Couch party games for friends and family, on one screen

We made Happy Light Arcade to bring people together. Not through a headset or a chat window, but in the same room: friends on the sofa, the family around the TV, grandma on the second controller. A game is the easiest reason to sit down side by side, so we built an arcade that anyone can join in a minute.

Open the screen on a TV or laptop and everyone plays with what they have: a phone, a keyboard or a game controller, even mixed in the same game. No app, no install, no account for the players. There are 49 games for game night with friends and family: local multiplayer, couch co-op, split-screen games, card and dice games, and camera games you play with your whole body.

Why local play still wins

Playing together at someone's place, on one screen and side by side, is still the best way to play. You see each other's faces, you shout, you laugh, you pass the snacks. That is what we are built for. Online play is there too, as a bonus for friends who are far away, but the couch comes first.

Easy for everyone to join

• Any input. Phone, keyboard or USB and Bluetooth controller, side by side in the same game. Up to four share the screen's keyboard and up to four use controllers on it, plus every phone in the room. A few games are phone-only (a hand of cards has to stay private) and the camera games need a camera.
• Nothing to set up. No install, no account for players, no cables. A browser and a four-letter room code.
• Play solo too. Many games work alone, and some fill empty seats with bots.
• Camera games without hardware. Wave, punch and chop in front of a webcam or a phone. The video stays on the device that took it.
• Split screen. Vertigo, Block Battles, Happy Wipe, Gridfire give every player their own part of the one screen.

How it works

1. Open arcade.happylight.io on the TV or a laptop and choose Open the screen.
2. Everyone else opens the same address on their phone and enters the four-letter code, or scans the QR code. Or plug in a controller, or share the keyboard.
3. Pick a game and play together.

The 49 games

Move your body (4)

Play with your body, using a webcam or a phone as the camera: Squeaky Clean, Kiai!, Chop Chop Soup, Boxing Legends.

Arena brawls (11)

Brawls and battles for big groups: Snake Arena, Blast Radius, Stick Brawl, Mothlight, Fort Fall, Lone Arrow, Happy Wipe, Crater Clash, Scrap Rumble, Gridfire, Lagoon Lobbers.

Arcade classics (12)

Quick classics and party racers: Paddle Powers, Vertigo, Block Battles, Ninja Dash, Trap Dojo, Topple Town, Riff Riot, Bubble Bash, Dish Stack, A-Maze-ing, Fowl Play, Mic Drop.

Duels & sports (6)

One on one, or two on two: Riposte, Kick Off, Hoop Riot, Derby Dash, Sundown Draw, Sideways.

Co-op adventures (4)

Couch co-op, win together: Cinder Vault, Short Fuse, Crypt, Beacon.

Cards & tactics (12)

Card, dice and table games on your phone, including the Dutch favourites Pesten, Bussen, Juffen, Vijven and Duikboot: Pesten, Higher / Lower, Screw the Dealer, Bussen, Juffen, Duikboot, Vijven, Ship Attack, Kings, RummiTiles, Doodle Light, Roll Call.

Browse all games. Nederlands: samen spelen met vrienden en familie.

Questions

Is Happy Light Arcade free?

Yes to play: joining a room is free, with no account and no payment. The screen that hosts the room can ask for a one-time beta pass (you sign in once) when the beta pass is switched on; that never applies to the people joining.

Do I need to download an app?

No. Everything runs in the browser. The screen opens arcade.happylight.io on a TV or laptop, and each phone opens the same address and types the four-letter room code or scans the QR code.

Can we play with a phone, a keyboard and a controller in the same game?

Yes, in most games. Each player uses what they have: a phone, a keyboard on the screen's computer (up to four players share one keyboard) or a USB or Bluetooth game controller on it (up to four). They sit side by side in the same game. A few games need a phone each, because your hand of cards must stay private, and the camera games need a camera. Every game page lists what it plays with.

Do you have split-screen games?

Yes: Happy Wipe, Gridfire, Vertigo and Block Battles give everyone their own part of the one screen. Most other games share one view of the action.

Is it for playing together in the same room, or online?

In the same room first: one screen, everyone side by side, which is what Arcade is built for. Online play exists as a bonus for friends who are far away, for example a mirror link to watch along or the online games in the gateway.

How many people can play?

It depends on the game. Many take solo play, and some fill empty seats with bots. A lot take two to four, and the biggest rooms have up to 12 players. Each game page shows its count.

Which devices and TVs work?

Any modern browser. Use a laptop plugged into the TV, or a TV or streaming stick with a browser, as the screen. Phones, keyboards and game controllers are the controllers. Not every TV model is tested.

Do the camera games send my video anywhere?

No. The body-tracking runs on the device that has the camera, and the picture never leaves it. A phone used as a camera sends the screen only a few body points (about 120 bytes, twenty times a second), not video.

What is the beta pass?

Hosting a room (opening the screen) can take a one-time beta pass that you get by signing in with a Happy Light account. Players who join never need one. Beta means the service has no uptime guarantee.