Arcade game types

Arcade offers ten template-based game formats, a 'Surprise me' option that picks a format for you, and Wildcard, a beta mode where the AI builds a fully custom game from your description. Every game type supports leaderboard scoring based on correct answers and completion speed.

Multiple Choice

A classic quiz format. Players answer numbered questions by selecting from A/B/C/D answer options. Questions can include reading passages followed by comprehension questions. All questions appear on a single scrollable page, and players click Submit when they're done.

Matching

Players see a set of labeled slots at the top of the screen and a hand of illustrated cards at the bottom. Each card features an AI-generated image and a term. Players drag cards from their hand into the correct slot to match terms with their definitions or descriptions.

Flashcards

Digital flip cards for studying. Each card has a front and back, typically a term on one side and a definition, image, or explanation on the other. Players navigate through the deck using pagination controls. Some flashcards include audio playback for pronunciation or narration. Scoring for Flashcards is based on completion, so players are ranked by speed on the leaderboard.

Memory Tiles

A grid of numbered tiles that players flip to reveal images underneath. The goal is to find all matching pairs. Players flip two tiles at a time. If they match, the tiles stay revealed. If not, they flip back over.

Sorting

Players categorize items by dragging text cards into labeled category buckets. For example, sorting animals into "Mammals," "Reptiles," and "Birds," or sorting story excerpts by narrative point of view.

Sequencing

Players arrange events, steps, or items into the correct numbered order. Slots are labeled with sequence numbers and may include date or year labels. Cards feature both text and images, and some include audio playback icons for an auditory learning dimension.

Fill in the Blank

An interactive worksheet-style game. Sentences or equations are displayed with empty slots where key words or values should go. Answer chips are shown at the bottom of the screen, and players drag the correct chips into the blank spaces.

Word Search

A letter grid puzzle. Players hunt for a set of vocabulary words hidden across, down, or diagonally in the grid, and select each one by dragging from its first letter to its last. The Words panel on the side lists every word to find and a running count of how many words have been found. Words that have been found are highlighted in the grid and crossed off the list.

Crossword

A crossword puzzle. Players read Across and Down clues in a side panel and type the answers into a grid, with letters auto-uppercased and the cursor advancing through cells as they type. When a word is filled in, focus jumps to the next clue.

The grid is auto-arranged from the answers you provide, so changes happen by editing answers in the Content tab rather than by moving cells.

Short Answer

A recall quiz. Instead of picking from a list, players see one question at a time and type their answer, or say it out loud if you've turned on audio input. Questions can include an image or an audio clip when it helps.

Players get instant feedback on every answer, plus a short explanation of why the right answer is right, and the game moves on to the next question automatically so the pace stays brisk.

Each question can have several accepted answers, and small misspellings count as correct unless you turn on Exact spelling required. Numbers are always matched exactly. See Editing an Arcade game for these settings.

[image description here: a Short Answer question with the answer box and mic button]

Wildcard (beta)

Wildcard isn't a template. You describe any game you can imagine, and Arcade's AI builds it from scratch with its own look, rules, and mechanics. You can also build one from your own file or link. Wildcard games take over five minutes to build and come with a leaderboard and Live Activity like other game types.

Wildcard isn't in the regular game type list. Find it through the Meet Wildcard banner on the create page or at arcade.padlet.com/wildcard. Learn more in Wildcard games in Arcade.

[image description here: example Wildcard game start screen]