Coins and tickets explained
MSA Arcade has a deliberately small economy: every machine is free to play, studio coins come with the games you play, arcade coins are won in the Battle Arena (plus a few from weekly goals), and tickets come from the Daily Bonus. This page explains where each one comes from and what it is for.
Every machine is free
No machine on MSA Arcade costs anything to play, which surprises people. Every cabinet on the floor is a physical machine that you control live from your browser, and you can play it for as long as you like without spending a coin, a ticket or anything else. There is no per-play charge, energy bar or timer between you and the next grab.
That is what Training is: pick a machine category, and the arcade puts you on a free cabinet in that category. Train as long as you want and switch machines whenever you want. A training round costs no coins. It adds studio coins to your studio, up to a daily limit (see below); arcade coins come mainly from the Battle Arena.
Arcade coins: won in the Battle Arena, spent on avatars
Arcade coins have one main source and exactly one use.
- You win them in the Battle Arena. Entry to a battle is free, and the winner takes a coin prize put up by the arcade, up to the tier's prize (Bronze: 100 coins). A win against one of our AI players pays half, and after three full-prize wins in a day (UTC) further wins pay a tenth. AI players are disclosed in the Battle Arena guide and the Terms, and they play under ordinary display names.
- You spend them on avatars. Every profile picture beyond the five starter characters costs 100 coins on the avatars page, and it is yours permanently once unlocked.
- Weekly goals top you up. Goals you finish while playing, including in Training, award arcade coins on top of your battle winnings. Your profile shows them under Weekly Goals.
That is the whole loop, and it is meant to be short: train for free, win a battle, unlock an avatar. Nothing you do at a machine can cost you coins, so there is no way to lose a balance you have built.
Studio coins: earned by playing, spent on your studio
The coin counter at the top of the app shows studio coins. Games add them: a solo round +5, a catch +10, a 1v1 win up to 100, a draw +20, a good try +10, and a bonus when you finish a set. Daily limits apply, and the coins sheet shows where you are today. You spend studio coins on your story studio: its rooms, props and looks.
Studio coins and arcade coins are separate balances. Neither can be bought, and neither has any cash value.
The machines, and what each one asks of you
Every category rewards a different skill, and none of them charges you anything. What changes is how you win the round.
The claws
The main claw machine, in four claw types: Big, Mini, Snap and Easy Claw. Line the claw up over a prize, check the second camera for depth, and commit to the grab.
Color Catch
A winning colour is drawn each game. Catch that colour to win the round; any other colour loses it.
Rebound
Bounce a dropped ball off the platform and into the scoring hole. Angle matters more than force.
Pachinko
Pick your drop point, release, and let the ball find its way through the pins to the prize slot.
Wobble Drop
Drop your prize through a hole that keeps moving and tilting. It comes down to timing.
Bingo
Lit holes persist on a grid shared by every player. Be the first to complete four in a row.
Prize Wheel scores in its own way rather than winning outright: you stop a spinning wheel on the highlighted prize zone. Its cabinets are not always on the floor; when one is, you can play it from More, on your profile. Whichever machine you open, check the rules card in the room before you play.
Tickets: your Daily Bonus reward
Tickets are the second balance, and they come from the Daily Bonus games. They are separate from coins, and nothing on MSA Arcade spends them today, because nothing on the arcade floor charges anything. Your ticket count is a tally of your Daily Bonus luck. It shows on the More page and travels with your account.
The two Daily Bonus games
Every day you get two free bonus plays in total across both games, resetting at midnight UTC, and both games reward tickets. In Bounce, you press DROP and your score depends on which hole the ball lands in. In Balloon, a prize wheel spins and you press STOP; land on the balloon and you take the grand prize. Both are free and take seconds, and you start them from More, on your profile.
Guest play vs. an account
You can jump in as a guest instantly and go straight onto a real machine, without a download or a sign-up. Creating a free account saves your progress, coins, tickets and history across devices; the leaderboard is open to everyone, guests included. A guest session can be upgraded to a full account without losing anything you have earned, so it does not matter which way you start.
No cash value
MSA Arcade is a game of skill and timing, not gambling. Coins, tickets and prizes are all virtual: they are non-redeemable, non-transferable and have no cash value, and that policy keeps the platform family friendly. Nothing is ever staked, because the machines are free and Battle Arena entry is free, so there is nothing to lose. What you take away is the win itself: the grab happened on a real machine, and the rewards stay in the game. For the full details, see our Terms and FAQ, or write to us at [email protected].
Ready to start?
Pick a category and get put on a free machine: play as a guest right now. Today's Daily Bonus is under More. Then read our guides to the claw machine, Pachinko and Bingo, and step into the Battle Arena when you are ready to win your first coins.