Lock and unlock an Arcade game

Every Arcade game can be locked so that no one can play it until you unlock it again. Locking is useful when you want to control exactly when students play: keep a game locked until class starts, or lock it when time is up. The game's link stays the same, so you never have to reshare anything.

How to lock a game

Open your game and click the padlock icon next to the game title in the top bar. The game locks immediately for all players.

What players see

Players who open a locked game land on the usual start screen with the game's title and instructions, but the Play button is replaced with a grayed-out Locked button. Players cannot start the game while it's locked, and there's nothing they need to do; once you unlock it, the Play button comes back.

What you see as the creator

When you view your own locked game, you'll see the same Locked button, along with a message and an Unlock now link.

Locking only affects playing. Everything else about the game keeps working for you:

• Editing: you can open Edit and change questions, settings, or the title while the game is locked.
• Insights: your game's stats remain available.
• Sharing: the share panel still works, so you can hand out the link or QR code ahead of time and unlock when you're ready.

The game stays locked until you unlock it, even if you close the tab or sign out.

Unlocking a game

Click the padlock icon next to the game title, or click Unlock now below the Locked button. The Play button returns immediately and players can start the game.

Tips for Best Results

Share first, unlock when ready. You can send the link or QR code out while the game is locked. Students land on the start screen and enter their names, and the moment you unlock, everyone can press Play. This works nicely as a "ready, set, go" for the whole class.

Lock to disallow new submissions. Once every student has played or class is over, lock a game so you can be sure that no new plays occur.

Current Limitations

There is no way to schedule a lock or unlock in advance; locking and unlocking are manual. Locked games also don't show a lock badge in My games, so you'll need to open a game to check whether it's locked. These are things we may improve in the future.