About Alftanet
Free arcade games that run in your browser, made by one person in Iceland and paid for by ads.
What this is
Alftanet is a hobby project. The games are short, most rounds last a few minutes, and you can play them on a computer or (for most of them) a phone without installing anything or making an account. A couple, like Strata and Castaway, are longer, because the idea needed the room.
Remakes, tributes and new ideas
Some games are remakes of arcade classics, like Skyguard (Missile Command) or Driftbreak (Asteroids). Some are tributes to 8-bit home computer games. The rest are new ideas, usually built around one mechanic: swinging on a rope, seeing in the dark by sonar, stacking blocks. When a game is based on an older one, we say which. The rules may be borrowed, but the code, art, sound and levels are new.
How it's made
Each game is written from scratch in JavaScript and drawn in the browser. Most of them have no sound files at all: the music and effects are generated while you play. If you want to know more, the guides include a few notes on how particular games were made.
How it's paid for
Mostly by ads. The games have nothing to buy, no premium version and nothing locked. The ads pay for the domain and the servers, and if you use an ad blocker the games work exactly the same.
The one paid thing is separate from the arcade: corporate editions, private games built for a company event. They don't change anything about the free games.
Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. Every game is free to play.
Do I need an account?
No. To go on a leaderboard, you type a name when you post a score.
Can I play on my phone?
Most games, yes. The ones that really need a keyboard are marked "Best on desktop" on the front page.
What data do you keep?
The name and score you submit, and anonymous visit counts. The privacy policy has the details.
Something broken, unfair or hard to play? Use the review box in the game, or get in touch.