottom center. It turns yellow and then red as your health drops.
• Weapon and ammo: above the health bar. While you reload, a blue progress bar replaces the ammo count.
• Scoreboard: top-right, showing each fighter's kills and deaths. A small cross marks a fighter who is down.
• Kill feed: below the scoreboard, showing who defeated whom.
• Top-left buttons: Lobby (leave the match), Invite Friend, Music on or off, and, when a real opponent is connected, Chat, Mic and Speaker.
• Medkits: green crosses on the map. Walk over one when you are hurt to restore 45 health.

Playing with a friend

• Choose Create Private Room (4-digit code). A code and an invite link appear on the waiting screen.
• Send the code or link to your friend. They enter the code under Join with Code or open the link and press Join.
• The room locks to the first friend who joins, and no computer opponents are added in a private room.
• If your friend leaves, the room goes back to the waiting screen. If the host leaves, the guest returns to the lobby.

Loading and restarting

If the game box shows the Play Now poster, press the button to load the game. If it does not respond, use the Open in a separate page link. To restart, use Rematch on the results screen. In a private room the guest sends a rematch request and the host starts the new match. To change modes, press Lobby. Refreshing the page also returns you to the lobby.

Browser compatibility

The games use standard web features: HTML5 canvas for drawing, built-in browser audio for sound and WebRTC for multiplayer. Recent versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari are the best choice, and keeping your browser updated avoids most problems. Some school and work networks, VPNs or privacy extensions can block the multiplayer connection. In that case Quick Play still works against the computer opponent.

Desktop and mobile gaming

Desktop

• Rest your left hand on W, A, S, D (or use the arrow keys) and keep your right hand on the mouse. Space also fires, which is handy if you use a trackpad.
• The game follows your mouse pointer, so your operating system's pointer speed sets your aiming speed. Pick a speed that lets you turn around quickly without overshooting, then stay with it.
• Use a real mouse if you can. Aiming with a laptop trackpad is possible but slower and less precise.
• Press R to reload as soon as you are behind cover. You do not need to wait for the magazine to run dry.
• Click inside the game once after it loads so the keyboard goes to the game. Press Enter to chat with a human opponent and Esc to close the chat box.
• Use the Full screen button for a bigger picture, and press Esc to leave full screen.

Mobile

• Rotate your phone to landscape. Both thumbs get more room and you see more of the arena.
• Left thumb moves, right thumb aims and fires. Your weapon shoots automatically while the right thumb is down, so lift it when you want to stop firing or reload.
• For precise aiming, make small drags near the middle of the right half of the screen. Big swings make you overshoot the target.
• Clear the screen of notifications before a match. Turning on Do Not Disturb stops a call banner from interrupting a fight.
• Close other apps and keep brightness reasonable. A hot phone slows itself down, which lowers the frame rate.
• Use an up-to-date mobile browser. Opening the page inside another app's built-in browser may limit full screen or microphone access, so a normal browser is the safer choice.
• Not every phone browser supports full screen for embedded content. If the button does nothing, use the Open in a separate page link.

Performance tips

• Close extra tabs and heavy apps before you start. The game redraws the whole arena about 60 times per second, and free memory helps it stay smooth.
• Use an up-to-date browser and keep hardware acceleration switched on in the browser settings so the canvas can use your graphics chip.
• On a laptop, plug in the charger and turn off battery-saver mode. Power saving can lower the frame rate.
• For multiplayer, a stable connection matters more than raw speed. Use a wired connection or a strong Wi-Fi signal and pause downloads or streaming on the same network.
• If the game feels cramped or choppy inside a page, press the Full screen button or use the Open in a separate page link so the game gets the whole window.
• Turn off a VPN while you play multiplayer if you notice delay, because it adds extra distance to the connection.
• Keep your browser zoom at 100 percent. Very high zoom levels make the game window smaller and harder to read.

Troubleshooting

The game does not load or Play Now does nothing

Make sure JavaScript is enabled and refresh the page. Then try the Open in a separate page link. If a browser extension, school network or work network blocks the multiplayer library, Quick Play can still start a match against the computer opponent, but private rooms will not work until the library can load.

The controls do not respond

Click inside the game area once so it receives your keys. If you have just used the chat box or the nickname field, click the game again. On a phone, touch the left half to move and the right half to aim, and make sure no other app or notification is covering the screen.

The game lags or stutters

Close other tabs and apps, plug in a laptop and turn off battery saver. If the game is smooth against the computer opponent but laggy online, the problem is the network, so move closer to your router or use a cable. Our guide on reducing lag and understanding ping goes into more detail.

There is no sound or music

Browsers only start audio after you click or tap, so press a key or click in the game once. Check that the Music button in the top-left corner does not say Off, that your device is not on silent and that the tab is not muted. For a friend's voice, check the speaker button as well.

Problems on a phone or tablet

Use landscape mode, close background apps and update your browser. If the page scrolls instead of reacting to your thumbs, open the game with the Open in a separate page link. If the phone gets hot, lower the brightness and take a short break.

A private room code does not work

Check that all four digits are correct, that the host is still on the waiting screen and that nobody else has joined, because the room locks to the first player who enters. Ask the host to create a fresh room and send a new code or link.

The microphone does not work

Voice chat only appears when a real opponent is connected. Press the microphone button and allow microphone access when your browser asks. If you refused earlier, change the permission in the browser's site settings and try again.

Game guides

• Classic 1v1 Duel – strategy guide
• Mini Battle Royale – strategy guide
• Sniper Outpost – strategy guide
• Shotgun Corridor – strategy guide

More help

Browse the guides or the Gaming Resources page. If you still need help, write to us on the contact page.