How to Play

MSA Arcade lets you play real, physical arcade machines live over the internet and win virtual prizes. Every machine is a variation on the claw machine — progress through levels, take on other players, and master each one's twist. Here is everything you need to know to get started.

How Levels Work

1

Choose a Level — Each level contains multiple machines from different categories. Complete all machines in a level to win!

2

Play Machines — You'll be assigned machines one at a time. Win each machine to proceed to the next one in the level.

3

Earn Rewards — Complete levels to earn coins and tickets. First-time completion gives bonus rewards!

4

Unlock More — Complete levels to unlock harder challenges with bigger rewards. Progress through the adventure map!

Pro Tip

The machines are all free — you pay coins to enter a level, and that entry gives you a set number of lives, which are your tries for that run. Fail a machine and you lose one; run out and the run ends. Lives don't refill over time, but you can buy a spare with tickets.

Machine Categories

👽

Alien

A claw machine in alien dress — land your ball in the spaceship to win!

How to Play

  • Grab a ball with the claw
  • Carry it over the alien ship — the drop chute is a spaceship with small openings
  • Release so the ball drops through an opening to win

Tips

  • 💡 The ship's openings are small — precision beats speed
  • 💡 Check both cameras before you release; a near-miss rolls away
🎱

Bingo

Connect four on the shared 4×4 grid — first player to line up four wins.

How to Play

  • Drop balls through the blue-lit holes of the 4×4 grid
  • Every sunk ball lights its hole for good — the grid is shared and persists between games
  • Be the first to complete four-in-a-row to win — the grid then resets

Tips

  • 💡 Close the line that needs the fewest holes — another player may finish it first
  • 💡 No ball is wasted: lit holes stay lit until someone wins
🎠

Carrousel

Stop the spinning carousel at the right moment to win prizes.

How to Play

  • Watch the carousel spin with different prizes
  • Tap the button to stop it
  • Land on the highlighted prize zone to win

Tips

  • 💡 Learn the timing rhythm
  • 💡 Watch for the target zone position
🏀

Rebound

Drop a ball so it bounces off the platform into the scoring hole.

How to Play

  • Grab a ball with the claw
  • Position your drop point and release
  • The ball must bounce off the platform into the scoring hole to win

Tips

  • 💡 Study the bounce angles before you commit
  • 💡 Small position changes make big differences after the bounce
💣

Defuser

Steer the magnetic ball to repeat the blinking sequence — on inverted controls.

How to Play

  • Watch the blinking pattern on buttons 1–4
  • Steer the magnetic ball over the buttons in the same order
  • Complete the sequence to defuse the bomb

Tips

  • 💡 Controls are inverted — up moves down, left moves right
  • 💡 Memorize the whole pattern before you start moving
🕳️

Random Hole

Drop your ball into the one winning hole on a wobbling plate.

How to Play

  • The plate below wobbles and tilts — it has four holes, but only one wins
  • The claw moves forward and back only
  • Line up over the winning hole and press CATCH to drop

Tips

  • 💡 Watch the plate's movement pattern before dropping
  • 💡 Aim where the winning hole will be, not where it is
🧹

Sweeper

A claw machine with a rotating rod sweeping the field.

How to Play

  • A plastic rod rotates across the playfield as you aim
  • Position the claw while staying clear of the rod
  • Time your grab between sweeps and lift the prize clear

Tips

  • 💡 Watch the rotation pattern and move between sweeps
  • 💡 Line up early, then wait for the rod to pass
🕹️

Pachinko

Claw-operated pachinko — release your ball over the pin board.

How to Play

  • The claw picks up a ball and carries it along the top of the pin board
  • Move left or right to choose your drop point
  • Release — the ball rattles down through the pins; land it in the prize slot to win

Tips

  • 💡 Watch how balls bounce off the pins to find good drop points
  • 💡 Adjust in small steps after a near miss
🎨

Color

Catch a ball in the winning colour — any other colour loses.

How to Play

  • A winning colour is drawn at random each game
  • Position the claw over a ball of that colour
  • Catch it to win — any other colour loses the round

Tips

  • 💡 Check the winning colour before you aim
  • 💡 Pick the most catchable ball of the right colour, not the closest one
🎯

Classical Small

The classic compact claw machine.

How to Play

  • Move the claw left/right and forward/back
  • Line up over the prize — use both camera angles
  • Press CATCH to drop and grab
🎁

Bonus Games

Special daily bonus games including Bounce and Balloon!

How to Play

  • Play once per day for free
  • Bounce: press DROP — your score depends on which hole the ball lands in
  • Balloon: stop the spinning wheel on the balloon to pop it for the grand prize

Tips

  • 💡 Daily plays reset at midnight
  • 💡 Great way to earn extra tickets!
🍎

Classical Bite

The same claw game with a snappier "bite"-style grabber.

How to Play

  • A claw machine with a different claw — a bite-style grip
  • Line up as usual with both cameras
  • Adjust your aim to how this claw closes
🏆

Classical Big

The full-size claw cabinet — higher stakes, bigger rewards.

How to Play

  • The biggest claw cabinets on the floor
  • Same controls: position the claw, then press CATCH
  • Free to play like every machine, and pays out bigger

Tips

  • 💡 They show up in the pricier levels — a miss still costs a life
  • 💡 Rewards scale with difficulty

AI Players

So you can always find a match, some opponents in multiplayer modes (like Case Battles) may be AI players operated by MSA Arcade. They show up with regular display names and play by the same rules — and when you beat one, you win your full rewards, exactly as against a human opponent.

Need More Help?

Each machine shows quick instructions when you start playing. Take your time to learn the mechanics — practice makes perfect!