On this page
What gets written, and when
When a run ends — win or lose — the game commits its results. Only values that beat your existing best for that metric are written.
Four keys exist in total, all prefixed ma: so they are easy to find in your browser's developer tools:
| Key | Contains | Written when |
|---|---|---|
ma:bests | Best value per game per metric, plus a timestamp | A run ends with a new best |
ma:recent | Game id, last-played timestamp, play counter | You press Start |
ma:favorites | A list of game identifiers | You press a heart |
ma:prefs | Sound on/off, reduced-motion choice | You change a preference |
That is the complete list. Nothing else is stored anywhere, and the total is typically a couple of kilobytes.
Why there is no leaderboard
This site is static. There is no application server, no database and no accounts — which means there is nothing to submit a score to.
We could add one. The reason not to is that a score submitted from a browser cannot be verified: anyone can send any number, and a ranking nobody can trust is worse than no ranking at all.
So personal bests are shown and labelled as local everywhere they appear. The 'Your Best' chip on a game page and the 'your best' line on a ready screen both refer only to this browser on this device.
Every game records more than one metric
A run commits several values at once. Monster Dash records distance, score and time; Monster Arena records round, score and time.
Only the primary metric appears as your headline best, but all of them are stored. That is deliberate — it means a game-over screen can show three diagnostic stats rather than one flattering number, and it means a game's primary metric could change without invalidating your history.
When storage is blocked
Private browsing, blocked site data and some privacy extensions make localStorage unavailable. The site handles this deliberately rather than crashing.
Every game remains fully playable. The storage layer falls back to an in-memory store for the session, so favourites and bests work while the tab is open and vanish when it closes.
Pages that depend on stored data — favourites, recently played, the games index — show a visible notice explaining that the browser is blocking local storage. A missing favourite should never be a mystery.
Clearing everything
You have complete control over this data. Three ways to remove it:
- The clear-data button on the cookie and storage policy page, which removes every
ma:key immediately. - Your browser's site data controls, usually under 'site data', 'storage' or 'clear browsing data'.
- Private browsing, which discards everything when the window closes.
One consequence worth being clear about: clearing this data erases your best scores permanently. We hold no copy, so there is nothing to restore from. That is the trade-off for a site that never uploads anything about you.
Where your results actually live
Everything the site remembers about you is stored by your own browser under keys beginning ma:, and it never leaves the device.
That list is short: your best result per game and metric, your favourites, your recently played games, and your sound preference. There is no account, no server to send results to, and nothing that identifies you — the data is meaningless outside your own browser profile.
The consequences are worth understanding before you get attached to a number. Results are per-browser and per-device, so a best set on your laptop will not appear on your phone. Clearing site data clears them. Private browsing windows discard them when closed. And if storage is unavailable entirely, the games still run — they simply forget everything once the page closes.
Why only improvements are written
A small implementation detail with a practical consequence.
A run's results are compared against the stored bests and only written when they beat them. That means storage is touched rarely — a handful of times per session rather than once per run — which matters because writing to localStorage is synchronous and can block the main thread briefly.
It also means your bests cannot be accidentally lowered. There is no code path anywhere that reduces a stored best, so a bad run genuinely costs you nothing at all.
Clearing your data
Everything stored is under your control, and there are three ways to remove it.
The site's own controls are the cleanest: the favourites and recently-played lists each have a clear option, and they remove only what they name. Nothing else is touched.
Your browser's site-data settings remove everything this site has stored in one action, including your bests. That is irreversible — there is no copy anywhere else, because nothing was ever sent anywhere.
Private browsing keeps the data only for the session. It is the right choice on a shared computer, and it means your bests will not be there next time, which is a trade-off rather than a bug.
There is nothing to request, export or delete on our side, because we do not hold anything. That is the practical consequence of a site with no accounts and no server.
What happens the first time you play
The first run of any game sets your best for every metric that game tracks, because there was nothing to compare against.
That means your first best is usually poor, and it is meant to be. The number exists to be beaten, and a first run that sets an easy target is a better start than one that sets an intimidating one.
The HUD shows your best alongside your current value during play, which is why near misses register as near misses rather than as arbitrary numbers. That comparison is doing more for replayability than the storage mechanism suggests — without it, a run that ended twenty points short would simply be a run that ended.
Key takeaways
- Four keys, all prefixed ma:, totalling a couple of kilobytes — and that is the complete list.
- There is no leaderboard because a browser-submitted score cannot be verified.
- Every run commits several metrics, which is why game-over screens can be diagnostic.
- When storage is blocked, games still work and pages show a visible notice rather than silently forgetting.
Frequently asked questions
Can you see my high scores?
No. They are written to your browser's localStorage and never transmitted. There is no server to receive them.
Will I lose my scores if I clear browser data?
Yes, permanently. We hold no copy, which is the trade-off for never uploading anything.
Do scores sync between my devices?
No. Storage is per browser per device, and there are no accounts.
Can I move my scores to another device?
How do I delete what the site has stored?
Alex Morgan
Browser Games Editor & Interactive Gaming Content Specialist
Alex Morgan is the editorial byline for everything published on Monster Arcade — the design notes behind all 30 original games, the strategy guides, and the tuning decisions that set every difficulty curve on the site. More about our editorial byline.
Published · Last updated
Games mentioned in this guide
Monster Dash
Two actions, endless forest, instant restart. The best first game on the site.
Monster Coin Rush
The fastest collection game here. A two-second combo window and coins arriving faster than you can think.
Monster Arena
Clear each round of creatures, then pick one of three permanent upgrades. Builds compound fast.